Victory for Burma reformers over dam project.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

Burma will suspend a massive Chinese hydropower project on the Irrawaddy river after the country's president joined a chorus of concerns raised by environmentalists, democracy activists and tribal militias.

The proposed halting of the $3.6bn (GBP2.3bn) Myitsone dam is a remarkable step for a government that has long ruled by military fiat, but appears this time to have put public and ecological concerns ahead of economic priorities and the interests of its powerful neighbour.

In a rare concession to opposition groups, President Thein Sein informed parliament on Friday that construction of the 3,600MW project on Burma's most …