ENVIRONMENT

Plan to clear Mekong rapids set to resume in spite of protest
Delays in the project are only temporary

The removal of rapids on a stretch of the Mekong River along the Thailand
and Laos border will resume after the two countries settle their boundary
and a new study on environmental impacts is completed, Director-General of
the Marine Department Wanchai Sarnthoontat said yesterday.

The recent withdrawal of officials from the river had raised hopes among
environmentalists and opponents of the project that the scheme would be
scrapped.

But Mr Wanchai said the plan, which is part of the four-nation commercial
navigation agreement committed by Burma, China, Laos and Thailand, remained
unchanged.

Mr Wanchai noted that the rapids slated for clearance via blasting were on
the Lao side and that they will only be partially removed to allow large
ships to navigate the river.

The Khon Pi Luang rapids on the Thai-Lao border in Chiang Rai are being
cleared to aid commercial navigation.The blasting scheme is the brainchild
of China which aims to open passage for cargo ships up to 100 tonnes along
the 331-km stretch of the Mekong river from China's Yunnan province to
Luang Prabang in Laos.

The scheme, entirely funded by Beijing, has raised not only local but also
global concerns about the environmental impact, especially downstream from
the projects.

This year the lower part of the Mekong dried up earlier than expected and
fishermen along the river complained about depleting fish stocks.[End]

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