When heritage sites bring trillions of dong in revenue to localities, management boards cannot allocate a budget for biodiversity supervision
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Parliament OKs $144.54 million loan to improve Dawei road
US$144.54 million loan approved from Thailand for the Dawei-Hteekee highway, which will connect Dawei SEZ to the kingdom.
Mekong: more dams, more damage
The call for a moratorium on dam-building is the least risky option and only way to protect Mekong fisheries and its riparian people.
Government timber figures belie ‘ban’ on Vietnam trade
Reports from the National Bank of Cambodia raises questions about the government’s ban on timber exports, as they show $5 million exported last year.
China building a rain-making network three times the size of Spain
Tens of thousands of fuel-burning chambers being installed on the Tibetan plateau (Mekong headwaters) as China launches cutting-edge rainmaking
Why Cambodia’s beach town Sihanoukville could be the region’s next big tourist hub
Could Sihanoukville become Cambodia’s biggest city within the next two decades, some developers think so.
Laos steps up cooperation with GMS countries for rail connectivity
It’s the Lao government’s policy is to transform the country into a transit transport service provider within the region through land links.
Mekong River bird species threatened by Chinese dam discharge
The Mekong River ecosystem has been devastated from rising water levels during the dry season, as upstream dams in China discharge water to facilitate navigation.
Forum slams Mekong dam construction, warns livelihoods at stake
Hydroelectric dams in several countries on the mainstream of the Mekong River has seriously impacted people living along it, a forum heard last week.
Greens take on China’s infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia
NGOs along the Mekong are taking advantage of tougher environmental compliance to pressure Chinese companies.