Aid and development
Remaining Montagnards not refugees, ministry says
Less than a month after the government announced that more than 170 Montagnard asylum seekers would have their refugee applications processed, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on 10 February that the group had not met the criteria for refugee status and would be returned to Vietnam. However, ...
Vietiane declaration on Laos development cooperation signed
The Vientiane Declaration on Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (VD II or Vientiane Partnership Declaration), a result of joint efforts between the government and development partners to shift from effective aid to effective development cooperation, was signed late last week in the Laotian capital. Keep reading ...
New university to link up to SE Asian economic corridor
A new research university at Savannakhet – Laos’ second-largest city – in the western region is being built with loans and funding of up to US$40 million from the Asian Development Bank, or ADB, to provide skilled graduates for the region’s ‘economic corridor’ that runs ...
Laos, EU seek more effective poverty reduction
Laos and its development partner the European Union have sought ways to strengthen their cooperation on the implementation of focal work to ensure more effective results from projects in Laos. Keep reading ...
Boeung Kak protesters pelt World Bank office with eggs
Villagers evicted by the development of Boeung Kak lake took their protest to the World Bank headquarters in Phnom Penh on 1 February, demanding to meet with the bank’s Cambodia country manager, Alassane Sow, and pelting the building with eggs after being rebuffed. Keep reading ...
KOICA conducts hydropower pre-feasibility study in Laos
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has sent a group of Korean experts to Vientiane province for a pre-feasibility study of a small hydropower pilot project from 12-31 January. The main objective of this preliminary study is to make a proper evaluation on the feasibility of ...
“Myanmar is still the third-most malnourished country in Southeast Asia"
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) in Myanmar is facing a funding shortfall of $51 million to meet all the needs till the end of 2016. The organisation, which has a 250-strong staff in the country, says it provided food and cash assistance to ...
Japan plans water infrastructure projects
Japan is planning to help Cambodia design, build and operate water infrastructure projects in 10 of its largest cities, a delegation from the city of Kitakyushu said on 26 January. The projects will “most likely” include tap water systems and wastewater treatment plants. The funding, with ...
SOS Children's Villages Laos achieve great success
SOS Children’s Villages Laos have attained remarkable outcomes throughout the past years, thanks to the support and assistance provided by SOS International, SOS Asia, friendly countries and donor organisations. National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Laos Mr Soumata Dengchampa made the observation in his introductory remarks ...
ADB keen to support megaprojects
The Thai government’s megaproject investment is likely to use domestic lending sources in the initial phase with foreign lenders joining in the later stage, says the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Based on discussions with the Finance Ministry, Yasushi Negishi, the country director for the ADB’s Thailand ...