(KPL) The Mekong River Commission or MRC, presently based in Vientiane, is mulling over relocating to Cambodia, but many foreigners or farangs who are working for her are not happy over the prospect of working and living in Phnom Penh.

MRC officials yesterday held a meeting in Vientiane Capital to discuss the problems regarding the construction of hydropower dams and the relocation of MRC.

During this meeting, some of the officials of MRC said the move would cause them to spend more money than what they normally do in Vientiane.

Ms Chongchith Chantharanonh, Programme Officer of International Cooperation and Communication Section, MRC told KPL News that many farang officials who have worked for MRC for many years in Laos are not supportive of the MRC Joint Committee’s proposal to move the MRC Secretariat’s Office to Cambodia.

According to one of the rules that govern the location of the secretariat, it has to relocate its office to another member country every five years and its time in Laos is coming to an end soon, said Ms Chongchith.

She said that when the MRC Secretariat Office agreed to relocate to Laos in 2003, it was agreed in principle that it would relocate back to its original place.

For this meeting, MRC officials discussed questions on the proposed construction of dams across the Mekong River in the five member countries and the host of problems associated with such man-made structures.

MRC officials said that the Mekong River member countries were competing with one another to build hydropower dams across the Mekong River to make money from selling the electricity generated by the dams to energy hungry countries.

Regarding this question a group of MRC officials explained that such dams would have positive and negative results, but the negative impact should not be overlooked.
For example, they explained the dams would bring about natural disasters, it could lead to the destruction of vast tracts of rice field and cause a steep reduction of the fish population, so that they might even eventually become extinct.

Presently, more than 10 hydropower dams would be constructed across the Mekong River in the five member countries.

The 30th Mekong River Commission of the MRC Joint Committee met from 29 to 29 July at Don Chan Palace hotel in Vientiane Capital.