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	The 3.5-billion-dollar dam and power plant in Xayaburi province is &quot;on track to be operational in 2019 as planned,&quot; the Vientiane Times reported.</div>
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	Xayaburi Power Company Limited&#39;s deputy managing director gave US ambassador to Laos Daniel Clune a tour of the project this week, a state-run daily said.</div>
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	The ambassador also visited the resettlement site under construction for the inhabitants of 15 villages displaced by the project.</div>
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	The dam has been strongly opposed by environmentalists and neighbouring countries concerned about its potential impact on ther iver&#39;s fisheries.</div>
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	Clune reportedly said the project would benefit the Lao people in the future as long as it was able to minimize downstream effects.</div>
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	DPA</div>

Controversial Lao dam on Mekong River almost a quarter complete

Vientiane - Construction of the controversial Xayaburi Hydro-power plant, the first dam on the lower stretch of the Mekong River, is now 23 per cent complete, Lao media reports said Thursday.