Social development
Scenes from a drought
Across the country of Cambodia, water scarcity is threatening health and livelihoods. In what may be the worst regional drought in more than 50 years, brought on by an El Niño cycle exacerbated by climate change, water shortages have been declared in 18 of the ...
Vietnam seeks aid as drought threatens millions
Officials from the country’s agriculture ministry and the United Nations said more than 60,000 women and children in 18 hardest-hit provinces in southern and central Vietnam are facing malnutrition while around 1.75 million people from farming families have had their livelihoods badly hit. Keep reading ...
Asean debates food safety issues
The three-day meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Health and attended by representatives of the Asean Secretariat and officials concerned with food safety matters from the 10 Asean member states. The importance of food safety has increased significantly in recent years following a series of ...
Laos parliament approves development plans
The inaugural session of the National Assembly’s 8th Legislature ended on 22 April with the approval of the 8th five-year National Social Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020, the 10-year Strategy for 2016-2025, and the 15-year Vision for 2016-2030. The three-day session elected Mr Bounnhang Vorachit as President ...
State of press freedom remains dire across much of region
An annual assessment of press freedom in 180 countries released by campaign group Reporters Without Borders reveals a mixed bag of progress and decline in the region. According to the Reporters Without Borders report, bloggers and citizen journalists in Vietnam are “the permanent targets of extremely ...
Laos waits for new dengue vaccine
While Laos is waiting for WHO approval of the quality of the dengue vaccine, Dr. Kongxay, deputy manager of the Expanded Programme of Immunisation of the Ministry of Health has advised members of the public to follow five principles on controlling dengue mosquito populations. Those include ...
Phuket removes encroaching shops on Surin beach
Authorities on 20 April demolished 36 shops illegally occupying parts of popular Surin beach as part of a campaign to regulate businesses on 50 beaches in this island province. Most proprietors had cooperated before officers moved in, but not all. Keep reading ...
Myanmar celebrates first Pulitzer prize-winning female journalist
Esther Htusan, 29, is one of four AP journalists who worked on an investigation into severe labor abuses within the Southeast Asian fishing industry, a sector which supplies seafood to supermarkets and restaurants abroad. The team’s reporting contributed to the freeing of approximately 2,000 slaves; ...
Avian Flu strikes poultry farms in Sagaing division
Surveillance of the poultry trade in Sagaing Division’s Monywa Township has been ramped up after an avian flu outbreak over the past several weeks. Local authorities have since killed over 20,000 chickens and restricted poultry trade from farms in the area.“With the help of the police ...
Yangon’s illegal residents appeal for end to evictions
Hlaing Tharyar residents who were considered unlawful squatters by the former government are appealing to the new administration to end the policy of violent evictions. Union Minister for Commerce U Than Myint said the government has no plan to evict squatters and illegal residents are citizens and ...
