VN Express – Five houses were drowned after the Nha Man River in the southern province of Dong Thap breached its bank on Monday. The breach, in Tan Nhuan Dong Commune of Chau Thanh District, is 100 meters long and four meters into the river bank. "I heard a loud rumbling and the sound of the earth being torn apart in the middle of the night," a local said. "When everyone ran out to Read More…

Phnom Penh Post – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was extremely pleased to hear recent comments from His Excellency Keo Rattanak, the director-general of Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), that he does not want to see the proposed Mekong River mainstream hydropower projects of Sambor and Stung Treng as part of the energy mix going forward. The comments were made during an “Energy Vision” forum Read More…

The Thaiger – Local residents and environmentalists living along the Thai banks of the Mekong River spent the weekend in hot debate with the Chinese Embassy about Beijing’s utilisation and management of the River. While the embassy accused Thai media of spreading false information on China’s development projects in Southeast Asia’s longest rivers, the Thai Mekong People’s Network Read More…

Radio Free Asia – Villagers living near the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos are finding it difficult to cope with sudden releases of water from dams upstream in China. More than 200 famililes living in Laos’ Bokeo province have suffered because of sudden increases in the height of the river, threatening their livelihoods. “Water levels along the Mekong have increased enormously Read More…

Vietnam Plus – A conference on how to enhance cooperation in protecting the Mekong River via smarter water energy planning approaches and wide application of renewable energy throughout the Mekong region was held in Hanoi on June 28. The event was jointly organised by the Stimson Centre, the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) and the US Embassy in Vietnam. Brian Eyler from Read More…

The Interpreter – Recent reports of a rapid diminishment in the size of the glaciers that feed the great rivers of Asia, including the Mekong, have received wide coverage, not least because they are accompanied by striking visuals. What is happening at the other end of the river in the Mekong Delta has garnered much less attention. But it may well be that the river’s vast and productive Read More…

VOA – As concerns over the future of the Mekong River continue to grow, dozens of Cambodian youths are coming together to raise public awareness about the environmental threats facing the life-giving river. The group, called Young Eco Ambassadors, is organizing a full-day event on June 15 attended by government officials, civil society groups, international NGOs, local communities and the Read More…

The Phenom Penh Post – The 7th Mekong River Commission (MRC) Regional Stakeholder Forum was held in Lao capital Vientiane over Monday and Tuesday, with participants discussing urgent issues facing the Mekong region, the Secretariat of the MRC has said. Attending the two-day event were 180 representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Myanmar, research institutions, Read More…

Radio Free Asia – The Mekong River extends for thousands of miles through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, supporting more than 65 million people who depend on it for food, transportation, and commerce. But development, mostly led by China, threatens to upset the delicate balance between local communities and the river’s rich ecosystem. On Monday, the Mekong River Read More…

VN Express – An Irrawaddy dolphin, not seen in decades in Vietnam, was caught by a fisherman in the southern province of Ben Tre on Wednesday. Phan Van Thai, 49, and his wife were fishing on the Co Chien River in Cho Lach District when they heard a loud splashing sound. On further inspection, they discovered a creature they could not identify trapped in their net. "I’ve been fishing Read More…