PRESS RELEASE | Thai Mekong communities submit evidence of impacts in Xayaburi lawsuit

PRESS RELEASE | Thai Mekong communities submit evidence of impacts in Xayaburi lawsuit

By: Pai Deetes, Thailand & Myanmar Campaigns Director FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Today, the Network of Thai People in Eight Mekong Provinces submits additional evidence to the Thai Supreme Administrative Court in the ongoing lawsuit regarding the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River in Laos. The lawsuit targets five Thai state agencies and challenges the legitimacy…

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Victory on the Upper Mekong: Thai Cabinet Terminates Rapids Blasting Project

Victory on the Upper Mekong: Thai Cabinet Terminates Rapids Blasting Project

By: Pai Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar Campaigns Director In a momentous win for the Mekong River, this week the Thai Cabinet formally called for cancellation of the Lancang-Mekong Navigation Channel Improvement Project, popularly known as the Mekong “rapids-blasting” project. The cabinet decision is the culmination of decades of campaigning by Thai Mekong communities and civil…

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PRESS RELEASE | The ASEAN We Want: An Open Statement to ASEAN Leaders

PRESS RELEASE | The ASEAN We Want: An Open Statement to ASEAN Leaders

In an open statement to ASEAN leaders as they gather in Bangkok for the 34th ASEAN Summit, 110 community and civil society organisations and networks have urged ASEAN to respect people’s rights and livelihoods.  Noting that ASEAN economic integration has prioritised the interests of investors with little regard to the negative impacts on people’s territories, livelihoods…

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IFC must listen to local demands on Namtu

IFC must listen to local demands on Namtu

By: Maureen Harris, Programs Director This article originally appeared in The Myanmar Times The International Finance Corporation’s Vikram Kumar published a letter in the September 20 Myanmar Times in response to an article on civil society and community boycotts of IFC-sponsored consultations on hydropower in Shan State. The consultations form part of a cumulative impact assessment of…

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Activist training school in DRC strengthens the movement for rivers

Activist training school in DRC strengthens the movement for rivers

International Rivers’ advocacy training in DRC aimed at strengthening the movement of civil society partners and community groups to effectively advocate for the protection of rivers, rights of dam affected communities, and energy access. At the end of the training, groups were encouraged to sing their visions for their campaigns, which helped them take ownership…

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Thai Investments Must Recognize Local Rights

Thai Investments Must Recognize Local Rights

By: Pianporn Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar Campaigns Director This article originally appeared in The Bangkok Post. A year ago, the cabinet issued a resolution recognising an obligation to protect human rights in Thai outbound investments. With Thai companies increasing their operations in neighbouring countries in sectors that carry significant risks for human rights and the environment, further…

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River Defenders Gather Forces in Georgia

River Defenders Gather Forces in Georgia

By: Kate Horner, former Executive Director & Igor Vejnovic This article originally appeared on Open Democracy. This week, activists from across the world are meeting in Tbilisi to share their experiences of resisting hydropower projects and the money that supports them. Free-flowing rivers are often the unsung heroes of the natural world. They support immense biodiversity, as…

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The Surprising Success of Micro Hydro

The Surprising Success of Micro Hydro

By: Sarah Bardeen, former Communications Director Dipti Vaghela is passionate about micro hydro. To be fair, she’s also obsessed with other mini-grids, including biomass gasifiers and small-scale solar. But since 2006, Vaghela has been deep in the weeds on this subject, working as both a researcher and a practitioner to develop community-based micro-hydro in South…

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MEDIA | Media Kit on Xayaburi Dam Lawsuit

MEDIA | Media Kit on Xayaburi Dam Lawsuit

In August 2012, 37 plaintiffs made up of villagers living in eight provinces along the Mekong in Thailand from Chiang Rai to Ubon filed a lawsuit against five government bodies, including the National Energy Policy Council, the Thai Cabinet, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for their role in the Xayaburi Dam. In…

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Thai Court Holds Hope for Transboundary Justice in the Mekong

Thai Court Holds Hope for Transboundary Justice in the Mekong

The closely-watched lawsuit filed by Thai Mekong communities against the Xayaburi Dam’s power purchase agreement (PPA) reaches a critical juncture Friday, as it is the final day that the Administrative Court will accept evidence into the case. It has been just over a year since the case was accepted by the Thai Supreme Administrative Court, in an…

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Court Hears Testimony of Mekong Villagers in Xayaburi Dam Case

Court Hears Testimony of Mekong Villagers in Xayaburi Dam Case

In June 2014, 37 Thai villagers filed a case against the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement for the controversial Xayaburi Dam. This week, the court heard directly from the community members in their own words. It was the first time this had happened since the case was accepted. During an hour-and-a-half hearing at the Administrative Court…

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