News blog

Mekong River Commission defers Xayaburi dam decision

Posted on behalf of Jane Qiu.

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam gathered today in the Laotian capital Vientiane to discuss whether to approve the Xayaburi dam which the Laotian government has proposed to build on the Mekong river.

Following concerns over the dam’s ecological and social impact raised by Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, the Mekong River Commission has decided to defer the final decision to the ministerial level, says a statement released today by the commission.

It is clear that Laos disagrees with its neighbours. At the meeting, the Laotian delegates insisted that “there was no need to extend the process” and that “transboundary impacts on other riparian countries are unlikely”.

The statement quoted Viraphonh Viravong, head of the Lao delegation, to say that “we appreciate all comments, but we will consider to accommodate all concerns”.


While they would prefer a decision to cancel the dam project, conservationists welcomed the cautious approach.

“Any decision made will have implications for generations to come,” says Jianhua Meng, a specialist of WWF International’s sustainable hydropower programme, in a WWF statement. “It is clear that the governments of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are acknowledging the gaps in knowledge of the expected impacts from the dam.”

“Today the Mekong River has gotten a much-needed but temporary reprieve,” says Ame Trandem, a Bangkok-based campaigner with International Rivers, in a joint statement with the non-governmental organisations NGO Forum on Cambodia, and WARECOD, a Vietnamese NGO.

“We will continue to fight for our Mother Mekong and for the health of the river’s fisheries,” says Jirasak Inthayos who joined a protest in Bangkok today against the dam in the statement.

The decision came after reports by theBangkok Post and The New York Times showing that preparative work on the Xayaburi dam has been under way for months.

“It is absolutely imperative that all construction activities are halted immediately and staff and equipment withdrawn from the site,” says Pianporn Deetes, also a campaigner with International Rivers, in the statement.

In 1995, the four countries signed the Mekong Agreement to commit themselves to sustainably manage and protect the Mekong River for future development. Many fear that in the dam decision, the cooperation agreement is facing its biggest test.

Comments

  1. Report this comment

    PETER said:

    HELP THEM, RESCUE MEKONG RIVER AND 20,000,000 VIETNAMESE

Comments are closed.