"SMEC defends role in assessing Myanmar dam", 4 Aug 2015

...Snowy Mountains Engineering...has defended its role in drawing up an environmental impact assessment report for a controversial dam in Myanmar that faces strong local resistance...Despite strong resistance from local communities SMEC says it is undertaking the environmental and social impact assessments (EIA/SIA) and adhering to international best practice. "Conducting the (EIA/SIA) process with certain community representatives has been challenging, with planned consultations sometimes disrupted," the SMEC said..."SMEC aim is to conduct an EIA/SIA process that is inclusive, constructive and transparent,"...SMEC, which has a long history in Myanmar dating back to 1989, acknowledged "some planned consultations had been disrupted by community groups". But SMEC said the local consultation was "an essential element of an EIA/SIA process" and it would continue to make efforts "to improve communication with the local community". The company says it "maintains a neutral position on this project, whereby it is simply reporting the facts, both positive and negative".