Social development
Opium poppy farmers reject crop ban, war on drugs
Opium poppy farmers from Myanmar attending an international conference on “prohibited plants” have rejected a ban on growing their crops and urged an end to forced eradication. “We reject prohibition and the war on drugs,” small-scale farmers from 14 countries, including Myanmar, said in a joint ...
Groups urge Kerry to demand government reforms
Five rights groups on 24 January called for United States Secretary of State John Kerry to use a visit to Phnom Penh this week to demand the Cambodian government stop persecuting political opponents and rights, environmental and trade union activists. Keep reading ...
Taiwan raises travel notices after Thai case of Zika virus
Taiwan has raised travel notices for five ASEAN nations, including Thailand and the Maldives, after a northern Thai man was hospitalised in Taiwan with a confirmed case of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus. Keep reading ...
Mekong nations build defences against bird flu
The ministries of health of Laos and other countries in the Mekong Region are taking steps to prevent and control avian influenza, or bird flu, over the next two months, in anticipation of a possible outbreak. Bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by ...
Lao congress sets course for exit from LDC status
Ensuring that Laos graduates from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in five years’ time has been the focus of discussion at the 10th Party Congress, a Party leader has said. Party Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Mr Somsavat Lengsavad highlighted this fact when speaking to ...
Lutheran World Federation supports rural development in northern Laos
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has agreed to fund an extension of the Right Based Empowerment Project (RBEP) in Luang Namtha province, with funding of US$3 million (about 24 billion kip). The project will be implemented in Viengphoukha and Nalae districts of Luang Namtha province, running from ...
Cambodian Government U-turn on Montagnard refugees
In a seeming about-face, the Cambodian government has backed away from its looming deadline to deport more than 100 Montagnards currently seeking asylum in Cambodia, instead pledging to “expedite” the process of assessing their refugee status. Following a meeting on 20 January in Phnom Penh between Interior ...
Governor visits Boeung Trabek following demolitions
Following the 19 January demolition of six homes in Village 1, a community on the southern shore of Phnom Penh’s Boeung Trabek reservoir, Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong on 20 January addressed residents, promising a solution to a largely sceptical audience. Speaking on the afternoon of 20 January, Socheatvong said ...
Dala residents fret over bridge payouts
Dala township residents who agreed to accept compensation in exchange for land needed for a long-awaited bridge are hoping to get paid before the new government takes office. Of the 68 landowners affected, 66 have now agreed the terms offered following protracted negotiations last year. Both sides ...
Vietnam province cancels fireworks shows, asks sponsors to donate to poor families
Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands has canceled two of the three fireworks shows planned for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebration, urging potential sponsors to give that money to poor people instead. A source from the province’s culture and tourism department told Tuoi Tre ...
