Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific: statement on the duplication of the Four Rivers Project in Thailand

Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific (FoE APac) expresses concern that the South Korean government is promoting the 'Four Rivers Project' as a model for a similar water management contract in Thailand despite evidence of ecological destruction. FoE APac asserts that the project damaged river ecology by blocking flows with dams and straightening serpentine rivers, and argues that claimed benefits like flood control and water quality improvement were used to obfuscate these impacts. The statement also condemns the South Korean government's labeling of critical environmental NGOs as "unpatriotic" and "anti-state" during a Cabinet meeting on January 15th, viewing this as an attempt to suppress civil society and hinder collaborative environmental responses.

• The Four Rivers Project in South Korea caused significant ecological harm by constructing dams that blocked river flow and straightening serpentine rivers, while its purported benefits—including flood control, water quality improvement, water supply security, and job creation—were used to hide this destruction.
• The South Korean government is attempting to secure a contract for a similar water management project in Thailand, which FoE APac warns could cause severe damage to Thailand's rivers, ecosystems, and neighboring countries on the Mekong.
• President Myeongbak Lee and the South Korean government have suppressed civil society by describing NGOs that oppose the export of the Four Rivers Project model to Thailand as "unpatriotic" and "anti-state" during a January 15th Cabinet meeting.

APA

admin (2013). Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific: statement on the duplication of the Four Rivers Project in Thailand. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-asia-pacific-foe-apac-statement-on-the-duplication-of-the-four-rivers-project-in-thailand/

Chicago

admin. Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific: statement on the duplication of the Four Rivers Project in Thailand. Friends of the Earth International, 2013. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-asia-pacific-foe-apac-statement-on-the-duplication-of-the-four-rivers-project-in-thailand/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific: statement on the duplication of the Four Rivers Project in Thailand |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=14 February 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-asia-pacific-foe-apac-statement-on-the-duplication-of-the-four-rivers-project-in-thailand/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2013friends, author = {admin}, title = {{Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific: statement on the duplication of the Four Rivers Project in Thailand}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = feb, url = {https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-asia-pacific-foe-apac-statement-on-the-duplication-of-the-four-rivers-project-in-thailand/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }