Aid and development
Ratana decries lack of UXO aid
A top Cambodian demining official slammed US President Barack Obama’s widely heralded pledge to increase demining aid to Laos on September 6, faulting the US for what he characterised as its “marginal assistance” to Cambodia’s demining efforts. In a speech at the 2016 ASEAN Summit in ...
PM attends 8th Mekong-Japan summit
Vietnam pledges continued efforts to foster the Mekong-Japan cooperation for the sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed. The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement in Vientiane, Laos on September 7 while attending the 8th Mekong-Japan Summit ...
Laos launches SDG 18 to make lives safe from UXO
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon September 8 inaugurated the Lao PDR’s own national Sustainable Development Goal on unexploded ordnance during the ongoing ASEAN Summits. The SDGs have been drawn up by the United Nations as targets for developing countries. Goal No. 18, which ...
US pledges US$90 million for UXO clearance
The United States announced on September 6th it would provide an additional US$90 million over the next three years to help Laos clear unexploded ordnance which has continued to kill and injure people since bombs rained down on the country during the Indochina War. The extra assistance ...
India gives Vietnam $680 million for defence spending
India said on September 3 it is giving Vietnam US$500 million in credit to boost defence ties, the latest security deal between the two nations seeking to counter Beijing’s muscle-flexing in the South China Sea. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement during a visit ...
Light railway raised yet again at JICA meet
Plans for a light railway system in Phnom Penh were discussed at a meeting between Public Works and Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol and Japanese International Cooperation Agency regional director-general Yasushi Tanaka on September 2. Chanthol confirmed the meeting on September 4 but declined to comment further ...
Survey: EU businesses planning to expand in ASEAN
Majority of European businesses are planning to expand their investment and operations in ASEAN, including the Philippines, as the region grows in global importance and increasing profits, but they also said that trade barriers in the region hamper their ability to reach maximum economic potential, ...
Japan grant for electricity access
The Japanese government announced on August 31 that it would provide almost $9 million to improve electricity access in the Kingdom that would enable Cambodians to enjoy better quality electricity services. Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh, Foreign Minister ...
India approves CLMV fund
The government of India yesterday approved the creation of a project development fund of about $75 million to help Indian firms invest in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam ‒ the so-called CLMV countries. “The project development fund will benefit India’s industrial community in terms of business ...
New community fisheries project to preserve Mekong's biodiversity
A new community fisheries project in the Mekong River was launched in Vientiane on August 28 with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry agreeing to cooperate with the Worldwide Fund for Nature. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the DLF’s Deputy ...