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3/14/98, 2pm, International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers Water
and Life Bank America Corporate Headquarters, 555 California Street, San
Francisco
Speaker: Dai Qing
"We all know that after learning and understanding more about the
environment, the world's leading dam builder , The United States, is no
longer building dams. They are no longer destroying their own rivers and
other rivers around the World. But after this announcement, why is it
that Bank America has bought SDB bonds?
Bank of America, I say to you, maybe you don't know that the middleman is
providing funds to the Three Gorges Project. You may say that "China wants
to build this and has borrowed from me". But I am here today to tell you
that you don't understand.
In building the Three gorges project: Do you know how much of it comes
from the motivation and will of the people and how much of it comes from
the government and the companies?
You may say that it has been approved through the National People's
Congress. But do you know that the Congress have received falsified
information? And do you know how many were lured and forced into supporting
this project?
If this project is as good as promoters say, then why are all the
government branches, the using all their weight to silence the criticism?
Not only are books about the Three Gorges banned, but also the books from
other countries outside of China about their own dams and their disasters.
By buying SDB bonds, do you know who will receive benefits from this
project? What you are supporting are the dictators who are not interested
in the people, but are only interested in a milestone marker for their
authoritarian careers. What you are helping are the officials who use the
dam to gain favoritism and to get promotions. You are helping the big
companies, who only think about their own money and pay no attention to the
environment, people, or cultural heritage.
So when you think of buying more SDB bonds in 1998, do you think of the 1.9
million silenced people who can not express their sadness and speak against
this project? Do you think of the lost cultural history and art and
destruction of the natural river?
As an investment bank, you might think that you're pleasing the government
by buying bonds and can in the future have an opportunity to do more
business in China. Or you have seen that Europe and Canada are doing the
same for the project and that you might lose out on this opportunity. It's
not your American style. In my mind, I didn't think Americans do things
like that.
Dictatorship in China is passing into history. Whether or not you have the
contract now, in the end the market economy will provide the last
opportunity, not the passing dictators.
As a Chinese citizen, as an informed person of the Three Gorges Dam project
and as an opponent, I can only say that a good investment company should be
a company that is responsible, compassionate and one that can look into the
future. - Don't use your money to destroy the environment. Don't use
your money to take advantage of farmers who depend on the river and send
them into destitution. Help Chinese people in other ways, not with this
project which supports dictatorial and corrupted officials."
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For more information about the Three Gorges Campaign, contact Doris Shen:
threegorges@irn.org
510-848-1155 ext. 317
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Three Gorges Campaign
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way
Berkeley, CA 94703
threegorges@irn.org
tel: 510.848.1155 ext 317
fax: 510.848.1008