Kachin residents ‘won’t change mind’ about Chinese dam, KDP leader claims

In the wake of a Chinese embassy statement yesterday suggesting that residents of Kachin State do not oppose the controversial Myitsone dam — a US$3.6 billion project in which 80 percent of the energy created will go to China — Kachin political leaders have begged to differ.

“Our party cannot accept the dam. The Kachin people don’t agree with the project and our parties won’t allow it,” U Awng Hkam, chair of the Kachin Democratic Party, said in a statement.

The massive hydroelectric power development project — officially put on hold back in 2011 amid concerns over ecological destruction and displacement — is proposed for the confluence of the Mali and N’mai rivers, two tributaries that flow into the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar’s largest.

On Sunday, the Chinese embassy released a statement on Facebook, saying they had been informed by Kachin political and social leaders that “the local people of Kachin State do not oppose the Myitsone hydropower project. It is some individuals and social organizations from outside that oppose the project.”

Local news outlets such as Eleven Media have parroted the Chinese government’s claims, with some going further and suggesting Awng Hkam himself was ambivalent about his constituents’ views.

While the meeting apparently did happen, the Kachin Democratic Party boss insisted there was no give in their position on the Myitsone.

“We talked about the Belt and Road and development projects. But we didn’t say we would not oppose the Myitsone project,” Awng Hkam said. “The Kachin people won’t change their minds.”

In 2011, the Myanmar government under President Thein Sein bowed to widespread public pressure against Myitsone, and ordered the suspension of the controversial hydroelectric project, which is backed by China’s state-owned State Power Investment Corp.

Since then, the SPIC has attempted to lobby residents in Kachin State to turn around public opinion about the dam, according to Frontier Myanmar, launching a series of public information campaigns about the project, replete with quizzes about the project along with incentives and prizes for contestants.

However, a recent report by the Irrawaddy has highlighted a more heavy-handed approach by the Chinese government.

According to Kachin Development Party president Gumgrawg Awng Hkamand and Kachin Baptist Convention president Rev. Hkalam Samson, they were warned by the Chinese ambassador that they would face “serious consequences” if they opposed Chinese projects in Kachin state, including the controversial Myitsone hydropower project, during a meeting in early December.

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