In a rush to emulate Thailand's model of building dams in the name of development, countries that share the Mekong River are turning a deaf ear to the social and environmental havoc such dams have wrought, say experts.

They say that a typical example is Laos, where plans to build a dam in the Chamois province close to the Laos-Vietnam border have forced 5,000 people out of their homes.

Likewise, in south-western China's Yunnan province, dam projects to harness the upstream waters of the 4,800 km Mekong River to generate power have forced river-bank communities to migrate, often at dire economic and social cost. Two dams using China's portion of the Mekong have been commissioned, and more are planned.

''The government has not stopped building dams to protect the communities living along the river,'' says Yu Xiaogang, deputy director of the Green Watershed group in Yunnan. ''People in Yunnan will suffer. They have been asked to tighten their belts for the sake of development.

''Rural people are the most affected when it comes to the big projects such as dam building in the Mekong River region,'' adds Premrudee Daoroung of the Bangkok-based Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Much of this trend stems from countries in the region following the trend set by Thailand to dam the river for urban progress. ''Thailand's development model does not help the people in the Mekong River area,'' asserts Premrudee.

Premrudee and Yu were among the experts who spoke at a three-day seminar in Chiangrai, Thailand for journalists from the six countries that share the Mekong River  there is a lack of people participation in these 'development' projects,'' Chainarong argues.

''The approach by governments and international financial institutions on this matter is very much like a dictator,'' he asserts. ''In a democracy, where human rights are respected, the current approach to dam building will not be possible.''

Such arguments, however, have to go up against the rationale of governments to build dams. In Thailand, since the 1940s, dams have been described by those in power as symbols on nationalism and essential pillars for progress.

While in China, dams have become key to development and revenue strategies in provinces, as it tries to look for alternative ways of generating power to decrease its reliance on fuel produced by burning coal, which creates pollution and health problems.

The level of wealth in Thailand as opposed to neighbouring Laos helps explain why the latter wants to follow the development model of the former, since dams have helped generate power required for Bangkok's development model.

''Like Thailand, other governments in the region feel that dams are the most important infrastructure for development,'' argues Chainarong. ''It is an urban view, that of the powerful elite.''