Thai Activist Demands ‘No-Go Zones’ Along Mekong Over Mega-Dam and Mining Pollution

A prominent Thai environmentalist has urged Southeast Asian governments to designate “no-go zones” for mining and dam construction along the Mekong River basin, warning that a proposed mega-dam on the Myanmar-Laos border will severely aggravate a growing transboundary pollution crisis. Speaking at a Chiang Mai University conference on August 15, Pianporn Deetes, executive director of Rivers and Rights, warned that runoff from unregulated mining in Myanmar is already poisoning tributaries flowing into Thailand.