…[E]xperts say this ecotourism paradise, known as the "Four Thousand Islands" region, could soon be irreversibly damaged by the construction of…[the Don Sahong dam] recently announced by Laos…Concerns about the new dam were raised…at a forum of 103 Thai NGOs campaigning against it…[These include] major losses of fisheries and agricultural fertility [and] serious nutritional problems throughout the Mekong region…Dam-builder Megafirst has dismissed these concerns. Megafirst Senior Environmental Manager Dr Peter Hawkins told the Vientiane Times "environmental impacts can be mitigated by using other natural channels adjacent to the Hou Sahong"…