On Sunday, over 150 people gathered in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong District to protest the Pak Beng Dam project, which will be built in Laos.


Villagers, community representatives, and local leaders, including village headmen, kamnans, mayors, and representatives from Chiang Saen District, Chiang Khong District, and Wiang Kaen District, convened to voice their opposition to the Pak Beng Dam project.


The Pak Beng Dam is scheduled to be constructed in the Wiang Kaen District of Laos, approximately 96 kilometres from the Thai frontier. Although the study of the cross-border impacts is still ambiguous, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has already signed a power purchase agreement with the private company developing the dam project.


Mr. Niwat Roikaew, the president of the Rak Chiang Khong Group, stated that the Mekong River rose and overflowed into the Ing River and Kok River this year due to the absence of a drainage system. The Pak Beng Dam will only exacerbate the issue.


He stated that the construction of the Pak Beng dam must be halted due to the ambiguity of the study results and the uncertainty regarding the extent of the water’s rise upon its completion.


Consequently, individuals from various sectors along the Mekong River have convened to share their perspectives and convey the voices of the impacted to those who are accountable.

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