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Film Screening and Discussion “Are We Murdering the Mekong?”
25 July, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
The documentary film “Murdering the Mekong” shines a spotlight on the once-mighty Mekong River, which is plagued by a relentless series of dams and now pleads for mercy, and an opportunity to rebound from the devastating impacts of hydropower. The film will be screened and discussed on 25 July 2023, 6.00-7.30 pm at SEA Junction, 4th floor, BACC. This special screening will feature an extended version of the original 2022 production, including recently filmed footage that adds depth and completeness to the narrative.
In the film we see the impacts of the Thai-built Xayaburi dam. Fishermen from Nong Khai and Loei provinces, the great lake Tonle Sap, and the delta in Vietnam express a sense of despair and the recurring theme, “We have no fish.” The main culprit the fishermen say is not Chinese dams upstream, but the first dam built downstream in Lao, the huge Thai Xayaburi Dam completed in 2019. The Thai dam-builder Ch.Karnchang (aka CK Power in Lao) was funded mainly by the big 4 Thai banks.
This film points out that the same Thai team behind the Xayaburi dam are now building an even bigger dam near the UNESCO World Heritage site in Luang Prabang, which has been described as a “High Risk Dam” with its location in an active earthquake zone. The Lao government & the Thai developer have ignored repeated appeals from UNESCO to stop the project, and move the dam to a safe location. In spite of the damage done by dams, the response from the Mekong River Commission and the four member- states follow the mantra of “sustainable hydropower” while the developers carry on steering the Mekong towards ecological oblivion.
Following the screening, the panel will delve into the controversial topic of whether sustainable hydropower on tropical rivers is a deception, given the absence of successful examples thus far. The event will explore the detrimental impact of the Thai dam projects on mainstream Mekong, which threaten to wipe out numerous fish species, damage food security and biodiversity along the river, risk triggering earthquakes, and also damage this wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site.
Speakers:
- Tom Fawthrop, Filmmaker
- Punya Charusiri, Former Geology Professor, Chulalongkorn University
- Ormbun Thipsuna, Network of Council of Mekong River Community in Seven Northeastern Provinces
For more information/reservation, please email: info@seajunction.org or contact us on social media channels. Events are free, but donation most welcome!
Speaker’s profiles
Tom Fawthrop – author/ film-maker & journalist
Tom has made a series of Mekong films following his first Eureka Films production “Where have all the fish gone?” broadcasted on Thai TPBS TV in 2013. As a journalist he has covered many epic events- The Overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship 1986 (Philippines) the Rebirth of Cambodia after the Pol Pot regime & East Timor’s liberation struggle before and after UN peacekeeping operation and Myanmar’s many juntas. His Mekong series has been widely shown in conferences and university forums in Cambodia, Thailand Vietnam and the UK.
Prof. Dr. Panya Jarusiri is an advisor to the Department of Mineral Resources and Former Professor at Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University.
Ormbun Thipsuna is the Secretary-General of the Network Association of the Mekong Community Organizations Council of the Seven Northeastern Provinces.
Organizer:
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information, see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @seajunction
