Richard Lloyd Parry
The Times (London)
January 7, 2001

Weigyi on the Thai-Burma border: Even in the dry season, and even in this time of war and uncertainty, the Salween River is a majestic waterway. … But now ominous signs have appeared, signs that promise disaster for the people of the Salween and their god. They come in the form of yellow marks painted on the rocky banks and a concrete plaque laid by Thai engineers. If their plans go ahead Weigyi will be transformed from a jungle shrine into a massive hydroelectric dam. … Five dams are jointly planned by the Thai and Burmese Governments; far upstream China proposes building 13 more. If only a few go ahead, the Salween, the longest undammed river left in south-east Asia, will be chained. Conscious of the potential for bad publicity, the Thai and Burmese Governments have kept secret their precise plans for dam building. But The Times has obtained a copy of the memorandum of agreement signed between them last December. Read the full story.