Phuket hosts int'l meeting on impacts from dams in Mekong

BANGKOK, May 2 (TNA) - Thailand's southern resort Phuket province hosts the International Conference on Transboundary River Basin Management this week, at which the Mekong River Commission (MRC), comprising member countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region ( GMS), has called for the assessment of environmental and social impacts of hydroelectric power dam projects in the Mekong River and fair shares of benefits among countries in the river basin. Chaiyuth Suksri, an expert Thai member in the MRC, proposed on Wednesday, the second day of the meeting, that the MRC work out regulations on the use of the Mekong River running through many countries and recommend cooperation among the countries to guarantee food and energy security and sustainable benefits for people in the region. Many parties have, meanwhile, expressed concerns over big structures in the Mekong River, including 12 dam projects planned in the lower section of the river; while conservationists have even protested against the Xayaburi Dam in Laos out of their concerns over possible negative impacts on the river and its resources, especially several endangered species of fish, prompting the MRC to have, therefore, asked Laos to conduct additional environmental impact assessment and report findings to it. (TNA)