After two decades of campaigning to protect the Mekong River, Niwat Roykaew, a local teacher and founder of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Chiang Rai, finally received the accolade he deserved. Mr Niwat was one of six recipients of this year's Goldman Environmental Prize, a prestigious award for grassroots environmental activism.
The organisation recognised Mr Niwat's unflagging opposition to blasting along the Mekong River, which is intended to create navigation channels that would allow large cargo ships from China to pass into Laos and Thailand. His efforts, along with that of other civil groups, ultimately led to a cabinet resolution scrapping the project.
