Hydropower review taskforce stalls, waiting for instructions
A Commission member on the taskforce reviewing hydropower projects said the team has yet to hear back from the president about the first submitted report, which is believed to have advised cancelling the controversial, Chinese-backed Myitsone dam. The first report on hydropower projects along the Ayeyarwady River was sent to the President’s Office on November 11, with a strong recommendation against restarting the suspended Myitsone dam, members of the review team said. The commission members said they are awaiting instructions for their next report. “The president hasn’t [sent any communications regarding the] second report. But the commission is ready for it. I think the president will be pleased with our first report,” the committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity said. A spokesperson for the President’s Office last month told The Myanmar Times that it was the responsibility of the commission to give information to the public about the review process. However, commission members also say they have no authority to publicly divulge the contents of the report.
