The Mekong River

Milton Osborne for The Interpreter At a Mekong River Commission (MRC) meeting on 19 April in Phnom Penh, Cambodian and Vietnamese officials recorded their Governments’ firm opposition the Xayaburi dam the Lao Government has proposed building on the Mekong’s mainstream between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. This was followed by sharp rejections of the dam from [...]

By Thuy Nguyen for SGGP Lao Prime Minister Thoongsing Thammavong has told his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung that Laos had decided to postpone the construction of the controversial Xayaburi hydropower project, and would conduct more environmental impact assessments with international experts. The Lao PM announced this during his meeting with the Vietnamese PM on [...]

A foundation for the long term cooperation and prosperity for China and ASEAN by Phạm Phan Long for Viet Ecology Foundation Lancang-Mekong River is the world’s 11th longest river running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In terms of bio-diversity, Lancang-Mekong is second only after the Amazon. For thousands of years, the river [...]

International Rivers Decision Delay a Temporary Reprieve for Mekong River Bangkok, Thailand: Government representatives from the four lower Mekong Basin countries agreed today that the decision on the Xayaburi Dam, the first dam proposed for the lower Mekong mainstream, be deferred and elevated to the Ministerial level. According to a press release from the Mekong [...]

Move it along now! Next Tuesday, a crucial decision will be made over the fate of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. On April 19th, the governments of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam will decide whether to build the first dam on the lower Mekong mainstream, the Xayaburi Dam. If you also object to this [...]

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee for The Nation Some 400 people from provinces along the Mekong River in the North and Northeast gathered yesterday in Nong Khai’s Si Chiang Mai district to voice their opposition against Laos’ proposed Xayaburi hydropower project, which they believe will have a negative impact on their lives. The protesters also signed a [...]

By MARSHA SILLS for 2the advocate in Baton Rouge Louisiana Lafayette team shares expertise on river ecology LAFAYETTE — A project designed to educate people living along the Mekong River about the potential effects of dam developments on their way of life is being produced in Lafayette. “Forecast Mekong” is a project of the U.S. [...]

Thomas Miller for The Phnom Penh Post Representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam are in Sihanoukville today to discuss Laos’ Xayaburi hydropower dam proposal, the first of 12 proposed for the lower Mekong river, with a decision slated for April 22. The four countries signed an agreement in 1995 to cooperate on managing the [...]

International Rivers | World Water Day 2011 263 non-governmental organizations from 51 countries submitted a letter yesterday urging the Prime Ministers of Lao PDR and Thailand to immediately cancel the proposed Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong River’s mainstream in Northern Laos. The letter urges the Government of Lao PDR to cancel its plans to build [...]

Piyaporn Wongruang for The Bangkok Post Villagers fear the worst as the Xayaburi Dam project in Laos takes shape The Mekong River looks a pale imitation of the mighty waterway it once was. The water flows sluggishly in a channel which has shrunken to only a few metres wide in some parts of Loei province. [...]