News Releases
Probe International calls for independent financial audit of China's Three Gorges dam
May 16/2006
Probe International calls for an independent and transparent financial and environmental audit of China's mammoth Three Gorges dam as it nears completion.
Controversial Laotian Dam Gets Underway
September 7/2005
World Bank-led hydro venture gets Canada's backing; fails to meet U.S. standards.
Export Development Canada keeps taxpayers in the dark, says Rosen and Associates Limited
June 14/2005
Probe International asks Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate.
News Release: World Bank dam will generate debt burden for Laotians
April 1/2005
"It is projects like Nam Theun 2 that eventually need debt forgiveness because they are not economically viable and they don't generate the
wealth needed to repay the loans."
News Release: Bankrolling Nam Theun 2
March 31/2005
Laotian dam a test of World Bank's credibility.
News Release: World Bank report confirms Nam Theun 2 is not Thailand's least-cost power option
Probe International October 12/2004
A study commissioned by the World Bank reports Thailand has alternatives to the Nam Theun 2 hydro project in Laos that are cheaper and commercially viable, but that they were excluded from the country's official power development plans.
World Bank report confirms Nam Theun 2 is not Thailand's least-cost power option
October 12/2004
A study commissioned by the World Bank reports
Thailand has alternatives to the Nam Theun 2 hydro
project in Laos that are cheaper and commercially
viable, but that they were excluded from the country's official power development plans.
Iraq's odious debts
Cato Policy Analysis No. 526 September 28/2004
An odious debts arbitration would demonstrate to Iraqis that justice can be served by the rule of law. An arbitration would also expose the role of foreign creditors and thus help establish accountability in other countries.
Friends of the Earth?
September 7/2004
Western conservationists back Indochina's largest, most environmentally destructive hydro scheme.
World Bank-backed hydro venture threatens thousands of poor Laotian farmers
September 1/2004
Thousands of Laotian farmers have been promised new livelihoods to make way for a World Bank-backed hydro dam in one of Asia’s poorest countries. But a review of the developers’ resettlement plans indicates a high risk of failure.
World Bank dam poses huge risk to Laotian farmers
Probe International Briefing August 23/2004
If Nam Theun 2 is built, the developers themselves predict "a collapse in the aquatic food
chain," along the Xe Bangfai, a large Mekong tributary in central Laos. This would affect
more than 40,000 people.
Press Release: Landmark decision will lead to other debarments
Probe International July 23/2004
Canadian-based foreign aid watchdog Probe International predicts the World Bank's blacklisting of Acres International will lead to more debarments of other companies convicted in the Lesotho corruption trials.
French-led hydro venture in Lao PDR is uncompetitive and obsolete, says new report
July 1/2004
Power consumers, rural poor would be better served by smaller projects.
Cancel Iraq's odious debts first, Madrid donors conference told
Probe International and German Jubilee October 22/2003
Debt relief groups have urged Iraq's debtors to adhere to a 100-year-old legal principle to resolve Iraq's debt crisis and assist reconstruction efforts when they meet tomorrow in Madrid.
Leaked report faults Nordic hydro consultants in Mekong dam tragedy
October 3/2003
A leaked Asian Development Bank report says experienced hydro consultants could have predicted the catastrophic damages caused by Vietnam’s Yali dam but Swedish firm SWECO, Vietnam’s longtime hydro advisors, failed to do so.
Leaked report criticizes Vietnam for unsafe dam operation
Probe International News Release September 23/2003
A leaked Asian Development Bank report warns Vietnam that major operational changes are needed to ensure public safety downstream of the country’s second largest hydro dam.
World Bank gets cold feet in Laos
July 15/2003
Thailand is expected to sign a multi-billion-dollar deal to buy power from the decade-old Nam Theun 2 hydro project in central Laos. But the dam's fate will ultimately be decided in Washington, D.C., not Bangkok.
Newfoundlanders urge Fortis shareholders to scrap Belize rainforest dam
May 14/2003
Probe International Press Advisory
Newfoundland activist and political satirist Greg Malone questioned directors about Fortis' plans from the floor of the shareholders’ meeting at St. John’s Delta Hotel today.
Canadian rainforest dam on trial at University of Toronto
March 12/2003
Fortis shareholders are at risk, Kennedy warns.
Large ships or large fish?
January 13/2003
Blasting of shoals and rapids in the Upper Mekong River may seriously endanger fish species.
Thousands of Thai villagers protest Canadian potash mine
December 23/2002
Thai villagers held a traditional rice-harvest ceremony yesterday as part of their protest against a potash mine proposed by Canadian mining company Asia Pacific Resources Ltd.
