13 03 2009 : :
Save the Mekong Coalition Launch, March 14th 2009 in Bangkok
A new coalition to save Southeast Asia’s
Mekong River will be launched at a special photography exhibition in
Bangkok this weekend.
The exhibition by one of Thailand’s leading photographers, Suthep
Kritsanavarin, is entitled “Siphandone – Mekong Fishing Under Threat.”
The Siphandone area is located on the Mekong River in southern Laos,
nearby to Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province and Cambodia’s Stung
Treng province. It is just one area threatened by a series of eleven
big hydropower dams proposed for the lower stretches of the mighty
river, which is shared by China, Burma, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and
Vietnam.
The Save the Mekong coalition was formed in response to growing public
concern about the effects big dams would have on the Mekong’s migratory
fish stocks, regional food security, and the livelihoods of millions of
people.
The coalition is open to non-government organizations, community
groups, academics, artists and ordinary citizens within the Mekong
region and internationally, anyone who shares concerns regarding the
future of one of the world’s greatest river systems.
Save the Mekong aims to do two things: raise public awareness about the
risks associated with damming such an important international river,
and persuade policymakers to adopt more sustainable and peaceful ways
of meeting people’s energy and water needs.
Over the coming months, Save the Mekong coalition partners in the
Mekong region and internationally will launch a series of activities
supporting the coalition’s message.
During March and April, Save the Mekong will be collecting signed
postcards from people in the Mekong countries and around the world,
urging the region’s political leaders to keep the Mekong flowing freely
as a precious source of food, income and life for present and future
generations.
People can also sign an online petition at http://tinyurl.com/Save-the-Mekong
More information on the coalition and plans to build hydropower dams on
the Mekong is available in English, Burmese, Chinese, Khmer, Lao, Thai
and Vietnamese on the coalition’s web site www.SavetheMekong.org.
The opening event of the Mekong photography
exhibition "Siphandone - Mekong Fishing Under Threat" by Suthep
Kritsanavarin will be held on Saturday 14 March at Eden Zone, 3rd
floor, Central World Plaza, Bangkok from 1-3pm and is open to the
public. A series of talks on the photographs and the importance of the
Mekong River will be held at the event. The exhibition is open to the
public until 28 March. The 14 March also marks the International Day of
Action for Rivers.
For more information, CONTACT:
Premrudee Daoroung, Co-Director, Towards Ecological Recovery and
Regional Alliance (TERRA) Tel. 02-691-0718-20, 081-4342334 email:
fer@terraper.org ; www.terraper.org
Carl Middleton, International Rivers, Mekong Program Coordinator, Tel:
084-6815332 Email: carl@internationalrivers.org;
www.internationalrivers.org
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