Showing 1 - 3 of 3
Laos' heritage town needs preservation
News, Tom Fawthrop, Published on 27/05/2023
» Few sites anywhere in Asia can match the charm and cultural importance of Luang Prabang, the old royal capital of Laos situated on the Mekong River. With a legacy dating back some 800 years, the town and its verdant riverside surroundings were inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1995.
Luang Prabang Dam a threat to World Heritage?
News, Philip Hirsch, Published on 29/06/2021
» The Lao government is intent on building a dam on the Mekong just upstream of the country’s old royal capital. Despite the project having undergone design work, environmental impact assessment and a prior consultation process managed by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), no heritage impact assessment has been carried out to date — despite requests by Unesco’s World Heritage Centre dating back as far as 2012 that the Lao government should do so. Ahead of next month’s World Heritage Committee meeting in China, of which Thailand is a current member, Unesco has asked that no construction work go ahead on the dam until a full heritage assessment has been completed.
Mekong 'cash machine' needs an overhaul
News, Wasant Techawongtham, Published on 30/11/2019
» Just over a week ago, many people in Thailand, particularly those in highrises, were thrown into panic when their buildings were swaying. They didn't know at the time that a strong earthquake had just hit inside Lao borders near Nan's district of Chaloem Phrakiat.