The Journey Begins in Yunnan
ChinaIn seven short years, the Mekong River has been irrevocably reengineered.
The Mekong Under China's Control
In seven short years, the Mekong River has been irrevocably reengineered.
Chinese trade expands here where China, Myanmar, and Laos meet.
Upstream Mekong dams and Chinese-backed bananan plantations anger villagers led by a respected teacher.
Villagers displaced by dams pay a heavy price in lost ancestral lands.
Officials bring in police and soldiers, threatening arrests or imprisonment of those defending ancestral lands.
Rice and fish farmers battle against drought, climate change, rising sea levels, the impact of dams, and salt intrusion.
Founding RFA Executive Editor Dan Southerland Interviews Experts
The Mekong River crosses six countries and supports as many as 70 million people living both in subsistence economies and in modern cities. Yet little investigative reporting has been done on the impact of dam building along the river’s mainstream and its tributaries.
As experts increasingly doubt the value of building large dams, Dr. Ian Baird takes a firm stand against international organizations that, according to him, have failed to mitigate negative impact on local populations.
The Mekong River Commission, created to promote sustainable development in four of the six countries it traverses, has long been accused of having “no teeth” at a time when upstream dams have an enormous impact on the lives and livelihoods of people downstream. Reports abound regarding decreasing staff and finances.