(July 28, 1998) The Lao government or foreign aid agencies should pay for restoring fisheries damaged by the Theun-Hinboun hydro dam, not the power company that owns and operates it, according to the project’s lead financier, the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Other News Sources
Caught up in enthusiasm
(July 14, 1998) Critics say that the World Bank tolerated and in some ways may have inadvertently stoked the corruption and economically corrosive practices of the Suharto regime.
PRESS RELEASE: Internet news service on controversial Three Gorges dam launched
Three Gorges Probe July 8, 1998
(i) Zhu Rongji Heads Three Gorges Project
(ii) Dam Construction Spurs Archaeological Looting
(iii) Vegetation Species in Yangtze Dam Site to Disappear
(iv) Meteorological Stations to Forecast Floods for Dam
(v) New Book by Dai Qing Investigates Dam Disasters in China
News briefs
Egat delays power purchase: Commissioning date for controversial Nam Thuen 2 postponed
(June 25, 1998) Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will defer purchases of electricity from several multi-billion-dollar projects in Laos, citing the slowdown in Thailand’s power demand.
World Bank promises dam resettlement reform
(June 23, 1998) The World Bank said on Tuesday some of its dam resettlement programmes were inadequately monitored, and promised to do more to protect the people these projects displace.
TFB defends takeover of ailing Phatra Thanakit
(June 23, 1998) THAI Farmers Bank President Banthoon Lamsam reiterated Monday that the acquisition of Phatra Thanakit Plc will benefit all parties involved as it will likely lessen the financial damage.
World Bank’s renewed interest in Kalabagh Dam
(June 18, 1998) Pakistan’s plan for economic recovery has run into trouble following a dispute over a controversial dam the government intends to build in central Punjab province.
Viability of four export projects in question
(June 18, 1998) A host of problems including funding threaten the viability of four large power-generation projects in Laos. Thai energy officials are now sceptical that the projects, which would export a total of 1,956 megawatts, can proceed as planned. The projects have been promoted by joint ventures that include Thai companies.
Many work to save Mekong dolphins
(June 15, 1998) Once upon a time, a beautiful maiden forced by her parents to marry a slimy python leapt into the Mekong River. But her suicide bid failed. She was transformed into a dolphin. Only the aging still relate this legend, and only they remember the days when thousands of these creatures with a square, human-like face and perpetual smile plied Cambodia’s waters.
Thai NGOs call on Thai prime minister to reject electricity from Nam Theun 2
(June 15, 1998) Fourteen Thai non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called on Thailand’s Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to reject consideration of Thailand’s purchase of electricity from the proposed Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project, in a letter sent on 10 June 1998.
Big cracks stall Laos dam project
(June 14, 1998) The Australian construction firm, Transfield, is confronting a dilemma familiar to many companies operating in Asia: should it weather the current economic crisis, or get out. The "out" option must be looking highly preferable for Transfield as it views the massive dam project it is involved with in central Laos.
Chapter 10. A Lamentation for the Yellow River. The Three Gate Gorge Dam (Sanmenxia)
Chapter 10 of The River Dragon Has Come!
Probe Alert June 1998
History is repeating itself as foreign financiers consider new loans for the Senegal River project in West Africa, a grand plan to generate electriciy, irrigate agricultural land, and aid navigation.


