Press Release

The Cambodian Fishery Coalition is a community-based organization created by the protection network of Fishery Communities and Fishermen in Cambodia, which was established in 2005 with three main areas (Tonle Sap Lake surrounded by 6 provinces, coastal areas surrounded by 3 provinces and the Mekong River surrounded by 5 provinces). Today, the coalition has submitted a letter to the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Vietnam urging them to cancel the Lower Sesan 2 Dam, in order to protect the Mekong River Basin’s abundant fisheries. Hydropower Dams which are being constructed along the Uppe

Ratanakiri - Cambodia The Sesan, Srepok and Sekong Rivers Network Protection (Sesan, Sekong, Srepok) was established in October, 2001 after a big and astonishing flood hit the Sesan River in 1996, which severely affected ethic minorities along the river, forcing them to organize their traditional ritual pray. Although such a prayer was organized, the impacts still continued to threaten their livelihoods. Only years after the flood, did people along the Sesan River learn that the cause of the devastating impacts they were experiencing was due to the construction of the Yali Falls Dam, located

Public Prosecutors and Federal Judge cite violations of indigenous peoples' rights, guaranteed by Brazilian Constitution and international lawBrasilia, Brazil – A federal judge in Brazil has suspended the construction license of the Teles Pires hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon, citing violations of the rights of the Kayabi, Apiaká and Mundurucu indigenous peoples whose livelihoods are seriously threatened by the project. Célia Regina Ody Bernardes, a federal judge in the state of Mato Grosso, ordered the immediate suspension of all activities in dam construction, "especially explo

Call for Compliance with the World's Highest StandardsActivists erect inflatable dam at WWF Marseille, France – Activists created a living river and inflated a large dam in central Marseille today against the corporate greenwashing of dams at this week's 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The colourful manifestation of over 100 protestors from China, Turkey, Brazil, Vietnam, France, and others called attention to how dams are destroying the world's freshwater biodiversity and causing irreversible losses to the world's cultures. Ronack Monabay of Friends of the Earth – France, st

Martes, 13 de marzo, 2012. Ciudad de Guatemala. - Existe en Guatemala, al igual que en el resto de Latinoamérica, una gran preocupación por romper con la alta dependencia de los derivados del petróleo, y poder generar electricidad suficiente para abastecer las demandas del país. En el nuevo estudio Energizar a Guatemala: propuesta de un plan de electricidad sostenible, Alex Koberle, investigador y realizador del mismo, analiza críticamente los planes de desarrollo de electricidad existentes para Guatemala, y determina que existe una solución sostenible y económicamente eficiente para sa

International Labor Organization confirms government violated indigenous rightsAltamira, Brazil - A report released by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations for the International Labor Organization (ILO) found the Brazilian government directly violated the rights of indigenous communities in the Xingu region of the Amazon while plowing forward with the controversial Belo Monte Dam project. The report shows that by failing to conduct indigenous hearings in villages impacted by the Belo Monte Dam prior to approving the project's construction, Brazil

For Immediate Release February 29, 2012 Government moves forward with project despite regional oppositionBangkok, Thailand – As the governments of the Mekong region continue to deliberate on the proposed Xayaburi Dam in Laos, the Thai government has defied the regional decision-making process and pushed ahead with the project’s implementation. Recent oversight hearings by the Thai Senate and the National Human Rights Commission confirm that the government has joined Laos in concluding that the regional process is complete, thereby allowing Thai developer Ch. Karnchang to proceed with const

February 21, 2012 For Immediate Release Representatives from affected communities in Sarawak, Malaysia gathered to kick off their campaign against 12 planned dams in Sarawak with a demand for consultation and a public referendum Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia - For the first time in Sarawak’s history, 150 indigenous representatives from areas already affected or to be affected by dam projects came together to share their experiences at a conference organized by the newly founded ‘SAVE Rivers Network’. The conclusion to be drawn from the conference, which took place from 16th to 18t

Lima, Peru: A lawsuit filed last Thursday against the Peruvian Congress and the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Relations seeks suspension of the Peru-Brazil energy agreement signed by the Energy Ministers of Peru and Brazil in June 2010. The Central Ashaninka of the Ene River (CARE), an indigenous group, filed the lawsuit at the Superior Court of Justice in Lima seeking an injunction against the agreement, asserting that the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples are threatened. "The rights to life, integrity, freedom, lands and free prior informed consent of indigenous peoples are threatene

Federal Public Prosecutors challenge move as unconstitutional in Brazilian Supreme CourtBrasilia, Brazil - An attempt by President Dilma Rousseff to eliminate 86,288 hectares of protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon (equivalent to the area of 161,178 football fields) to make way for five large hydroelectric dams has been challenged as unconstitutional in the Supreme Court by Federal Public Prosecutors (the Ministério Publico Federal or MPF). The MPF alleges that the Provisional Measure (Medida Provisória) signed by Rousseff in early January violates the Brazilian Constitution and the count