AuthorOsborne, Milton
TitleThe Mekong : turbulent past, uncertain future / Milton Osborne
Imprint Crows Nest, Australia : Allen & Unwin, 2006
Edition Updated ed., Revised ed.
Descript xv, 306 p., 8 leaves of plates : ill., maps ; 20 cm

SUMMARY

Spanning two thousand years, Milton Osborne's history of the Mekong is full of remarkable stories-of Spanish and Portuguese freebooters and missionaries; French explorers who were recognised in the nineteenth century as the equal of Burton and Livingstone; a martyred Cambodian monsignor and an Australian-educated Vietnamese reflecting on communist rule. The Mekong has been at the heart of two wars, while one of the lands along its course, Cambodia, witnessed the terrible tyranny of the Pol Pot regime. Though Indochina is now at peace, major dam building on the upper Mekong in China and on its lower tributaries pose new threats to the river's future. -- From back cover


CONTENT

PART I BEGINNINGS, DISCOVERY AND THE COLONIAL YEARS. Monuments, Tombs and a great river -- A river gives birth to an empire -- Priests, freebooters and merchants: europeans discover the Mekong -- Filling in the blanks on the map: Henri Mouhot and the rediscovery of Angkor -- The mekong explored: from hope to disappointment -- The Mekong explored: from disappointment to tragedy -- Gunboats and 'conquered hearts': exploration and imperial rivalry along Mekong -- Navigating the Mekong: challenge, illusion and defeat -- Fear and fascination: the colonial years along the Mekong -- PART II WARS AND THEIR AFTERMATH. War, failed peace and plans for the Mekong -- War, victory and defeat along the Mekong -- Tragedies of peace -- PART III PRESENT IMPERFECT, FUTURE UNCERTAIN. The Mekong at peace: dams, plans and controversies I -- The Mekong at peace: dams, plans and controversies II -- Bridges over troubled waters and lands: present imperfect, future uncertain


SUBJECT

  1. Mekong River -- History
  2. Indochina -- History

LOCATIONCALL#STATUS
Central Library (5th Floor)959 O81M 2006 CHECK SHELVES