Straits Times : Reef blasting 'will erode Mekong banks'

MAY 06, 2002

Reef blasting 'will erode Mekong banks'

It endangers the region's environment, say activists

BANGKOK - Environmentalists are stepping up efforts to block an operation by Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China to clear reefs in the Mekong river for commercial navigation.

Reefs between Myanamar and Laos were currently being blasted and plans were to move the operation downstream to Thailand and Laos soon, The Bangkok Post reported on Saturday.

The project is the result of an agreement, which took effect last June, to promote greater economic contact between the four countries.

Reef blasting in Thailand could kick off this later month or in June before the rainy season started, said a Thai government official involved in the project.

He said the Chinese government had sought Thailand's approval to bring blasting equipment into the kingdom.

Only part of the reefs would be cleared for ships to pass through, he added.

The area around Khang Kai, between Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong districts, will be cleared for cargo ships, which pass from Yunnan in southern China to Thailand and Laos' old capital of Luang Prabang.

In addition, nine reefs between Myanmar and Laos and one inside China are also scheduled to be cleared.

Blasting the reefs could threaten the complex ecology of the Mekong and threaten bank erosion, said some environmentalists, criticising the project.

Pressure from environmentalists and villagers could stop the operation, said Mr Chainarong Sretthachau, the director of the Chiang Mai-based non-governmental organisation called the South-east Asia Rivers Networks.