Social development
Displaced families face fresh hardships
A ‘model village’ built by the government offers little improvement in living standards for several hundred families displaced by conflict in Kachin State. Ngwe Pyaw, which means “wealthy village” in Myanmar language, was founded in May 2014 as a pilot resettlement site. But it is wealthy ...
Vietnamese keep off vegetables on pesticide fears
Vietnamese are consuming too much starch and sugar and only half the amount of daily vegetables recommended, partly because of worries about pesticides, experts said. A recent survey by the National Institute of Nutrition found a person in Vietnam consumes 200 grams of vegetables on average ...
Arakanese ire raised over citizenship verification drive
The Arakan State government’s ongoing citizenship verification process has caused disquiet among local Arakanese, some of whom contend that immigration officials are overly accommodating of unwarranted claims. The citizenship verification process, a largely ill-defined scheme that involves non-nationals providing proof of Burma-born ancestry, has led to ...
Street food blues in the Kingdom’s capital
While street food vending is among Phnom Penh’s most visible cottage industries, proprietors are left in the legal dust as authorities demand unexplained “fines”. Dy Poch, the operator of a mobile grilled meat stall in front of the White Building tenements on Sothearos Boulevard, would rather ...
Gov’t eyes ban on asbestos
Cambodia may soon join other countries in banning the import and use of asbestos, which is known to have serious health consequences, officials have said at a symposium organised by the Ministry of Labour and Union Aid Abroad, an Australian aid NGO. Speaking at the event, ...
Four universities to accept over 8,100 students
More than 8,100 students will be accepted to study at four state universities in Laos this academic year under the quota set by the Ministry of Education and Sports. Some 52,491 students around the country passed their final school exams out of the 52,756 pupils who ...
Vietnamese students win top prize with Mekong video
In their efforts to save the Mekong River, a team of young Vietnamese students from Can Tho University have won the first prize in the 2015 ASEAN Youth Video Contest. Seven youths represented Vietnam at the ASEAN Youth camp in last May in Singapore, in the ...
Myanmar's parliament extends martial law along Chinese border
Myanmar’s parliament voted on 18 August to again extend martial law for three months in a restive area along the country’s border with China, where there have been clashes between the military and an armed ethnic group since February. Cross-border incidents in the fighting have strained ties ...
Lack of press freedom mars Lao media anniversary
Reporters in Laos must cover the news in greater depth, an official said as the country marked the 65th anniversary of Media and Publication Day, but sources claim journalists are hamstrung by a lack of press freedom in the communist nation, with the public increasingly ...
Mekong Hospital opens in Vientiane
The privately-owned Mekong Hospital in Saphangmuek village, Xaythany district, Vientiane, opened its doors to the public on 15 August. Hospital Director Mr Huangsubin said the Mekong Hospital will not only treat illnesses but will investigate the prevention of disease and carry out research, while also providing ...
