Mekong Currents

Mekong Currents is a column on development issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion, written by Rosalia Sciortino*. It is distributed by IPS Asia-Pacific.
 

*Rosalia Sciortino, better known as Lia, is a cultural anthropologist and development sociologist by training, who is currently working in Thailand as Associate Professor at the Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, and Visiting Professor at the Masters of Arts in International Development Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Before that, she was Regional Director of the Rockefeller Foundation Office for Southeast Asia in Bangkok, overseeing grant-making activities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. She also worked with the Ford Foundation in Indonesia and the Philippines, and has published widely on development issues. A native of Italy, she has lived in Asia for nearly two decades.

Climate Change Paints Mekong Dams ‘Green’

By Rosalia Sciortino*

BANGKOK, Dec 31 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - As more severe and irregular floods occur in the countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), public discussion on their possible causes has been escalating.  A point of contention is whether floods along the Mekong River and other regional rivers are related to the operation of dams in combination with ever-increasing deforestation and subsequent land erosion, or whether the increase in water volume is due to natural circumstances, eventually impacted by climate change.

Ethnographic Museums Must Examine Price of Development

By Rosalia Sciortino

BANGKOK, Jul 30 - Reflecting the fact that ethnic diversity is a central characteristic of all the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries, ethnographic collections are relatively common, with th

Regional Integration in the GMS: Opportunities and Challenges

Rosalia Sciortino

Renowned for its magnificence and the unpredictability of its waters, the Mekong River is the longest waterway in South-east Asia, flowing down from the Tibetan highlands to the Mekong Delta and into the South China Sea. Through a drift of more than 4,300 kilometers, its waters connect six countries - Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - offering mute testimony to the unfolding of their histories and their transnational relations.

The Rohingya: 'Just' People?

By Rosalia Sciortino

BANGKOK, Jan 25 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – The perilous flight of the nearly 1,000 Rohingya who made it to Thailand in December before they were sent back to sea is a sign of worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.