Home » Region » Thailand » Page 197

Category: Thailand

The Thanlwin River – a victim of misdirected electric power

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Myanmar government is trying to focus on generating electricity from cost-effective water resources to meet local demand for electricity.

The public does not accept the Myitsone dam project as a way to generate hydroelectric power from the Ayeyawady River, nor does it accept coal-fired power projects. When it comes to gas-fired power projects, gas from the existing projects is not enough for domestic consumption as it is being excessively produced for export purposes. Besides, natural gas has a high production cost.

The Thanlwin River, also called the Salween River, is set to become the next victim. But the public does not accept this either.

Gigawatts for Mega-spenders: Infographic shows Bangkok’s luxury malls use more energy than some provinces

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Thailand may be a middle income country, but enter one of the capital’s many new, opulent shopping complexes and you’ll think you’ve been transported to New York or Singapore. EmQuartier, Bangkok’s latest retail destination for the well-healed houses such brands as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Dior, Tiffany and Cartier as do half a dozen of its predecessors along a six kilometers retail corridor in the city’s downtown.

Get your face masks out for ‘coal tourism’

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

My trip to Songkhla in the south of Thailand earlier this week was not a typical sightseeing jaunt, but it was certainly worthwhile.

My destination was not Muang district which is famous for its old-town quarters or Hat Yai, the well-known shopping district of the southern region, but a pristine beach in Thepa’s tambon Pak Bang which is the designated site for a controversial coal-fired power plant.

Into the Zone: SEZs in the Mekong Region, Income…or Instability? (Part 1)

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Mekong region is abuzz with news about special economic zones (SEZs). From Thailand’s prime minister telling US business leaders that the Kingdom’s SEZs are a cornerstone to his economic reforms, to Ho Chi Minh City’s mayor wanting 890 km2 designated as an SEZ to revive his city’s economic leadership, to Myanmar’s newly elected government facing increasing pressure to review the outgoing-junta-approved SEZs now underway there—these foreign-investment magnets are picking up steam as ASEAN integration progresses within the Greater Mekong Subregion.

But what’s so special about these zones? Can they unlock new pathways to region’s economic potential, or as the Bangkok Post warned recently, should policy-makers proceed with caution given the immense complexities to securing SEZs’ desired benefits?

Egat insists on going ahead with Thepa plant

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

CONSTRUCTION of the Thepa coal-fired power plant is set to begin in the second quarter of next year, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) said, even though many locals have refused to sell their land despite facing threats.

Egat has so far insisted that it will build the 2,200-megawatt power plant in Songkhla’s Thepa district, despite strong protests from local people. The Environment and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) for both the plant and coal transport has also not been approved by the Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Office (ONEP).

Research: Impacts of Dams and Global Warming on Fish Biodiversity in the Indo-Burma Hotspot

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Both hydropower dams and global warming pose threats to freshwater fish diversity. While the extent of global warming may be reduced by a shift towards energy generation by large dams in order to reduce fossil-fuel use, such dams profoundly modify riverine habitats. Furthermore, the threats posed by dams and global warming will interact: for example, dams constrain range adjustments by fishes that might compensate for warming temperatures. Evaluation of their combined or synergistic effects is thus essential for adequate assessment of the consequences of planned water-resource developments.

“Kong – Loei – Chi – Mun” Mega Project and Experts Concerns

By Paritta Wangkiat

Currently, the Mekong Delta provinces are facing saline water intrusion as a result of low water levels in the Mekong River. Cambodia and Lao PDR are also plan for similar water diversion projects. If the Kong-Loei-Chi-Mun and similar projects will be implemented in Cambodia and Lao PDR, the volume of flood water to Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta area will be significantly reduced. Furthermore, climate change and El Nino phenomenon will make the issue even more challenging.

Into the Zone: SEZs in the Mekong Region, Income…or Instability? (Part 2)

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

While neighboring Thailand’s Special Economic Zones are now progressing without much public consultation or review, Myanmar may be moving in the opposite direction. Its three SEZs which were launched in the waning years of the junta, are now under the direction of the civilian government fully aware of concerns raised by communities and independent researchers, and inclined to take stock of what their predecessors set in motion. At issue are a whole range of social and environmental grievances, as well as the viability of the projects themselves and to what extent they reflect the new leadership’s priorities.

Regional Journalist Network Examines Dams, Diversion, Drought and Difficult Decisions

By Paritta Wangkiat

At the junction of the Loei and Mekong Rivers in Thailand, Journalists from around the Mekong region examined an example of the current mix of stresses on the environment and communities across the region. The workshop “Mekong Matters: Water Governance on the Mekong River” brought 15 journalists from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam together to examine how various water development projects are causing potentially irreversible changes to fisheries, farming, culture and water supply.

Grain drain, Laos’ sand mining damaging the Mekong

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Grain by grain, truckload by truckload, Laos’ section of the Mekong River is being dredged of sand to make cement — a commodity being devoured by a Chinese-led building boom in the capital.

But the hollowing out of the riverbed is also damaging a vital waterway that feeds hundreds of thousands of fishermen and farmers in the poverty-stricken nation.

“Today, it’s more complicated for us to go fetch water for crops,” DeamSaengarn told AFP from the muddy river’s shores, describing how its gentle slopes have given way to steep embankments.