Laos’ Prime Minister Thoongsing Thammavong has informed his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, that construction of the controversial Xayaburi hydropower dam has been provisionally delayed.
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At their meeting on the sidelines of the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 6, Dung hailed the decision.
Vietnam wants to cooperate with Laos and other Mekong Basin countries, including upstream countries like China and Myanmar, to exploit the river for the benefit of all nations, he said.
The two leaders agreed to instruct relevant agencies to do joint research on the impacts of the USD3.5 billion dam.
They also agreed that the Mekong River Commission member-countries should make a comprehensive joint study of the possible impacts of hydro-power projects on the Mekong’s mainstream and achieve consensus before building any.
Also on the sidelines, Dung discussed with his Laotian and Thai counterparts strengthening of bilateral ties and international and regional issues.
Vietnam had formally called on Laos to halt the Xayaburi project for 10 years to assess its impact on the Mekong River and lives of people living along it after many local authorities and experts had voiced concern.
There had been warnings that the deposit of alluvium by the river would fall from 33 tonnes a year to a mere seven tonnes while the dam could also have a dramatic impact on the river’s creatures and biological diversity.