China, Myanmar face Myitsone dam truths
http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-190214.html
China, Myanmar face Myitsone dam truths
By Yun Sun
Feb 19, '14
Debate between China and Myanmar over the suspended US$3.6 billion Myitsone hydro-electric dam project recently reached a new pitch.
A war of words between their governments erupted after China Power Investment launched a renewed public relations campaign to promote the mega-project. This included a corporate social responsibility report released in December beautifying the dam and its supposed wondrous contributions to local livelihoods and development.
The report was quickly slammed by Myanmar activists as "propaganda" aimed at garnering support for what is a widely unpopular project. Soon after, mainstream media on both sides joined the polemical debate.
China's official People's Daily published a special report on January 3 calling for the resumption of the contractually agreed upon dam. Four days later, Myanmar's prominent, privately-run Eleven Media published a pungent editorial rebuttal, saying that "There should be no compromise on (the) Myitsone project."