Long Mekong Daily
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WE ARE WATER
UPDATE: Starting with a sports call for the Hangzhou Asian Games and then take the new expressway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville while you watch a video on the Golden Triangle, read the latest research on the Mekong or catch-up on Mekong country cooperation. All that and more today on the Long Mekong Daily. And by the way, today is our first edition on the Substack publishing platform. Be sure to let us know if we can improve the Long Mekong Daily and share with friends and colleagues.
ASIAN GAMES HANGZHOU
A huge crowd had gathered for the first overseas Fun Run for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games which took place on the streets bordering the banks of the mighty Mekong River which runs through the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Teenager Hong Siumey and her friends from Kurmul International School in Phnom Penh turned up at the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run early on Sunday morning, October 2, to show their support not only for the Asian showpiece but also for the Southeast Asian Games which Cambodia will host next year. “This is our way of backing our country as we look forward to our athletes taking part at the Asian Games in China next year as well as the SEA Games which we will be hosting for the first time in our history. And we have named our group of runners as ‘SuSu’ which in our language means ‘keep going’,” explained Hong.. Joining Hong Siumey were a crowd of dignitaries including Vice Mayor of Hangzhou Chen Weiqiang, and presidents and secretary generals from a number of Asian National Olympic Committees who had arrived for the 41st OCA General Assembly on October 3- 4. Chen, who is also the Deputy Secretary General of HAGOC (Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee), fired the starter’s pistol as the crowd of more than 800 participants, half of them school children, ran in the five and three kilometre races. “On behalf of HAGOC, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Olympic Council of Asia, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and all other NOCs that have been supporting the Hangzhou Asian Games,” Vice Mayor Chen said. “As an Asian Games tradition, the fun run is an internationally-participated key event. It attracts thousands of people from across Asia, promoting people-to-people bonds and the Olympic Movement in our region. This fun run in Cambodia is a warm-up for the Hangzhou Asian Games, and I believe it will boost greater friendship among our people,” Chen noted. The OCA had a strong representation in the first overseas Fun Run for the Hangzhou Asian Games with Vinod Tiwari, Director of International and NOC Relations, Tony Tarraf, Head of Athletes Development Department & Special Projects, and Wissam Trkmani, Projects and Administration Affairs Manager, all taking part. “This is just the beginning, the first fun run outside China, and we will be having similar events across Asia in the lead-up to the Hangzhou Asian Games. Thank you for coming,” Tiwari wished all the participants lined up for the race. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian NOC, who also ran, exhorted the crowd by asking them “are you ready?” to which he got a resounding “yes”. OCASIA, 3 October 2022
Cambodia New Expressway to Sihanoukville
The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is now estimated to be 95 per cent complete and will be open to the public for free for the month of October. The expressway is 187.05km in length and was begun in March 2019. It connects Samraong Kraom commune’s Village 1 of Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district to Village 1 in Commune III of Preah Sihanouk province’s Sihanoukville. Before the road opens, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport will run a publicity campaign to explain to road users how the expressway will function. Transport minister Sun Chanthol said the tasks that remained were predominantly cosmetic or related to safety equipment. After October, the private company which built the expressway will begin charging for its use. Electronic
cards will be used to track vehicles on the expressway. Temporary cards will be issued by booths at all entrances. For frequent travellers, permanent cards will be available from the company’s partner banks. The cards will detect where a vehicle enters and exits the expressway. Temporary card users will hand their card to a toll booth employee, who will swipe it and charge them accordingly. Card owners will be able to exit the road and know that the sensors will automatically charge them, saving them time. Phnom Penh Post, 3 October 2022
MEKONG NEW RESEARCH
The plateau mountain basins are the birthplaces of the world’s large rivers, known as the world water tower. The hydrologic conditions of the mountain basins has a direct impact on the supply of water resources, socio-economic development, and environmental changes in the downstream areas. Under changing climatic conditions, significant changes are occurring in the water resources of the mountain basins, which affects the sustainable development of the downstream economy and society. However, the plateau mountain basins have very few hydrological stations. The accurate simulation of the hydrological process in mountain ungauged basins plays an important role in water resource prediction and management. Hydrological Model in an Ungauged Mountain Basin
MEKONG NEW RESEARCH
