Environment and natural resources
Indonesia fire haze hit Cambodia last month
Despite the Cambodian government’s uncertainty last month, US satellite imagery has confirmed that haze from Indonesian peat fires that has bedevilled the region did in fact reach Cambodia in October, with haze from local forest fires likely to succeed it as the dry season progresses, ...
Water situation in Thailand remains critical
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has urged everyone in Thailand to use water wisely. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikalaya said although the amount of water in the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong Rivers combined is higher than expected by 570 million cubic meters, ...
EU and Myanmar strengthen cooperation on climate change
The European Union and Myanmar has committed to strengthening cooperation on climate change ahead of the adoption of a new global climate deal in Paris this December according to an EU press release on 2 November. Keep reading ...
Mekong dams 'a grave threat to river'
Experts are warning that the Lower Mekong Basin may soon face depleting fish stocks, further erosion of the coastline and rising salinity that will make rice fields uncultivable. The facts are stronger than ever,” said Marc Goichot, an expert on sustainable hydropower and river basin management, ...
Lao forestry officials dismiss WWF report about illegal logging
Lao forestry officials dismissed a recent WWF report which exaggerated the scenario of illegal logging in Laos, a senior official in charge at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed. Deputy Director General of the Department of Forest Inspection under the Ministry of Agriculture and ...
Lat Krabang locals suffer canal stench
Desperate residents along Khlong Prawet Burirom have threatened to take their grievance over a severely polluted canal to the highest levels of government. Suchin Kummanee, head of the Sangkharacha community in Lat Krabang district along Khlong Prawet Burirom said almost 20,000 residents in 20 communities ...
Thai Government to roll out decree in IUU fight
The Thai government will roll out an executive decree and other measures next week to deal with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Speaking after chairing a meeting 29 October on the problem, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said a committee set up to tackle IUU ...
Vietnam launches its largest hi-tech research and development center
Hanoi has opened the country’s biggest research and development center for technologies related to mechanics, electronics, energy and environment, local media reported. Keep reading ...
Rights report decries Thai sugar firm’s tactics
Asia’s largest sugar producer, Mitr Phol, is responsible for violating the rights of hundreds of villagers in Oddar Meanchey who saw their land grabbed, homes destroyed and livestock killed to make way for plantations, according to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT). The Thai ...
Global warming to decrease productivity in Thailand - report
Rising temperatures and humidity due to climate change are likely to increase the number of days with unsafe “heat stress,” putting Thailand at risk of a significant drop in productivity, a research firm said on 28 October. Thailand – with three of the 50 highest-risk cities ...
