【310-312】Groups Urge Laos to Rethink Huge Hydropower Projects

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AS IT IS

Groups Urge Laos to Rethink Huge Hydropower Projects

August 11, 2018

Parents carry their children as they leave their home during the flood after the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos

Environmental groups and researchers are calling on the government of Laos to carry out an open investigation of the deadly collapse of a large dam.

On July 23, part of the Xe-Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed releasing a wall of water. More than 20 people were killed, and as many as 6,000 were displacedby the floods.

The village of Attapeu in southern Laos received the most damage from the flooding.

Harming vulnerable people

Keith Barney is an expert in environmental research and natural resource policy in South East Asia at Australia’s National University. He said that governments often try to limit information after large disasters.

Barney told VOA, "The tendency in many cases when faced with difficult issues or external criticism is to cover up and shut down and block out the flow of information.” He added there are signs that this is happening in Laos, but it is being criticized and raising questions.

Laos

Satellite images from before the flood show Attapeu on a bend in the river with a network of roads. Pictures taken after the incident, however, show the flooded area as a brown mass of mud with few structures left.

Barney said that many of the people in the area are ethnic minorities who had already suffered from the dam building process. He said they may have been harmed by the downstream impact or may have been resettled. Barney added that this, “will just be adding on to their vulnerability in the coming year."

The Xe-Pian-Xe Namnoy dam is being built to create 410 megawatts of electricity near the Cambodian border. It is part of a series of dams Laos has planned or built to improve its economy by selling electricity to neighboring countries.

Non-governmental organizations have strongly opposed the country’s hydro power development. They say Laos has not made good safety plans for the social and environmental results of the projects.

Attapeu Flood

of Mekong’s most important tributaries

The Xe-Pian-Xe Namnoy area feeds into the Sekong River. The organization Save the Mekong considers the river "one of the Mekong’s most important tributaries.”

In a statement, the group said the area is home "to tens of thousands of people from at least 20 different ethnic groups, all of whom rely on wild capture fisheries and surrounding forests and fertile lands."

Save the Mekong said a total of 11 large hydropower dams on the lower Mekong River and 120 tributary dams are planned.

Save the Mekong also said the recent dam disaster renews calls for the government to reconsider the country’s heavy investment in hydropower. It said the Laos governmentshould strengthen the enforcement of laws to guarantee greater responsibility from foreign investors.

The group also said water quality changes had ruined local fisheries along the Xe Pian River. But, it said villagers living there had not received any support for the loss of their livelihoods.

Barney said the collapse also raises questions about safety rules for building projects.

Many countries have donated aid to assist Laos with recovery and redevelopment. South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia have donated money and resources to the effort.

The intergovernmental Mekong River Commission released a statement to VOA. The group said it is "working to develop short- and medium-term programs to support Laos and other countries on dam safety” in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This week, the Laos government announced that it was suspending approval of new dams while it examines more than 50 current projects.

I’m Phil Dierking.

This story was originally written by Ron Corben for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Do you think hydropower is worth the risk of harming nearby communities? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

displaced - v. to force (people or animals) to leave the area where they live

tendency - n. a quality that makes something likely to happen or that makes someone likely to think or behave in a particular way

external - adj. located, seen, or used on the outside or surface of something

mud - n. soft, wet dirt

impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect

vulnerability - n. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally

tributaries - n. a stream that flows into a larger stream or river or into a lake

*【311】AS IT IS

Should Family Play a Part in Immigration Policy?

August 11, 2018

Every weekday, Xan-Xia Hong and her husband Ru-Liang Zhang visit the Chinese Community Center near their home in New York City. The two are retired and in their seventies.

They moved to the United States 28 years ago. They entered the country through the family-immigrant visa system. They still remember how hard it was to get to the U.S.

Hong said, “For the journey, for our whole family, it cost us over 10,000 Chinese yuan.” That amounts to about $2,000 dollars in 1990.

But that money did not guarantee much.

“What were we to do if we couldn’t get the visa? We would lose everything,” Hong said.

The two did not have dependable employment. A family member helped with financial support. They saved their money to pay for the nine-year visa application process for travel to the U.S.

During the following 10 years, Hong worked seven days a week in a clothing factory. Zhang worked similar hours in a restaurant for several years. Then, he inherited a small store. Their work ethic helped them put their three children through college.

But, the two say they wonder if similar success might go unnoticed today because of President Donald Trump’s position on immigration.

Their experience would be considered an example of so-called chain immigration. That is a term used by opponents of what is officially known as citizen-sponsoredimmigrant visas for family members. The administration says the system brings into the country people who do not add to the U.S. economy.

Disagreement over immigration policy

Trump used the term on Twitter last September, “Chain migration cannot be allowedto be part of any legislation on Immigration!” The president has offered support for several pieces of legislation that would limit legal immigration.

Some measures in the bills would cut family-based visas and replace them with what has been described as a “merit-based system. The bills’ stated aim is to reduce the amount of “low-skilled immigrant labor.”

A merit-based system would rate immigrants based on their English-language ability, education level, employment offers and other things.

Supporters say such action would lead to higher pay for American workers. Critics say the U.S. economy depends on low-skilled labor.

Recent public opinion studies suggest that Americans do not agree on what to do to improve the immigration system.

Justin Yu is a former reporter on immigration issues. He now runs the New York Chinese Community Center. He said family-based immigration is not a problem and is very important to U.S.-based families.