Fish often migrate to feed, reproduce and seek refuge from predators and prevail- ing environmental conditions. As a result, migration tactics often vary among species based on a diversity of life history needs, although variation within species is increas- ingly being recognised as important to population resilience. In this study, within- and among- species diversity in life history migratory tactics of six Mekong fish genera was examined using otolith microchemistry to explore diadromous and potamodromous traits. Two species were catadromous and one species was an estuarine resident, while the remaining
three species were facultative in their migration strategies, with up to four tactics within a single species. Migrant and resident contingents co-existed within the same species. Management, conservation and mitigation strategies that maintain connectivity in large tropical rivers, such as effective fishway design, should consider a diversity of migration tactics at the individual level for improved outcomes. Diverse migration tactics of fishes within the large tropical Mekong River system
GOLDEN TRIANGLE TRAVEL
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world’s twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,909 km (3,050 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between western China and Southeast Asia. La Vie magazine Watch on YouTube
FLOODING CONTINUES
The Royal Irrigation Department has installed about 200 water pumps to accelerate the discharge of water from the Mun River, in Khong Chiam district in of Ubon Ratchathani, into the Mekong River. The water level in the Mekong is still about 60cm below that of the Mun, making it possible to discharge more than 390 million cubic metres per day into the Mekong, according to Udomsak Nuansiri, the chief district officer of Khong Chiam. The water level in the Mun River in Ubon Ratchathani yesterday (Friday) was 9.57 helicopters airdropped relief supplies into heavily flooded villages which are inaccessible by road. More than 10 riverside communities in Muang district have been advised by metres, an approximately 36cm increase from Thursday. In Warin Chamrap district, army officials to evacuate to temporary shelters being provided by provincial administration. Ubon Ratchathani was the first province to be struck by Tropical Storm Noru on situation in Ubon Ratchathani on Monday, when he resumes work as usual after the Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that his term in the office has not expired yet. According to the public disaster prevention and mitigation office in Nakhon Ratchasima, factories in Chakkarat district yesterday, after overflows from the swollen Lam Phra Phloeng reservoir, in Pak Thong Chai district, inundated surrounding areas. Authorities closed the main highway to the Muang district yesterday, which was under about a metre of water, making it impassable to all vehicles. Today Line, 3 October 2022
VIETNAM NEW AIRPORT
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has told the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to speed up work on the Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province so that the first phase of the multi-billion-dollar project can be ready by National Day (September 2) in 2025. On Sunday, October 2, Hue, also a Politburo member, paid a working visit to the southern province where he met with provincial leaders over the progress of this megaproject in Long Thanh District, reported the Giao Thong news site (baogiaothong.vn). At the meeting, he underlined the importance of the project, saying Long Thanh would become a leading aviation hub in Southeast Asia. He praised the central Government’s determination to inaugurate the first phase of the airport on September 2, 2025, instead of the end of that year. Therefore, the deadline cannot be met if there is no sense of responsibility and urgency, he stressed. “All agencies from the National Assembly to the Government, ministries and local authorities need to focus on the airport with the highest resolve and responsibility to meet the aspiration of the Vietnamese.” ACV said at the meeting that the runway, taxiway, apron and other components are on schedule and that construction work on key items would begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Pile driving at the passenger terminal construction site has been completed earlier than planned, with all the 1,545 piles driven into the ground, said Lai Xuan Thanh, chairman of ACV. He added the building of the terminal will start construction in the coming months. However, thousands of families have yet to move out of the 5,000-hectare project location, with a 1,810-hectare area still home to around 100 families that have not agreed to relocate. This situation has to some extent affected the progress of the project. Cao Tien Dung, chairman of Dong Nai Province, said about 96% of land needed for the airport project had been handed over to the investor and that Long Thanh District would soon complete land clearance and handover. The local authorities have had a tough time dealing with land clearance because many families do not have legitimate land documentation, making it difficult to compensate. In the first phase with a total cost of US$4.6 billion, the Long Thanh airport will have a 4,000-meter-long runway, taxiways and aprons and be able to serve 25 million passengers per year. The airport will be able to handle up to 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo a year when it is fully finished. Saigon Times, 3 October 2022
Figure 1: Houses of residents affected by Laos-China Railway in Luang Namtha province.
