CONSERVATION group International Rivers has asked the Lao government to confirm that construction has halted and equipment has been cleared at the proposed site of a controversial US$3.8 billion hydropower dam in northern Laos. Officials said last week that the 1,260MW Xayaburi dam project on the Mekong River had been delayed pending a new review into the dam’s potential impact on the lower Mekong. International Rivers said in a statement dated Friday that it welcomed the decision to reconsider the project.