Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members
United States aid
China’s Push to Control the Mekong River a “Troubling Trend”
The United States has expressed concern over Chinese dam building, dredging and other activities on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, calling them “troubling trends.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with ministers from lower Mekong River countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The foreign ministers of ...
The Mekong in US Asia Strategy: Opportunities and Challenges
When the next round of Asian summitry kicks off later this month in Bangkok, one of the key areas that will be in the spotlight within U.S. policy will be the Washington’s approach to the Mekong subregion – a shorthand for the area in mainland Southeast ...
Prashanth Parameswaran
Conference promotes cooperation to protect Mekong River
A conference on how to enhance cooperation in protecting the Mekong River via smarter water energy planning approaches and wide application of renewable energy throughout the Mekong region was held in Hanoi on June 28. The event was jointly organised by the Stimson Centre, the International Union for ...
Vietnam has a new partner in its old rivalry with China – the US
When Dang Duc Toai completed the Aviation Leadership Programme at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi last month, he became a trailblazer among pilots from his native Vietnam. Dang, a captain in the Vietnam People’s Air Force, was the first of his countrymen to graduate from ...
John Power
Pompeo to visit Bangkok, commit to Southeast Asia: official
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will recommit the United States on a visit to Bangkok to supporting the development of Southeast Asian nations in the face of a rising China, an official said Thursday. Pompeo will travel to the Thai capital for the July 29-August 3 ...
ASU creates network of young scientists in Southeast Asia
Arizona State University is preparing young scientists to improve environmental sustainability, health and economic development through social entrepreneurship. Last year, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering partnered with the U.S. Department of State to launch the Lower Mekong Initiative Young Scientist Program. The program’s overarching goal is to ...
United States to realise committed assistance to Laos
The United States will continue to help Laos in addressing the problems around unexploded ordnance (UXO), while expanding cooperation to other sectors. US Ambassador to Laos Rena Bitter reconfirmed the American commitment to Lao media representatives at a reception held at the Embassy compound in ...
Less US funding for UXO clearing
The United States has warned Cambodia it may have to shoulder more responsibility for the cost of clearing mines from its territory, ending an era in which Washington has carried the bulk of the cost of removing mines and other explosives after the Vietnam War ...
Users’ services feeling USAID cut
Taing Phoeuk, the Khmer-American director of Korsang, glumly brushed the ash from his cigarette on a restaurant balcony overlooking Sihanouk Boulevard. “It’s going to kill us,” he said, contemplating the prospect of his organisation’s demise as its USAID funding evaporates. Founded in 2004 by American ...
No immediate plan to change returnee policy
Despite the Foreign Ministry reiterating its request to suspend and renegotiate its repatriation agreement with the US – which allows for the deportation of Cambodians with criminal convictions living in the States back to the Kingdom – the timetable for such a plan remains uncertain. ...