"Cambodian dam proceeds despite opposition over fish, ousted villagers", 17 Aug 2015

The Cambodian government has begun relocating some 5,000 villagers away from the flood site of the Lower Sesan 2 dam. The controversial project in the country’s northeast province of Stung Treng is sited less than a mile below the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers, two of the mighty Mekong’s most significant tributaries. Having already suffered flooding, reduced fisheries, and other problems resulting from existing upstream dams like Yali Falls in Vietnam, communities within the watershed area have learned through experience how dams impact their livelihoods. This has garnered widespread opposition to the Lower Sesan 2 project in riverbank communities both upstream and downstream of the site. Around 60 communities in the area, mostly inhabited by members of the Phnong, Lao, and Brov ethnic groups, belong to the 3S River Protection Network, an advocacy network opposing the dam whose name refers to the Sesan, Srepok, and Sesong Rivers.