The police have prevented a local conservation group from showing a documentary film on controversial petroleum concessions in the region, saying it might breach the Copyright Act.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Locals push back
Wichan Khantuwarn, 65, a native of Trat, has felt uneasy since he learned of the government’s decision to set up special economic zones (SEZs) and name the small, easternmost province as one of 10 designated areas. Local people have also voiced concerns that the environment and ecology in Khlong Yai will worsen because of the SEZ.
Myanmar seeks over $100m for Asean connectivity project
Myanmar’s Construction Ministry is seeking the parliamentary approval for a US$120 million loan to upgrade the Kawkareik-Mawlamyine-Thaton Road, a part of the Greater Mekong East-West Economic Corridor. It plans to borrow US$100 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and $20 million from the bank’s Asean Infrastructure Fund.
Over 23,000 Shan State Residents Sign Petition Against Salween Dams
Sai Aw Shan community representatives who organised a petition opposing the construction of the Mong Ton (Tasang) Dam on the Salween (Thanlwin) River have collected the signatures of 23,717 Shan State citizens. The petition was delivered to the Yangon office of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC), the Australian consulting firm responsible for conducting environmental […]
PHOTO ESSAY: The Angry River: A Journey Along Burma’s Pristine Salween
In April 2015, photographer Patrick Brown returned to the lower part of the Salween or Thanlwin River. One of Asia’s great rivers, the Salween presents a placid face as it passes through Hpa-an, the capital of Kayin (Karen) State, close to the end of its 1,750-mile journey from the Tibetan Plateau to the Andaman Sea at Mon State.
NGO’s plan for ethical land eviction of riverside community
The garbage-strewn, riverside area that contains Chrang Chamres commune may be unsightly, but the local Cham community fears that a future away from their niche in Phnom Penh’s far north would be far worse.
“If our houses are destroyed, how much will the government compensate us?” said Him Tola, deputy chief of the commune’s Chrang Chamres I village.
No Recourse: Upper Mekong Dam Spells End for Tibetan Village
Cizhong, a remote Tibetan village in China’s Yunnan province, has no recourse against the onslaught of impacts from the construction of the Wunonglong dam on the Upper Mekong River.
Large dams are not the answer to climate change in the Mekong Region
Some may say it is too early to conclude that the changing weather patterns in the Mekong region – be it a longer dry season, unexpected river water level fluctuation, or cold days in early summer – are a result of climate change. Even if we could summarize the large number of expert debates and long list of research papers, it’s unlikely that a clear answer to the simple question “Is climate change happening in the Mekong?” would emerge.
Bomb Destroys Mining Company Truck
A bomb blew up a truck loaded with silicon mineral stone in Aung Myittar Ward, Namhkam Township, Northern Shan State at 7.20pm on 10 March according to Sai Ye, a local resident.
He said: “When the bomb exploded under the engine at the front of the truck some parts of the engine were destroyed but no one was injured in the accident. The truck driver is Sai Pe from Aung Myittar Ward and the explosion happened in front of his home. The explosion was very big, it caused the ground to shake. The whole town was silent after the explosion and there was almost no one on the street.”
Karen Groups Concerned Proposed Dams on Salween River Could Fuel Conflict and Increase Militarization
The Karen River Watch, a coalition of Karen environmental community based groups raise concerns over the proposed hydropower dam projects on the Salween River and repeated their call for a halt to all development projects. Together with local villagers, KRW held a protest near Hat Gyi Dam, one of the proposed dam sites in Hlaingbwe Township, Karen State on March 14 to mark International Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams.