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| นิตยสาร สารคดี: ฉบับที่ ๒๑๖ เดือนกุมภาพันธ์ ๒๕๔๖ | ISSN 0857-1538 | |||
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| The Politics of Road Building, Logging, Electricity and Hydropower |
| Story and Photos: Wiwat Pandawutiyanon | |||
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The Truong Son Range, in the south of Laos, stretches almost up to the Vietnamese border. The proximity may not mean much at present, but back in the 60s, when the second Indo-chinese war, better known as the Vietnam War, between communist guerillas backed by North Vietnam and South Vietnamese government forces backed by the United States, was in full rage, the strategic location of the mountain pass meant everything. Since 1959, the North Vietnamese government had been employing the Truong Son route - better known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail - to supply soldiers and materials into South Vietnam through Laos. |
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The 16,000-kilometer trail stretches from mountain passes along the North Vietnam-Laos border down to southeastern Laos near the border of South Vietnam. The supply route, which grew from a series of crude jungle tracks, footpaths, tunnels and secondary roads, was difficult to follow from the air. Being Hanoi's only ground connection to South Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Trail played a crucial role in enabling Hanoi to escalate its war below the 17th parallel dividing the North and South Vietnam. Its importance was such that at one point, the US sent 900 bombers a day, one every eight minutes, to try to blast it off. The wind of change is blowing, however. Laos may be ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world but it is rich in natural resources. With an aim to eliminate poverty and to generate more revenue to the nation, Laos leaders have embarked on the New Thinking Policy. With 47% of the country covered by forests and 85% mountains, wood and hydropower fit into the scene as potential export items that would bring in the needed national income. |
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Before anything can be exported, however, land-locked Laos needs a better road system to help them reach port cities. Within 20 years, Laos has a plan to build extensive road networks linking it to Vietnam, China and Thailand. Questions are abound about the changes that are going on in this small country. Does Laos need that many roads, which cost millions of dollars to build? Would it be more worthwhile to invest that money to better its healthcare or educational system? Certainly, cutting down the diminishing rainforest will bring about adverse environmental impacts in the long run. The Laos government's vision of building 30 hydroelectric dams within 2007 has drawn criticisms from conservation organizations around the world. If all goes well, the sale of electricity generated by the dams could bring in up to US $ 2,500 million a year. But how about the permanent loss of tropical rainforest and biodiversity? Or a possible decline in fish species along the rivers to be dammed? Is the money worth all these losses? Will all these development attempts prove sustainable in the long run? |