Social development
Travel agency calls for safety checks
The Lao Association of Travel Agencies (LATA) is asking its members to conduct safety checks on all tour vehicles following the tragic bus and minivan collision on 21 February which claimed the lives of four Korean tourists. The road accident in Kasy district, Vientiane province also ...
‘No HIV outbreak’ in Kandal village, say WHO, local authorities
Following consternation this week over the Cambodian government’s decision to cease HIV testing in Peam village, health authorities released a statement on 25 February seeking to ally any fears of an outbreak. In January, five of 47 villagers tested by a local NGO returned positive results, with ...
Myanmar Government ignores Amnesty report on rights abuses
The Myanmar government has said it will not respond to Amnesty International’s annual report, in which the rights group on 25 February criticised it for failing to address religious discrimination and human rights abuses. The report also alleged there was an ongoing climate of impunity for ...
Teacher numbers to grow by a quarter under reform plan
In a major nationwide overhaul of education, the government is to hire and train more than 100,000 primary-school teachers to work in a revitalised system, the Department of Education has announced. The extra teachers represent a 25 percent boost to the current workforce, which stands at ...
FDA vows to ensure fish paste dye-free
Myanmar health authorities have announced another crackdown on the use of chemical dyes in fish paste, setting an April deadline for ensuring markets are free of dangerous brands. Daw Khin Saw Hla, director of the Food and Drug Administration branch in Mandalay, said producers in Ayeyarwady ...
Vietnam leaders applaud WB support of local development
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed appreciation for the WB’s co-operation in Vietnam’s socio-economic development, especially in poverty reduction and sustainable development as he met with World Bank (WB) Group President, Jim Yong Kim, in Hanoi on 23 February. He also spoke highly of the ...
Access to clean water in rural areas hits 50%
Cambodia passed a key Millennium Development Goal milestone last year with half of rural areas now having access to clean drinking water, according to a Ministry of Rural Development annual report released on 23 February. The report also touted improvements to sanitation in rural areas, which ...
Laos aims for further strides in poverty reduction
Laos will further mobilise all of its untapped potential and step up cooperation with all stakeholders, backed by support from friendly countries, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The fight against poverty was the main focus of the Millennium Development Goals and continues to remain ...
Hospitals hit by water crisis
The Public Health Ministry says five hospitals in the North and Northeast are facing severe water shortages caused by the drought, which has affected the hospitals’ medical services. The five hospitals are Doi Ngam Tambon Health Promotion Hospital and Pa Hoong Tambon Health Promotion Hospital in Chiang Rai, ...
Polio program to continue after some miss out
Health officials are to continue their polio vaccination campaign beyond the official end of the program, which was on 22 February, as it emerged that even in downtown Yangon less than half the under-fives eligible had been inoculated. The US$4 million Supplementary Polio Immunisation Campaign targeted 4.6 ...
