News
Cambodian opposition senator faces up to 17 years in prison for Facebook post
A Cambodian opposition senator could be jailed for 17 years after a court charged him on 16 August over the posting of a disputed document on social media about the border with Vietnam. Senator Hong Sok Hour was arrested on 15 August. Keep reading ...
Phu Quoc forests, farm lands may have to give way for casino, resort
Authorities in the southern province of Kien Giang are seeking the government’s permission to allocate more than 2,000 hectares of farm and forest land in Phu Quoc for tourism projects. Keep reading ...
Study links polluted air in China to 1.6 million deaths a year
Outdoor air pollution contributes to the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people in China every year, or about 4,400 people a day, according to a newly released scientific paper. The paper maps the geographic sources of China’s toxic air and concludes that much of the smog that ...
Myanmar halts rice exports as floods hit crop
Myanmar halted rice shipments after floods over the past month inundated farmland, raising the specter of supply disruptions in the sixth-biggest exporter. The Myanmar Rice Federation voluntarily suspended exports to prevent an increase in prices after more than 200,000 acres (about 81,000 hectares) of paddy fields ...
Vietnam competitive wholesale power market to launch officially by 2019
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued Decision 8266 approving a detailed design for the competitive electricity wholesale market. Keep reading ...
16 Vietnamese localities urged to map out action plans on agricultural restructuring
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a conference in Hanoi on 13 August reviewing the implementation of agricultural restructuring measures in the past two years. Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai attended the conference. Keep reading ...
South Korean companies plan major waste treatment plant for Mekong Delta
A South Korean syndicate has proposed to build a major waste treatment plant to solve an urgent demand in the Mekong Delta where thousands of tons of waste are being discharged every day. The proposal was made by three companies in a meeting with local officials ...
Laos, Thailand seek cooperation on SEZs
Laos and Thailand are seeking bilateral cooperation at special and specific economic zones along the border of the two countries. Laos’ National Committee for Special Economic Zones and Thailand’s Policy Committee on Special Economic Zone Development are preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding to inaugurate ...
Vietnam index drops to below 600 points amid devaluation fear
The Vietnam Stock Index or VN-Index slumped for four straight days amid currency devaluation fear, closing at 589.03 points on 14 August. According to stock experts, the decisions of China’s central bank to devalue the Chinese yuan and the decision of Vietnam’s central bank to widen the exchange ...
Global markets: South-east Asia's currencies are plunging like its 1998
Four years ago, a dollar fetched just over 8,500 Indonesian rupiah, and just under three Malaysian ringgit. Today a dollar is worth nearly 14,000 rupiah and almost four ringgit. Both currencies hit 17-year lows this summer, and kept falling (see chart). In Asia the rupiah and ...
