Burma Halts Controversial Dam Project

In an unexpected victory for social activists in Burma, President Thein Sein announced he would halt work on the Myitsone dam for the remainder of his term. The dam, which would have flooded 300 square miles and displaced thousands of ethnic Kachin villagers, fueled fighting between Kachin rebels and the government and was opposed by environmentalists and political opposition groups. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi recently joined the anti-dam movement. The dam was a joint project between Burma and China, and the vast majority of the power produced by the dam would have been exported to China.