Social development
Sugar company's compensation deals leave families bitter in Kampong Speu
In 2010, more than 1,500 families in Kampong Speu’s Oral district were evicted from the land they had cultivated since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 to make way for a Phnom Penh Sugar Company mega-plantation. Bunsak, head of the Cambodian Human Rights ...
Orlando shooting gives LGBT Singaporeans an unlikely opening
A tragedy half a world away has created an unlikely opening for a repressed community in Singapore. The mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, has galvanized LGBT people in Singapore, where a candlelight vigil was held on 14 June to express solidarity with the ...
Montagnards wary as deportation rumours circulate
On 14 June, at about 11:30am, several officers from the refugee department visited Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district to photograph and take names of some of those residing at a guesthouse where about 100 Montagnards have been staying with support from the UN refugee ...
Rangoon division parliament demands crackdown on drugs
On 14 June, more than a dozen National League for Democracy lawmakers in the Rangoon Division parliament demanded that authorities crack down on big-time drug dealers and smugglers in the city, who keep evading arrest, citing the worsening effect of drugs on Rangoon’s youth. “One of ...
Cause of high anemia rate among women still a mystery
The astonishingly high rate of anemia among adult women in Cambodia has for years been a major health concern, but the main cause of the problem—long believed to be iron deficiency—is still a mystery, according to a study released last week. Frank Wieringa, the study’s author, ...
Asean professional women's forum tackles tourism issues
A networking forum for women professionals active in South-East Asia’s tourism and travel sector was held in Vientiane on 13 June. More than a hundred female tourism professionals from across the region attended the forum which continues today to identify ways to develop aspects of their ...
Universal health cover still a challenge
While economic growth and poverty reduction has been impressive, health outcomes improved and Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, 6 and 7 are on tract; Universal Health Coverage is still a major challenge. The symposium was held on 13 June in Vientiane and also attended by President of ...
Facebook racks up 10m Myanmar users
The world’s most popular social network, Facebook, has made millions of new “friends” in Myanmar over the last few years. In that time, the site has played the part of nationwide news outlet, emergency relief coordinator and community water cooler – but it has also provided ...
Amid turmoil, EU calls for review of aid to Cambodia
The European Parliament on Thursday passed a resolution accusing the Cambodian government of laying politically motivated charges against the opposition and calling for aid cuts if its respect for human rights fails to improve—a loud echo of a resolution it passed just six months ago. “Today, ...
New meat processing factory to boost food safety
The Lao Fresh Meats factory at Sivilay village in Naxaithong district, Vientiane, a Hungarian government assistance project, aims to boost food safety standards for domestic supply and export. Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry received the first phase support of a Tied Aid Loan ...
