The Mekong is on the cusp of an ecological catastrophe
People living along the banks of the Mekong River in Laos and Thailand were recently amazed to see the river’s water turn light blue and become so transparent that they could see the sandbars underneath. It was an eye-catching sight and the phenomenon boosted tourism ...
Darunee Sukanan
New study shows China caused drought in the Mekong, local experts must have control of their resources
“No fish. Nothing. We can only catch enough to eat ourselves. We fish through the night and all we catch is one or two skewers for cooking,” a Lao fisherman told Radio Free Asia earlier this year. He spoke to journalists on his boat on the Mekong River ...
Skylar Lindsay
In the Mekong Basin, an ‘unnecessary’ dam poses an outsized threat
“I remember seeing a buffalo, its head tied to a floating barrel, drifting down the river,” says Pheng Sisuwath, gesturing to the Sekong River from his stilt house in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Stung Treng. That was four years ago, when one of the auxiliary dams ...
Gerald Flynn, Nehru Pry
87 new species discovered in VN
Việt Nam accounts for 87 of the 163 new species of animals and plants discovered in the Greater Mekong region, according to a report released on December 19 by the World Wide Fund for Nature. A new frog measuring less than 3cm long, which took ...
Winners of Mekong Agritech Challenge announced
Three early stage startups from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, and three more mature teams originating from outside the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) have won prizes in the Mekong Agritech Challenge (MATCh). The first prize went to Cricket One (Vietnam) with sustainable and affordable protein product ...
Huge drug hauls in "Safe Mekong" operations
A number of people were arrested and a large quantity of drugs seized in recent operations under the “Safe Mekong” project implemented by Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, Office of the Narcotics Suppression Board secretary-general Permpong Chawalit said on 27 September. Keep reading ...
Mekong River Commission Launches Two Joint Projects to Better Manage the Mekong Basin Resources and Address Flood and Drought Issues
The Mekong River Commission launched two joint projects between Cambodia and Lao PDR, and Cambodia and Thailand to better manage the Mekong basin resources and address flood and drought issues, at a kick-off meeting held yesterday in Vientiane.Keep reading ...
Mekong River Commission
Japan offers ‘quality’ alternative to China’s BRI
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted five Southeast Asian leaders for discussions in Tokyo last week, he also had China on his mind. Dubbed the Mekong-Japan Summit, the meeting was the tenth to bring together national leaders from Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam ...
Regional Training Workshop on Hydropower Environmental Impact Mitigation for the Lower Mekong Basin
MRCS is arranging a Regional Training Workshop on Hydropower Environmental Impact Mitigation for the Lower Mekong Basin on January 23-24, 2018 at the Office of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat in Vientiane, Lao PDR.For more details, please visit here ...
Mekong River Commission
Brainstorming Organic Tourism
A campaign to promote so-called ‘Organic Tourism’ across Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion was under scrutiny at a recent workshop designed to brainstorm ideas.[]After taking root in Thailand, the campaign is slated for expansion across Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Guangxi and Yunnan provinces ...
Don Ross
76th joint patrol on Mekong River completed
The 76th joint patrol on the Mekong River jointly conducted by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand was completed Saturday. Ten vessels and 198 law enforcement personnel participated in the five-day mission that aimed to increase police visibility and enhance security and control of 512 km ...
Students to visit Japan as part of initiative to protect environment
Six Ministry of Environment officials, along with government representatives and young people from Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, will conduct a nine-day Japan visit from Monday as part of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth – Jenesys – project, under the ...
Multimedia Project Launched to Increase Awareness on Bilateral Water Cooperation
Fisheries, delta, wetland, lake and river basins management – officials and community members from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam working on transboundary water issues kicked off a multimedia project last week with regional workshops in Phnom Penh, and discussed how to showcase bilateral ...
Wages first, productivity later?
The January 2 decision by the National Committee for Designating Minimum Wage to increase the minimum wage has left many dissatisfied, particularly within the garment sector. []In Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, the garment sectors are about six times more productive than in Myanmar, while Cambodia and ...
ANDREW THOMSON
The Mekong, Dammed to Die
In Laos, the lush forests are alive with the whines of drills that pierce the air. On the Mekong, a giant concrete wall rises slowly above the trees. The Don Sahong dam is a strong symbol, not only for a power-hungry Asia but also for ...
Pascal Laureyn
Environment project spreads forest preservation message
The Human Resources Development for Protected Area and Wildlife Management Project has been successful in studying these areas and monitoring the wildlife they contain. This year the project has produced some textbooks for use by students taking bachelor degree courses at the Faculty of Forestry, ...
Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Laos Silent About Villager's Jail Death as Exile Rights Groups Demand Answers
Exile Lao human rights groups on Friday pressed the Vientiane government to investigate the death in custody last month of Lao villager who had been detained since 2011 over a land protest in the country’s Salavan province.The government has been silent so far on the ...
Tourism skills project broadens its horizons
The Ministry of Education and Sports is actively planning for next year’s stage of the Skills for Tourism Project, cofinanced by the Lao government, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland.The project is implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Luxembourg Development ...
Times Reporters
Attapeu announces auction of confiscated timber
ATTAPEU, Laos (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Attapeu province has announced the auction of timber seized by timber committees under the departments of Industry and Commerce.It has invited furniture associations, timber processing factories, furniture factories and timber businesses throughout the country to take part in the auction.More ...
News Desk
Mekong flood alert for northeastern provinces
Northeastern provinces along the Mekong have been warned of possible flooding due to the rapidly rising water level of the river. The hydrology office in Nong Khai said on Sunday that heavy rains in northern Thailand and Laos were pouring water into the Mekong River ...