The river ‘is not for sale’ warn Mekong villages

The locals of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand describe their lives as “three days of fishing, two days of drying the nets”. They fish the river in the rainy season, then as the dry season approaches hang up their nets and plant crops. This is how their families have lived for generations, and they hope their children will enjoy the same life. But villagers are concerned projects along the Mekong, such as dams, improvement of navigational channels and new economic zones, will change the local environment and gradually upset their tranquil lives and traditions.