Laos is under pressure from neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia to halt construction on a $3.5 billion hydropower dam on the Mekong River.

The dam is the first of 11 that would line the Mekong River, and activists say it could threaten the livelihood of tens of millions of people who depend on the river.

The complaints came yesterday after member countries from the Mekong River Commission -- Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand -- met to discuss the river's development. Studies on the environmental and social effects of the dam were supposed to take place before construction began.

The commission is bound by treaty to hold intergovernment consultation before dams are built, but members have no veto.

"In the absence of an agreement, other countries can disagree if they like, but this can't stop Laos," said Jian-hua Meng, a sustainable hydropower specialist at the World Wildlife Fund. "The role of the MRC is now being questioned along with the level of investment put in the organization" (Lefevre/Carsten, Reuters, Jan. 18). -- MM