China’s rise as the country’s leading lender has been fueled by billions of dollars to finance a building spree of megaprojects, spanning large hydropower dams and economic zones to a flagship high-speed railway.
Category: Laos
Thailand Unhappy About China-Funded Laos Dam
The deputy governor of Loei Province, which is immediately downstream of the site, has voiced local concerns that the impact of the dam could be even more significant than that already felt by the Xayaburi dam, despite it being considerably further upstream.
Construction of fifth Lao-Thai bridge begins
The bridge, which will take 36 months to build, will connect Bolikhamxay province in Laos to Thailand’s northeastern province of Bueng Kan.
Laotian Plan To Build Another Big Mekong Dam Concerns Thais
The projects are controversial because of their environmental impact, displacement of villagers without adequate compensation, and questionable financial and power demand arrangements.
Lao Dams Lower Water Levels on a Scenic River, Harming Tour Boat Operators and Other Local Businesses
Water levels lowered by seven dams along a stretch of the Nam Ou River in Laos are blocking boat travel in a scenic area popular with tourists, impacting tour and passenger boat operators and other local businesses, Lao sources say.
1st expressway in Laos inaugurated
The Vientiane-Vangvieng section of the China-Laos expressway, the first highway in Laos jointly constructed by the Lao government and China’s Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group (YCIH), was inaugurated on Sunday.
Eight Years, and Still No Answers on Development Activist’s Disappearance
Sombath Somphone’s 2012 abduction by Lao police heralded an alarming trend of “disappearances” in mainland Southeast Asian countries.
Gov’t, Laos-China Railway sign development MoU
To develop areas surrounding railway stations in the capital and Oudomxay, Vientiane and Luang Prabang provinces, with the aim of fostering industry and logistics.
Thai govt threatens to veto new Lao dam
“Iff we come to conclude that construction will have a damaging effect on the environment in Thailand, we will exercise our right as a member of the Mekong River Commission to stop the project.”