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Meeting On The Mekong’s Fate
December 6th, 2011
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on an upcoming meeting to discuss a controversial dam on the main stream of the Mekong river in Laos. As the article notes: The Laotians call it Mae Nam Khong, the Mother of Water. The Vietnamese refer to it as Song Cuu Long, or the Nine Dragons […]
Read more »Laos to Wait for ‘Positive Signals’ Before Building Mekong Dam
November 23rd, 2011
Via Bloomberg, a report that Laos will wait for “positive signals†from its neighbors before it builds the $3.7 billion Thai-financed Xayaburi hydropower plant on the Mekong River. As the article notes: “…Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia share the common position that any construction activity will take place only if positive signals are given by the […]
Read more »Laos Defies Neighbors On Dam Project
June 30th, 2011
Via Reuters, a report that Laos is forging ahead with construction of a controversial $3.5 billion hydropower dam in breach of an agreement to suspend the project pending approval by ministers of neighboring countries. As the article notes: “…The Lao government has already given Thai developer Ch Karnchang the go-ahead to resume work on the […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Dam Tensions On The Mekong
April 20th, 2011
Two additional articles looking at the recent tensions over planned dams on the Mekong. First, via the Washington Post, a report that China defended its ambitious network of dams, saying that it is developing its rivers in a responsible way and would never do anything to harm the interests of neighbors who live downstream of […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Laos’ Dam Project and the China-Vietnam Balance
April 20th, 2011
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), an interesting look at Laos’ reported deferral of its decision on whether to pursue a controversial dam on the Mekong River that has sparked strong opposition from its downstream neighbors, particularly Vietnam. Though Vietnam retains strong influence over Laos, and could use its investment and aid as a bargaining chip […]
Read more »Vietnam, Laos Split Over Mekong Dam
March 3rd, 2011
Via Global Geopolitics, a report on the Xayaburi dam issue has become the first major test of environmental diplomacy for the four countries in the lower Mekong, members of the Mekong River Commission (MRC): The first in a new series of 11 dams planned across the Mekong, South-east Asia’s largest river, could break a special […]
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