News
China dismisses U.S. criticism over dams
Beijing dismissed criticism from the United States after a U.S. official claimed that China’s construction of dams on the upper Lancang (Mekong) River had a detrimental effect on lower Mekong countries. “Related comments by a U.S. official are groundless and they have ulterior motives,” Foreign ...
Mekong floods kill 6, force nearly 5,000 families in Cambodia to evacuate
Six Cambodians have died so far and nearly 5,000 families have evacuated to higher grounds after Mekong floods hit five provinces along the river, a disaster control spokesman said on August 6. Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said ...
How Taming the Mekong Could Give China Unprecedented Power
The deadly collapse of one of the dozen or so dams dotted along the Mekong River and its tributaries has highlighted the rapid development of a waterway that is increasingly important strategically for China and its neighbors. For hundreds of thousands of people living on ...
Lao dam failure creates hydroelectric woes
Hundreds still remain unaccounted for in the thick mud and flood waters of Attapeu and Champasak, two provinces in southern Lao PDR where the failure of an auxiliary dam sent a torrent of water gushing down on 13 villages downstream. Keep reading ...
Japanese Gov’t Calls Cambodia’s Election “Disappointing”
A week after Cambodia’s general election, which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won in a landslide victory after it banned its main opposition, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono called the poll “disappointing.” Keep reading ...
Laos stresses narrowing development gap at Asean meeting
Laos has stressed the need to strengthen newer Asean members’ capacity through the implementation of the regional plan to narrow the development gap. Keep reading ...
Cambodia’s take on FOIP
A ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) seems to be a work in progress and it is still not clear how much support it could garner from Asean member states. Chheang Vannarith argues that as long as FOIP serves common regional economic interests, Cambodia is willing ...
GMS nations need greater connectivity to spark growth: Expert
Dr Watcharas Leelawath, executive director of the Mekong Institute last Friday said cooperation and greater connectivity among the member states are necessary to get the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to take off. Keep reading ...
Mekong bursts its banks, flows into Pakxe
The water in the Mekong River is currently above the danger level in Champassak province and has flooded some parts of Pakxe, while in Khammuan province the river has almost reached the danger mark. But in Khammuan it is the Xebangfai River that has overflowed ...
Japan and Mekong nations agree to keep U.N. sanctions in place against North
Top diplomats from Japan and five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River have pledged to maintain U.N. economic sanctions aimed at pressuring North Korea to achieve complete denuclearization as promised. The agreement Friday came amid growing concern that countries friendly to North Korea, such as ...
