None of the Mekong giant catfish, in this and other dams in Thailand, are native. They were introduced by the Fisheries Department’s artificial breeding programme, using fry of the wild-caught and endangered Mekong giant catfish.\
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
China detains at least 400 Myanmar migrants for more than a year
The 400 workers are among a pool of some 230,000 migrants who have sought work in China in the wake of armed conflict, environmental destruction and natural disasters in Myanmar, the Mekong region’s largest source of migrants, according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. The undocumented status of the workers leaves them susceptible to exploitation at the hands of business owners and local officials.
Cambodia targets Mother Nature group in latest crackdown on dissent
“These tactics are merely an illustration of the precarious environment in which human rights defenders in Cambodia operate, and of the Royal Government of Cambodia’s relentless efforts to stifle opinions,” Chak Sopheap, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, told DW.
Laos exports over 6,423MW to ASEAN
Billions of dollars are still needed to develop the energy sector in order to boost exports At present, Laos has 86 sources of energy with a combined installed capacity of more than 10,400MW, of which more than 80 per cent is sourced from hydropower dams.
Seminar takes a close look at the Mekong-ROK cooperation
To date, there are 33 completed, ongoing and approved MKCF projects, including five each in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Japan, UNICEF to help Vietnam enhance resilience to disaster risks, climate change for children
The 5.7-million-USD project aims to build institutional capacity to support child-centred and climate-sensitive activities through policy advocacy to access 27,000 children under 18 in central Vietnam and the Mekong Delta, especially Soc Trang, Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces.
Thailand rejects concerns over Lao hydroelectric projects
Despite such warnings, however, Thailand’s government appears to have placed economic considerations ahead of ecological ones in deciding to purchase electricity from the three Chinese-backed dams.
As gov’t talks climate resilience, Sihanoukville heads in a eifferent direction
Cambodia joined dozens of other countries last month in committing to stop licensing new coal plants, however it is moving ahead with a series of Chinese-backed projects approved in the past few years — which includes the two plants in Sihanoukville.
Coast site eyed for World Heritage status
The cabinet approved a plan to propose that a coastal area on the Andaman that already ranks as an approved nature reserve be included on the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage sites.