Earlier today, Laos met with representatives from from neighbouring countries Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – which are all members of the mekong-river-commission – in the hope of winning support for the project, which would be the first to be built on the mainstream of the lower Mekong. However, the countries could not reach a decision on the project, and the project is now expected to be debated at a ministerial level, Reuters has reported.
Opponents of the project fear that, if given the go-ahead, it could pave the way for other dams on the Mekong, degrading its fragile ecology and negatively affecting the lives of millions who depend on it for their livelihoods.