FWD: Indons sue Japan over dam it funded

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This article is from thestar.com.my

URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/6/asia/sueaid & sec=asia

 

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Friday, September 06, 2002

Indons sue Japan over dam it funded

 

 

TOKYO: Nearly 4,000 Indonesians sued the Japanese government yesterday,

demanding compensation for a dam funded by aid from Tokyo that they say has

destroyed their livelihood and damaged the environment.

 

The suit, the first against a project funded by Japan’s official development

assistance (ODA), was filed in the Tokyo District Court by 3,861 Indonesians who

said they were forcibly resettled to make way for the Kotopanjang Dam in

Sumatra, lawyers for the plaintiffs said.

 

The plaintiffs demanded 5mil yen (RM160,500) each in compensation from the

Japanese government and its foreign assistance body, the Japan International

Co-operation Agency, for damage to their lifestyle, including a lack of fresh

water and jobs in the area where they were resettled.

 

“This move was not made by choice. They became developmental refugees,” said

Fumio Asano, one of the group’s lawyers.

 

“The compensation is not the main thing. They would like Japan to take measures

to help them regain the lifestyle they had before they had to resettle.”

 

Also named in the suit were the Japan Bank for International Co-operation

(JBIC), a semi-governmental bank that provides loans to foreign countries and

overseas projects, and Tokyo Electric Power Services Co, an affiliate of Tokyo

Electric Power Co (TEPCO), Japan’s largest utility.

 

The hydroelectric dam, completed in 1997, was built in central Sumatra at a

cost of some 31bil yen (RM995.1mil).

 

Plaintiffs say it has damaged the natural environment and that wild animals in

the area, including elephants, face starvation, Kyodo news agency said.

 

The Foreign Ministry had no official comment on the suit, but Vice-Minister

for Foreign Affairs Yukio Takeuchi was quoted by a spokesman as telling

reporters on Monday that such projects are decided by both nations and Japan

then gives its assistance.

 

“We will study the petition carefully and consider our response,” he was quoted

as saying.

 

The Japan Bank of International Co-operation said in a statement that it would

consult with the other defendants on what possible response to make after

studying the lawsuit. — Reuters

 

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