Government
Cut-price overland trips Myanmar to Thailand grow in popularity
Growing numbers of Myanmar holidaymakers, including pilgrims to religious sites in Thailand, are finding that travelling cross-border by car is only half the price of going by air, travel agents are saying. The travellers are taking advantage of a border pass system that allows them to ...
Election commission rejects Muslim candidates en masse
Nineteen election candidates in northern Rakhine State have been barred from running by the district sub-election commission, which called into question their residency status and the citizenship of their parents. Applications were submitted by 378 potential candidates representing a range of political parties across five districts ...
MPs approve loans worth billions in 2015
Parliament approved more than US$2.7 billion in foreign loans during its 12th session, Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann said on 28 August, as the session was brought to a close after seven months. Keep reading ...
China-Laos ties at historical high: Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Lao President Choummaly Sayasone on 31 August, saying China’s relations with the Southeast Asian country are at an all-time high. Choummaly is in Beijing to attend activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s ...
Australian government denies Cambodia refugee deal collapse
The Australian government has said a deal to resettle refugees in Cambodia is on track, despite media reports to the contrary. Under an agreement signed in September last year, Australia is paying Cambodia to take in refugees rejected from its detention centre on Nauru island. But so ...
Pensions provide small support for elderly
A plan to roll out monthly pensions for the elderly remains mired in a logistical tangle – and those who qualify could receive as little as K15,000 a year. While the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement received the green light in December 2014 to implement ...
Rice scheme civil claim 'still an option'
The Commerce Ministry has rejected widespread criticism on social media that it was too slow to act in demanding financial compensation from suspects in the multi-billion-baht rice-pledging scandal. Keep reading ...
Construction begins on second Thai-Myanmar bridge
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 30 August for the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge that will play a key role in the East-West Economic Corridor traversing continental Southeast Asia. Keep reading ...
Cambodian youths urged to prepare for ASEAN integration
Cambodian deputy prime minister and foreign minister Hor Namhong on 30 August urged youths, who represent about 35 percent of the country’s population, to prepare themselves for an ASEAN Community, which will become a reality by the end of 2015. Keep reading ...
Government land sector reform paper to tackle poverty, food security
The government has hailed its track record on land policy reform as it approved a new “white paper” on the subject, although activists doubted authorities’ willingness to tackle Cambodia’s myriad ongoing land disputes. Keep reading ...
