New Mandala

Recently, there has been news of fresh road construction efforts in Burma’s borderlands and, in particular, of a road link from Bangladesh to Burma.  According to reports, the first stage to be built is a 25-kilometer border crossing funded by Bangladesh.  This initial construction includes what has become an almost obligatory component of the ongoing frenzy for cross-border development [...]

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Environmental management is a sensitive issue, as some recent discussions on New Mandala have indicated. This is especially the case in relation to the management of “watersheds.” Relatively pristine upland forests often seen as the key to the sustainability of downstream water supplies. There is no bigger watershed in southeast Asia than the Mekong, and discussions [...]

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