As in other regions of the world, public interest law in Southeast Asia is growing.  We regularly hear of new and encouraging court decisions that lay the mantle of accountability on corporations and government agencies, while providing real benefits to local victims and survivors of injustice. Yet as governments and corporations continue to enter into regional partnerships, often without respect for national laws or local input, lawyers and community leaders must develop new tools and cross-border strategies to address harms occurring in the name of development. 

Recognizing the increasing need for access to justice and regional collaboration, EarthRights International has recently launched the Mekong Legal Advocacy Institute (MLAI). ERI established MLAI to provide a forum for Mekong lawyers to share experiences, learn and develop new legal and advocacy strategies, and take effective coordinated actions to protect the environment and human rights. Central to this mission are periodic training sessions that bring in expert lawyers from around the world to share skills and offer guidance in key areas of emerging law such as climate change, land rights, sustainable energy, and indigenous rights.

MLAI’s first session will occur in September Chiang Mai, Thailand. Twelve lawyers from the Mekong region’s six riparian countries will attend—two participants each from China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.  ERI’s staff will be joined by experienced lawyers and law professors from the Philippines, China, Thailand, Australia, and the United States, including:

• Jing Jing Zhang, who filed the first Environmental Class Action lawsuit in China.
• Odessa T. Sta. Maria of SALIGAN, currently opposing aerial spraying in the Philippines.
• Professor Tyya Tossacurta of Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Law.
• Patti Moore from the Bangkok office of the World Conservation Union, an expert on international biodiversity law.
• U Thein Oo, Chairman of the Burma Lawyer’s Council.

During the week, the MLAI participants will engage in substantial training in international law, environmental and human rights protection, and the role of public interest lawyers. The latter portion of MLAI will offer space for this burgeoning legal network to develop strategies for concerted regional action. Specific research tasks will be assigned to each lawyer upon return to their home countries; participants will return for the second session of MLAI following their practicum work in early 2010.