In the Media

Article from Scandasia A Norwegian advocacy group, FIVAS, made a report claiming that the Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project co-owned by the Lao government, a Thai company and Statkraft, Norway's state-owned power utility which holds a minority shareholding of 20% in Lao's Theun Hinboun Power, has ruined the ecology of two rivers in Laos. Published on December 6, 2007 the FIVAS's report claims that the Theun- Hinboun Hydropower Project has caused major flooding along the Hai and Hinboun Rivers due to water releases from the project which leads to a reduction in fish and other aquatic resources.

HANOI (AFP) - Energy-hungry Vietnam is planning to build a two-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Mekong river of Laos and to construct several other large hydropower projects in the neighbouring country. Vietnam's main energy company expects to wrap up a feasibility study by April for a dam near Luang Prabang, the former Lao royal capital, that would dwarf existing dams in the landlocked country, state media has reported. Mountainous Laos, one of Asia's poorest nations, is seeking to exploit its hydropower potential to become the "battery of Southeast Asia" and sell electricity to its more indust

A Brazilian bishop who has been on hunger strike for more than three weeks has been admitted to hospital after he lost consciousness.Luiz Flavio Cappio has been fasting for 23 days in protest at an irrigation project involving the diversion of South America's fourth largest river.On Wednesday Brazil's Supreme Court annulled a ruling halting the plan.Bishop Cappio and other protesters say it will damage the environment and serve only the interests of the rich.The Brazilian government says more than 12 million people will benefit from the project on the Sao Francisco river.A lower court had orig

Opinion piece published in the Bangkok Post In September, officials from Thailand and Laos gathered with the World Bank at a High-Level Forum on Sustainable Hydropower Development to affirm the need for environmental and social standards for hydropower projects. This was an important dialogue at which commendable commitments were made by both countries. The Thai Energy Ministry, project developers, financiers, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) acknowledged their responsibility to ensure that the Lao dams they support meet international environmental and social standar

SAO PAULO, Brazil -A Brazilian consortium won an auction Monday to build and operate a major dam in the Amazon rain forest following a bidding process disrupted by protesters who claim the project will displace thousands and harm the environment.Consorcio Madeira Energetica, a group that includes participation by big construction company Norberto Odebrecht SA, beat out two other consortiums with participation by Spain's Endesa SA (nyse: ELE - news - people ) and Franco-Belgian utility Suez.Brazil's government expects it will cost $5.3 billion to build the Santo Antonio dam on the Madeira River

Article from The Cambodia Daily It's a critical source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people in Cambodia, but the future health of the entire lower section of the Mekong River will be in serious danger, according to international experts, if a series of planned hydropower dams in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia go ahead. As private companies scramble to exploit the energy potential of the river, analysts warn that national interests are trumping transboundary cooperation, and the regional Mekong River Commission, which was set up to safeguard the river, is showing itself toot

They love to raft down the Futaleufú River and fish in the Baker. They travel around the planet, looking for arenas to challenge those mega-projects that threaten the environment. Aaron Sanger, Jacob Scherr, Robert Kennedy Jr., Alan and Donald Weeden and Douglas Tompkins, among others, are building a million-dollar battle.“We’ll get the money we need to win this battle”, assures Aaron Sanger, the attorney recruited by NGO International Rivers Network (IRN) to lead their crusade against the HidroAysén powerplants. "We have enough funds to get into this, and many foundations have already

Article from BBC NEWS Online For an Asian capital, Vientiane in the Lao People's Democratic Republic is a sleepy place.The pace of life in the former French colony is slow, and time often feels as if it is standing still. The closest thing to rush hour is the morning market with every other stall selling baguette sandwiches.Just minutes away from the capital, there is even a greater sense of serenity.Like Cambodia, Laos is known for its tragic past. During the Vietnam War it became the most bombed country in history - and that has left a legacy of poverty and underdevelopment.Four out of five

BANGKOK (AFP) - The construction of six dams along the Mekong River could displace tens of thousands of people and endanger over a thousand aquatic species, environmental groups warned Tuesday, calling for international intervention. The planned hydropower dams on the Mekong in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia could displace tens of thousands of people and endanger up to 1,300 aquatic species including the rare Mekong giant catfish and the Irrawaddy dolphin, activists said. Environmental groups want international donors, who fund Southeast Asia's Mekong River Commission, to pressure the commission

Article from The Nation, Bangkok's Independent Newspaper Environmentalists slammed the Mekong River Commission yesterday forfailing to protect the waterway. They called for higher moral standards and transparency at theintergovernmental organisation. "The commission needs to prove it is a useful organisation for thepublic, not just investors," said Chulalongkorn University SocialResearch Institute director Surichai Wankaew. Surichai told a news conference in Bangkok yesterday he wanted thecommission's role changed. Instead of "facilitating dam construction" it should be a platform foraffected