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Thai Activists Protest New Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong

Steve Sandford

   NONG KHAI, THAILAND - It's been more than 40 years since Bula Tawan
   first cast his fishing net out across the Mekong River when the
   waterway was rich in marine life.

   But the days of big catches have disappeared for most fishermen like
   Tawan, who once relied on the big hauls to earn a living and feed his
   family.

   "The water and the color have changed because when the water was
   natural it was not clear like this and it would have sediments and
   nutrients in there," explained the lean 66-year-old father, as he
   scooped up a handful of transparent river water.

   "The water is clear, but the sediments and nutrients have gone."

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