Radio Free Asia —
A court in Thailand has refused to hear an appeal on a case concerning a large-scale Mekong River mainstream dam in Laos, a blow to Thai civic groups concerned about the dam’s potential transboundary environmental impact.
Laos’ Pak Beng dam project is the northernmost in a proposed cascade of 11 dams on the Mekong River’s main stream, part of Vientiane’s controversial economic plan to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia,” through selling hyrdopower to neighboring countries.
With the Mekong River making up half of the 1,845-km (1,150-mile) border between Laos and Thailand, Thai citizens affected by projects have been complaining to Bangkok.
In 2016, the Pak Beng dam project – whose developer is the China Datang Overseas Investment Co., Ltd. (CDTO) – entered the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement, or PNPCA – a requirement before a project can be approved.