Infrastructure
Laos-Thailand railway extension construction back on track
Construction of the Laos-Thailand railway extension linking the existing outer suburban station to central Vientiane is expected to begin at year’s end or early next year after the project was suspended in 2011. Deputy Director General of the Lao Railway Department under the Ministry of ...
Remote communities benefiting from poverty reduction efforts
World Bank and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) recently agreed to provide funds to support Laos in implementing the third phase of a programme involving 350 infrastructure improvement projects. The third phase of the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) programme, which is running from 2017-2019, is ...
Thailand plans to sign electricity accord with Laos and Malaysia
Thailand is preparing to sign a tripartite electricity-trading agreement with two neighbouring countries at the upcoming Asean Ministers of Energy Meeting. Energy Ministry permanent secretary Areepong Bhoocha-Oom said the agreement would pave the way for the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia electricity deal, enabling the Asean Power Grid to ...
Cassava prices hit a new low
Cassava prices in Cambodia experienced a sharp drop this month leading to heavy losses for smallholder farmers unable to quickly switch to more profitable crops and recoup their mounting losses, a provincial agriculture official said yesterday.Faced with low prices of around 144 riel ($0.035) per ...
Japan's Daiwa to buy into Myanmar internet provider
Daiwa Securities Group will invest nearly 700 million yen ($6.26 million) in Myanmar internet service provider Frontiir with the hope of cashing in on abundant growth potential. Daiwa PI Partners will purchase newly issued shares, obtaining a stake of nearly 10%. Founded in 2013, the ...
China’s squeeze on capital outflow felt in Cambodia
Stringent capital controls imposed by China’s central bank last November that scrutinise the outbound flow of money from the mainland have created uncertainty for Chinese investors looking at the Cambodian market and could jeopardise future and existing projects.Read more ...
Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link
Construction of a 414 km railway line linking China to mainland Southeast Asia through Laos is underway in Phonesai village, about 30km north of Luang Prabang, the country’s ancient former capital and modern-day tourism center. A workers’ dormitory has been built under a banner in ...
Academics warn that China rail project could lead to bankruptcy
Academics have cautioned that the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed train project could end in bankruptcy and fail to develop sought-after technology in Thailand. Chulalongkorn University yesterday held an academic forum on the controversial Thai-Chinese partnership, with many academics saying they believed that the government had not completely ...
Urban water, environment improved steadily
While Vientiane has been improving its drainage network, the water quality in drainage canals and marshes is still declining relative to other cities in Asean, an audience including the city’s Vice Mayor heard in the capital yesterday.Increased discharge of domestic wastewater from urban areas is ...
Chinese rail workers ‘will be certified’
Two leading professional councils have said Chinese engineers and architects involved in the Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed train project will have to be tested and certified by Thai councils.The Engineers Council and Architects Council said at a press conference in Bangkok yesterday that they ...