drought of Mekong River, PM Hun Sen

Droughts of Mekong River from Climate Change, Not China: Samdech Techo Cambodian PM Hun Sen

Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen, head of the royal government of Cambodia on Tuesday
said that the droughts of the Mekong River made the water level of river lower previous years is from the climate change, not from the matters of Chinese dams.

And at the same time, he also rejected the allegation of civil organizations and foreign countries who have blamed China over droughts of Mekong River.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the annual work of the ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said any blames on China over droughts of Mekong River is wrong and baseless. We have to blame the climate change globally instead and it is not from the hydroelectric power dam,” he said. I am not defender for China. We have to say about justice but China is also victims, he added. “They have to put the blames on Theravadas that is making more sins.” he noted.
“They are criticizing China while China itself has been being also victimized by droughts. Even Ch Lan Chang River in China has no water, too and drought made soil break bigger than other areas,” Hun Sen said, adding that in the upper part of China in Yunan province is also facing huge droughts worse than Cambodia,” he said. “Cambodia’s wells are dried up.” Hun Sen also said that the climate change hit countries worldwide

The level of water in the Mekong River is totally depends on rain and the level of water downed is depends of the climate change,” he explained. “As long as the water, which releases from the hydro-dam reservoirs, is not diverted to other areas but continues to release into the Mekong basin, the dams will not have any impacts on environment,” Hun Sen said.


Hun Sen, who attended the last week’s Mekong Summit in Hua Hin of Thailand along with other Asian leaders of the River members and scientists, said that there is a number of foreign countries have blamed China for main source of droughts.
“I am not defending China, but I saying this only to provide justice for China,” Hun Sen said he had a separate talk with China and Laos on his sidelines of the Mekong summit in Thailand.
“Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit told me that in Thailand there some areas can now produce only two times of crops a season from previously three as a result of lack of water,” he said.
“We—Cambodia, China, Lao and Vietnam—are facing droughts as well.”
Prime Ministers, of the Mekong River member countries, attended the weekend’s Mekong Summit which organized by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), on how to tackle the climate change and responding to the Mekong River’s droughts.
The Mekong River governments have agreed at the Summit to intensify efforts to protect at risk from flooding, encouraging river navigation and trade as well as improving basin water quality and the opportunities and challenges of proposed hydro-power plan, said the Mekong River Commission in a release was seen by DAP.
“As long as the water, which releases from the hydro-dam reservoirs, is not diverted to other areas but continues to release into the Mekong basin, the dams will not have any impacts on environment,” Hun Sen said.
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