World Bank Articles Agence France Presse December 9, 1999 World Bank urged to compensate Thai villagers over Pak Mun dam BANGKOK, Dec 9 (AFP) - The World Bank should pay compensation to Thai villagers affected by the 240 million dollar Pak Mun Dam project, the International Rivers Network said, Thursday. More than 3,000 villagers have been camped at the dam since March demanding 2.4 hectares (5.9 acres) of land for each family affected by "the loss of income and food sources from the once rich fisheries of the Mun River," the US-based network said in a statement received here by AFP. The World Bank helped the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) construct the controversial 136 megawatt hydropower project, completed in 1994, 629 kilometres (377 miles) northeast of here. The network said the project forced the resettlement of 912 families and an additional 780 households lost all or part of the land. It blamed the dam for decimating fish stocks, with villagers reporting that catches had plummeted from up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) per day to virtually nothing. "Formerly close and self-sufficient communities have disintegrated," the statement said. "Resettlement resulted in villagers being divided between different locations, conficts between pro and anti-dam forces and families being separated as people moved away in search of additional income," it said. EGAT deputy governor Chanaphun Kridakoin said steps had been taken to minimise the impact of the dam on fish stocks. "The fisheries are not affected as they have said, because we provided a fish ladder and we also have a program to release small fish every year into the reservoir," he said. "We have also promoted the prawn industry which has provided the villagers there with a very good income,' he said. The network said while the World Bank contributed only 10 percent of the project's cost, it should compensate the villagers because of its key role in development, promotion and contruction of the dam. "The Bank had advance warning of the project's impact on fisheries, public health and the livelihood of villagers living around the dam site, and chose to ignore or dismiss the information," it said. The network claimed compensation paid to affected villagers was inadequate and many had been forced into debt, but EGAT said the villagers had been adequately reimbursed for any losses. "We have paid altogether about 800 million baht (20.5 million dollars), that's a lot of compensation, including the rehabilitation of the village for the impact of the construction of the dam," Chanaphun said.

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