The Mekong Delta will disappear in the next several decades once Pak Beng Dam and another 10 planned hydropower dams are built on the Mekong River in Laos and Cambodia, delegates warned at a conference on Saturday in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.
Category: Myanmar
China wants to dynamite the Mekong River to increase trade
China wants to blow up rapids in Thailand and Laos to make way for cargo ships (ABC News)
Environmental groups in Thailand are concerned about China’s plan to blast shallow parts of the Mekong River to allow heavy shipping.
Myanmar and Thai NGOs support ‘Nation’ reporter hit by suit for ‘defaming’ mining firm
EIGHTY Thai and Myanmar NGOs have voiced their support for The Nation journalist Pratch Rujivanarom, who has been sued by a Thai mining company over a report about the environmental impacts of a tin mine affecting local people in Myanmar.
The Real Trouble With China’s Belt and Road
Though Beijing has made inroads in addressing some concerns, the true structural challenges for the initiative remain.
At ADB meeting, the bank and civil society grapple over reform
During the first major session held on the first day of the Asian Development Bank’s 50th annual meeting in Yokohama, an activist handed President Takehiko Nakao a pair of gifts. The first was a photo book, entitled “A Visual Testimony of Asian Development Bank’s 50 Years of Destruction,” the second a financing trend analysis: “Missing the Mark ADB@50.”
A fight to control chainsaws in Myanmar could turn the tide on illegal logging
Fresh off a one-year ban on logging, the Southeast Asian nation faces an uphill battle enforcing a new chainsaw registration law.
Myanmar media in a regional context
Five years ago, Myanmar’s media scene was very oppressive and pathetic, both by international and ASEAN standards. Since then, with the end of news censorship and mandatory printing license, the overall freedom of expression has improved significantly. Now the country’s press freedom index is rising for overall openness in comparison with other ASEAN members.
ADB president calls for new Infrastructure Investment
More investment in infrastructure is needed to support continued growth in Asia and the Pacific and combat climate change, Asian Development Bank (ADB) president Takehiko Nakao said in his opening address at the 50th annual meeting of ADB’s board of governors on Saturday.
Cancelling Myanmar’s new coal plants could save 7,100 lives a year
Approximately 7,100 lives could be saved every year if Myanmar cancels its massive plan to build coal-fired power plants, and instead invest on renewable energy to meet the country’s electricity demand.
China’s Silk Road threatens the mighty Mekong River
China wants to remove rocks and sandbanks to allow ships of up to 500 tonnes to sail from its landlocked province of Yunnan to the sleepy Laotian town of Luang Prabang.