BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Over 250 members of a nature and cultural conservation NGO on the Mekong River region submitted a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok seeking its action and acceptance of responsibility for the ongoing record-low Mekong water level.
Network representatives, including the Khmer Lake and Vietnam River Network, joined a public forum Friday on fair distribution on Mekong River water usage, in parallel with the now proceeding Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit at Hua Hin, in order to jointly deal with the current Mekong region water shortgages.
Niwat Roykaew, a top member of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai, said the letter to the embassy included their request that China must stop building all dams and exploding islets along Mekong River. The network also asked for China’s support in setting up a Mekong committee run by a civil society group, and it must lead cooperation with other nations to solve problems after its four dams have affected the ecological system and lives dependent on the river.
According to Mr Niwat, the record-low Mekong water level has greatly affected those living along the river in terms of economy, culture, tourism and especially agriculture.
A Chinese embassy official receiving the letter affirmed he would take the network’s proposal to the MRC Summit and would also discuss the matter with his government to find a means for further negotiations among Thailand, China and the civil network.
Mr Niwat said China showing its willingness to take part in tackling the Mekong problems is a good sign, and adding the group’s demand is considered a signal to political leaders at the MRC Summit of the truth and troubles local residents are facing.
He said the negative impacts were from climate change and China’s big projects, particularly explosions on islets along Mekong, causing the river to run more quickly and thus break the river banks, which finally and quickly leads to droughts.
Mr Niwat stated that China’s four large dams were obvious concerns, for they caused a fluctuation in the river's water level, as well as floods and droughts in the short term.
He hoped participating countries in the Summit would give more importance to the Mekong conservation and the river as a way of life that supercedes any economic benefits.
Network representatives, including the Khmer Lake and Vietnam River Network, joined a public forum Friday on fair distribution on Mekong River water usage, in parallel with the now proceeding Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit at Hua Hin, in order to jointly deal with the current Mekong region water shortgages.
Niwat Roykaew, a top member of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai, said the letter to the embassy included their request that China must stop building all dams and exploding islets along Mekong River. The network also asked for China’s support in setting up a Mekong committee run by a civil society group, and it must lead cooperation with other nations to solve problems after its four dams have affected the ecological system and lives dependent on the river.
According to Mr Niwat, the record-low Mekong water level has greatly affected those living along the river in terms of economy, culture, tourism and especially agriculture.
A Chinese embassy official receiving the letter affirmed he would take the network’s proposal to the MRC Summit and would also discuss the matter with his government to find a means for further negotiations among Thailand, China and the civil network.
Mr Niwat said China showing its willingness to take part in tackling the Mekong problems is a good sign, and adding the group’s demand is considered a signal to political leaders at the MRC Summit of the truth and troubles local residents are facing.
He said the negative impacts were from climate change and China’s big projects, particularly explosions on islets along Mekong, causing the river to run more quickly and thus break the river banks, which finally and quickly leads to droughts.
Mr Niwat stated that China’s four large dams were obvious concerns, for they caused a fluctuation in the river's water level, as well as floods and droughts in the short term.
He hoped participating countries in the Summit would give more importance to the Mekong conservation and the river as a way of life that supercedes any economic benefits.
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