The Salween is Asia’s last free-flowing international river, home to 7,000 species of plants, 80 rare or endangered animals and fish in China, as well as about 7 million people who depend on its ecosystem for their livelihoods. Currently, a total of 15 hydropower dams are planned on the mainstream of the Salween, eight within Myanmar.
Human rights advocates have expressed concerns about the Salween development projects, which would affect populations in three countries. Known as Nu in China, Salawin in Thailand and Thanlwin in Myanmar, the river originates on the Tibetan plateau, flows through China’s Yunnan Province, and passes through Myanmar, in places forming the border with Thailand, before emptying into the Andaman Sea.