BANGKOK — A new satellite analysis from U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has identified 517 suspected mines along rivers in Laos, including major tributaries of the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s longest river, heightening concerns about contamination of waterways that sustain local communities.

Stimson has not ground-truthed the mine sites identified through satellite imagery, but Mongabay spoke by phone with several government officials in Laos’s southern border province of Attapeu, home to 188 mines in the data, who said illegal mining remains widespread despite recent crackdowns.

“We still see officials carrying out inspections and confiscating equipment” from illegal mines in Attapeu, said one government official who spoke to Mongabay on condition of anonymity due to the limited press freedoms in Laos.

The analysis shines new light on the scale of mining in river basins across mainland Southeast Asia. The issue previously caught the spotlight in northern Thailand earlier this year after dangerous levels of arsenic were found to be flowing downstream from unregulated gold mines in Myanmar’s Shan state.

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BAN PONG, Thailand — “Look at these ones over here!” calls Chamran Tahpan, as she crouches next to a mound of damp leaves on the forest floor. A cluster of mushrooms sprouts from the center of the earthy-smelling pile.

“These are hed khon, termite mushrooms,” says Rachaprapa Kamphud, 55, who leads the Ban Pong community forest and fire management group in northern Thailand’s Lampang province. Edible mushrooms like hed khon, along with a variety of other nontimber products, such as bamboo shoots, leafy greens and red ant eggs, can fetch high prices in local markets, she says, offering villagers a modest income.

By keeping the forest soil moist using small check dams designed to slow the flow of minor streams, Rachaprapa says they need only pile up humid leaves and soil to yield wild mushrooms year-round. There’s no need to set fire to the leaf litter to stimulate their growth — a common but risky method many nearby communities rely on.

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Pacing paw-to-paw, the fishing cat hisses. About twice the size of a domestic cat, its grey-green eyes fix on the keeper who carries a tub of tilapia on the other side of the fence. The gate of the enclosure at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) rescue center in central Thailand’s Phetchaburi province pops open, and the keeper enters. The prowling cat switches to a loping canter — moving more like an otter than a wild cat — as it whips a fish from the tub and takes it to a corner to dine in privacy. The muscular nape ripples at its powerful jaws make quick work of its slippery fare. Fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) are superbly adapted to living and hunting in marshes, wetlands and mangroves. Nocturnal hunters, they have an almost unique affinity for water among felines, sporting partially webbed feet, a double-layered coat and ears that seal when submerged. But with these habitats fast disappearing, the species is in trouble. The IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, considers fishing cats vulnerable to extinction. Fewer than 10,000 individuals are thought to remain in the wild across their range spanning South and Southeast Asia. Globally, they face many of the same threats as other wild cat species: habitat loss, persecution, pollution and genetic problems associated with small and fragmented populations. 

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Watchara Kumpai, 68, spends most of his time in boots, stomping through coastal mangrove forests in southern Thailand.

He used to work in the tin mining and logging industries that contributed to mangrove loss, until all concessions in mangrove areas were cancelled in 1991. Today, Watchara is dedicated to restoring and protecting these vital ecosystems in Ranong province, as Thailand aims to restore 500,000 rai (80,000 hectares) for carbon credits by 2031.

The Bang Rin sub-district, where Watchara lives, was among the first of 98 communities to join Thailand’s Coastal Community Mangrove for Carbon Credit programme in March 2023. His conservation group protects mangrove patches scattered around three villages in the sub-district, and has so far registered 1,881 rai (301 hectares) of mangrove to generate carbon credits.

“The project is good because we receive additional money for the communities to spend on mangrove restoration,” says Watchara.

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Google committed to a significant investment of 36 billion baht to expand its cloud infrastructure and data centres in Bangkok and Chon Buri, announced on Monday, September 30.

Ruth Porat, the President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, highlighted that this expansion aims to meet the growing demand for cloud services in Southeast Asia and globally, while also promoting Thailand’s role in the AI economy.

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NAKHON PHANOM, Thailand – Authorities in Nakhon Phanom are closely monitoring Typhoon Yagi, though the situation remains under control for now, September 8. Water levels in the Mekong River have been steadily decreasing, currently standing at 9.20 meters, approximately 3 meters below the critical threshold, allowing the river to handle more water inflow.

Tributaries such as the Nam Oon and Nam Songkhram rivers are also draining into the Mekong more rapidly, further alleviating the flood risk. However, border districts along the Mekong remain on high alert as heavy rainfall could overwhelm the river’s drainage capacity. Local authorities are maintaining 24-hour surveillance in high-risk areas, installing additional water pumps to mitigate potential flooding.

Although Nakhon Phanom has not yet been impacted by Typhoon Yagi, which is expected to move towards northern Thailand, officials are urging continued vigilance and preparedness. (TNA)

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Travellers are one step closer to an epic train journey from Bangkok to Beijing as a new railway bridge over the Mekong River has opened, linking Thailand and Laos by rail for the first time. This milestone, completed last month, leaves just a few dozen miles of a trackless gap before the route can finally reach China.

With the launch of this new service, passengers can now enjoy a 12-hour train journey from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Station to Khamsavath Station in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. However, Khamsavath, located about 9.7 kilometres outside Vientiane, is currently the final stop on this route. Travellers wishing to continue their journey to China must navigate Vientiane’s streets via taxis or vans to reach the larger, Chinese-built Vientiane Railway Station, which lies 16 kilometres northeast of the capital.

The remaining tracks could be laid by 2028, completing the long-awaited connection to China. Once finished, the route will link Bangkok directly to southern China’s high-speed rail network, marking a significant boost for trade and tourism in the region.

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The fifth Thai – Lao friendship bridge, which links Bueng Kan province of Thailand with Pakxan town of Laos, is scheduled to open this November.

Deputy Transport Minister of Thailand Manaporn Charoensri said recently that the project features a 1.35km crossover with a dual-lane road traversing the Mekong River and a four-lane bypass on the Thailand side.

The bypass links Highway No.222 (Bueng Kan – Phang Khon) with Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon provinces of Thailand. Additionally, a 2.86km dual-lane bypass in Pakxan is also included in the project.

Manaporn noted the project, worth 3.9 billion THB (105 million USD) in total, aims to facilitate transportation between Thailand and Laos. When operational, the bridge will help transporters decrease costs and time spent on cargo transportation between the two countries, thus benefiting logistics and tourism.

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