60970 Many children suffer from malnutrition and related eye diseases.
60971 The Tourism Authority has plans to improve the roads and include the town in its tourism agenda, but the people are destitute.
60972 At the request of the Laotian government, an environmental seminar was held by Professor Chaianan of Chulalongkorn University of Thailand, who suggested that the national highway emanating from Vientiane to be completed in several years not directly connect the town and instead suggested "a transportation system for tourists to enter the town by boat".
60973 Efforts are being made to increase awareness so that "Thailand's traffic pollution is not repeated elsewhere".
60974 The Mekong Committee, formed in 1957, was the first to devise plans for development of the Mekong River basin in the four downstream countries Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
60975 With the support of the United Nations, European countries, the U.S. and Japan, developments such as dam construction on tributaries, basic data collection and general development planning have been accomplished.
60976 The fall of Saigon in 1975, however, put a moratorium on development.
60977 With the advent of peace in Cambodia in 1992, the Committee began to formulate their articles of association, but activities stalled due to opposition from Vietnam and Thailand.
60978 At the end of 1994, the process sputtered to life again when the United Nations succeeding in mediating with a development plan establishing a separate Mekong Committee.
60979 On the other hand, the Asian Development Bank held a series of seminars with a total of six countries-including upstream China and Myanmar-to promote road, port, communication and electric development in the greater Mekong region using existing roads as a foundation, and in September 1994 the six countries decided to actively promote six high priority projects, including a road traversing the Vietnamese coastline, one from northeastern Thailand that crosses the Mekong River in southern Laos, and one connecting Bangkok, Phnom Phenh, Ho Chi Minh City and Buntao.
60980 Among these, construction has commenced on the Square of Growth Zone Road through private and government investment from the respective countries, linking Jinghong in China, with Myanmar and Laos, from a starting point in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand.
60981 Japan is advocating the formation of a "Forum for the Comprehensive Development of Indo-China" including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but it is still in the planning stages.
60982 At the tail of the rainy season in the Mekong Delta, the canal water advances all the way to the front of the farmers' houses.
60983 The ripples from even a small boat going too fast will cause the earthen floors of farm houses to flood.