Industries
Laos-China rail expected to begin construction in November
The groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of the Laos-China rail project to link Laos with China and other ASEAN member counties is expected to begin in November if things go as planned, a minister said on 25 September. Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong ...
Myanmar factory workers weary of the Arbitration Council
Factory workers have had enough of the arbitration council, the nascent, quasi-judicial body established to resolve labour disputes through mediation. Nearly 200 garment workers fired in the wake of the new minimum wage have decided to by-pass the conciliation system altogether, alleging that the members are ...
Bordering on mass tourism between Thailand and Laos
In the near future, tourists could find it easier to explore the border towns of Thailand and Laos when checkpoints and transportation links are widened for tourism. Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) is pushing for more tourism co-operation between border towns of the ...
H&M workers ‘sold short’
The widespread use of short-term contracts in Cambodia’s garment industry has come under fire in a new report, which looks at ongoing issues with the practice at H&M supplier factories amid pledges of reform. A Short-Term Solution, which was released by Swedish NGO Fair Action, uses ...
Permanant border crossing planned from Phayao to Laos
Ban Huak temporary border checkpoint in Phayao province’s Phu Sang border district will be upgraded to permanent status next year to boost trade and investment with Khop district in Sayaboury province of Laos. Waradisorn Onnut, chief of Phu Sang district, said on 23 September that preparations ...
Myanmar launches Thilawa industrial zone
Dignitaries from Myanmar and Japan on 23 September launched the first phase of a huge industrial zone on the outskirts of Yangon, as the long-isolated nation pushes to rapidly accelerate its industrialisation. Housing everything from children’s toy manufacturing to a car assembly plant and a deep-sea port, ...
All in the same boat: Tourism potential along the Mekong
A recent field trip to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, organised by the Thailand Research Fund was aimed at promoting a community-based research project on managing social and cultural tourism routes. The project, extending into Sakhon Nakhon and Mukdahan, will help ASEAN Economic Community policymakers assess tourism potential along ...
Developers flock to city hotspot as land prices soar
The Ratchathewi-Phetchaburi zone in Bangkok has become a hotspot attracting significant interest from property developers thanks to its potential to become a major urban transit interchange in 2020. Land prices in the area have risen at a pace comparable with the Siam Square area, according to ...
Laos OKs economic zone for smaller Japanese companies
The Laotian government has given the green light to a special economic zone in the southern city of Pakse, a 625-hectare site dedicated to small and midsize Japanese companies. Businesses operating there will have corporate taxes waived for 10 years starting in the first profitable year, among ...
200 experts discuss sustainable manufacturing in southern Vietnam
More than 200 researchers and practitioners from around the world are attending a three-day conference on sustainable manufacturing in the southern province of Binh Duong. The 13th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, from 16-18 September, offered keynote speeches, panel discussions with parallel sessions on sustainable approaches ...
