2024 06 24 FCCT Lost in Mekong

The Mekong River, supporting 300 million people and countless animal species, is at risk. Every new dam on the Mekong carries another unpredictable disruption. Its people suffer immeasurable harm, and its ecological system is collapsing -- families are shattered as their livelihood dries up because of the dams. Lost In Mekong shows how one of these families on the Thai side copes with the loss of their fishing rights or “luang-mong.”
Lost In Mekong, directed by Jessada Khimsook, tells a story of changes: a dwindling fish population, a family losing their means and a community finding solutions. “Luang-mong,” a tradition of equally distributing fishing rights between households, provides generations of families with a sustainable income. The Mekong dams, however, are making it harder to continue this tradition.
Each community has its “luang-mong,” and each household relies on a specific plot of the Mekong for their catches. As aquatic species in the Mekong diminish, the people of the Mekong depend less on the Mekong and migrate away. And if nothing changes, traditions will be lost alongside an ecosystem unsuitable for its community and creatures.
Join us at the FCCT for the documentary screening with English subtitles and hear from:
Jessada Khimsook, documentary filmmaker, and director of Lost In Mekong.
Ormbun Tipsuna, president, the Assembly of Northeast Thailand Community Network in 7 provinces along the Mekong Basin (ComNetMekong).
Carl Middleton, director, Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
Other panelists (to be announced)
Moderator: Ken G Weber, FCCT.