Panel Puts Off a Decision on Mekong Dam
By THOMAS FULLER, New York Times | December 8, 2011

The fate of the Xayaburi dam is considered crucial by environmentalists because a green light for the project could lead to construction of other proposed dams further downstream.

On Thursday, representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam “concluded that there is a need for further study on the sustainable development and management of the Mekong River,” according to a statement by the Mekong River Commission, which coordinates projects along the river and is being tested by the controversy.

The head of the Cambodian delegation at the meeting, Te Navuth, said that construction on the Xayaburi dam would wait “until we have a clear result” from the study.

S.Res. 227

S.Res. 227: A resolution calling for the protection of the Mekong River Basin and increased United States support for delaying the construction of mainstream dams along the Mekong River.

Sen. Webb: Multinational Action Urgently Needed to Avert Environmental Disaster in Mekong River Region of Southeast Asia

Senator Jim Webb, Press Releases | September 24, 2010

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, chaired a committee hearing yesterday on the "potentially catastrophic consequences" of present plans for building mainstem dams along the Mekong River. . Studies have concluded that constructing just one mainstem dam along the River which flows through China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam could have devastating effects on the river and on the more than 60 million people who depend upon it for food and livelihoods. Approximately 26 mainstem dams are currently being planned along the river.

Construction of hydropower dams is advancing recklessly in the absence of agreed-upon environmental standards and in a manner which could in fairly short order destroy the ecological and cultural environment of the region,” said Sen. Webb. “China’s refusal to recognize the water rights of downstream nations is particularly troublesome, given its ability to hold back the water near its source. There is a disturbing lack of awareness in the U.S. and Asia of the immediacy of this threat.

International Petition Calls for Thailand, Laos to Cancel Xayaburi Dam

Ron Corben, VOA | Bangkok, Dec 1, 2011

An international petition from more than 100 countries is calling for the Laos and Thai governments to cancel a massive hydropower dam project on the Lower Mekong River.
The $3.5 billion Xayaburi Dam in Laos is one of 11 proposed dams for the Lower Mekong River that also flows through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

International Rivers, a U.S.-based environmental group, says 22,580 people from more than 100 countries signed a petition calling for canceling the project due to grave concerns about the future of the Lower Mekong basin.

Related

Sign petition to demand cancellation of the Xayaburi Dam (closed)

Mekong Areas Slammed by Floods

RFA, Sep 30, 2011

Southeast Asia suffers its worst floods in more than a decade.

The worst floods in more than a decade along Southeast Asia's Mekong River have left nearly 200 people dead, destroyed vast tracts of farmland and fishponds, and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing from their homes.

Worries are growing about food shortages as rice paddy fields come under water. Water-borne diseases triggered by the death of livestock and poultry swept away by the floods are also posing a threat to flood victims.

Scores die in worst Mekong flooding since 2000

Reuters

Sign petition to demand cancellation of the Xayaburi Dam
International Rivers

Your letter will be emailed to the Mekong River Commission's Council, comprised of Ministers from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and hard copies of all the signatures will be presented to each of the governments on Monday, April 18.

Next Tuesday, a crucial decision will be made over the fate of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. On April 19th, the governments of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam will decide whether to build the first dam on the lower Mekong mainstream, the Xayaburi Dam. Located in northern Laos, this dam is the first of 11 large hydropower dams that – if built – would devastate the world’s most productive freshwater fishery.