Sanu Kaji Shrestha was wandering along a Cypriot coastline 10 years ago, enjoying some downtime from a workshop he was leading on green energy technology, when he decided to collect some seaweed to experiment with. Shrestha was searching for ways to expand the types of raw materials ...

Thailand’s inflation rate is expected to stand at 4-5% throughout this year, prompting the need for the government to maintain its diesel price subsidy programme, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).The estimate is based on the latest survey of 200 executives across 45 industries ...

Vietnam is actively implementing a roadmap for an improved legal framework for better attracting green finance and green technology; and encouraging green production and investment, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha.Speaking at the event, Ha emphasised that considering the green economy and green transformation ...

Arizona State University is preparing young scientists to improve environmental sustainability, health and economic development through social entrepreneurship. Last year, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering partnered with the U.S. Department of State to launch the Lower Mekong Initiative Young Scientist Program. The program’s overarching goal is to ...

Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, together with cabinet members, namely, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Minister of Interior Gen. Anupong Paojinda, Minister of ...

Sixty-six rice traders participated in the government’s auction of 2.86 million tonnes of rice on February 16, showing high market demand for the last lot of rice suitable for consumption from the government’s stocks. Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department, said ...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged a closer connection and stronger political mutual trust among Mekong countries amid challenges, including the uncertain world economy and the still rampant COVID-19 pandemic at the 7th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Leaders’ Summit held on Thursday via video conference. Experts ...

Despite many regulations favoring energy-saving construction, Vietnam still has few green buildings. The rapid development of the middle-class, which uses air-conditioners regularly, is a major reason behind the increasingly high electricity consumption in large cities of Vietnam, according to EuroCham. Tomaso Andreatta, chair of EuroCham’s Green ...

Among the 17 sustainable development goals Vietnam committed to at the 2030 Agenda, only four have been fulfilled so far and two have been delayed.Pham My Hang Phuong, a representative of the expert group advising on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) report, said Vietnam has ...

The hit to the value of Laos’ mineral commodity exports inflicted by lower international prices have been confirmed by figures showing an 8.7 percent decrease in returns despite increasing production, local media has reported. Falling prices for gold, potash and copper inflicted the greatest downward pressure ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – A professional and experienced supplier of closed circuit TV cameras, parking control systems and parachute training to the South Korean government sector, Gentop Co., Ltd., is joining forces in a specialised project with Asia Investment Development & Construction Sole Co., Ltd. ...

The Cambodian Council of Ministers on Friday approved a five-year development strategic plan (2014-2018), which needs financial resources of 26.5 billion U.S. dollars to achieve the target, according to a news statement released after a weekly cabinet meeting. The plan is designed to develop infrastructure, ...

The 22nd Cambodia-Japan Joint Committee met via video conference with more than 130 members of the private sector in attendance this week. Discussions focused on minimum wage, taxes, logistics, energy supply, automobile imports, human resource development and organising workshops to better understand supply chains, according ...

The consumer price index (CPI), a gauge of headline inflation, fell 0.34% year-on-year last month, marking the 11th straight monthly decline since March 2020.According to Pimchanok Pitfield, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, major contributions came from low energy prices (down 4.82%) from ...

Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited Japanese small and medium sized enterprises to invest more in the Mekong Subregion- by taking advantage of its logistic transport links, with the expectation that the region will be able to take a step forward together. Prayut spoke ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy plans to release the environmental impact assessments of two controversial sand-dredging companies in Koh Kong “soon”, ministry spokesman Meng Saktheara said on 15 February. Activists from NGO Mother Nature – three of whom have been arrested for interfering with the ...

Farmers in Pursat province are to benefit from a new vegetable market, allowing them to sell their produce for free for the first five years. The market is aimed at boosting sales of chemical-free vegetables for distribution across the country, to reduce reliance on imported ...

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called on the central bank to maintain its policy interest rate on Tuesday to curb a capital flight and support the domestic economy.Gen Prayut also vented his growing concern over a surge in the inflation rate after headline inflation, gauged by ...

More and more farmers and entrepreneurs in the Mekong Delta are realising that new organic farming models help increase their income. Since the 2017–18 winter-spring crop, the My Dong Agricultural Coop No2 (in Dong Thap province’s Thap Muoi district) has been collaborating with Rynan Smart Fertilisers ...

Incomplete and prospective hydropower dam projects in Southeast Asia, particularly along the Mekong River and its tributaries, are at risk of major delays and shutdowns as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts major industries, energy markets and worker safety. The government of Laos has already ordered a temporary ...