Social development
Indonesia and Thailand charting clear maritime boundaries
Indonesia and Thailand are embarking on what could be a long and tedious negotiation process to determine the border of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) between the two countries in the Andaman Sea. Read more ...
Improve implementation of tobacco tax policies, ASEAN urged
ASEAN governments should do more to make their tobacco tax policies more effective, not only for health reasons but also for the budget generation.Keep reading ...
Laos, Australia renew cooperation on human rights
Laos and Australia have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on human rights via a new four-year programme. The second phase of Australia’s Human Rights Technical Cooperation Programme (HRTCP) will be implemented by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and Treaties and Law Department of Ministry ...
Universal basic income could work in SE Asia, but only if it goes to women
The universal basic income debate has been raging for some years, with politicians and people hotly divided over the notion of their government paying every citizen a set amount of money on a regular basis, without requiring work to be completed. The idea of everybody, including ...
UNHCR chief pleased with discussions on refugee rights issues
The eradication of forced refugee detention, the granting of citizenship to stateless people, and the respectful deportation of asylum seekers are among goals that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expects to develop further with Thailand.Read more ...
Regime aims to tighten media control, surveillance
The junta’s National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) has given the green light to media reform proposals which will tighten control over online media and surveillance.On 3 July 2017, the NRSA voted 144-1 in favour of the report compiled by its social media reform subcommittee. Keep reading ...
US provides over 24 billion kip for unexploded ordnance clearance
The US government has agreed to provide a grant worth 24 billion kip (US$3,026,000) to the project for supporting rural development through Unexploded Ordnance clearance in Xieng Khuang province. The grant will contribute to non-technical and technical survey and clearance of the Unexploded Ordnance clearance (UXO) ...
Regulatory loophole for OTT
Facebook and Google’s YouTube could miss the July 22 deadline to register under the over-the-top (OTT) regulatory framework, but advertising agencies and spenders can avoid violating OTT regulations by using overseas servers, media analysts say.Keep reading ...
Deadly diet: Thai doctors battle cancer-causing fish dish
It was not until he got to medical school that Narong Khuntikeo finally discovered what caused the liver cancer that took both of his parents’ lives – their lunch.Like millions of Thais across the rural northeast, his family regularly ate koi pla – a local ...
Remote communities benefiting from poverty reduction efforts
World Bank and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) recently agreed to provide funds to support Laos in implementing the third phase of a programme involving 350 infrastructure improvement projects. The third phase of the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) programme, which is running from 2017-2019, is ...