CHIANG SAEN, Thailand (AP) — A lone finger-length fish was a disappointing start to 75-year-old Sukjai Yana’s day. He recast his net from the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, slowly drifting towards the confluence of the Mekong and Kok rivers in northern Thailand.
Thailand is bearing the brunt as toxic runoff from rare earth mines in upstream Myanmar and Laos seep into the Mekong Basin, threatening millions who rely on its waters for farms and fisheries.
These heavy metal toxins imperil Southeast Asia’s globally important, multi-billion-dollar produce industry, backbone of its developing economies.
Mist covers the Thai village of Tha Ton, where the Kok River enters Thailand from Myanmar, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Mist covers the Thai village of Tha Ton, where the Kok River enters Thailand from Myanmar, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Field workers collect garlic from a farm on the banks of the Kok River in Tha Ton, Thailand, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Field workers collect garlic from a farm on the banks of the Kok River in Tha Ton, Thailand, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Sangrawee Suweerakarn, with the Romphoni Foundation, harvests tangerines on a farm in Tha Ton, Thailand, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Sangrawee Suweerakarn, with the Romphoni Foundation, harvests tangerines on a farm in Tha Ton, Thailand, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Researcher Khanasuan Kaeothip takes a water sample from the Kok River, in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Researcher Khanasuan Kaeothip takes a water sample from the Kok River, in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Researchers Khanasuan Kaeothip, left, and Warakorn Maneechuket prepare to take samples from the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Researchers Khanasuan Kaeothip, left, and Warakorn Maneechuket prepare to take samples from the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Researcher Warakorn Maneechuket collects a fish sample at a Naresuan University laboratory in Phitsanulok, Thailand, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Researcher Warakorn Maneechuket collects a fish sample at a Naresuan University laboratory in Phitsanulok, Thailand, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Thanapol Penrat, a professor with Naresuan University, hosts a fish safety app training session with fisherfolk in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Thanapol Penrat, a professor with Naresuan University, hosts a fish safety app training session with fisherfolk in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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A fisherman practices using a new fish safety app during a training session in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
A fisherman practices using a new fish safety app during a training session in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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A group of women sweep the grounds of a pagoda in Tha Ton, Thailand, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
A group of women sweep the grounds of a pagoda in Tha Ton, Thailand, on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Farmer Lah Boonruang sprays crops on a farm in Tha Ton, Thailand on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Farmer Lah Boonruang sprays crops on a farm in Tha Ton, Thailand on Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Fisherman Sukjai Yana steers a boat down the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Fisherman Sukjai Yana steers a boat down the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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Fish are caught in a net on the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
Fish are caught in a net on the Kok River in Chiang Saen, Thailand, on Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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The Golden Triangle border region between Thailand, left. Myanmar, center, and Laos, right, in Chiang Saen, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
The Golden Triangle border region between Thailand, left. Myanmar, center, and Laos, right, in Chiang Saen, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)
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“The Mekong and Kok Rivers are both a source of food and income, which gives life to the people,” said Sayan Khamnueng of the Living Rivers Association. “The river contaminants are the biggest transboundary issue we’ve ever faced.”
Thailand’s response to the spreading problem has been limited to monitoring levels of heavy metals and educating communities about health risks. That raises concerns for Cambodia and Vietnam, downstream.
“If the contamination continues … the new generation (will) have to move to the city because they cannot continue their farmer’s life,” said Sangrawee Suweerakarn of the Romphothi Foundation, an advocacy group for the Shan ethnic group.
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