Social development
FIFA ethics committee bans executives from Nepal, Laos
The ethics committee at world soccer body FIFA has banned two officials from Nepal and Laos for taking cash during elections, it said on 16 November. Keep reading ...
Rural latrine access on the rise, government finds
The Ministry of Rural Development on 13 November announced that more than half of Cambodians now have access to improved sanitation such as latrines. According to the ministry’s statement, 47 per cent of Cambodians now lack access to improved sanitation, compared to 89 per cent in 1990. The ...
Mekong nations launch Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework
The Mekong River has always been an important trade route between Western China and Southeast Asia flowing through six different countries. The six foreign ministers met for the first time to frame a cooperation mechanism, agreeing to launch significant projects to enhance water resources, public health, ...
Four die in southern Thailand bombing
A bomb blast at a village checkpoint in Thailand’s far south killed four people and wounded four others, police said on 13 November, in the latest deadly attack to strike the insurgency-plagued region. The bomb exploded late on 12 November evening in Khok Pho district of Pattani, ...
Thai Education Ministry aims to cut foreign English tutors
The Education Ministry plans to recruit its first batch of 500 Thai teachers who teach English in state-run schools nationwide to undergo a “train-the-trainer” programme in a bid to reduce the cost of hiring foreign English teachers. Deputy Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said those Thai English ...
Myanmar government rejects key human rights recommendations
Human rights groups at the United Nations and in Myanmar are hopeful the incoming government will radically change the country’s attitude to protecting human rights, after representatives for Naypyidaw rejected a large number of proposed human rights reform made under the Universal Period Review process. The ...
Lao officials warn about overuse of antibiotics
It is estimated that 90 percent of private hospitals and medical clinics in Laos give too much antibiotics to their patients because they lack training in prescribing antibiotics. However this carries many risks. Director General of the Health Care Department under the Ministry of Health, Associate Prof. ...
Nam Theun 2 dam generates funds for poverty reduction
The Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant, one of the largest in Laos, has generated sizeable revenue for the government and contributed to the alleviation of poverty, according to the International Environmental and Social Panel of Experts. The Nam Theun 2 Panel of Experts released its latest ...
Vietnam's ambitious education reform plans come in for praise
The education ministry’s plan to transform general education from a system that provides knowledge into one that develops capacity is necessary but not sufficient, experts say. Keep reading ...
ADB offers Cambodia loans for malaria, irrigation
The Asian Development Bank will loan Cambodia $64 million for two projects covering irrigation upgrades and malaria control, according to an ADB statement released on 10 November. Keep reading ...
