This report challenges the claim of the Laos Government that the Xayaburi Dam fully complied with the Mekong Agreement. The authors examine the language of the Mekong Agreement in detail. They also examine: (i) the historical record of the negotiations that describes what the parties intended when they drafted the Agreement; and (ii) international law that describes the meaning of the words that were carefully placed in the Agreement. In doing so, the authors conclude that Laos has misinterpreted the Mekong Agreement and failed to comply with several key provisions.