"This report was written by John Sifton, Asia advocacy director, with input from Yaqiu Wang, China researcher, and other researchers in the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch"--Page 138 "August 2021"--Table of contents page. Includes bibliographical references.
Contents:
Summary -- Methodology -- I. Displacement and land seizures in Cambodia -- II. China's history in Cambodia -- III. Lower Sesan 2 dam: technical details, ownership, and financing -- IV. Environmental, economic, and societal costs of Mekong dams -- V. Failure to adequately consult with affected populations -- VI. Social, economic, and cultural impacts of the Lower Sesan 2 dam -- VII. Legal standards -- Recommendations -- Acknowledgements -- Appendices.
Summary:
In 2018, a Chinese state-owned company, China Huaneng Group, completed a large hydroelectric dam in northeastern Cambodia. The Lower Sesan 2 dam - a Chinese government "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) project and one of the widest dams in Asia - flooded 30,000 hectares, disrupted fishery migrations on two major rivers on the Mekong basin, and displaced almost 5,000 people, mostly Indigenous and ethnic minorities. Underwater details how the large-scale dam project disrupted the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people living upstream and downstream of the dam. Impacted communities saw major reductions in income from fishery catches, agricultural work, and forest gathering. Cambodian authorities and companies involved in the project did not hold meaningful consultations, ultimately coercing affected communities into accepting inadequate compensation and resettlement offers that violated their human rights. At relocation sites, officials provided inferior housing, a contaminated water supply, poor agricultural opportunities, and no training for new economic activities. Company and government officials failed to carry out a mitigation plan in line with international standards. The project ultimately left most impacted communities worse off and caused immense and long-term negative impacts on the ecology of the region. The Cambodian government largely failed to protect the human rights of affected communities and should now work with China Huaneng Group to mitigate harms and ensure adequate compensation to those whose livelihoods were harmed by the project. The Chinese government should compel companies implementing future BRI projects to meaningfully consult with affected communities in line with international standards and work with host governments to ensure that communities benefit from projects and not simply become victims of them.
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