Environment and natural resources
Embassy ducks forestry dispute
The South Korean Embassy on May 9 declined to get involved in a dispute between a group of residents and a company which wants to clear forest near their homes. Activists from Prey Lang Community Network went to the embassy at Koh Pich to deliver a petition ...
Court questions officials over sale of Jolie-Pitt land
An environmental ranger and a village chief were questioned yesterday by the Pailin Provincial Court for allegedly colluding to grab, clear and sell land in a protected area supported by the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, according to officials. The questioning followed a complaint filed by the ...
City waste alarms lawmakers
HCM City has advanced to this month an extraordinary meeting to discuss waste treatment and environmental pollution after National Assembly deputies from the city expressed concern over the issues, a leader said. Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm, chairwoman of the People’s Council, said the meeting on urban ...
Indigenous groups, activists risk arrest to blockade logging in Malaysia
In their fight for the rights of peninsular Malaysia’s native people, the Orang Asli, an alliance of women are making waves in the country’s highly conservative society as they support the efforts of communities and activists trying to stop logging of the region’s forests. The ...
Trump failure to lead on climate doesn’t faze UN policymakers in Bonn
Kaisa Kosonen, a political advisor on climate action for Greenpeace in Germany is prepping for the mid-year United Nations climate conference in Bonn, running May 8-18. But she pauses to answer my question. Here’s the set up, I say: Under President Obama, the U.S. played ...
Deadlock as PTT hit by big claim over oil spill
Thai firm alleges Indonesia refuses to settle after years of dispute and Bt70 billion suit filed in Court. The Indonesian government and Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production plc are locked in a multi-billion-baht legal dispute over alleged environmental and other damages resulting from the massive 2009 Montara ...
Logging trucks seized in Ratanakkiri
Authorities intercepted four trucks carrying 81 pieces of illegal luxury timber at a checkpoint in Ratanakkiri province’s O’Yadav district last Friday, District Military Police Commader Sok Min said on May 7. “The trucks and timber were hidden in the rubber plantation of a company located ...
After 50 years, Asian Development Bank looks ahead
The Asian Development Bank set out its strategy for the next decade during the launch of its 50th annual meeting in Japan over the weekend, while also recognising the challenges that remain for the 300 million people still living in poverty in Asia. Addressing the ...
Customs at Tan Son Nhat airport seize products from elephant tusks
Customs officers at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on May 4 discovered over 4kg of products from elephant tusks and pangolin scales illegally transported from Africa to Vietnam. The products included bracelets and jewellery suspected of being made of African elephant tusks ...
Vietnam struggles to find solutions to prevent landslides
Resources have been applied to prevent landslides in the Mekong Delta, but the problem has proven to be difficult to solve. In recent years, the riverbank erosion and coastal landslides have been taking away 500 hectares of land in the Mekong Delta every year, according to ...