As the Thai govt transitions "from a regulatory body to a proactive business facilitator," one @peoplesparty.or.th MP seeks to ensure that data center development is environmentally sustainable as concerns mount over water scarcity. My latest for @mongabay.com on Thailand's data center boom

Thai MP calls for new committee to scrutinize AI data centers’ environmental impact

BANGKOK — An opposition member of Thailand’s parliament has called for the creation of a parliamentary committee on the regulation of data centers. The call comes amid a raft of new project approvals ...

news.mongabay.com

Mother Nature activists allege Cambodia has quietly resumed illegal sea sand exports to Singapore despite a 2017 ban. They released footage of coastal dredging in Koh Kong province, where sand mining has historically devastated local ecosystems and fisheries. @geraldrflynn.bsky.social reports.

Activists allege Cambodia has resumed sea sand exports to Singapore

BANGKOK — Environmental activism group Mother Nature Cambodia on July 14 posted a new video alleging that Cambodia has quietly resumed sand exports to Singapore after the trade was banned in 2017.…

news.mongabay.com

Quick news from Cambodia - Mother Nature Cambodia activists documented sand mining operations resuming in Koh Kong province and allege exports of sand are going to Singapore, despite 2017 ban. But Cambodia didn't enforce its own ban, exporting 128M metric tons of sand ($755M) 2017-2025 in Asia.

Activists allege Cambodia has resumed sea sand exports to Singapore

BANGKOK — Environmental activism group Mother Nature Cambodia on July 14 posted a new video alleging that Cambodia has quietly resumed sand exports to Singapore after the trade was banned in 2017. The...

news.mongabay.com

Despite recent raids, illegal wildlife shops in Laos have nearly doubled since 2025. Authorities say low-cost tours pressure Chinese tourists into buying and consuming endangered species, while conservationists argue limited enforcement fails to disrupt the network. By @geraldrflynn.bsky.social.

Laos’s illegal wildlife shops keep growing despite enforcement, investigators find

BANGKOK — Schemes funneling Chinese tour groups through illegal wildlife shopping sites in Laos appear to be persisting and even expanding in spite of some law enforcement action by authorities,…

mongabay.cc

Latest for @mongabay.com picks up a year after we exposed shops selling ivory, rhino horn, pangolins & other illegal wildlife products in Laos. The number of shops has nearly doubled in the last year, despite Mongabay providing info to Laos law enforcement, which has done some performative raids...

Laos’s illegal wildlife shops keep growing despite enforcement, investigators find

BANGKOK — Schemes funneling Chinese tour groups through illegal wildlife shopping sites in Laos appear to be persisting and even expanding in spite of some law enforcement action by authorities, Monga...

news.mongabay.com

Farmers in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province warn a planned 600-MW LNG plant will worsen regional water scarcity. The plant requires 12,000 cubic meters of water daily, equal to 49,000 residents, in an agricultural hub already facing medium-high drought risks. @geraldrflynn.bsky.social reports.

Thai farmers fear water woes from planned LNG plant

PHANOM SARAKHAM, Thailand — On a December afternoon, Suphut Hom Chunthit and his wife were tending to their 12 durian trees. Suphut showed reporters his homemade irrigation system, a series of pipes…

mongabay.cc

One of Thailand's most powerful conglomerates is pushing ahead with a new LNG power plant after local communities spent 18 years opposing it due to fears it will exacerbate existing water shortages and air pollution. My latest for @mongabay.com w. photos by @andyball.bsky.social

Thai farmers fear water woes from planned LNG plant

PHANOM SARAKHAM, Thailand — On a December afternoon, Suphut Hom Chunthit and his wife were tending to their 12 durian trees. Suphut showed reporters his homemade irrigation system, a series of pipes c...

news.mongabay.com

Rights groups are renewing calls to free five jailed Mother Nature Cambodia activists, held for 700 days. Sentenced to up to eight years for environmental defense, their appeals hearing is now delayed indefinitely as global pressure mounts. @geraldrflynn.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

Rights groups renew call to free jailed Cambodian environmental activists

BANGKOK — Seven hundred days after activists from the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia were imprisoned on charges widely regarded as retaliatory for their activism, 73 international and…

mongabay.cc

Communities across northern Thailand are pushing for action from the Thai govt and accountability from the Chinese govt - neither have so far been able to stem the flow of contamination from Myanmar's mining operations to Thai rivers. My latest for @mongabay.com...

Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. 'This is an emergency'

BANGKOK — More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollutio...

news.mongabay.com

Cambodian judge indefinitely delays appeals hearing of Mother Nature Cambodia activists due to "personal business" - after five young environmentalists have spent 700+ days in prison. Rights groups stepped up calls for their release ahead of Francophonie Summit in Nov. My latest for @mongabay.com

Rights groups renew call to free jailed Cambodian environmental activists

BANGKOK — Seven hundred days after activists from the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia were imprisoned on charges widely regarded as retaliatory for their activism, 73 international and Camb...

news.mongabay.com

Quick & bleak update from me for @mongabay.com - heavy metal contamination from Myanmar's mines has reached the Mekong River. Thai authorities found arsenic levels ~9 times higher than the safety limit in the Mekong's sediment, suggesting the flow of pollution is spreading through river systems.

