Rare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries.

A friend in the US shared this AP News with me. I believe it is of high impact to Chiang Rai and Issan.
"Rising demand for rare earth materials is driving an unregulated mining boom centered in war-torn Myanmar, to the west, that is spreading to Laos, in the east."
The article goes on to warn of the existential threat to fish from the river, but also the threat to Thailand's agriculture both domestically and its food exports.
I know the way pesticides are applied in Thailand already is a health issue. My family gardens our own produce to avoid that concern, but this is a systemic risk starting from outside Thailand's direct control.
More awareness of the risk is needed in hopes that efforts to mitigate the contamination can begin.

https://apnews.com/article/rare-toxin-asia-food-energy-rivers-997fe49779594e002211352a019c1381