Environment and natural resources
Mystery blaze destroys timber, vehicles at Pursat forestry office
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 ...
Vietnam police search for creator of Facebook ads for tiger, bear claws
Police in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands are looking for the person advertising tiger and bear claws on Facebook. Keep reading ...
Ho Chi Minh City may spend $62 million on mobile pumps to fight flooding
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 ...
Govt defends Junta order to push development projects
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 ...
City officials guarantee no water shortage in Yangon this summer
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 ...
Activists slam 'fast-track' order
Thailand’s grassroots network has lashed out at the use of special powers to “fast track” mandatory environmental impact assessments for mega projects. A network of 46 civic groups, including Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation and the Stop Global Warming Association, issued a statement on 9 March, calling on ...
Timber busts made in Stung Treng, Mondulkiri
The ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal logging in Cambodia has produced another pair of high-profile busts touted by the national military police. On 9 March, alleged smugglers in Stung Treng were busted attempting to sneak three tractor-loads of luxury wood into Laos. The day before, some 10,000 cubic ...
Price control for drinking water
The Thai government is putting drinking water on the special price control list to protect consumers in the face of the drought. Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said authorities were closely monitoring the impact of the drought, which has arrived earlier this year. Keep reading ...
ASEAN overly reliant on hydropower: experts
The ASEAN Community, which is expected to need more sources of energy in the near future, relies too much on hydropower for electricity, local and international experts said at a recent conference held in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at the conference held by the UBM ...
'Lights off’ campaign begins
Earth Hour, a World Wild Fund initiative aiming at raising awareness about climate change and the energy sector, kicked off on 5 March at the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi.This year’s event was organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Danish ...
