Environment and natural resources

More than half of Thailand is gripped by water shortages from the drought, according to the Department of Water Resources, but the irrigation chief remains positive that supplies can last until the rainy season if everyone steps up conservation efforts.  Keep reading     ...

China has promised to discharge water from a dam along the Lancang River (better known as the Mekong) to help alleviate drought conditions in Southeast Asia. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced on 15 March in a regular press conference that China will release water from ...

Fishermen in Rayong’s Muang district are calling on the authorities to find out why a large number of fish were found dead at Ta Kuan Beach-Pradu Bay area on 15 March, though they believe it could be blamed on rising sea temperatures, which usually happens ...

The operators of Thai sand dredgers working in the Mekong River close to Khammuan province signed a document last week stating they would not continue to cross the border into Laos. Deputy Head of the Khammuan provincial Administration Office, Mr Vannavong Vongphachan, told Vientiane Times on ...

Five days after Kratie provincial authorities bulldozed some of the homes of 104 families they accuse of living on state land in Chhlong district, about 60 residents delivered petitions around Phnom Penh on March 15, calling for the release of three men who were allegedly ...

At least 27 vehicles loaded with confiscated timber were destroyed by fire while parked in the Kravanh Forestry Administration compound in Pursat province on 13 March, leaving no evidence for potential prosecution and rights groups doubting the authorities’ version of events. Keep reading ...

Police in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands are looking for the person advertising tiger and bear claws on Facebook. Keep reading   ...

In its latest effort to fight worsening flooding, Ho Chi Minh City has come up with a plan to invest VND 1.4-trillion (US$61.9 million) in a response team with mobile pumps. Keep reading   ...

The Thai Junta’s latest order looks set to speed up 62 development projects in Thailand as it allows key preparations for implementation pending a proper environmental impact assessment (EIA). Various government figures on 10 March chorused that the order, issued by the National Council for Peace and ...

Yangon residents in Myanmar need not worry about a water shortage in the commercial capital this summer, said the Yangon City Development Committee. “Although it is expected to be hot this year, we will store more water in our reservoirs than in previous years,” said Myo ...