Mekong River

World’s Largest Freshwater Fish Caught In Cambodia

A fisher in Cambodia has caught what scientists say is the world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, a giant stingray.Captured on 13 June, the stingray measured almost four metres (13 feet) from snout to tail and weighed slightly less than 300kg (660lbs), according to a statement on Monday by Wonders of the Mekong, a joint Cambodian-United States (US) research project.

22 June 2022
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Cambodia Dam Destroyed Livelihoods Of Thousands

A massive Chinese-financed dam in Cambodia has "washed away the livelihoods" of tens of thousands of villagers while falling short of promised energy production, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday.The 400-megawatt (MW) Lower Sesan 2 dam in the kingdom's northeast has sparked controversy since long before its December 2018 launch.Fisheries experts had warned that damming the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers – two major tributaries of the resource-rich Mekong River –

10 August 2021
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Lao To Press Ahead With ‘Destructive’ New Dam

Environmentalists have criticised Lao PDR for pressing ahead with plans for another "destructive dam" on the Mekong River, a waterway already strangled by hydropower schemes.The flow of the Mekong, Southeast Asia's longest river, is interrupted by a cascade of dams in China - where it is called the Lancang.Two downstream dams - the Xayaburi and Don Sahong - have been built in Lao PDR, which wants to construct seven more as it strives to live up to its billing as the "Batte

13 May 2020
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China and mastery of the Mekong

97 kilometres of rocks in Thai waters stand between Beijing and dominance over the Mekong, a mighty river that feeds millions as it threads south from the Tibetan plateau through five countries before emptying into the South China Sea.China has long wanted to dredge the riverbed in northern Thailand to open passage for massive cargo ships – and potentially military vessels.Ultimately, a link could be carved from Yunnan province thousands of kilometres south through the Mekong countries – Myan

12 January 2020
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Cambodia looks to hydropower, but…

Along with most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia’s electricity consumption over the past decade has skyrocketed. In a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), electricity consumption in Cambodia has been growing rapidly, averaging 20 percent growth per annum since 2010.

17 December 2019
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Southeast Asia’s rivers under threat

From rivulets to regionwide river channels, the Southeast Asian region hosts dozens of rivers. The most well-known river in Southeast Asia is the Mekong River – spanning five countries in the region itself.The Mekong, which is also the 12th longest river in the world is a major water source for drinking, fishing and agricultural needs for millions of people.

12 December 2019
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The deadly cost of sand mining

Early this year, a 16-minute documentary called “Lost World” was released. The documentary, directed by Kalyanee Mam and produced by Go Project Films, the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, and Heinrich Böll Stiftung, showcases the damage done to Cambodian coastal fisheries by the industrial-scale dredging of sand for sale.

22 September 2019
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Giving A Dam About The Mekong

Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people. The longest river in Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest inland fishery. It is estimated that 25 percent of the global freshwater catch is harvested from this river.Damming of the Mekong started in China in the early 1990s.

3 May 2019
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Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Blessing or curse?

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US$260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in these five countries’ economies.A sub-regional cooperation mechanism connecting the six countries along the Mekong river, which is known as Lancang in China, the LMC was formed in March 2016 and h

3 April 2019
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Cambodia hails opening of country's largest dam

Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday opened the country's largest hydropower scheme, swatting aside dire warnings about the environmental impact of the US$780 million project and its effect on local communities.Backed by Chinese funding, the impoverished Southeast Asian nation has embarked on a dam-building spree in recent years, as it tries to boost its energy capacity and jump-start its economy.But the 400-megawatt Lower Sesan 2 is one of several dams criticised by environmentalists for

19 December 2018
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What’s at stake for the Mekong’s fishery

Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people. The longest river in Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest inland fishery. It is estimated that 25 percent of the global freshwater catch is harvested from this river. Damming of the Mekong started in China in the early 1990s.

14 November 2018
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Lao’s Sekong River under siege

In serving as the "Battery of Asia" to its power-hungry neighbours, Lao PDR is cramming dozens of dams onto its network of rivers. With 46 currently operating hydropower plants with a capacity of 6,400 megawatt (MW), and another 54 under construction and set to start operating by 2020, Lao PDR targets the generation of a whopping 28,000 MW of power in just two years.

7 September 2018
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