Social development
World Bank provides US$30m for fight against poverty
The World Bank has agreed to provide a low interest loan of US$30 million to fight poverty in Laos, a government source has said. The Lao government will contribute another US$6 million bringing total funding from the three sources to US$52 million. This amount will be ...
Smoking claims over 100 lives every day in Vietnam
Vietnam is among countries where smoking is most widely prevalent, losing more than 100 people a day to the habit and facing a huge financial burden, according to official figures. Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that the Vietnamese smoking population is among the biggest ...
Development partners extend support for disabled people
International development partners have agreed to continue supporting disabled people’s organisations in Laos through capacity building for the authorities and organisational capacity, promoting equity and participation among disabled people. The signing of Memorandums of Understanding on the implementation of two disability projects took place on 30 ...
Australia refines its investment in Lao people
Australia has agreed to continue to build on its support of more than five decades in Lao human resource development needs, at a high-level review meeting held in Vientiane on 27 May. Ambassador Williams told the meeting Australia was keen to build on its extensive support ...
China provides 21billion kip to build new block at 103 Hospital
The Chinese government has provided a grant of more than 21 billion kip to build a new nine-storey building at the 103 Hospital in Vientiane, which is operated by the Lao Ministry of National Defence. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on 29 May, ...
Dam firm hasn’t made good on pledge: locals
Some 100 people from five villages in Oddar Meanchey’s Chongkal district, Cambodia protested over the weekend against a hydropower dam project built by Chinese firm Sinohydro, claiming they have yet to be compensated for their eventual displacement when the flood gates close in the next ...
Health ministry looks for 1000 doctors
The Ministry of Health in Myanmar is direly short on doctors, and a new plan to recruit 1000 more will barely begin to staunch the gap, according to government officials. As part of its 100-day priority agenda, the ministry has put out a call for 1000 ...
Posing for ‘poverty porn’: The murky ethics of NGO fundraising ‘hero shots’
The young girl in Sunrise Cambodia’s recent fundraising campaign has been labelled a “sex worker” in glossy typeface. Her face is smeared with dirt. She is accompanied by a “trafficked kid” and a “homeless teen” on the page. “Just because it raises money, it doesn’t ...
Meet touts benefits of ‘Thailand 4.0’
The government is pursuing its “Thailand 4.0” project by utilising innovative technology to improve quality of life, productivity and efficiency for all businesses in the nation. The government will also come out with new laws this year related to digitisation, while the Information and Communications Technology Ministry ...
Government relocates Yangon squatters
The Yangon divisional government plans to relocate squatters and provide them with temporary housing, said Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein on 25 May at a press conference. He warned against trespassing and living on vacant, private or government land from 25 May onward, and said that people ...
