News of the Mekong Spreads Far and Wide

By: 
Ian Elwood
Mekong Protest Makes Local Headlines

A flurry of press coverage ensued after an April 17 report by the Bankok Post that construction had begun on the Xayaburi Dam "on [the] sly." Shortly thereafter The Associated Press picked it up. The New York Times also reported on the construction. Voice of America reported that a US Senator has expressed disapproval over the construction and the soon after the San Francisco Chronicle wrote a piece that further informed US audiences.

Reuters published a Q&A about the main issues with Xayaburi, reiterating – among other things – that a proper Environmental Impact Assessment was not done.

Miranda Leitsinger of MSNBC wrote a thorough assessment on the risks the Mekong faces, along with the news that Vietnam supports a 10 year moratorium on the project. The Financial Times issued the announcement that the official decision was going to be delayed, and UPI reported on the WWF's support of the 10 year moratorium.

The Independent (UK) contributed reportage about early construction on Xayaburi, and The Telegraph added to the dialogue about the environmental and social impacts of the dam. The Guardian and the BBC rounded out our British coverage, though no attribution was made to International Rivers. Bloomberg published an AP story and a piece on Xayaburi. Time Magazine's blog also added commentary that the temporary delay was the "... the bureaucratic equivalent of a punt."

Overall, very exciting. The good news of a much needed reprieve for the Mekong has everyone here at headquarters very excited. All of the hard work done by our Southeast Asia team has really paid off, and we are looking forward to keeping the momentum going.

Ian Elwood is the Web Producer for International Rivers, he blogs at:
internationalrivers.org/en/blog/ian-elwood