Mekong Reflections -- Lao PDR (2)

SUNSET OVER THE MEKONG

For me, rivers are magnetic. I can sit and watch the water move past for hours. They are places of contemplation – contemplation about the river itself to be sure, but also a place to reflect on the passage of time, of life, of experience –The River’s Tale – A Year on the Mekong – Edward A. Gargan.

Like Edward A. Gargan, I’ve done my fair share of river gazing over the years.

I vaguely remember, decades ago, staring mezmorized at the Nile as we drifted in a felucca boat from Luxor to Aswan in Egypt, although that may have had something to do with the amount of hash we’d consumed.

In Bangkok, I lived for a while in a condo with spectacular views of the Chao Phraya, which I never tired of. It’s a bustling, working river that embodies the city through which it flows.

But the Mighty Mekong is my favorite.

And in Laos, I do the Gargan thing: contemplate and reflect, usually while imbibing quite a few bottles of the local brew Beer Lao.

The Mekong flows through countries and cultures starting in the Tibetan Plateau, continuing through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

It is much mightier in the Vietnam Delta, in Yunnan, China and in Cambodia than it is in Laos. In fact in the dry season it virtually empties and you could easily wade across to Nong Khai in Thailand, directly opposite Vientiane, although you would probably be shot if you tried.

But during the monsoon months it fills up and is at its photogenic and contemplative best.

It is a remarkable river.

Sorry to get all factual here. As you know this isn't my normal style and I promise to revert to my self-promoting embellished nonsense soon, but it should be pointed out that it's the second most "fish diverse" river in the world after the Amazon.

“There are about 60 million people in the lower Mekong basin and most of them are entirely dependent on these fisheries for protein and their livelihoods," Marc Goichot, head of the WWF Greater Mekong Program told me in an interview in Vientiane recently. "And these people cannot afford other means of providing protein."

But these people, apparently, don't count. They certainly are a much lower priority than multi-billion dollar hydropower schemes under way such as the Xayaburi Dam, which despite a moratorium agreed to by Southeast Asian nations on halting work pending a proper impact study, is going ahead in Laos.

“The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, feeding and employing millions of people. To move forward with the Xayaburi Dam would be reckless and irresponsible, as the dam would fatally impact the river's ecosystem and fisheries,” warns respected U.S. based group International Rivers.

And this makes me mad.

Mad that the "little people" are treated like this over and over again. Uprooted, cast aside, forced to move to appallingly slapped together "new towns" miles away from the coast and their traditional ways of life and told, by major aid agencies and smaller NGOs to grow pineapples, breed cattle or make straw mats, conical hats or ethnic instruments carved from bamboo to earn money.
In NGO-speak, this is called "Alternative Livelihood Initiatives." In Craig-speak it is called "Fuck the Poor". Okay, I know I'm getting on my high horse, but it really gets my goat!

PHOTO: JOHN MANGILA

About five years ago, I embarked on a wonderful adventure to shoot a video in the remote ethnic hilltribe regions of Laos with my AsiaWorks colleagues Derek Williams and Somyot Pisapak.

As it turned out, the area was no longer so remote. We had to get there by flying from Bangkok to Chiang Rai, taking a vehicle to the Chiang Khong border point and crossing the river to Huay Xai in Laos by canoe -- with about 80 kilograms of equipment, before embarking on what we imagined would be a long drive.

In fact the drive was much shorter thanks to the new superhighway that had just been constructed -- with funds from Thailand and China -- right through the middle of their communities.

The 'transport corridor,' had brought increased mobility, amazing cross border trade improvements and the potential for a whole range of new industries including tourism, according to governments, private sector behemoths and development institutions with a stake in it.

It had also brought an enormous increase in visiting businessmen, long-haul truck drivers and migrant workers, which resulted in demand for prostitutes soaring, leading to the first cases of HIV ever reported in the area.

This was a boon for HIV NGOs and Corporate Social Responsibility programs who set up AIDS education programs to prove they were doing their bit to help.

Despite being impoverished, the people here at least had not lost their livelihoods. We were treated like Royalty, mobbed upon arrival, garlanded by every village member and forced to down copious shot glasses of a potent local rice 'wine' concoction that I'm convinced was 80 percent kerosene.

"Great, we've been here half an hour, havent' shot a frame and already we're three sheets to the wind," I remember slurring to Somyot and Derek.

That was actually my first visit to Laos and possibly what sparked my ongoing love of the country and respect for its people.

Somyot, Derek and Craig' Warm Welcome

I'm not saying all development is bad, but in Southeast Asia's poorest countries it has come with a cost. There, that's my few Kip's worth. I would sign off by suggesting "countries find a balance between the economic improvements and the personal costs" but this would sound bombastic, arrogant and dogmatic, three of my most prominent character traits that my therapist and friends have advised me to tone down.

Plus I'm not really a 'balanced' person myself -- oh really, Craig! -- except when I'm standing on my head during morning yoga, so this sort of remark would smack of hypocrisy. I love that phrase.

But witnessing this has made me consider what would have been absolutely unthinkable -- and caused my friends to guffaw with laughter just months ago: Becoming an environmentalist! Just kidding. Can you imagine?