Social development
Media calls on drafting panel to ensure freedom from interference
Four media organisations have called for the media to be free from political interference, in an open letter to the Constitution Drafting Commission. In the letter submitted on 19 October, the organisations called for an assurance of limitless freedom of expression for the media including speech, ...
Net widens in probe of ThaiHealth
Authorities have vowed to investigate the recipients of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s (ThaiHealth) funding after checks found the foundation’s budget had been misspent. The findings were based on scrutiny by the monitoring and auditing committee on fiscal expenditure and the Office of the Auditor-General, Justice Minister ...
Polio death draws 500,000 vaccine dose response in Laos
Half a million doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) will be distributed to at risk groups in Laos as health authorities respond to the dangers posed by the virus. The virus is responsible for the death of an eight-year-old boy in the province of Borikhamxay ...
Hun Sen talks poverty
Prime Minister Hun Sen has outlined Cambodia’s strategy for tackling poverty in a keynote speech to a United Nations forum in Beijing marking the 2015 International Day for Eradication of Poverty. The premier lauded the 1 billion people brought out of poverty worldwide since 1990, noting ...
In Laos, an invisible minority is finding its voice
If there is one word to describe the LGBT community in Laos, the landlocked nation sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, it might just be “invisible.” This is the ninth part of a 10-part series on LGBT rights in Southeast Asia, which uncovers the challenges facing the LGBT ...
Laos to adopt public-private partnership in poverty reduction
Officials from the Laos government and autonomous organizations have pledged to involve the private sector in poverty reduction programs to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency. The officials were speaking at the 4th ASEAN Forum on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, which began on 15 October in ...
Thailand scraps unpopular Internet 'Great Firewall' plan
Thailand’s military government has scrapped a plan to create a single Internet gateway, a deputy prime minister said on 15 October, putting paid to a system aimed at allowing authorities to monitor content. Keep reading ...
New rules aim to stop crocodile escapes
Crocodile farms will need walls at least 1.5 metres high around their pits under planned government guidelines, an official said on 16 October, after 28 crocodiles escaped in early October. Keep reading ...
Laos polio prevention campaign gets booster shot with IPV
The Laos Ministry of Health has launched the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) programme to further boost immunity against polio for children under 12 months of age. A ceremony to launch the national introduction of the IPV took place at the National Culture Hall on 15 October, ...
Myanmar arrests two for their mocking Facebook posts
Myanmar authorities have arrested a peace activist and a young woman for mocking the country’s powerful military in the latest crackdown on free speech ahead of landmark elections on 8 November. Human rights groups have condemned the military-dominated government for moving their repression into social media, ...
