As Myanmar's military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Thailand this week, much of the media attention will focus on diplomacy and trade, without raising critical questions. Nevertheless, one crisis directly affecting the health and security of people across both nations requires immediate attention: transboundary river contamination from mining that harms communities along the Kok, Sai, Ruak, Mekong, Salween and Kraburi rivers.
As one village headman along the Mekong on the Thai-Lao border recently described: "The Mekong has changed dramatically. People used to catch enough fish to feed their families. There were once hundreds of fish species, but now only a few dozen remain." His greatest concern today is no longer just disappearing fish, but contaminated water.
