More kinds of data are now available and accessible especially in developing countries. However, open accessibility and ease of sharing is not always possible in the countries of the Mekong region, where governments take care to guard data and information from reaching the public. Lan Nguyen explores the future of open data sharing in the Mekong region and the obstacles that remain in place.
Diverting the Mekong River into Thailand: The Khong-Loei-Chi-Mun project
The Khong-Loei-Chi-Mun project is the latest version of a long history of plans for large-scale irrigation in Northeastern Thailand. Visiting the area, Mai Lan hears how Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department is pushing ahead with studies, as communities, NGOs, and downstream countries worry about the environmental and social impacts.
Legacy of unexploded ordnance in Indochina: Whose responsibility? Whose cost?
Forty years have passed since the Second Indochina War, but still hundreds of people in the region die or are injured each year by the unexploded ordnance. Mai Lan explores the situation in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and asks whether the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions is having an impact on the ground?
As Dawei “initial phase” 65% complete, locals left in the dark
The Dawei Special Economic Zone is a controversial industrial area proposed in Taninthayri Region, Myanmar. Visiting Dawei, Mai Lan finds that despite “initial construction” activities now claimed by the developer as 65% complete, many local people remain in the dark about the project, and the impact it could have.
Lower Sesan 2: Construction resumed, troubles restarted
The controversial 400 MW Lower Sesan 2 dam in Northeastern Cambodia resumed construction in March 2015, after being suspended in late 2014 due to community and NGO opposition. In this article, Mai Lan meets the communities whose lives are disrupted, and discusses with local civil society the consequences of the project.