The Burmese military regime and Chinese investors will proceed with the construction of the Salween river dam and hydropower plant in Karenni state despite opposition from civic groups which claim the project has an adverse environmental impact and is causing human rights violations, according to a politician who keep a close watch on the Karenni political situation.

He said, "There are no more villages, no more farms and Karenni people at the SPDC's planning dam site. They choose these areas that could not hurt people where villages have already been forced to relocate in 1996, while the other projects like Hat Gyi dam project were suspended by Karen National Union and Thai nongovernmental organizations."

In recent month, opposition organizations like the Karenni Development Research Group (KDRG) submitted report requesting SPDC and Chinese investors to consider the dam's environmental impact and to confront problems created by human rights violations.

The Salween river dam at Ywa Thit village in Maese Township, it will produce 600 megawatts.

However, "There has been no transparency and no consultation with the local Karenni people about this project" said KDRG, "Which will submerge large tracts of land along the Salween, the original homelands of thousands of Karenni refugees sheltering in Thailand." Stated in the KDRG's opposed the new Salween dam plans.

Speaking to Kantarawaddy Times on March 2009, a spokesperson of the BRN, said that the dam projects will only earn revenue for the Burmese junta but will not benefit the masses. As a consequence of these projects, human rights violations will be rampant in the project sites, said the Burma River Network (BRN).

Ko Aung Nge said, "The major aim of the dam projects was to earn money for the military junta. Our people have to face many difficulties once the dams are built. Army battalions will follow to set up bases in the areas after the dams are constructed.  Human rights violations will follow as a result."

Meanwhile, The Burmese military regime and Chinese investors have been carried out at Kyauk Kyin near Ywa Thit village, hundreds of workers from central Burma have been sent to construct roads and construction materials have begun to be transported to the dam site.

The Burmese military regime discussed progress on the Salween projects and other hydropower dams with Chinese Datang (Yunnan) United Hydropower Developing Co. meeting for memorandum of understanding (MOU) held on January 7, 2010.

The SPDC and Datang's MOU have also agreed to dam the Thabetchaw and Pawn rivers in Karenni State to produce 110 megawatts and 130 megawatts respectively.