{
  "id": 18376226,
  "title": "Gold Mines Along Mekong River Raise Toxic Waste Fears",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/gold-mines-along-mekong-river-raise-toxic-waste-fears",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T21:08:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chiang Rai Times",
    "slug": "chiang-rai-times",
    "url": "https://www.chiangraitimes.com/environment/gold-mines-mekong/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "CHIANG RAI – Environmental monitors discovered at least 15 active small-scale gold mines operating along a fragile stretch of the Mekong River boundary between northern Thailand and Laos. Local conservationists reported that heavy industrial excavation machinery runs continuously day and night to sift river sediment directly from exposed sandbars. Civil society groups launched emergency boat […]…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}