"Thai court takes villagers' case against power firm, Laos dam", 24 June 2014

A Thai court accepted a lawsuit against state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and four other state bodies…for agreeing to buy electricity from a $3.5 billion hydropower dam being built in neighbouring Laos. The Xayaburi dam…will be the first on the main stream of the Mekong…Activists say the project threatens the livelihood of tens of millions who depend on the river's resources. Villagers from Thai provinces near the Mekong petitioned the Administrative Court in 2012 to suspend a power purchasing agreement signed by EGAT and Laos's Xayaburi Power Company Limited but the court ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear the case. That decision was reversed…when the Supreme Administrative Court sided with villagers, who are demanding full environmental and health impact assessments. Shares in Thai builder CH Karnchang, the main contractor for the controversial dam, were down 3.1 percent at 0810 GMT after the decision…