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“By building this dam, Laos is disregarding its regional commitments and robbing the future of millions of people in the region who rely upon the river for their livelihood and food security,” said Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia program director for International Rivers.
The dam — the first of 11 proposed in the waterway’s lower basin — would generate 1,260 megawatts of electricity, mostly for export to Thailand, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) — created by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in 1995 to oversee sustainable development along the waterway.
Laos proposed building the dam in September 2010, the main goal being to generate “foreignexchange earnings for financing socio-economic development in Lao PDR,” according to the river commission.
Under earlier agreements, Laos has the right to proceed on its own without approval of the other three nations. But Laos’ choice in late April to defer a decision appeared to indicate that the desperately poor country wants its neighbors’ support, especially that of Vietnam, which is a major trading partner and political patron.”
Read more: MSNBC
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