Laos still built roads to Xayaburi project

The route to the area planned to build the Xayaburi dam, a work that the Lao government recently decided to suspend, will still be made to serve people.

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Earlier, an investigative report by the Bangkok Post reporter said, while the Xayaburi project has not been approved by the member countries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), Laos has begun preparations for projects such as road construction, work to prepare for immigration 5 months ago.

Laos has begun making a road to the area to build the Xayaburi hydroelectric dam
from 5 months ago. Photo: Bangkok Post.

Mr. Viraphonh Viravong, Director General of the Electricity Department of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals of Laos said in Bangkok Post: 'The construction of this road is in line with both the requirements of the dam construction project and the needs of Luang provincial government. Prabang. If the project is not approved, the road will be used to serve people's travel needs . '

Xayaburi Dam in northern Laos, is the first of 11 projects to be built on the mainstream of the Mekong, a large river full of silt and fish, flowing from China, through Myanmar to 4 countries. Lower Mekong regions include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

However, the project has met with opposition from many environmental groups and non-governmental organizations in the region, because they think this project will damage ecosystems and communities along the river. .

On April 19, at the final MRC consultation meeting, the member countries requested the project to be postponed and transferred to the ministerial level in November. Recently, the Mekong River Rescue Coalition has sent to ASEAN an immediate call to action to cancel the Xayaburi hydropower project in northern Laos. The coalition also called on the Lao government to stop construction activities in the project area, and called on the Thai government to cancel plans to buy electricity from the dam.

They also proposed the Intergovernmental Committee on ASEAN Human Rights (AICHR) to investigate this project. According to the Mekong River Rescue Alliance , if built, the first dam on the Mekong could cause serious cross-border conflicts between ASEAN countries, especially the Mekong region.

On the sidelines of the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lao Prime Minister Thoongsing Thammavong announced the decision to suspend the Xayaburi hydropower project. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung would like to thank this decision and argue that it represents Laos' deep cooperation and interest in Vietnam's proposal.

The two prime ministers also agreed that the Mekong River Commission member countries should coordinate comprehensive scientific research to fully determine the impact of hydropower projects on the river mainstream and achieve consensus. before making a decision about the construction of buildings.