11Furthermore, IRs has been working with academics, professionals, local CBOsand NGOs, and other community movements in the Mekong region, such asorganizations from Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. They have builtdetermined national coalitions committed to defending the region’s rivers. Aswidespread dam development threatens many rivers shared between countries, thesegroups have worked together in regional coalitions, joined by network of supportersworldwide. Last of all, International Rivers also provides information on a wide rangeof water and energy issues, as well as access to journalism which details how people aredirectly affected by destructive river projects. International Rivers also focuses ingenerating awareness for efficient, small-scale, decentralized, renewable solutions tomeet water and energy needs, and to alleviate poverty(www.internationalrivers.org/node/3275, February 7, 2011).To conclude, the large-scale development projects funded and conducted by theADB, World Bank, and governments in GMS countries have had a negative impact onlocal communities. Moreover, those social and environmental impacts are inadequatelyrecognized by GMS governments and mainstream media. Therefore, AOEM has become a crucial communication tool for CBOs and NGOs in promoting sustainabledevelopment in Thailand and GMS countries as being evidenced in the creation of websites Mekong-Lanna Natural Resources and Cultural Network (Mekong Lover) andLiving River Siam. While International Rivers, as international organization host awebsite seeking for wider range of intended audience and network in order to gather more supports.The three studied organizations have common goals in; (1) opposing mega-hydropower dam constructions; (2) protecting community rights – to access and toconserve natural resources; and, (3) raising awareness and concerns to demand thegovernments and development projects’ funders to reform their policies and practices.Although they share commons goals, their origin motivations and approaches aredifferent regard to the nature of each organization.
AOEM’s Roles: Disseminating, Networking and Organizing
The content analysis shows that Alternative Online Environmental Media(AOEM) has been significantly used by community-based organizations (CBOs) andnon-governmental organizations (NGOs) to promote sustainable development. First,AOEM is used as an extension of offline media (e.g. publications, print reports and hardcopy CDs, campaign leaflets, etc.). Second, it is used as a livelier, more accessible andinteractive communication tool as shows the examination of the three organizations’campaign strategy and techniques. Moreover, the study shows that all three of theexamined websites aim to assist and strengthen their campaigns by disseminating,networking and organizing through the use of A