Citizens in northern Thailand staged protests along the shore of the Mekong River on Dec. 7 to draw attention to a controversial dam slated to be built on the river’s mainstream over the border in Laos.
They demanded Thai banks and policymakers withdraw their support for the scheme due to its as-yet-unknown cross-border environmental and social impacts.
The protests follow a particularly turbulent wet season marked by record-breaking floods that wrought high costs on riverside communities. Experts have said the dam would exacerbate such events should it be built.
Halting the project to allow sufficient time for thorough transboundary ecological and social studies is absolutely critical, the activists said.
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Citizens in northern Thailand staged protests along the shore of the Mekong River in Chiang Rai province on Dec. 7 to highlight concerns about the Pak Beng hydroelectric project slated for construction on the mainstream of the pivotal watercourse in Laos.
The project, spanning the river in Oudomxay province, Laos, is located 97 kilometers (60 miles) from the Thailand-Laos border. More than 150 people, including local leaders, farmers, environmental activists and representatives of women’s rights groups, joined the protest.
They called on Thai banks to withdraw their plans to fund the controversial project, citing unclear environmental and social impacts, particularly the cross-border effects on communities and resources in Thailand.
Thai protesters
Citizens stage a protest along the shores of the Mekong River in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. Image courtesy of Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group.
The Pak Beng development, co-owned by China Datang Overseas Investment and Thailand-based Gulf Energy Development, is designed to generate 912 megawatts of power, all of which will be sold to Thailand’s national electricity authority, EGAT.
Citizens have voiced their unease about the project for nearly a decade, issuing open letters urging the Thai government not to purchase power from the dam should it go ahead. Yet a power purchase agreement was finalized in 2023, and the developer is seeking loans, with financial closure expected by the end of 2024.
Niwat Roykaew, an activist from the Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group, said halting the financial phase to delay construction is vital to allow the necessary studies to be conducted to inform any further decision-making. “Thai commercial banks have not yet signed loan agreements for the Pak Beng Dam project. This demonstration is to send our message to them. If the banks delay the loans, it will postpone the dam’s construction. The voices of the villagers today should reach the government,” he said.
Experts say the dam could significantly raise water levels in areas upstream in Thailand, increasing the risk of severe flooding. Not only would higher water levels erase valuable agricultural land, they would also wipe out culturally important sites and riverside gardens, Niwat said. Riverside communities in Thailand are already struggling with the effects of existing dams upstream in China, he added, and construction of another major dam in Laos would exacerbate these hardships.
Thailand dam protesters
More than 150 people gathered to share information about the controversial Pak Beng development and protest its planned support from Thai investors. Image courtesy of Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group.
The protests follow a particularly turbulent wet season marked by record-breaking floods that wrought high costs on riverside communities, claiming lives, destroying crops and damaging properties.
Aphitan Tipta, a subdistrict mayor in Wiang Kaen district, said that although he doesn’t oppose the development in principle, it would have repercussions on already complex compensation processes. Thai farmers often face lengthy delays to receive compensation for damage caused by domestic dams, he said. “If it happens in a neighboring country, who will we claim from, and how long will it take?”
Protesters also highlighted concerns about river fisheries and underscored that if the dam is built, it would almost certainly represent the final nail in the coffin for local populations of iconic freshwater species, such as the Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas).
Other speakers questioned the need for EGAT to commit to purchasing power from the dam, given the country’s excessive oversupply of electricity. While most countries maintain a 15% energy surplus to accommodate fluxes, Thailand has maintained an excess of more than 30% in recent years, prompting concerns among experts and activists alike about how much of the excess burden is passed on to consumers via monthly utility bills.
Hannarong Yaowalert, president of the Foundation for Integrated Water Management, said the lack of understanding about the impact of the dam on water levels means future flood events could be dismissed as “natural disasters” rather than the result of dam effects.
Halting the project to allow time for thorough transboundary ecological and social studies is absolutely critical, Hanarong said. And given Thailand’s energy oversupply, he said there’s more than ample time for such a postponement: “The Pak Beng project can be postponed for another 10 years without any issues.”
Protests in Thailand
Niwat Roykaew addresses citizens gathered to protest planned funding for the Pak Beng hydropower development on Dec. 7. Image courtesy of Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group.
Protests along the Mekong
Demonstrators in front of the Mekong River hold banners protesting planned funding for the Pak Beng hydropower development. Image courtesy of Kaley Clements.
Banner image: Demonstrators from three riverside districts of Chiang Rai province hold banners protesting planned funding for the Pak Beng hydropower development. Image courtesy of Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group.
Carolyn Cowan is a staff writer for Mongabay.
See related story:
Record-breaking floods in northern Thailand intensify scrutiny of Mekong dam project
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