(February 18, 2010) To help acquaint readers in the West with the importance of the Mekong, National Public Radio’s (NPR) Southeast Asia correspondent Michael Sullivan is producing a five-part series, journeying the length of the river and offering a closer look at the people who live along its banks. The third part of the series, "Mekong Divides Different Worlds In ‘Golden Triangle’" is reproduced below.
Turbulent waters: Myanmar and the Mekong river
(February 17, 2010) As the rush to dam the Mekong river in Southeast Asia continues unabated, critics are fighting back by documenting the river’s elaborate ecology and economy that is under seige. The river–which runs for 3,032 miles, while coursing its way through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea–has become a regional ribbon of contention between local activists and the government bodies and international development agencies that want to dam the river’s flow.
Tapping the source: China and the Mekong river
(February 16, 2010) As the rush to dam the Mekong river in Southeast Asia continues unabated, critics are fighting back by documenting the river’s elaborate ecology and economy–both of which are under siege from development.
Activists argue that “dams will kill the mighty Mekong”
(February 9, 2010) Losses in aquaculture and farm production could easily outstrip any profit from power generation if planned Mekong River dams are built in China, Laos and Cambodia, says a Can Tho University professor.
Dams and Development Threaten the Mekong
(December 18, 2009) Environmentalists worry that the rush to develop the Mekong, particularly the dams, is not only changing the panorama of the river but could also destroy the livelihoods of people who have depended on it for centuries. One of the world’s most bountiful rivers is under threat, warns a series of reports by the United Nations, environmental groups and academics.
China’s PR Problem Rears Head at Mekong Forum
(December 12, 2009) Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region. These were some of the terms participants at the just-finished Mekong Media Forum here used, when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.
National Mekong Committee urged to take people-centered role on Mekong mainstream dams
(December 2, 2009) On the final day (December 1st) of the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) call for public submissions to its Strategic Environmental Assessment on the Mekong mainstream dams, the Save the Mekong Coalition sent a letter to the Chairpersons of the National Mekong Committees (NMCs) of Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, urging for a strong and trusted consultative process at the national and local level on development options for the river, which guarantees the participation of all riparian communities who would be affected by the eleven dams proposed on the lower Mekong mainstream.
Out with the old, in with the new: report calls for decentralized electricity generation in Cambodia
(October 30, 2009) The Cambodian government should shelve its plans to construct massive hydro electric dams, and instead implement and enforce policies that promote decentralized electricity generation, says a new report by Probe International and the NGO Forum on Cambodia.
Powering 21st Century Cambodia with Decentralized Generation: A Primer for Rethinking Cambodia’s Electricity Future
(October 28, 2009) This report by Probe International challenges the assumption that large-scale power imports and large-scale hydro dams are the cleanest and most efficient way to bring electricity to more people.
Government Power Policy should be rethought, report says
(October 29, 2009) High-efficiency gas-fired power plans to supply urban areas and micro hydropower, off-grid solar power, and biomass technologies in remote areas are a better power supply alternative to large hydropower projects, according to the report, which was drafted by NGO Forum together with Probe International, a Canadian advocacy group working on energy and development.
Groups say reliance on hydro may be harmful
(October 28, 2009) Cambodian media coverage regarding Probe International’s report on reforming the country’s electricity grid.
Some reflections on Bob Woodruff’s China white wash
(October 17, 2009) “So near to the truth, yet so far.” That’s the feeling I came away with after watching Bob Woodruff’s recent China Inside Out documentary for ABC news. It’s regrettable that a journalist of such a high caliber as Woodruff can get so close to a story and not really see it — while helping to perpetuate a number of dangerous myths about China.
The Sino-Indian water divide
(September 17, 2009) As China and India gain economic heft, they are drawing ever more international attention at the time of an ongoing global shift of power to Asia. Their underlying strategic dissonance and rivalry, however, usually attracts less notice.
Renewed fighting and refugee influx a wake-up call to Chinese dam-builders
(September 5, 2009) Shan activists are calling on China to immediately halt all investment in dams on the Salween River following the recent heavy fighting between the Burmese military regime and the Kokang ceasefire army near the site of the Upper Salween Dam planned by Chinese companies in northern Shan State.
A plan for water shortage in Mekong River needed
(August 14, 2009) Experts who attended a seminar about Vietnam’s economy in Can Tho last week said Vietnam needs to develop a plan to confront the water shortage of the Mekong River.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 