Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is in Phnom Penh for the two-day Mekong River summit that begins this morning. The second of its kind, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Summit involves the leaders of all six countries touched by the mighty Mekong. The prime agenda item is what Beijing calls The Five-Year Plan of Action, a Chinese-dictated guideline for "development" of the river. One of the prime minister's most important tasks will be careful monitoring of how this plan impacts Thais.
A most interesting improvement in the plan was revealed at last month's preparatory meeting for the summit, held at Dali, in China's Yunnan province. According to Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had a so-called "gift" for Thailand. After two years of strongly pushing for permission to blow up numerous islets and shoals off Chiang Rai province, China has decided to hold off for a while.
Mr Don didn't or couldn't say how long this will last. While it takes pressure off Gen Prayut, it also kicks the can down the road. China's plan to blast and dredge the Mekong deep enough to allow 1,000-tonne cargo boats is delayed, not cancelled. At the moment, the Chiang Rai islets and rapids make the river too shallow for larger boats, while China wants a clear channel all the way to Luang Prabang, far below Chiang Rai.
This has led some to believe that China intends to make the river into the Mekong Canal. Conservationists fear that "development" means removal of anything in the way, between Dali and the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. They cite two items: China's extensive dam building on its own section of the river, and the alleged insistence by Beijing to be the controlling -- perhaps the only -- voice in management of the Mekong. China already has the ability to control the river's flow, and has insisted releasing water to downstream countries during the dry season is a favour.
All of this is why Gen Prayut must be alert during the technical and grand presentations today and tomorrow. Mr Wang has somewhat unfortunately called Beijing's desire to get on with Mekong development a "bulldozer". That's a description that will cause consternation among river bank dwellers and conservationists alike.
China is eager to get on with its gargantuan Belt and Road Initiative -- of which the Mekong Plan is actually a small part. But those who live along the Mekong and value the ecology of Southeast Asia's largest river aren't yet sold on China-led development. To China, the Mekong is one of the country's 16 international rivers. To the people of half of Asean -- citizens of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam -- the river is their bloodvein. A series of dams on the upstream section has already makes their lives difficult.
Gen Prayut must represent at the two-day summit his fellow Thais who are farmers, fishermen, small-business traders, tourist operators and similar. They depend on the Mekong as surely as big-business shippers. Development is always welcome, even necessary. But it must take into account the nature, traditions and people's businesses.
Credit China for pumping urgency, enthusiasm and energy into Mekong River planning. The regional giant was not included in the previous planning process which was positively sclerotic. But enthusiasm must be tempered, and it is the premier's job to support planning that benefits Thailand.
By Thursday afternoon, the prime minister and his counterparts from China and Asean should have hammered out both a five-year action plan and an agreement on the principles of development they intend to call "The Phnom Penh Declaration". They should be as forward looking as they must be respectful of the rights of those who live along the river.