Chinese Embassy reverts to anti-Irrawaddy dam activists

In a surprise gesture, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore reverted to
anti-Irrawaddy-Myitsone dam project activists yesterday and informed them
by email that it had forwarded their appeal letter demanding a halt to the
construction in Burma’s Northern Kachin State, to relevant authorities in
China.

This was the first such letter to the Chinese government by Kachins in
Singapore. Interestingly, the response came within a week, much to the
surprise of many.
Cheng Hong Bo, the Second Secretary of the Political and Press Section of
the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Singapore, officially
informed one of anti-dam activist leaders yesterday at 5:16 pm Singapore
time that he had forwarded the appeal letter of the ethnic Kachin
community in the city-state.

On being contacted by the KNG reporter Solomon in New Delhi, Cheng Hong Bo
refused to comment on his response to the activists but agreed to field
questions through email.

The Singapore-based Kachin Literature and Culture, also called Jinghpaw
Laili Laika hte Htunghking Hpung (JLH) in Kachin, organized the signature
campaign-cum-appeal letter. It was signed by 110 ethnic Kachins from
northern Burma and submitted to the Chinese Embassy on January 28.

“We have forwarded your appeal letter concerning the issue of the
construction of Irrawaddy/Myitsone Dam in Kachin state, Myanmar to the
relevant authorities in China,” Cheng Hong Bo ( cheng_hongbo@mfa.gov.cn)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots.

Two JLH leaders met Cheng Hong Bo in his Embassy office on January 28 and
explained at length about the negative impacts of the Irrawaddy Myitsone
hydropower project, which is threatening local people and millions
downstream of the dam. Their livelihood is at stake as is their lives
should the dam collapse, following flooding because it is not very far
from a Sagaing fault line.

“We are happy and encouraged with the response. We hope the Chinese
government will take into account the wishes of the Kachin people,” said
Awng Di, general secretary of the JLH in the city-state, who handed over
the appeal letter to Cheng Hong Bo.

Awng Di told KNG, they will try to lobby in the Chinese media so as to
garner support from the Chinese people against the dam construction in
Kachin State.

“We will seek the help of our friends in China to publish this issue in
well known newspapers in the country. We want more Chinese people to
become aware and want them to be involved in the movement against the dam
project,” he added.

Source :http://kachinnews.com/News/Chinese-Embassy-reverts-to-anti-Irrawaddy-dam-activists.html