China Dialogue
Thai communities grapple with pollution in economic corridor
“They are burning and smelting electronic stuff again,” says Sarawut Phoomnok, as he walks down a narrow dirt path through a cassava field. The sun is setting, and Sarawut’s eyes are fixed on a billowing smokestack rising above a factory a few hundred metres away. ...
Asia-Pacific Climate Week kicks off in Bangkok
Participants at this week’s Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW), which runs from 2-6 September in Bangkok, are hoping it will build momentum on climate action ahead of the New York climate summit later this month and the UN climate talks in Chile in December.Keep reading ...
China’s potash demand stirs resistance in rural Thailand
The future of a potash mine planned for north-eastern Thailand is mired in uncertainty as villagers put up fierce opposition, fuelled by concerns about their livelihoods, health and environment.Last year a group led by local women blocked access to exploratory drilling sites in the Wanon ...
Yodsapon Kerdviboon
Chinese company consults locals over Mekong blasting
The red-robed monk sat impatiently at the front of the consultation meeting in Chiang Saen, northern Thailand. Once the representatives from China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) had finished their presentation he stood up and scolded them for taking too long. He disputed their description of ...
The river ‘is not for sale’ warn Mekong villages
The locals of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand describe their lives as “three days of fishing, two days of drying the nets”. They fish the river in the rainy season, then as the dry season approaches hang up their nets and plant crops. This is ...
Why the Mekong matters
The countries of the Mekong should build a “community of shared future” said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in December last year. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework (LMC) is “practical and highly effective”, he said. “We do not go after a high-profile ‘talk shop’ but a ...