“The problem in the American immigration system is not the legal immigrant – it’s not the family-based immigrant, it’s not the merit-based immigrant. The problem…is our border has not been controlled.”

'They didn't ask for handouts'

Many Chinese immigrants share Yu’s opinions. They say that social programs and hard-earned rights are hurt by illegal immigration.

Hong said, “We worked and worked and worked, all the way until we both retired.”

Wellington Chen runs a local development company in New York called Chinatown Partnership. He said immigrants in his neighborhood mostly lead small businesses.

“These people came here, didn’t take away any jobs; if anything, they hired helpers, they put their kids through college, they work long hours, they work the jobs that no one wants to do. And, they didn’t ask for handouts.”

Nicholas Louie is the 23-year-old grandson of Thomas Louie, an immigrant who was sponsored by his own grandfather 60 years ago. The extended family now includes a doctor, a college professor and a math teacher.

Nicolas said he has a difficult time imagining what his life would be like had family immigration been restricted.

“What’s that say about the next generation, when like there’s children asking ‘where’s their grandfather’ … or ‘where’s their uncle?’ Why do they have no family, but everyone else seems to have this wide, extended family?”

Nicolas Louie said his own family is living the American dream.

His relatives, he said, “Just wanted all of us to be good, to make our own money, be satisfied with what we have and retain the family…That’s really important.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Ramon Taylor and Yuan Ye reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

inherit –v. to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies

ethic –n. rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad

sponsored –adj. supported, given help from a sponsor

merit –n. having good qualities and, therefore, deserving of a reward

retain –v. to keep, to continue to have

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*【312】AS IT IS

Report: Americans Know Little about Native Americans

August 11, 2018

Kansas' KLWN radio journalist Tyler Jones (Choctaw) broadcasting from Miami, FL, during 2018 Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) conference, July 21, 2018. Photo by: Frank Robertson

A recent report confirms what Native Americans have always known: Most people in the United States know little, if anything, about American Indians. And what they do know is based on questionable information spread by traditional media.

At the same time, the report shows that the U.S. media is ready to help end misunderstandings and build new stories about Native Americans.

The report comes from The First Nations Development Institute and Echo Hawk Consulting, a private advisory business. The two-year “Reclaiming Native Truth” project was designed to study common ideas about Native Americans and find ways to correct stereotypes.

With help from Native American experts, researchers organized nearly 30 study groups across 11 states. The researchers spoke with political, judicial and business leaders. They also questioned more than 13,000 Americans and looked at social media.

Among the findings:

• Native Americans are largely invisible in modern society;

• Non-Native media controls news about Native Americans;

• Stories about Native Americans deal mainly with their problems, not strengths;

• Stereotypes affect law, policy and decision-making;

• Politicians do not understand tribal rights or U.S. treaty requirements.

“Most people said they didn’t know a Native American,” said Sarah Dewees, director of First Nations’ research, policy and asset-building programs. “Many people think that there aren’t many Native Americans left in America, which of course is not true.”

Dewees points out that Americans have conflicting images of Indians, both good and bad, because of history.

Engraving from Oct. 1, 1881 issue of popular Frank Leslie's newspaper. Stereotypes of the "savage" or "defeated" Indian have helped shape public opinion about Native Americans for more than 200 years.

The study shows Americans hold competing stereotypes of Native Americans: Both poor and wealthy from legalized gaming; spiritual, but struggling with drug abuse and violence; independent and non-tax-paying, but dependent on federal government assistance.

The report says the belief that Native Americans receive a lot of federal aid is the most harmful because it separates Native Americans from other communities. Many U.S. citizens believe the government gives Native Americans special treatment.

The researchers agree: News media is partly responsible for keeping these stereotypes alive.

“If it bleeds, it leads,’” said Dewees, noting the media’s interest in bad news. “News stories about Native Americans focus on deficits, not positive developments in Indian Country. It’s harder to find an audience for ‘feel-good’ stories, but these are the stories that need to be told.”

The good news, say researchers, is that most Americans see Native Americans’ love of country, high rates of military service, and concerns about family, community and the environment. And they also like tribes’ strength in the face of difficulty, historic oppression and cultural genocide.

The study says most Americans are willing to let go of stereotypes when given facts. That is where the media can make a difference.

High Country News associate editor and 2018 Harvard University Nieman fellow Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa) conducting workshop for 2018 Native American Journalists Association conference participants. Photo by Frank Robertson, NAJA co-director.

Brian Pollard is president of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). He said the media has a responsibility to reach out to Native Americans to find the truth.

“One of the things we see very consistently is that many non-Native journalists think that any Indian they talk to will be an expert on that community or that particular issue.”

Pollard also notes the need for reporters to provide context when covering Native issues. He said, “Most people do not understand that each tribe has its uniquehistory, its own culture, and its own story of what has brought that tribe to where it is today.”

The American Society of News Editors has worked for years to increase diversity in news media, but recent information shows minorities remain underrepresented in newsrooms. Native American journalists make less than two-tenths of one percent of people working in traditional media.

As part of the Reclaiming Native Truth project, First Nations has published a guide to help non-Native journalists improve their reports about Indian Country. It is also working with Echo Hawk Consulting to develop a national campaign to increase recognition of and respect for Native Americans.

The “Reclaiming Native Youth” project received money from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as well as several other groups and tribes.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Cecily Hilleary reported this story for VOANews. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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