Dangerous arsenic levels detected in Thailand’s Mekong mainstream for first time

BANGKOK — Thai authorities have found what they described as dangerous levels of arsenic contamination in sediment from the Mekong River and three of its tributaries in the northern provinces of Chian...

news.mongabay.com

NEW on @mongabay.com w. @andyball.bsky.social & @vantha.bsky.social - in Nov 2025, we reported on mining contamination in the O'Ta Bouk River in #Cambodia's Virachey National Park. In Feb 2026, the government tested the river, but refuses to publish the results, leaving communities in the dark.

Cambodia tested waters amid pollution claims; months later, still no public results

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Authorities from Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment were dispatched to Mondul Yorn, a small village in the remote northeastern province of Ratanakiri, on Feb. 13 to conduct wate...

news.mongabay.com

Arsenic levels in the Salween River are now more than double safety limits, fueled by secretive mining in Myanmar’s Shan state. Local communities face a growing threat of toxic contamination. Learn more in this report by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social for #Mongabay. mongabay.cc/Ic1hgS

Latest for @mongabay.com dives into the poisoning of the Salween River, Asia's longest free-flowing river. Unregulated mines in Myanmar have seen arsenic contamination reach dangerous levels on the Salween, leaving Indigenous Karen communities with no fish, no water and no solutions from governments

Asia’s longest free-flowing river contaminated by arsenic linked to Myanmar mines

MAE HONG SON, Thailand — Saw Si Paw Rak Salween guns the wooden fishing boat’s engine and steers along the river that inspired his family name. He is ethnic Karen — his parents migrated from Myanmar’s...

news.mongabay.com

Investigative reporter Gerry Flynn @geraldrflynn.bsky.social: "Remember that you’re likely better to be the cause of informing people and inspiring change if you’re alive and free to write. So while we need to be brave in holding the powerful to account, we need to be smart too."

Banned but not silenced: Gerry Flynn’s commitment to uncovering the truth across the Mekong

In a region where independent environmental journalism is often unwelcome, one Mongabay journalist has made a career of tackling often inconvenient truths while accepting personal risks as a necessary...

news.mongabay.com

As Thailand joins the global AI race, a #Mongabay investigation reveals roughly 20 new data centers under construction. Local communities warn they are being kept in the dark about threats to water, land, and livelihoods. A report by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social and Andy Ball. 👉️ mongabay.cc/4IKbuH

Learn more in this story by @geraldrflynn.bsky.social and @andyball.bsky.social for #Mongabay in partnership with the Environmental Reporting Collective. mongabay.cc/ZURPG5

Thai data center boom sparks fears of water shortage, air pollution

This story was produced in collaboration with the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC). Read the ERC’s story on the impacts of data centers globally here. CHONBURI, Thailand — The sun had yet to…

mongabay.cc

Our in-depth look at how AI data centers risk depriving Thai communities of water, contaminating waterways and driving fossil fuel consumption. Myself & @andyball.bsky.social for @mongabay.com worked with the Environmental Reporting Collective to look at how the AI boom is playing out in Thailand.

Thai data center boom sparks fears of water shortage, air pollution

This story was produced in collaboration with the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC). Read the ERC’s story on the impacts of data centers globally here. CHONBURI, Thailand — The sun had yet to r...

news.mongabay.com

For months, ~40 journos across Asia, LatAm & EU delved into the environmental impact of data centers w. the Environmental Reporting Collective. I reported from Thailand, but as a whole, the project shows how unsustainable (and opaque) the AI data center boom's starting to look. www.dirtydata.earth

Dirty Data

An ERC investigation looking into the cost of data center infrastructures powering AI and the people paying the price.

dirtydata.earth

Part 2 of our Funan Techo Canal coverage for @mongabay.com - me and @vantha.bsky.social interviewed 50+ people across 4 provinces where the canal will be built between 2024 and 2026. Most still have no idea whether their homes or farms will be lost to the canal, some 18 months after it broke ground.

Farmers fear displacement, drought, flooding tied to Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal

This is the second of two stories about the potential impact of Cambodia’s planned Funan Techo Canal. Read part one, about consequences for coastal communities and wildlife, here. TAKEO, Cambodia — Th...

news.mongabay.com

Latest for @mongabay.com w. @vantha.bsky.social looks at #Cambodia's controversial Funan Techo Canal - specifically, at the impacts the canal will have on coastal communities and marine habitats when it reaches the sea, threatening conservation efforts.