HOUSING – LAOS-CHINA RAIL
People affected by the Nateuy station construction project by the Laos-China railway have been moved to newly-built houses in Luang Namtha Province. Lao Youth
Radio reports that the allocation of the houses was completed in May this year, and at the beginning of June, authorities began handing over house keys to the affected residents for them to move in. The impacted 23 families relocated at the start of July and although they were happy with their new houses, affected residents have requested the railway project to provide them with some other necessary facilities that are required for everyday life. One resident said during an interview that fans need to be installed in the houses, the drainage facility needs to be improved and the houses need to be made burglar-proof as well. The new houses are not close to the usual marketplace so she requested that new markets are built so that people can buy food and other essential items. The roads leading to the new houses need an upgrade so that people have better connectivity to nearby villages as well. In June this year, around 72 percent of residents in Oudomxay Province affected by the Laos-China Railway also received full compensation. Laotian Times, 3 October 2022
INDONESIA FOOTBALL DEATHS
The deaths of at least 174 people in a stadium stampede in Indonesia “is a tragic day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Sunday. Saturday night’s events in Malang, Indonesia, which also left 180 people injured, was one of the world’s deadliest sporting stadium tragedies. “The football world is in a state of shock following the tragic incidents that have taken place in Indonesia at the end of the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya at the Kanjuruhan Stadium,” Infantino said, according to FIFA. “All our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, those who have been injured, together with the people of the Republic of Indonesia.” In Spain, La Liga and the Spanish football federation announced there would be a minute’s silence before the weekend’s remaining matches in the top two divisions. The stampede occurred when supporters of Arema FC stormed the pitch in East Java after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. After two officers were killed, tear gas was fired into crowds to force spectators to return to their seats. Hundreds of onlookers subsequently fled to an exit gate to flee the gas, with some choking in the commotion and many trampled to death. Indonesia’s President Widodo has called for the event to be the “last soccer tragedy in the nation,” according to reports, ordering all games suspended pending an investigation. Laotian Times, 3 October 2022
MEKONG TOURISM CONFERENCE
Nithee Seeprae, TAT Deputy Governor for Digitalisation, Research and Development, will be joining as a panelist at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022, which will take place from 12-13 October 2022, in Quang Nam, Vietnam with the theme “Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience”. The event has announced a total of 25 speakers, representing both the public and private sectors, from the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries – Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guangxi provinces), Lao PDR., Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The forum will discuss the rebuilding of GMS tourism and resilience-based approaches for the industry’s revival post COVID-19 with highlights on creating sustainable and inclusive tourism with technology as a tool, and how it will be essential for the industry to rethink and transform tourism to ensure a resilient and sustainable recovery. Nithee Seeprae, TAT Deputy Governor for Digitalisation, Research and Development, said, “We are pleased that the Mekong Tourism Forum is returning this year as a face-to-face, in-person event for the first time since the pandemic. The event is set to be a vital landmark on the road to achieving sustainable and inclusive tourism in the region, which is in line with Thailand’s drive towards exactly this as is reflected in our ‘Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign.”
