EarthRights Mekong School alumni, Mr. Sengphouxay Inthavikham, recently organized a workshop for environmental journalists in his native Laos in the hopes of making the first strides towards establishing an environmental journalists network. His organization, the Community Environmental Promotion and Cultural Association, also invited participating journalists to meet villagers and learn about the social and environmental impacts of major development projects firsthand. Their seminal work has been featured in the Vientiane Times.

Media To Focus on Environmental Protection
Vientiane Times
By M. Vongsam-ang

Environmental training journalists from print and electronic media made a field trip last weekend to Nongbua village, Hinboun district, Khammuan province to collect information from local people.

Nongbua villager is one of 50 located on the bank of the Hinboun river.

“The participating journalists can observe and understand the environmental impacts of development projects before they write their own reports,” a workshop organiser, Mr Sengphouxay Inthavikham, said.

“The journalists will help address environmental issues, especially the impact on the social environment. Journalists work to serve the Party's policies and the people, so they have to understand the issues”, said Mr Sengphouxay, who is also the President of the Community Environmental Promotion and Cultural Association.

He said that journalists must expose the truth on various development projects that are not in line with the Party's policies.

He explained that journalists could expose investment projects or companies which are not fulfilling their agreements to protect the environment, especially social environmental impacts, which are becoming a big concern.

Mr Sengphouxay explained that the Party's policies are clear that any development project should aim to make the living conditions of people better.

“If a development project makes living conditions worse, this means the development is not in line with the Party's policies. It causes people to lose confidence in the leadership of the Party and government,” he said.

Mr Sengphouxay said there were many development projects in the country which were causing damage to the environment instead of protecting it, and that there were some lessons to be learnt from various investment projects in the past.

The environmental journalism training was held in accordance with Party and government policies.

The journalist should report the government's policies on protecting the environment to help people understand the impact and prevent the destruction of the forests.

The reporters can use relevant law or prime ministerial decrees as a reference point for whether these projects reflect the policies of the Party and government, he said.

The media can help combat negative environmental impacts throughout the country. The government has also set up committees and assigned organisations to deal with environmental issues throughout the country.

The workshop organisers' aim has been to establish an environmental journalist network - the first step in forming an association for environmental journalists in Laos .

The two-day field trip was part of the six-day workshop on the environment from August 1 to 6.