Infrastructure
Government to re-examine traffic law
Following a troubled rollout of the 1 January Traffic Law, the Cambodian government announced on 10 January in a press conference that an inter-ministerial team has been established to determine what amendments will be made in reaction to widespread criticism from the public and civil society. Addressing ...
Laos-China railway project expected to carry 3.8m passengers in first year
Domestic passengers commuting through the planned Laos-China railway project are expected to reach 3.98 million in its first year, a study has showed. The number of domestic passengers is forecast to rise to 6.11 million annually in the short term and jump to 8.62 million annually over ...
Solutions elusive as traffic jams Yangon
U Than Htwe and Daw Kay Thi Tun are among the millions of commuters who find themselves spending hours on Yangon’s old and overburdened public transport system every day, a routine that takes its toll on the health, well-being and income of the city’s residents. Without ...
Consulting Facebook, PM changes traffic law
Despite starting with a bang just a week ago, the Land Traffic Law has already been subject to two amendments from Prime Minister Hun Sen in direct response to a public outcry on Facebook, a stark contrast to the premier’s usual attitude toward online criticism. In ...
Vietnam airlines refuse to cut fares despite cheaper fuel, bigger revenue
Vietnam’s transport minister has called for lower airfares to match a sharp decline in fuel costs, but carriers say their tickets are already affordable. At a meeting on 4 January, Minister Dinh La Thang asked that Vietnam Airlines make its tickets cheaper after the national carrier reported ...
Authorities move to clear squatters from town water supply
Pyin Oo Lwin officials are cracking down on forest dwellers squatting near a road construction site alongside the city’s only water supply. The township’s Department of Environmental Conservation and Forestry blamed the squatters around Lake Thit Ta Pin Taung for causing forest degradation by lighting forest ...
Putting the brakes on tests
As of 6 January, possessing a licence to drive a motorbike on Cambodia’s roads no longer requires a driving test. Prime Minister Hun Sen on 5 January announced the elimination of the test along with a decision to more than halve the cost of a licence in ...
Three holdouts cloud ASEAN's future of open skies
ASEAN’s ambitious open-skies scheme has clearly missed the 2015 year-end deadline, and its full implementation appears elusive. Three members of the 10-nation bloc — Indonesia, the Philippines and Laos– seem reluctant to join the scheme for full liberalisation of Southeast Asia’s aviation sector. Keep reading ...
Ho Chi Minh City now has 7.4 million motorbikes, and counting
Ho Chi Minh City now has 7.43 million motorbikes, putting serious pressure on its transport infrastructure, local media reported, citing the Department of Transport. Compared to 2011, the number of new bikes registered in the city has increased by around 2 million, according to a Tuoi Tre ...
Thai police websites hacked
Hacktivists took over four police websites, including the metropolitan police, on 4 January night, with messages demanding justice. Keep reading ...