Xayaburi Dam: A Closer Look at How Laos Got to “Go”

Tue, 11/13/2012

By: Kirk Herbertson

Girl digs for gold in rocks removed from Mekong River at Xayaburi Dam site

 

On November 5th, Laos announced that the controversial Xayaburi Dam will go forward. While hosting the Asia Europe Summit in Vientiane, Laos told journalists that a groundbreaking ceremony would take place and construction on the dam would soon begin. The Thai government also expressed its support for the project. The media reported on the signing of various business contracts. Days later, construction began in the Mekong River. 

Laos’ downstream neighbors are concerned. Cambodia and Vietnam have frequently called for Laos to study the transboundary impacts of the dam, a request that was never met. Within the past month, both governments have insisted that these studies should take place before construction moves forward. So the biggest surprise of last week came when Laos announced that the Xayaburi Dam now had the support of the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments. Read the rest of the article at The International Rivers.