INTRODUCTION

The Mekong River, the twelfth largest river in the world, is 4,990 kilometres long. Its source is in the Tibetan mountains and it passes through the southwestern part of the People's Republic of China in Yunnan and Guangxe provinces, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and then flows into the South China Sea. The Mekong region happens to be the poorest parts of Southeast Asia. The total population of the sub-region is more than 312 million in 2005 and its total area covers more than 2,563 square kilometres. Out of the total riparian people in the region, more than 80 million people or 90 per cent of the total population of the Mekong Basin depend upon the river for their livelihood for drinking water, fish, transport, irrigation water for agriculture and forest products. It is estimated that 80–90 per cent of the Mekong water is used for agriculture from which 75 per cent of the population of the Lower Mekong Basin derive their income.

These countries share common borders, natural resources and a long history. With combined human resource and natural resources, and the location of the region, being sandwiched between booming Southeast Asia and emerging China, no one doubts that the region has immense potential. Yet, like the river that runs through it, the economic potential of the Mekong region is so far only just that potential. Since the 1950s when the Mekong Committee was formed, consisting of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam, as it was then known, the dream of harnessing the hydroelectric power of the mighty Mekong River has captured the imagination of politicians and planners alike. Almost fifty years later, it is estimated that only one per cent of the region's potential hydroelectric energy is being exploited.

The Mekong has one of the most abundant fisheries in the world. About two million tonnes of wild and cultured fish are harvested each year, which represent a value of US$1,400 million at first point-of-sale.