Infrastructure
Transport and shipping
Thai-Chinese railway project on schedule
The 873-km Thai-Chinese railway project for the country’s northeastern line got underway on 30 November as scheduled, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said. “The project was not delayed,” he said, adding that even though more details would be added to the system design criteria work, everything was expected ...
Yangon government faces transparency call on flyovers
Outspoken independent MP Daw Nyo Nyo Thin has called on the regional government to publicly reveal the true cost of controversial flyover bridge projects before the end of its term. She submitted the proposal at a special meeting of the Yangon Region Hluttaw on 30 November. ...
From commodities to satellites: China, Laos seeing more cooperation
China and Laos have witnessed rapid development in economic, trade cooperation in the past years, evolving from simple commodity trading to a higher level of cooperation. On 21 November 2015, Laos’ first ever satellite was launched into space from Xichang satellite launching center in China. Earlier ...
Fewer Vietnam traffic accidents in 2015
Vietnam has seen a sharp decrease in the number and the severity of traffic accidents in recent years. Compared to 2011, the number of traffic accidents in 2015 has gone down by 51 per cent, the number of fatalities and injured down by 24 per ...
Thai Prime Minister orders ministers to China to settle rail project
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered key ministers to go to China for negotiations on the delayed Thai-China railway project after China set a high interest rate on loans to finance it. The cost of the project is now estimated to reach around 500 billion baht. Keep reading ...
Lao Government blocks funds for rural road repair in favor of ASEAN projects in the capital
Government authorities in cash-strapped Laos are withholding funds urgently needed to repair flood-damaged roads in the country’s provinces, saying that available resources must be spent on improvements in the capital Vientiane ahead of regional summit meetings next year. Provincial public works and transport departments may also ...
Japan supports the replacement of bridges on Laos' National Road No.9
The Japanese government has provided a grant for the ‘Project for Reconstruction of the Bridges on National Road No 9 in Laos,’ valued at 70 million Japanese Yen (over 4.6 billion kip). The signing ceremony was held on 24 November at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ...
Johanna Powell's Laos river boat death was accidental
Passengers on a river trip in Laos in south-east Asia have told an inquest how their boat sank in seconds, killing a woman from south Wales. Johanna Powell, from Cardiff, was with three friends on the Mekong River near Pak Beng in April. The 37-year-old, a BBC ...
THAI staff threaten strike action
Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) has assured it plans no salary cuts for middle-level and low-level staff amid speculation ground staff plan a strike against the company’s cost-cutting scheme. Rumours of a strike on 25 November spread rapidly on social media via groups of staff, prompting urgent attempts ...
Only 2 out of 22 Vietnam airports are making profits: report
With the exception of Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai, the other 20 airports around the country have been making losses or barely broken even, local media reported. The troubled airports often operate far below their designed capacities, as they are still in the middle of ...
