The fate of the last surviving Irrawaddy river dolphins on the Laos-Cambodian border hangs in the balance after a Laos government official was reported as saying this week that construction of the dam would begin by the end of the year.
Category: Laos
Mekong Governments, Civil Society Reach Agreement on Environmental Impact Assessment Agenda
MPE, Prachatai In a ground-breaking agreement, government officials and civil society representatives from across the Mekong region established a working group to develop a regional public participation guideline for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) this week in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Mekong Regional Technical Working Group for EIA brings together governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), and will […]
Laos targets green energy in new Asian economic bloc
Laos is one of the ten South-East Asian nations preparing to form a single market at the end of 2015. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) is intended to boost regional growth by creating a common market that will enable the free flow of goods, services and skilled labour — including scientists — between member states.
Critics Fear Effects of Laotian Dam Project
Sun Thaya has depended on his taxi boat for his income for years. On average, he said, he earns around 200,000 kips a month, or about $25, to take tourists to see river dolphins on the border between Laos and Cambodia. When there are no tourists, the Lao boatman just fishes in the area to feed his family.
Lao Authorities Pick New Company to Complete Road Upgrade Project
Government authorities in Laos have selected a new company to upgrade a major thoroughfare in the capital Vientiane, after the firm submitted an estimate that was lower than one quoted by a Chinese company believed to have ties to the country’s national leaders.
In Laos’ economic zone, a casino and illicit trade beckon in ‘lawless playground’
Critics say the zone has instead become a mecca of gambling, prostitution and illicit trade, raising questions about the spillover effects of China’s growing economic clout beyond its borders.
Laos intends to set up two nuclear facilities with Rosatom assistance
power-technology.com Laos is in talks with Russian State atomic energy corporation Rosatom to set up nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the country. The Southeast Asian country, one of the global leaders for hydropower, intends to set up two nuclear power units of VVER-type, with a capacity of 1000MW-1200MW each. Laos is located at the centre […]
Green Light for Mekong ‘Time Bomb’ Sparks Alarm
Environmental groups have expressed alarm at the Laotian National Assembly’s approval last week of the concession for the Don Sahong Dam project, which has been described as an “ecological time bomb” about to be dropped on the Mekong River.
Don Sahong dam gets official approval
The Lao parliament has approved the concession agreement for the controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam and expects to begin construction before the end of the year, according to an official in Vientiane.
Rights Groups, Wife of Missing Lao Activist Renew Calls for Progress in Case
Somnet Inthapannha Human rights groups and the wife of a prominent civil rights leader who disappeared nearly three years ago have called on the Lao government to adequately investigate the incident and provide information about the case’s progress. Sombath Somphone went missing on Dec. 15, 2012, when police stopped him in his vehicle at a […]