The venue for the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 is the Hoiana Resort and Golf (Hoiana), a beach setting just south of the UNESCO-listed heritage city of Hoi An. The main conference programme on 12 October includes three interactive expert-led panel discussions on: 1) Social enterprises as a powerful tool for inclusive and sustainable tourism recovery, development, and promotion, 2) new strategies to connect sustainable tourism suppliers and buyers with markets, financing, and nature, and 3) technology to unlock green tourism opportunities. There will also be welcome remarks by Suvimol Thanasarakij, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), which is located in Bangkok and hosted by Thailand’s Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. A keynote address will be given on ‘The Future of Tourism – Rethink Travel, Rethink Destination Marketing and Management’ by Ms. Liz Ortiguera, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and an expert perspective on ‘Sustainably Reviving Tourism-Mekong Reflections’ by Wouter Schalken, senior sustainable tourism specialist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Travel Daily Media, 3 October 2022
Figure 2:Aerial photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the eighth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River, connecting Kampong Cham province and Tboung Khmum province in southeastern Cambodia. (Shanghai Construction Group/Handout via Xinhua)
MEKONG CHINA COOPERATION
China on Monday proposed six programs which will benefit the Lancang-Mekong countries aside from China, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, including cooperation plans in agriculture, water resources, digital economy, aerospace, education, and public health, as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting (LMC) in Bagan, Myanmar. The meeting came after the US' high-profile launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), seen by experts as an empty move that lacks sustainability and substance, which is in stark contrast to the pragmatic LMC cooperation mechanism that has borne fruitful results since its launch in 2016. Wang said the space cooperation plan with the five countries will include jointly developing Earth observation satellites, and space breeding, and China will provide opportunities for the five members to carry payloads on recoverable satellites. Lancang-Mekong countries are also welcome to join the International Lunar Research Station developed by China and Russia, to carry out cooperation in deep-space exploration and space debris monitoring. China will also help with space technology training for the five countries. On public health, China will provide COVID-19 vaccines to Lancang-Mekong countries and deepen partnership in the R&D of COVID drugs. Members under the LMC will seek to further unleash the benefit of the China-Laos Railway, Wang said, safeguarding regional production and supply chains and financial and energy security.
Opening to traffic last December, the China-Laos Railway is a landmark high-quality joint project under the Belt and Road Initiative. As of June 30, the railway had carried 4 million passengers and around 5 million tons of freight, including 0.8 million tons of cross-border goods, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at Monday's press briefing. "The China-Laos Railway has become an accelerator to boost regional connectivity, a new engine to boost economic cooperation, and a vivid example of the cooperation between China and ASEAN to promote the high-quality development of the BRI," Zhao said. Wang's tour of Southeast Asia follows the launch of the US-proposed IPEF, which experts said lacks sustainability and does not count as a free trade agreement, but serves its geopolitical interests. The LMC, however, is in stark contrast with the IPEF, as the former has brought actual benefits to ASEAN countries. China has supported more than 500 livelihood projects under the LMC, and trade with the five Mekong countries amounted to nearly $400 billion in 2021, an increase of 23 percent year on year. Under the mechanism, more than 20,000 students from five Mekong countries have studied in China on scholarships provided by the Chinese government, Xinhua reported. In response to some Western allegations that China's construction of dams on the upper Lancang River is causing tensions in the downstream region, Zhu Zhenming, a professor at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that he sees this as another customary Western provocation of China and neighboring countries."If the dams built by China have a negative impact, other Lancang-Mekong countries will make it clear," Zhu said. "These cooperating countries are the ones who know the facts, and they don't buy that argument." He pointed out that some of the natural disasters in recent years were mainly due to abnormal climate changes. In the meantime, the Chinese region upstream of the Lancang River has also been affected, and there is no case of China using the dam to shift the damage. Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin said in his meeting with Wang on Sunday that his country cherishes the "Paukphaw" friendship with China, and will continue to support China's legitimate stances on issues concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and human rights, Xinhua reported. Wang noted that the friendship has stood the test of intricate changes and has been unaffected by changes in respective countries. China supports the Myanmar people in exploring the development path that suits Myanmar's own national conditions, and supports Myanmar in safeguarding its legitimate interests in the international arena, he added."Myanmar's situation is still in a tug of war where the local military controls most parts of the country. Wang's trip, although being the highest-ranking Chinese official visit to Myanmar since its major cabinet reshuffle, does not hint at China 'recognizing' the current administration as hyped by some Western media, as the purpose of Wang's visit is to attend the LMC rather than engage in bilateral talks," Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday. Global Times, 3 October 2022