Myitsone dam and peace process on agenda of Suu Kyi’s China visit

Myitsone dam and peace process on agenda of Suu Kyi’s China visit

NAYPYITAW: -- Aung San Suu Kyi visits China this week with Burma’s peace process and the controversial Myitsone dam in Kachin state are high on the agenda for discussions with Chinese leaders, The Irrawaddy Online reported on Monday quoting Foreign Ministry spokesman Kyaw Zeya.

Zeya responded vaguely to questions from reporters about the Myitsone dam which was suspended by former president Thein Sein in 2011 and its fate remains uncertain since then.

“We have been holding seminars to look for possible solutions. We will try our best for a productive discussion,” he told the reporters.

He said a special representative of China’s foreign affairs is involved in Burma’s peace process and Suu Kyi is prepared to discuss the issue with her Chinese counterpart.

President Htin Kyaw on last Friday formed a new 20-member commission chaired by Deputy Lower House Speaker T Khun Myat to evaluate all proposed hydropower projects on the Irrawaddy River, including Myitsone dam.

The commission will assess the potential environment and social impacts of proposed projects, their possible impacts on foreign investment and the wider economic and potential losses in water resources set alongside public access to electricity.

Suu Kyi made her first official visit to China in June last year as head of the opposition NLD, at the invitation of the Communist Party of China. During that visit, she held talks with President Xi Jingping among others.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/myitsone-dam-peace-process-agenda-suu-kyis-china-visit/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-08-16