News
Dam in Mekong River not hindering water flow: Lao officials
Lao government officials have dismissed social media reports that the Xayaboury dam in northern Laos is slowing the flow of water to downstream sections of the Mekong River. The dam is built on the run-of-river model, which does not require water to be stored, local daily ...
Mekong River at its lowest in 100 years, threatening food supply
A severe drought that has caused water levels in Southeast Asia’s Mekong River to drop to their lowest in more than 100 years could have devastating consequences for fish, as well as the tens of millions of people living and working along the river, experts warn. The ...
Stefan Lovgren
Work on Mekong railway bridge running ahead of schedule
Construction of a bridge across the Mekong River in Luang Prabang which will carry the Laos-China railway is running ahead of schedule, according to Chinese construction companies. The companies in charge of the bridge and railway construction project on Sunday invited local and foreign media to ...
Main section of China-Laos Railway bridge over Mekong River completed
With the concrete beam of the last span over Mekong River put in place, the main section of Luang Prabang cross-Mekong River railway bridge has been completed on Sunday, seven months ahead of schedule. The closure of the Luang Prabang Mekong River Super Major Bridge, one ...
Wu Qin
Severe Drought in Mekong Region Reduces Rice Planting in Laos
Lao farmers have planted rice on less than half the country’s cultivable land this year because of a persistent drought in the Mekong River region that has seen severely reduced water levels and the delay of seasonal monsoon rains, which have yet to begin. Growers have ...
Laos takes steps to tackle six urgent issues
The government has called for the sectors responsible to shoulder more responsibility in finding solutions to six pressing issues that are affecting socio-economic development. The issues were tabled at the government’s monthly meeting held in Vientiane on July 23-24 when cabinet members discussed possible measures to ...
Somsack Pongkhao
Stop work on Lao dam and help victims: groups
Civil society groups in three countries have called for construction to stop on a dam in southern Laos where a major collapse occurred last year, killing more than 70 people and leaving about 5,000 villagers homeless. The groups say thousands displaced by the disaster at the Xe-Pian ...
Jim Pollard
New Report Pleads for Accountablility on First Anniversary of Laos Dam Collapse
On the first anniversary Tuesday of Laos’ Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy (PNPC) dam disaster, a new report from two NGOs found that nobody has been held accountable for the catastrophe that caused what has been described as Laos’ worst flooding in decades. In Reckless Endangerment: Assessing Responsibility for ...
Survivors of Dam Collapse in Laos to Receive Half Compensation on Anniversary of Disaster
On the night of July 23, 2018, water poured over a saddle dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower project in Champassak, Laos, sweeping away homes and causing severe flooding in up to 12 villages downstream in Champassak and neighboring Attapeu province. The disaster, ...
The Lao National Assembly refocuses attention on the issue of corruption
On June 14, members of the Lao National Assembly stood up, one after another, and recounted cases of bribery, embezzlement and corruption within the country’s courts and political system. Members described how courts routinely reversed decisions, revisiting judgements after receiving letters in favour of the accused, even after ...
