In Cambodia, this village shows even the wealthy are vulnerable to land grabbing
The river view behind the house was broad and serene, a wide expanse of the Mekong flowing just past the newly occupied villa. A pretty sight, and prime real estate too. So when the sand pumping crews showed up just after the housewarming party late last ...
ANDREW HAFFNER
Mekong Turns Blue, Again
Thailand’s space development agency has released the satellite photographs showing the water color of the Mekong River has turned to blue-green, while the river has been experiencing unusually dry again since early this year. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency or GISTDA has released the ...
B.Tribune
Marijuana seized on Mekong river bank
A patrol of the Mekong Riverine Unit seized 635 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana on the bank of the Mekong river in Tha Uthen district in the small hours of Monday. The patrol spotted a pickup covered with canvas on the bank of the Mekong river near ...
PATTANAPONG SRIPIACHAI
Water Levels Drop, Fail to Rise Again on Mekong River Along Thai-Lao Border
Water levels on a stretch of the Mekong River along the border of Thailand and Laos, already low because of equipment testing at China’s upriver Jinghong Dam, have failed to rise again, raising concerns in communities living downstream, sources say. Chinese authorities at the end of ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Thailand challenges Laos dam building spree on Mekong River
Activists gathered Saturday in Paris to support people exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, after a French court examined the case of a French-Vietnamese woman who sued 14 companies that produced and sold the powerful defoliant dioxin used by U.S. troops. Former journalist Tran ...
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
HCM City to change water supply source for better water quality
Ho Chi Minh City will pump water from locations further upstream the Sai Gon and Dong Nai Rivers to supply its residents since the rivers, the current main source of water for the city, are affected by industrial pollution and saline intrusion. This is part of the city’s project on ...
Why is Laos building Mekong dams it doesn't need?
Thailand’s economic slump during the coronavirus pandemic led to a drop in electricity demand, with Thai officials estimating power reserves currently at 50% over total capacity. However, despite the Thai surplus, hydroelectric dams are still being developed next door in Laos, Thailand’s top provider of electricity. Critics say the dam projects are not driven ...
Emmy Sasipornkarn
In the Face of Criticism, Laos Pushes Ahead With Four Mekong Dams
As a struggling least developed country, Laos stands alone when it comes to ignoring common sense and pushing ahead with infrastructure development that it can ill-afford and is unlikely to deliver its much hoped-for rags to riches outcome. Energy and Mines Minister Sinavav Souphanouvong made that ...
Luke Hunt
Opinion: Tensions rise along the Mekong as science meets strategy
China has been ramping up its investments with the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism, which – according to American officials – is an attempt to compete with the Mekong River Commission (MRC). A competition over who dominates scientific and technical knowledge of the river indicates an escalation in the complexity of challenges ...
Giulio Boccaletti
Mekong 'dammed' by uncertainty
Last week, it was reported that Chinese authorities notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) that Jinghong Dam in Yunnan province will reduce its rate of water discharge by half from the beginning of the month until late January. For communities living along the Mekong, unusual ...
NIWAT ROYKAEW