The Mekong governments have left the controversial Xayaburi Dam off of the agenda of this week’s annual Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council meeting in Laos, according to water activist group, International Rivers.
“By failing to address the Xayaburi Dam at the Council Meeting, the Mekong River Commission governments are evading their responsibilities,” said Niwat Roykaew of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group. “Silence will not make the problems caused by the development of the destructive Xayaburi Dam and any future Mekong dams go away.”
In November 2012, the Lao government held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Xayaburi Dam despite ongoing concerns with the project and disregarding that MRC member countries had not reached a conclusion to the prior consultation process. Laos disregarded official requests by the governments of Cambodia and Vietnam for a transboundary impact assessment of the project, as well as advice given by the Mekong River Commission’s Secretariat to delay the dam’s construction until necessary studies were first carried out.
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