Judge orders public hearing on Canadian-backed dam
December 20/2002
Belize’s Supreme Court has recommended public hearings on a controversial plan by Newfoundland-based power company,
Fortis, Inc., to build a 50-metre high dam in the rainforest of this tiny Central American country.
Supreme Court Ruling This Week on Controversial Canadian Dam
December 18/2002
The Supreme Court of Belize will rule this week on a case challenging government approval of a Canadian-backed dam that would flood one of the last undisturbed river valleys in Central America.
Corruption in Congo
CTV News - Africa Bureau December 13/2002
A United Nations' report lists five Canadian companies as violating international principles on business practices in war zones.
Dam that claims lives is illegal, says new report
Press Release November 22/2002
Villagers appeal to the Cambodian government as Mekong Agreement fails to protect them.
Canadian multinational convicted in Africa: Judgment in corruption trial handed down
Probe International Press Advisory October 9/2002
The Judgment in Rex v Acres International, the first in the world's most important international corruption trials, was handed down today in the tiny south African Kingdom of Lesotho. [The written decision is now available on-line.]
Mekong hydro consultants convicted of bribery in Africa
Probe International Press Release September 18/2002
A major Canadian engineering firm that has worked on hydro projects and resettlement planning in Asia's six-country Mekong region has been convicted by the Lesotho High Court on two counts of bribery.
Canadian engineering multinational convicted of bribery in Africa
Probe International Press Release September 17/2002
In a landmark decision that has sweeping implications for Third World development, engineering multinational Acres International has been convicted in Lesotho of bribing a local official to secure contracts on a multibillion dollar dam scheme.
Belize wildlife activist battles Canadian power company
Probe International Press Advisory September 16/2002
Sharon Matola, the woman leading the international fight against a Canadian-backed hydro scheme in Central America's Belize is in Toronto this week to meet with environmentalists.
Landmark bribery verdict for accused Canadian firm expected tomorrow
Probe International Press Release September 12/2002
The verdict in the case against a Canadian engineering firm accused of bribery in Lesotho, a country in southern Africa, is scheduled to be delivered Friday, September 13.
Canadian survey sheds new light on rural livelihoods in Laos
Probe International Press Backgrounder September 6/2002
Survey warns that hydro dams, irrigation schemes, and tree plantations – in the name of poverty alleviation – can do more harm than good for Laotians whose livelihoods depend upon natural rivers and forests.
Belize government disavows Canadian-backed rainforest dam
Probe International and Natural Resources Defense Council Press Release August 8/2002
In a dramatic turnaround, the Belize government has denied ever giving Canadian power company Fortis Inc. permission to build a controversial hydro dam in one of Central America's last undisturbed rainforests.
Canadian dam in Belize rainforest stalled by legal action
July 11/2002
Canadian power company Fortis Inc.'s controversial plan to build a hydro dam in one of Central America's last undisturbed rainforests has been stalled due to legal action by local environmental groups.
Belize scientist urges Canadian government to stop backing rainforest dam
Probe International Press Release April 5/2002
Leading Belize wildlife expert, Sharon Matola, visits Ottawa to urge federal government to withdraw its support for a hydro dam that threatens Belize wildlife.
Environmentalists sue over secret Canadian deal to dam Belize rainforest
Probe International and Natural Resources Defense Council Press Release March 26/2002
Belizean environmental groups filed a lawsuit last week before the Supreme Court of Belize to block a controversial Canadian-backed hydro dam in Belize's Macal River Valley.
Probe International accuses Canadian engineering giant of professional negligence and incompetence
Probe International Press Release February 27/2002
Probe International filed a complaint yesterday against Canadian engineering firm, AMEC, for professional misconduct, negligence, and incompetence regarding its geotechnical assessment of the proposed Chalillo dam in Belize.
Canadian geological assessment of Belizean dam site wrong, experts warn
Probe International Press Backgrounder January 31/2002
Canadian power company, Fortis Inc., is set to build a hydro dam in Belize's Macal River Valley, an area with extensive bedrock fractures and faults that could prove unstable, geologists warn.
Groups seek legal injunction to stop construction of Canadian-backed hydro dam in Belize rainforest
Probe International January 18/2002
Environmental groups in Belize are preparing to seek an injunction against Newfoundland-based company Fortis Inc. to stop all construction activity at its proposed Chalillo dam
site.