Cambodia’s canal mega-project threatens coastal communities and marine life

This is the first of two stories about the potential impact of Cambodia’s planned Funan Techo Canal. Part two, about consequences for inland communities and wildlife, will be published soon. KEP, Camb...

news.mongabay.com

There's a freshwater pollution crisis unfolding across the Mekong region as mines pumps toxic chemicals into key river systems - our latest for @mongabay.com looks how gold mines along tributaries of the Sekong River in Laos are impacting fish populations, potentially posing a transboundary threat.

New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong

BANGKOK — A new satellite analysis from U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has identified 517 suspected mines along rivers in Laos, including major tributaries of the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s longest ...

news.mongabay.com

Latest for @mongabay.com w. @andyball.bsky.social & @vantha.bsky.social uncovers a gold mine has poisoned the O'Ta Bouk River in Virachey National Park. Water, soil & fish from the river are contaminated, sickening the Indigenous communities downstream who depend on the river for everything.

Toxic runoff from politically linked gold mine poisons Cambodian rivers, communities

*Sources have requested pseudonyms be used to protect their identity out of fear of retaliation from the government or mining companies BANGKOK, Thailand/RATANAKIRI, Cambodia — “When you touch the wat...

news.mongabay.com

#Thailand's air pollution problem partly stems from debt-saddled farmers conducting agricultural burnoffs to sustain the meat industry. One district banned maize farming to curb deforestation and PM2.5 pollution, only for a coal mining company to grab their land. Read my latest on @mongabay.com

Karen community fighting corn and coal for clean air in northern Thailand

MAE CHAM/OMKOI, Thailand — Rain lashed down in the northern Thai village of Nong Krating as Sawattiphon Wongkasettakon described the worsening air pollution that sweeps in through the mountains here e...

news.mongabay.com

Restrictions on civil society means rare earth mining in Laos has garnered less attention than Myanmar, but @stimsoncenter.bsky.social data show 27 new (likely illegal) mines opened along Mekong River tributaries since 2022. Latest @mongabay.com report details the threat to freshwater ecosystems.

Rare earth mining expands into Laos, threatening entire Mekong River

BANGKOK — New data show a recent proliferation of rare earth mines across river basins in Laos, potentially posing a transboundary water pollution threat to Vietnam and the entire Mekong River system....

news.mongabay.com

Latest on @mongabay.com - research by @stimsoncenter.bsky.social finds more rare earth mines across Myanmar's river basins than previously known, 513 opened along the Irrawaddy, Salween and Mekong basins in the last decade. Unchecked, these mines pose a transboundary threat to the region's rivers.

More Thai rivers and downstream communities at risk from Myanmar’s rare earth mines

BANGKOK — New satellite data identified 513 sites of rare-earth mining that have cropped up across at least six key tributaries of the Mekong, Salween and Irrawaddy rivers in Myanmar over the past 10 ...

news.mongabay.com

It's kind of wild that a species that's recently been as common as the long-tailed macaque is now endangered. Especially as a driver of their decline is laundering wild monkeys for biomedical testing as captive-bred, and lobbyists have been trying to get their protection downgraded. This sucks.

Gerry Flynn@geraldrflynn.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Depressing that the IUCN's confirmation that an endangered species is in fact endangered is the closest thing I can provide to "good news." Latest for @mongabay.com shows how a concerted effort by the biomedical research lobby to downgrade the IUCN listing of long-tailed macaques has failed.

Depressing that the IUCN's confirmation that an endangered species is in fact endangered is the closest thing I can provide to "good news." Latest for @mongabay.com shows how a concerted effort by the biomedical research lobby to downgrade the IUCN listing of long-tailed macaques has failed.

IUCN upholds long-tailed macaques’ endangered status after complaint

BANGKOK — The long-tailed macaque will remain on the Red List of the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, despite objections from the biomedical industry arguing the designation hampers r...

news.mongabay.com

Our latest data analysis shows nearly 1 million Ha of tree cover was lost across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in 2024. Nearly a quarter of this was primary forest, but - more alarming - ~30% of tree cover losses occurred inside protected areas. Read the breakdown on @mongabay.com

Protected areas hit hard as Mekong countries’ forest cover shrank in 2024

BANGKOK — The Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam lost a combined area of tree cover of nearly a million hectares in 2024, or an area almost the size of Lebanon. That’s a...

news.mongabay.com

First in a series for @mongabay.com on #Thailand's air pollution looks at the Mae Moh coal plant and mine - which despite having killed people, polluted waterways and devastated an ecosystem, saw 2 of its older units' lifespans extended. NO2, mercury & more for all news.mongabay.com/2025/10/angu...

Anguish for residents as Thailand’s most polluting coal plant gets new lease of life

MAE MOH, Thailand — Thailand has announced it will delay the decommissioning of several coal-fired units at the 2,400-megawatt Mae Moh power plant in Lampang province, prompting fears among communitie...

news.mongabay.com