Senate panel urges suspension|of Mekong rapids blasting

Further blasting of Mekong River rapids to make the waterway more navigable should be temporarily suspended pending the results of an environmental impact assessment, said the Senate Committee on the Environment. The committee yesterday sent four representatives to Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district to gather first-hand information and listen to local concerns about the Mekong Navigation Project, a joint Thai, Lao, Chinese and Burmese operation. "There will clearly be an environmental impact. Personally, I disagree with the plan to blast the rapids, but we have to listen to all sides," committee chairman Panas Tassaneeyanon said. – The Nation.