Export Development Canada environmental assessment for Romanian CANDU nuke plant a sham, EDC critic
Probe International Press Release January 17/2002
New legislation protects EDC from legal action: The environmental assessment for the controversial Cernavoda 2 CANDU nuclear reactor in Romania, completed to satisfy EDC's new governing legislation, is a flawed and compromised document.
Environmental clearance for Canadian-backed hydro scheme in Belize illegal, say conservation groups
December 31/2001
Chalillo Press Backgrounder
Robert Kennedy Jr. to visit Belize: Mission to stop Canadian rainforest dam
Probe International Press Release December 17/2001
Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will travel to Belize to support citizens opposing the Chalillo dam that will drown a last rainforest refuge for Central American wildlife.
Newfoundland power company gets green light to flood Central American rainforest
Probe International Press Release November 15/2001
Belize government decision to grant clearance to
Newfoundland-based Fortis Inc. for its proposed Chalillo hydro dam contravenes Belize environmental law, say citizens groups.
Kennedy slams plan for Canadian dam in Belize rainforest
Probe International Press Advisory October 29/2001
Robert Kennedy, Jr. will join environmentalists at a news conference to alert Canadian shareholders to plans by Newfoundland-based Fortis to flood Belize's Macal River Valley, one of the wildest places remaining in Central America.
Environmental groups stare down billion dollar Canadian company over rainforest-destroying dam
Probe International Press Release October 18/2001
A series of hard-hitting advertisements was launched today in the Maritime provinces by a coalition of groups united to stop Fortis Inc. from building a dam that would destroy a unique rainforest in Belize.
Destroy the environment with our blessing, federal government tells crown corporation
Probe International Press Release October 17/2001
New legislation makes Canada's Export Development Corporation judge, jury and executioner, Probe International to tell Parliamentary Committee.
Dam pristine river valley, says Canada's foreign aid agency
Probe International Press Release September 20/2001
A new report from CIDA recommends that construction of the proposed Chalillo dam in Belize begin early next year, even though scientists warn against the scheme because of its devastating effects on Central American wildlife.
Join the vigil for abducted Colombian indigenous leader
September 13/2001
Show your support.
Probe International slams CIDA secrecy
Probe International Press Release August 28/2001
Probe International demands the release of a CIDA-financed environmental assessment of Belize's proposed Chalillo dam.
Government secrecy threatens Canadian democracy, puts Third World lives at risk
Probe International Press Release June 6/2001
Power to cover-up dooms Canadian agencies to repeat mistakes, says Probe International to Federal Task Force.
International scientists issue warning to Canadian multinational
Probe International Press Advisory April 25/2001
Canadian hydro dam threatens Central American wildlife. Some of the world's leading tropical ecologists and wildlife experts have joined the campaign against a hydro scheme that threatens endangered Central American wildlife.
Imminent trial of Three Gorges dam protesters
Human Rights Watch and Probe International Press Release April 19/2001
Human Rights Watch and Probe International appeal for the release of farmers arrested for trying to petition Chinese authorities to end abuses linked to the Three Gorges dam project.
China's Three Gorges dam resettlement turns violent, Press Release
Probe International Press Release March 30/2001
Chinese officials are using police force and violent means to force reluctant migrants to make way for the Three Gorges dam, and to punish anyone accusing local officials of wrongdoing, reports Probe International.
Chinese expert says new resettlement rules won't solve Three Gorges' problems, Press Release
Three Gorges Probe March 29/2001
Failure of new Three Gorges resettlement regulations to deal with "fake migrants" could become "explosive problem," predicts respected sociologist Dr. Wei Yi.
Indonesia's odious debts
Probe International Advisory March 8/2001
Probe International's Patricia Adams called to Indonesia to talk odious debts.
Leaked documents reveal officials fear environmental crisis in dam reservoir
Three Gorges Probe February 14/2001
Leaked correspondence between China's top leadership reveals growing official alarm over the threat of unmitigated water pollution in the Three Gorges dam reservoir.
Environmentalists urge Newfoundland-based Fortis Corporation to abandon hydro scheme in Belize
Probe International Press Advisory January 25/2001
Press Advisory - Canadian and U.S. environmental groups sign letter urging the Newfoundland-based Fortis Corporation to abandon its plans to invest in a hydro dam on Belize's Macal river
Canadian aid agency pays engineering firm to justify dam construction in Belize
Probe International Press Advisory November 21/2000
Hydro scheme threatens jaguar, Scarlet Macaw habitat.
