"As dam's waters rise, holdout Sesan village leaves villagers say goodbye to ancestral homes", 18 October 2017

After almost three years of holding out, all 76 families from the Stung Treng village of Srekor – located in the reservoir of the newly operational Lower Sesan II Dam – have finally agreed to leave their homes.

Another gate of the controversial hydropower dam was closed…causing already-high water levels to rise even further, and leaving some 60 homes to become half-submerged. Faced with still-rising waters and an untenable existence in the village, the predominantly ethnic Lao villagers finally began leaving….

Residents…in Sesan district…refused to move…since late 2014. Much of the resistance stemmed from villagers’ spiritual attachment to the land and their ancestors’ graves, and the traditional belief that their fates were linked to those of the spirits there. Many also worried that leaving their ancestral home would jeopardise their culture and livelihood, with many dependant on fishing for a living….

…About 58 ethnically Phnong families in Kbal Romeas were still holding out on their relocation as the floods had not reached their homes yet.

…Authorities will offer compensation for families to move to the government’s resettlement site or a location of their preference. The compensation will be $6,000 per family or 5 hectares of land – including a newly built home – regardless of location.