State agencies face legal dispute over Pak Beng dam
Citizens from eight Thai provinces along the Mekong River are suing state agencies because they claim there was inadequate public participation in planning for the Pak Beng hydropower dam, which is being built by Laos.
The Thai Network of Eight Mekong Provinces filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court yesterday against the Water Resources Department and its director-general and the Thai National Mekong Committee.
They maintain that the Pak Beng Dam, planned for construction in Oudomxay province in northern Laos, could have severe negative impacts on people in Thailand due to its location 92 kilometres downstream from Wiang Kaen district in Chiang Rai.