World Commission on Dams set to release final report tomorrow
Probe International Press Release November 15/2000
Dam Builders Fear Tougher Guidelines, Fewer
Subsidies, an End to Large Dams
Asian Development Bank defers model hydro scheme in Vietnam
Probe International September 11/2000
Reports of at least five drownings as a result of massive
flooding caused by Vietnam's second largest hydro dam
have prompted the Asian Development Bank to postpone
financing of another dam on the same river.
Canadian-backed hydro scheme threatens Belize wildlife
Probe International Press Release July 24/2000
Probe International argues for better alternatives to Canadian-backed Challilo dam in Belize.
Stick to the plan or risk disaster in the Three Gorges, Chinese experts warn
Three Gorges Probe July 17/2000
Chinese experts urge Premier Zhu Rongji to stick to initial operating plan.
Chinese leaders assure critics Three Gorges dam progress smooth
Three Gorges Probe June 16/2000
Three Gorges executive fired for malfeasance
Three Gorges Probe March 24/2000
Chinese government orders Farmers out of Three Gorges region
January 18/2000
China's Three Gorges dam faces financial death spiral
Three Gorges Probe December 16/1999
Three Gorges dam to create huge, stagnant, stinking pond
Three Gorges Probe November 29/1999
Chongqing municipality refuses to buy power from World Bank-financed Ertan dam
Three Gorges Probe October 27/1999
Philippine government to dismantle Marcos' nuclear plant
Probe International October 19/1999
Three Gorges resettlement in chaos, awaiting central directives
Three Gorges Probe October 1/1999
Guatemalan citizens harmed by World Bank-financed Chixoy dam violence seek justice
Probe International September 10/1999
State council to confiscate water ministry's luxury hotel complex
Three Gorges Probe July 6/1999
Mekong press backgrounders
Probe International, 1998-1999 December 30/1998
Internet news service on controversial Three Gorges dam launched
Three Gorges Probe July 9/1998
Mekong press backgrounders
Probe International, 1997-1998 December 30/1997
Crisis loom as engineers prepare to dam Three Gorges
Three Gorges Probe November 7/1997
The River Dragon has come!
Three Gorges Probe November 3/1997
GE alerted to economic risks, environmental destruction and human rights abuses linked to TG dam
Three Gorges Probe October 15/1997
China revives controversial resettlement plan
Three Gorges Probe April 16/1997
Three Gorges dam: investors still suspicious, controversy rages on
Three Gorges Probe November 20/1996
Jewels of Chinese civilization to be destroyed by Three Gorges dam
Three Gorges Probe September 17/1996
Mekong press backgrounders
Probe International, 1996 August 8/1996
Canada now sole supporter of world's riskiest and most destructive dam project
Three Gorges Probe May 31/1996
Export-Import bank decision on Three Gorges dam expected today
Three Gorges Probe May 30/1996
US dam expert warns Ex-Im bank that investing in Three Gorges dam could have serious implications
Three Gorges Probe May 8/1996
Chinese health authorities panic about the spread of diseases among Three Gorges evacuees
Three Gorges Probe April 17/1996
International, Canadian environmentalists protest Canadian support for Three Gorges dam
Three Gorges Probe March 26/1996
Three Gorges dam to create more refugees than expected, admit Chinese officials
Three Gorges Probe February 9/1996
White House reportedly abandons effort to block Ex-Im aid for Three Gorges dam
Three Gorges Probe January 2/1996
American multinationals will plead for Canadian taxpayer subsidies if no US support is given for TG
Three Gorges Probe December 22/1995
U.S. Ex-Im bank decision on Three Gorges dam expected soon: American firms lobby to get green light
Three Gorges Probe December 21/1995
American firms appeal to Ex-Im bank to bankroll their exports to controversial Three Gorges dam
Three Gorges Probe November 29/1995
Evildoers sentenced for damaging Three Gorges project
Three Gorges Probe November 14/1995
Canadian company to help displace over 1 million Chinese from their homes crown corporation expected
Three Gorges Probe November 7/1995
Chinese leader will aid Chrétien award contracts to supporters of the controversial Three Gorges dam
Three Gorges Probe October 12/1995
Tourist frenzy in Three Gorges to cause chaos, secret Chinese documents predict
Three Gorges Probe April 5/1995
Mass theft, terrorism expected to increase with Three Gorges construction of dam to bring crime wave
Three Gorges Probe March 22/1995
Three Gorges resettlement expected to spawn massive civil unrest
Three Gorges Probe March 15/1995
Chinese government bracing for civil uprisings
Three Gorges Probe March 7/1995
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