Government
National government
Foreign ministry formalizes public service fees
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened a new public services office and formalized fees for a broad group of services often used by foreigners as part of a wider government push to collect revenue and boost efficiency. Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhon issued a statement ...
Tourism sector ‘needs 200K new workers’
A Ministry of Tourism official announced on October 11 that the country would need an additional 200,000 trained tourism professionals if it was to fulfil its target of receiving 7 million international tourists a year by 2020. Try Chhiv, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Tourism, said ...
PM Lee hails new partnership with old friend Australia in address to parliament
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement finalised in May this year will take the relationship between Singapore and Australia one step forward and will “cement our partnership for many years to come”, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the Australian parliament on October 12. Mr Lee ...
US officially terminates sanctions order
After imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar for nearly two decades, the US formally abolished the blacklist on October 7. US President Barack Obama signed an executive order terminating the sanctions, following his pledge to do so made when State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited ...
Businesses still struggle with administrative procedures
Vietnam has made some strides in administrative reform but local enterprises are still grappling with administrative procedures relating to taxes, sub-licenses and inspections, heard at a meeting between National Assembly deputies and businesses on October 3. Aside from capital, market and technology, the business community needs ...
NA Chairwoman meets Cambodian leaders
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân and President of the Senate of Cambodia Say Chhum vowed to do their best to strengthen ties between the two legislatures through high-level visits during their meeting in Phnom Penh on September 28. Ngân suggested the two countries further ...
China MoU to help ‘reform’ judiciary
China has signed an agreement to assist the Kingdom with judicial reforms and to share expertise in overhauling such systems, though one international expert on September 27 cautioned that China shouldn’t be considered “a model for justice reform in Cambodia”. Under the five-year agreement, signed on September ...
Vietnam, Philippines strengthen strategic partnership
The official visit to Vietnam by Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte from September 28-29 is expected to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, especially in politics, security, defence, and economics. This is President Duterte’s first visit to Vietnam and his fourth foreign trip since ...
Sustainable Development Goals spur progress in Laos
The government has further pursued the national development policy and mainstreamed the Sustainable Development Goals into its 8th five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016-2020), the Development Strategy 2025, and Vision 2030. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith outlined the government’s stance on the SDGs at the 71st Session ...
Laos, Vietnam further cooperation for ICT development
The Lao Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam have reached cooperation agreements in relation to the development of telecommunications and information communication technology. A signing ceremony in relation to the cooperation agreements took place in Vientiane on September ...
