housands of cubic metres of endangered Siamese rosewood were sent to Vietnam in 2014 with export permits bearing the Photoshopped signature of a retired Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) secretary of state, a ministry official said yesterday.The trade in Siamese rosewood was internationally ...

Businesses from China, Thailand, Korea and Japan, including those from the power and logistics sectors, have said they are keen to invest in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tanintharyi, which is near the Thai border. Investor interest in Dawei, which has yet to be ...

With Covid-19 rearing its head along the Mekong River, desperate fishermen have been resorting to illegal methods during the closed season to feed their families. Om Savath, an executive director of Fisheries Action Coalition Team (FACT) – a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working on fisheries, environmental issues, ...

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority has categorically denied reports that Bangkok’s tap water supply would last only 30 more days if there was no rain. MWA governor Thanasak Watanathana said possible tap water disruption in a month was based on the assumption there would be no rainfall. ...

Though it emits very little greenhouse gas – and what is emitted is offset by its forests – Myanmar is affected more than almost any other country in the world by climate change, the country’s delegates will tell the Paris climate conference. About 20 Myanmar government ...

Up to 2.25 million hectares of natural forests in the Central Highlands are not allowed to be open to commercial projects, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Government leader announced the closing of natural forests at conference in Dak Lak province’s Buon Ma Thuot city ...

Cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand has been comprehensively flourishing, demonstrating the growing efficiency and importance of their strategic partnership, said leaders of the two countries.   Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha said at their retreat talks and the joint Cabinet ...

Phạm Trọng Thực, deputy director general of the Industrial Safety Technique and Environmental Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, talks to Công Thương (Trade and Commerce) newspaper on the national plan to develop coal-fired power plants What is the current state of Vietnamese coal power ...

A rich fishery in Southeast Asia is at risk because of overfishing, pollution and hydroelectric dams. The Tonle Sap is a freshwater lake in the middle of Cambodia. The lake shrinks and expands by thousands of kilometers, depending on the season.[]“There are plans to build ...

Southeast Asian foreign ministers acknowledged Thursday that their efforts to bring peace to Myanmar haven’t succeeded and agreed to increase their determination to end violence in the country, where a military takeover last year set off a crisis that threatens to destabilize the region. Recent events ...

The Mekong River Commission and the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the management of the Mekong river. As part of the agreement, both organisations will research on drought and low flow scenarios in the lower and upper Mekong ...

A plan is afoot to transform Udon Thani into a hub of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said yesterday. The plan was announced by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during his visit to the northeastern province, during which he pledged to stay on ...

Although the Mekong is popularly seen as a South East Asian river, its headwaters are located in China, where it is known as the Lancang. From there it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The future of the Mekong, though, will be heavily ...

Villagers evicted by the development of Boeung Kak lake took their protest to the World Bank headquarters in Phnom Penh on 1 February, demanding to meet with the bank’s Cambodia country manager, Alassane Sow, and pelting the building with eggs after being rebuffed. Keep reading ...

Residents of seven villages in Laos’ Luang Namtha province are resisting a 7,000-hectare land concession granted to a Thai company that would force them to relocate.The villagers are also concerned that the proposed industrial zones that would be developed on the site by Thailand’s Amata ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Global Fund has forecast a budget of over US$2 million in assistance to Laos from 2018 to 2020 to assist with the elimination of malaria and reduce the impact of multi-drug resistance in five southern provinces.A funding agreement was signed on ...

The Đà Nẵng Business Incubator (DNES), in co-operation with the Accelerator Lab (AccLab) in Việt Nam, which is also part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) global network of 90 AccLabs, has launched the Đà Nẵng Circular Economy Hub and Boot Camp to support innovative projects in ...

Rising temperatures and humidity due to climate change are likely to increase the number of days with unsafe “heat stress,” putting Thailand at risk of a significant drop in productivity, a research firm said on 28 October. Thailand – with three of the 50 highest-risk cities ...

The Commerce Ministry has set a goal to raise Thailand’s international trade value to Asia’s top five by 2027, up from eighth in 2019, by focusing on value-added industries such as digital, food and healthcare.To achieve the goal, Thailand would need to fetch at least ...

The Thai baht was the worst performer among commonly traded Southeast Asian currencies during the first quarter, as its fundamentals were eroded due to lack of tourist spending.The baht depreciated 4% against the U.S. dollar to 31.24, according to Refinitiv data. The fall stood out ...