PM attends 2nd Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in Cambodia

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PHNOM PENH, 10th January 2018, (NNT) - The Prime Minister today attended the second Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders' Meeting, being held in Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang co-chaired the meeting in Phnom Penh. In attendance were Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Myanmar Vice President Myint Swe and Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Initially, 132 development projects out of 250 projects were approved for the region. The meeting also gave a greenlight to the establishment of a secretariat and coordination center in each member state, a water resources management center, and an environmental coordination center. The meeting also agreed to set up an academic network to educate residents of each member state about cooperation under the MLC.

Meanwhile, Thailand expressed its intention to use innovation to create sustainable development in the industrial sector. The Kingdom also tabled discussions to create a modern cooperative framework aligned with China's One Belt One Road initiative for economic prosperity in the region.

MLC leaders have approved four documents, namely the Phnom Penh Declaration, a five-year action plan for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2018-2022), a second list of cooperative projects, and reports of the Six Joint Working Groups of Priority Areas.

A ceremony to hand over MLC chairmanship to Laos was also held at the conclusion of the meeting.

National News Bureau Of Thailand | PM attends 2nd Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in Cambodia

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Mekong leaders fail to raise environmental concerns at summit in Phnom Penh



ENVIRONMENTAL conservationists expressed concern over the negative impact of development projects in the Mekong River as leaders of six riparian states failed to address related issues clearly during the second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) summit in Phnom Penh yesterday.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha previously had said that he would push sustainable water use at the summit as countries on the lower Mekong River – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam – are troubled by dams in the upper tributaries, most of which have been built or are being planned by China.


China has built eight hydropower dams in the main stream of the Mekong River and has more projects in the pipeline, while countries in the lower stretch such as Laos are also planning dams. They pose social and environmental impacts for people along the river, said Thailand-based environmentalist Pianporn Deetes.

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Mekong leaders fail to raise environmental concerns at summit in Phnom Penh