Economy and commerce
Laos-Thailand railway link set for expansion next year
Phase II of the Laos-Thailand railway, which will see the line extended from the suburbs to central Vientiane, is set to resume after the project was suspended in 2011. The line will be built over a distance of 7.5km to link the track from the ...
Media report of $10B debt incorrect: government
The government sought to set the record straight on December 22 after local media outlets erroneously reported that the Kingdom’s public debt had reached $10 billion at the end of 2015. Without naming which media outlets had published the skewed figure, which was shared widely on ...
Pheapimex ties ‘cause for concern’
Alex Corporation, the firm behind a proposal for an ambitious Mondulkiri mining project, appears to be ultimately owned by ruling party Senator Lao Meng Khin and his wife, Choeung Sopheap, the Post has discovered, a scenario rights groups say should give cause for concern. The ...
Plans spilt for oil refinery
A mysterious cluster of crude oil storage tanks recently constructed on the coast near Kampot are linked to a $400 million project by timber baron Try Pheap to build an industrial park and oil refinery, government officials confirmed on December 21. The five 2-million-litre tanks ...
Lifting US jade sanctions ‘a mistake’: Myanmar minister
The minister in charge of mining in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden state of Kachin says it was a mistake for the United States to lift sanctions on the country’s notorious jade industry. Kachin lies at the heart of the “jade tract”, a small area that has deposits ...
Rubber industry expects export recovery this year
Rubber exports are expected to reach 1.2-1.25 million tonnes of this year, a year-on-year increase of 5.5-10 per cent, according to the Việt Nam Rubber Association. Speaking at a press conference to introduce the fifth International Exhibition on Rubber Industry and Tyre Manufacturing in HCM ...
This private university is accepting rice for tuition fees
A private university in Thailand has begun accepting rice in payment for tuition fees as the nation struggles under a grain glut that’s hurting farm incomes. Students enrolled at Rangsit University in Bangkok’s northern suburbs can pay all or part of next semester’s costs with ...
New cranes to raise Sihanoukville port’s capacity
State-owned Sihanoukville Autonomous Port received its first shipment of four new rubber-tyred gantry cranes from Japan this week under a $22 million investment plan that aims to expand the seaport’s container throughput capacity by 80 percent, a port official said on December 20. “We received ...
BASF plant to produce construction chemicals in Myanmar
Germany’s BASF is building a plant in Myanmar to produce chemicals for the booming domestic construction industry, and to fill a need for more advanced materials. “As Myanmar’s construction industry grows more sophisticated in its scope, which includes high-rise buildings, roadways and bridges, the requirement ...
PM outlines measures to drive growth, curb spending
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on December 20 instructed authorities to ensure the macro-economy was stabilised along with improving the investment climate as key factors to attract investment and drive growth. The premier gave the advice during a two-day meeting that ended yesterday. The meeting was convened ...
