-
Lao authorities seem powerless to stop crime in Golden Triangle economic zone
The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in northern Laos is a haven for criminal activities including prostitution, scamming and drug trafficking, but Lao authorities are essentially powerless to stop it, workers in the zone and police told Radio Free Asia. The zone is a gambling and ...
-
The Precarious State of the Mekong
The author Tucker Elliot wrote in “The Rainy Season” about the volatile nature of the Mekong: “No matter the border, the Mekong has been an indiscriminate giver and taker of life in Southeast Asia for thousands of years. It’s a paradox like civilization’s other great rivers – ...
-
Elderly fleeing Mekong Delta as climate change hits
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – At 63, Nguyen Thi Ngoc landed her first full-time ‘company’ job as a security guard in Ho Chi Minh City. She had never been to a city before taking the job in early 2021, but the former farmer from ...
-
Global Survey Sees Seven Out of Ten People Wanting to End Plastic Pollution
Ahead of next week’s inaugural negotiations on what will be included in the UN’s plastics treaty, WWF and Plastic Free Foundation release an Ipsos survey showing that an average of seven out of 10 people polled across 34 countries believe that the treaty should create ...
-
Talk but no action? Cambodian workers in Thailand see a lot of room for improvement
Thai-Cambodian discussions at the recent ASEAN summit put labour issues on the table. Despite the pleasant chat, migrant workers in Thailand have yet to see what, if any, measures the authorities will adopt to help address their problems. In a bilateral meeting on the sideline of ...
-
US re-engagement with Mekong region poses opportunities and ambiguity, say CSOs
The US plan to invest over 20 million USD to support Mekong countries in clean energy transition, environmental protection, and regional interconnection was made at the end of the Bangkok APEC meeting. In the eyes of civil societies along the riverbank, the final picture still ...
-
Webinar: Investigating Organized Crime in the Golden Triangle
Date/Time: December 1, 2022 at 7.00 pm (Thailand time) The Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos intersect, is one of the world’s renowned centers of criminal activity. The region’s underworld economy turns over billions of dollars annually in narcotics production, human trafficking, ...
-
MRC public forum to discuss development challenges, seek joint solutions (12-13 Dec)
The Mekong River Commission will soon host its 13th Regional Stakeholder Forum, in which the MRC will not only provide updates of hydropower projects along Southeast Asia’s largest river, but will feature the deepening cooperation with activists who speak for the interests of millions of fishing and farming ...
-
Community call: Advocating for open contracting on the global anticorruption stage
ORGANISATION: OPEN CONTRACTING PARTNERSHIP LOCATION: VIRTUAL TIME: 10:00 EDT / UTC – 4 Join us for an exchange of ideas, plans and priorities for the open contracting agenda at upcoming global summits! We will be meeting on Thursday, November 3rd at 10:00 EDT / UTC – 4 (register here). This December, ...
