We must find the reasons behind the accident in Laos Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Hydroelectric power dam and help to restore the damages
Tragedy caused under the South Korean ODA assistance project,
the South Korean government and enterprise cannot avoid responsibility
25. July. 2018
According to the local press, on 23 July at around 8 pm (local time), a supporting infrastructure, part of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydroelectric power dam situated in the South-east province of Attapeu, collapsed. The accident inundated 6 villages, thousands went missing and caused more than six thousand refugees. We pray that those who have been sacrificed rest in peace and that those who went missing can return safely to their families. We sympathise deeply with the citizens of Laos who have lost everything in the tragic accident.
The Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy dam was a Public Private Partnership (PPP) that had received 95.5 billion won from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund(EDCF) of the Export-Import Bank of Korea as a Korea’s Official Development Assistance(ODA). SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) have participated in the project. The construction had been finished in April of 2017, four months earlier than scheduled and the dam was expected to commence its commercial operation from February of 2019.
However, international environmental NGOs- have long been opposed to the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam construction. Concerns over several problems have been raised such as the environmental damage it can cause, the violation of human rights of local residents who could be forcibly removed from the area and the non-transparency of a socio-environmental examination of the project. During the parliamentary inspection of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of Korea, it has been pointed out that the project did not follow the EDCF safe guide policy which aims to reduce as much as possible any negative effects caused by a large-scale development project and the problems of its applicability.
The Laos Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam Construction has been supported by the South Korean Official Development Assistance(ODA). The private company, SK Engineering and Construction, as well as the Korean government are responsible for the tragedy. The government must help deal with the aftermath and must investigate the reasons behind the unprecedented and tragic accident. SK E&C has been asserting that the cause of the accident was the ‘overflow’ of water in the supporting dam due to the heavy rain but the Korea Western Power explains that it was the fault of the ‘collapse’ of the supporting dam. This confusion is the reason why a proper and clear investigation of the cause of the accident is needed. Furthermore, they need to clarify if they have selected correctly the location of the infrastructure, if there were no problems of the design or the construction of the dam, if they have implemented effectively the socio-environmental evaluation and if they have followed the guidelines for safety.
In addition, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the limits and the problems of its activation policies regarding the EDCF Public-Private-Partnership policy and to provide solutions and alternatives to the problems. The basic installations of guidelines for safety in order to prevent harmful effects on the environment, on the society and on human rights must be compulsory in order to protect the rights of local residents. This is the least of the responsibilities that can be claimed in order to prevent another tragic accident. We sincerely hope once again that the aftermath of the accidents can be handled safely and that all missing people be returned to their families.
Statement [See/Download]
번역: 황보경 자원활동가
감수: 참여연대 국제연대위원회