Decision looms on Mekong River dam opposed by conservation groups

The Mekong River Commission gathers in Vientiane tomorrow to consider the Xayaburi (also spelled Sayabouly) dam. On Friday, they are expected to make a final recommendation to the four member states:Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

It will be the biggest decision ever taken by the commission, which was set up in 1995 to share the resources of south-east Asia’s most important river.

But approval already seems to have been taken for granted. In the past two days, the Bangkok Post and New York Times have reported that residents are being moved out of the area and preparatory work on the dam is already underway. In an editorial headed “Shame on the dam builders”, the Post said the approval process had hit an “abysmal low”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/apr/18/mekong-hydropower-xayaburi-laos