And Beijing's influence has made Laos less dependent on Vietnam, the country worst affected by Mekong dams. Research indicates the combined effect of planned Mekong dams would be devastating. With Don Sahong, Laos followed a pattern established five years earlier when it went ahead with the Xayaburi dam in northern Laos over the objections of neighboring countries. China has built six dams on its stretch of the Mekong since the mid-1990s, and Laos plans nine. Dismissing its neighbors' pleas, impoverished Laos is rapidly building a Mekong River dam that threatens fisheries crucial to millions of Southeast Asia's poorest people.

Source: ABC News August 08, 2016 04:41 UTC