Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Illegal logging operation discovered at Phou Phanang
The Phou Phanang National Conversation Area is a protected national park, with logging illegal under an order issued by the Mayor of Vientiane Capital on 18 August this year.
Meth ‘Super Labs’ said to thrive in Myanmar coup chaos, spilling drugs across Mekong
“All the indications are that the military coup has been a win-win for these cartels,” Richard Horsey, senior Myanmar adviser to the International Crisis Group told VOA, adding that “super labs” producing ice have gone into overdrive whether they are run by “pro-military militias or anti-military armed groups.”
Israel, Mekong River nations sign cooperation accord amid water crisis
As part of the agreement, Israel will supply the organization with knowledge, experience and expertise in the field of agricultural drought in times of water crises.
Vietnam advised to promote just energy transition
Vietnam needs to carry out fiscal policies and regulations to promote and improve capacity in renewable energy and energy efficiency, heard the virtual Just Transition Forum in Asia this week.
Legislature approves Cambodia-China FTA
The pact will further strengthen bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. It will enter into force 30 days after both countries have exchanged their ratification instrument through a diplomatic channel.
China’s bold plans for the region
Thailand’s Yuam Water Diversion Project and China’s lower estimate for building it are inevitably intertwined in the proposed development of dams in the Salween River. The vested interests, economically and security-wise, of the governments of China, Myanmar and Thailand, are also involved.
Pushing ahead with large dam projects, despite uncertainty of power purchases
An official form the Lao Ministry of Mines stated that the government had not received a formal notice from the Thai Energy Ministry indicating that officials were not going to sign PPAs from the four Lao dams. “If Thailand doesn’t buy electricity from those four dams, we’ll sell it to China, Vietnam, and Cambodia,” said the official.
Chinese investments in Laos soar, but little wealth is spread
There is a huge gap between the value of Chinese investments in Laos and the negative impacts they create, a legal advisor said, adding, “No one can express concerns about these things in public out of fear for their safety.” Further, added a Lao businessman, also speaking on condition of anonymity. “It makes no sense to just tell people the high value of Chinese investments,”
Climate change likely to be high on the agenda of the Mekong River summit
Falling water levels, from drought and damming, have also reduced the stock of Cambodia’s freshwater fish, mostly caught in the Mekong and Bassac rivers. About 6 million people work in fisheries or fisheries-related activities in Cambodia and their catch contributes as much as 12 percent to gross domestic product.