Social development

Poverty and scarce food supply was just a fact of life for the people in Koutou village, Luang Namtha province, Laos. With most people relying on rice farming and livestock for their livelihood, there were few options for other income. Koutou is one of 13 villages ...

Thailand is hosting the 3rd Thai – Lao Technical conference on Geology and Mineral Resources, which is being held at the Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel, Bangkok, 7-11 July. Thailand and Lao PDR have been working together on geology and mineral resources study for over 12 years. ...

Government officials have agreed to reconsider elements of a proposed NGO law, but ruled out further public consultation on the widely criticised legislation, signalling a final vote would be held soon. The promise to review some provisions came during the government’s first public workshop on the ...

Rights groups and the United Nations have condemned Thailand’s decision to fly nearly 100 Uighur Muslims back to China, warning that the Turkic language-speaking, largely Muslim minority would face persecution and abuse. The UN high commission for refugees said it had previously been given assurances by ...

The 14 students who rallied against last year’s coup were released temporarily from prison in Bangkok Wednesday morning and vowed to continue their protest. The temporary release followed the military request to extend their detention pending investigation of their defiance of the government’s ban on political gatherings. ...

More than 300 civil society representatives, diplomats and opposition members have attended a consultation to voice concerns over the controversial draft NGO law, a parliamentary vote on which was reportedly delayed until next week. The national consultation, organised by the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and ...

Phnom Penh’s remote Prey Speu Social Affairs Centre – a de facto prison used to indefinitely incarcerate some of the capital’s most vulnerable citizens – has granted unusual access to the media, coinciding with a visit from Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Ke Sovannaroth.   Eighty-nine men, ...

Local prison authorities in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township say more than 100 “Bengalis” were released this week after serving the duration of their sentences in connection with violence between Buddhists and Muslims that wracked the state in 2012.   Prison staffer Win Kyaw confirmed the release of ...

An ILO project that provides free lunch at garment factories is proving to be a hit with workers, but whether or not this 50-cent per worker “experiment” catches on will depend on factory owners and the brands they supply. Last July, eight garment factories in Phnom ...

Myanmar’s parliament has approved a law that would regulate marriages between Buddhist women and men from outside their religion. The move by legislators was condemned by activists and human rights groups, who said the law was passed under pressure from hardline Buddhist monks. The bill is one ...