Environment and natural resources
ASEAN deadlocked on South China Sea after Cambodia blocks statement
Southeast Asian nations failed to find common ground on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on July 24 after Cambodia stuck to its demand the group make no reference to an international court ruling against Beijing in a statement, diplomats said. ASEAN is now facing ...
One man’s fight to save the lake
In a bamboo stilt house surrounded by kayaks, bicycles and other trappings of nature tourism, Zwe Zaw Zaw Hein is teaching village children about the value of their local environment. The 22-year-old is one of around 30 young people involved in an eco-tourism initiative called Inn ...
Government, plantation managers trade blame
The managers of some of Cambodia’s most controversial agribusiness plantations on 21 July blamed their many land disputes on the government, accusing officials of failing to educate communities about the benefits of their giant farms. Rights groups blame economic land concessions for some of Cambodia’s worst problems, ...
SBV urges banks to support Mekong
Banks and credit institutions need to support the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta provinces, State Bank of Việt Nam Deputy Governor Đào Minh Tú has said. Speaking at a conference in Hậu Giang Province on 19 July to discuss developmental credit activities in the region, ...
Scientists using DNA to track Mekong’s ‘monsters’
The technique which involves filtering DNA in shed skin from river water was put to the test at six deep Mekong River sites, including two in Cambodia, in the study Trails of river monsters: Detecting critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, published in this month’s Global and ...
The business of achieving the sustainable development goals
By 2030, poverty and hunger should be history, every human being should have access to clean energy, and the impacts of climate change should be reduced. These are just three of the 17 promises the global community made last September when it adopted the Sustainable Development ...
Authorities make fresh call for aquatic life protection
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Livestock and Fisheries Department has once again asked fishermen to help preserve protected wildlife and aquatic species in Laos. The warning comes in the wake of an image of a fisherman with a giant Mekong Stingray being posted on Facebook ...
Veneers can be exported, despite unfinished wood product ban: Govt spokesman
The government has agreed in principle to allow the export of veneers, despite recently imposing a ban on the export of all unfinished wood products, government spokesman Dr Chaleun Yiapaoher has said. Speaking at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on 15 July, the ...
Money concerns over check on mine
The probe into the origin of toxic contamination in areas near the Akara Resources gold mine may be delayed due to financial problems and difficulty in getting all partners to accept a restoration process. Four ministries – Industry, Public Health, Natural Resources and Environment, and ...
Prayut calls for unity to ease region's woes
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging European and Asian countries to jointly combat economic and environmental problems. Thailand currently chairs the Group of 77, an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 134 developing nations which aim to jointly develop their economies. Though the G-77 members have increased ...