Burma calls halt to dam after protest

Burma’s government yesterday blocked a controversial £2.2 billion Chinese dam project, a victory for supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and another sign of apparent reform in one of Asia’s most repressive states.

After weeks of rare public outrage against the Myitsone dam, Burma’s largest hydropower project, president Thein Sein told parliament his government had to act “according to the desire of the people.” Its construction has been “shelved” during the president’s five-year term, one official said.

The dam was backed by hardliners with ties to China and opposed by an increasingly vocal band of reformers.

“It’s very good of them to listen to the voice of the people,” said Ms Suu Kyi, who was released last year from 15 years of house arrest. “I welcome this.”

She had said the dam threatened the flow of the Irrawaddy river and warned that 12,000 people from 63 villages would have to be moved to make way for it.

The dam would have flooded an area about the size of Singapore, creating a 296 square mile reservoir, mainly to serve growing energy needs in northern neighbour China, which would have imported about 90 per cent of the power generated.

In recent weeks, the dam had become a symbol of resentment over China’s growing influence.