Breaking a Mekong Drought

Published on Mar 9, 2023 by Luke Hunt

Produced by Luke Hunt, David Brown and Sreynat Sarum for Voice of America. Cambodian authorities say heavy rains and a bumper fish crop have improved life along the Mekong River after a nearly four-year drought, poor harvests and the pandemic took a heavy toll on some 65 million people who rely on the waterway for their daily livelihoods. Watch here..

Mekong Mercy

Published on Jan 6, 2023 by Luke Hunt

A podcast with British journalist and filmmaker Tom Fawthrop who has delivered his latest documentary on the plight of the Mekong River amid ongoing dam construction, climate change, and a drought that appears to have ended with this year’s heavy rains.“A River Screams for Mercy: Murdering the Mekong” follows efforts by local activists demanding a moratorium on dam construction, but their calls too often fall on deaf ears among authorities who stand to profit.Working for a range of publications – including Mongabay, The Ecologist, The Diplomat, China Dialogue, and the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter blog – Fawthrop has covered Southeast Asia since 1979, reporting on conflicts and peacemaking in Cambodia, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines. He spoke with Luke Hunt. Listen here.

Vigilantes Saving Rainforests

Published on Jun 1, 2022 by Luke Hunt

A podcast with Karl Malakunas. Palawan island in the Philippines has emerged as a battlefield for a tiny network of environmental crusaders and vigilantes who are trying to protect its spectacular natural resources, powder-white beaches, and lush forests, which have made it one of Asia’s hot new tourist destinations.They are also the subject of a new feature-length documentary “Delikado” from director Karl Malakunas who pressed ahead with its production after one of the vigilantes was shot dead in 2011.“Delikado” follows Bobby, Tata, and Nieves as they risk their lives in trying to stop politicians and businessmen from destroying what is perhaps the Philippines’ last ecological frontier.The documentary also exposes how outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s notorious “war on drugs” has been....

Troubled Waters

Published on Apr 29, 2022 by Luke Hunt

A podcast with Abby Seiff. The plight of the Mekong River and the impact of climate change, dams, and illegal fishing has raised alarms bells across Southeast Asia and beyond.But rarely reported are the lives of ordinary fishermen and their families who rely on the river and the Tonle Sap lake, which branches off the river from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and extends to Siem Reap in the northeast.Journalist Abby Seiff has sought to address that issue with her new book, Trpubling the Water: A Dying Lake and a Vanishing World in Cambodia.Seiff weaves stories of the past with the present issues plaguing the Mekong basin and the impoverished families who are struggling with everyday life. Many are heavily....

Mekong Drought

Published on Feb 12, 2022 by Luke Hunt

A podcast with Brian Eyler. The lower Mekong River is entering its fourth year of drought with poor rainfall, climate change, and hydropower dams producing the worst conditions along Southeast Asia’s largest waterway in more than 60 years, threatening the livelihoods of up to 70 million people.The lower Mekong River is entering its fourth year of drought with poor rainfall, climate change, and hydropower dams producing the worst conditions along Southeast Asia’s largest waterway in more than 60 years, threatening the livelihoods of up to 70 million people.As a result, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is urging the six Mekong countries to urgently address “regional low flows, water fluctuations, and drought.”In its latest report, “Mekong Low Flow and Drought Conditions....