Labour skills group to tackle green ills

PHUKET : The US and countries in the lower Mekong basin have agreed to set up a working group to develop labour skills as part of efforts to resolve environmental problems.

A forum involving the US and the Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam was launched by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting which ended yesterday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Vimon Kidchob yesterday said the US wanted to cooperate on water resources development as its Mississippi River was facing similar environmental problems to the Mekong River.

US experts showed the forum the problems that were emerging from the actions of human and natural phenomena as well as climate change.

The foreign ministers from the four Asean Mekong countries agreed to hold an annual meeting alongside the Asean Ministerial Meeting, Ms Vimon said. They agreed the meeting should focus on education, expert development of the environment and human resource development.