For years now there has been talk in Thailand and Burma of the damning of the Salween River. But the talk has become insidiously real with last week’s announcement of the beginning of the construction of a hydro-electric power plant at Ta Sang in Shan State. It is the beginning of a series of dams planned for the Salween River and it is the money spinner of Thailand’s MDX Group and the Burmese government. Estimated to be worth US$6 billion, most of the power generated will be exported to Thailand, leaving the people of power-starved Burma with little benefit from its construction, but rather a whole lot of inflicted suffering.
Not surprising is the outcry that has dogged this joint initiative. But what I find particularly interesting and bolstering is the organised grassroots activism which has grown up out of the percieved injustices associated with such a project. Following down the Salween from Ta Sang you will come across two more proposed dam sites, Wei Gyi (Upper Salween Dam and Dar Gwin (Lower Salween Dam).
Image courtesy of Karen Rivers Watch
These sites sit within Karen State and there has been a concerted effort to document the current conditions of people living in these areas whilst also placing the possible consequences of the daming very firmly in the public arena. Two credible reports by Karen Rivers Watch and Salween Watch are worth reading as they highlight the environmental and political impacts of the proposed dams. Like most things instigated from the top down, little thought is given to those on the ground, those villagers who will be most affected by the consequences of the dams’ construction.
Back when this project was still only being talked about a bunch of Karen people were already preparing for the fight they knew must come. A fight that would bring the voices and concerns of the grassroots people to the fore of any discussion around the benefits or catasrophes of the dam. In 2004 Karen River Watch went directly to the villagers whose lives would be irrepairably damaged by the flooding required to build the dam. They undertook educational seminars, performed performance pieces to reinforce their concerns and messages, and most interestingly produced an album of music entitled ‘The Salween Keeps on Flowing’. One member of the group talked about the inspiration for this mode of address and distribution of message.
Our thinking was that the one constant in this struggle against the dam was the villagers’. No matter what happened they would be there and directly affected by this dam…everybody has the skill of art, everyone can sense what a piece of art means to them…this kind of art was on a level that the villagers could understand and make sense of.
One of the songs on this album gives a pretty accurate depiction of why the voices of the grassroots are an essential contribution to any decision over whether these dams should actually be built or not.
The following song was written and performed by Salween Angel and appears on the ‘Salween Keeps on Flowing’.
The Offspring of Salween will always love you
I’m the offspring of Salween
I sew; I reap to earn my living
The monsoon forest, makes the weather balanced
Where the Salween River is my dependence
Oh Salween, you are splendid. Your valley is as green as emeralds
I shall miss you if I am away from you
The sweet aroma of mobaw flower, floating upstream with your breeze
And down south with you to the sea
The Salween natives are harvesting their plants
Anticipating a harmonious year to come
We mumble the prayer for you and for us to be safe
Can you hear it, my dear Salween?
Oh Salween, you are the thread that binds the souls to you
You are the spring for many bloods
Wildlife that wishes to be close to you
And the forests do lean on you
So do I, the offspring of the Salween, who will always love you
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