Social development
Vietnam worries about possible outbreak after Laos reports 11 diphtheria deaths
Health officials are concerned that the diphtheria outbreaks in Laos can spread to Vietnam, saying remote areas along the border where vaccination coverage rates are not high are particularly vulnerable. A statement from the Preventive Health Department at the health ministry said Laos has reported diphtheria ...
Thai government promotes childcare subsidy via PR caravans
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has released caravans to promote its childcare subsidy program across Bangkok. Social Development and Human Security Minister Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew chaired the event to deploy the caravans. He also presented aid money and necessities to the first ...
Spurred by Myanmar radicals, Thai Buddhists push for state religion status
A campaign to enshrine Buddhism as Thailand’s state religion has been galvanized by a radical Buddhist movement in neighboring Myanmar that is accused of stoking religious tension, the leader of the Thai bid said. Experts say the campaign could appeal to Thailand’s military junta, which is ...
EU must secure Lao pledge to improve rights record during dialogue: Rights groups
The European Union must pressure the Lao government to make “firm commitments” during bilateral human rights talks set for later this week in Vientiane, according to Paris-based rights group International Federation for Human Rights. The EU should demand assurances from Laos that it will improve its ...
Plans firm up for Lao education development
Senior education officials and development partners gathered in Vientiane for a meeting of the Education Sector Working Group to endorse the sub-sector plan of the education sector development plan for 2016-20 before submission to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Another key objective of the meeting ...
No vote, no candidates: Myanmar's Muslims barred from their own election
The upcoming poll on 8 November has been been touted as the freest and fairest in decades but, with religion an increasingly sensitive issue in Myanmar, many Muslims – from ordinary voters to experienced politicians – are coming up against barriers to participation. Dozens of Muslims ...
Don Sahong dam critical for development of southern Laos
The government regards the Don Sahong hydropower project as the key driver for socio-economic development and poverty reduction in southern Laos. Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Viraphonh Viravong told Vientiane Times on 2 November that the power generated by the US$500-million dam will be used ...
UN chief hits out at Myanmar election ‘hate speech’
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hit out on Monday at “extreme elements” in Myanmar who are sowing hate speech and bigotry towards religious minorities, days before the country votes in landmark elections. Myanmar heads to the polls on 8 November in what observers are hoping will ...
Burma’s Minorities Fear USDP Election Victory
During nearly seven decades the villages of the Karen have been torched, their men summarily executed and their women raped as the ethnic minority battled Burma’s military regime in the world’s longest-running insurgency. Their homeland has been called the “hidden Darfur,” where some 350,000 people ...
Released documents detail Rakhine State persecution
Broadcaster Al Jazeera on 29 October released a cache of documents detailing the persecution of Muslims in Rakhine State, including an internal UN memo and confidential military training manuals. Keep reading ...
