News
Vietnam destroys 60 illegal gold mines in central region
Quang Ngai Province’s Military Command announced 27 July they had destroyed 60 illegal gold mines within 6 days, by one week earlier than previously planned. Government agencies have coordinated with Engineer Corps to carry a ton of explosives to the sites. Keep reading ...
Ethnic groups seek common ground in Myanmar
Ethnic groups under the umbrella of the United Nationalities Alliance have launched their third annual conference in Yangon with the aim of focusing on the peace process and agreeing on a future political dialogue with the government. Political parties, civil society organisations and representatives from invited ...
Mynamar consumer protection to be beefed up
The Myanmar Consumer Union is to set up a branch in Mandalay with the help of academics and technicians. A first meeting was held on 25 July. Union secretary U Maung Maung said the aim was to protect the rights of consumers and people in receipt ...
Thailand dismisses US criticism over human trafficking and slavery
Thailand has hit back after being blacklisted in a US report for the second consecutive year for not combatting modern-day slavery, arguing it has made serious steps to tackle human trafficking. The ministry of foreign affairs said the US state department’s annual Trafficking in Persons report, “does not ...
In Myanmar, doing aid better
Around the world, the way foreign aid works is coming under wider scrutiny. Criticisms of an increasingly privatized international aid “industry” include claims that many of its approaches are too top-down, inflexible and ineffective. Reformers also question the relationships between large international aid organizations and their ...
Proposed minimum wage gains traction with employers
After initial rejection and amid some continued reluctance, most employers are now ready to accept the K3600 a day minimum wage, provided a few conditions are met, the Ministry of Labour said. During a meeting on 25 July with employers who had objected to the government-proposed ...
Villagers call for suspension of dam resettlement program
Cambodians who have accepted relocation from the future reservoir zone of the Lower Sesan II hydropower project have called for the suspension of the resettlement program for one year and help to repair homes built by the Cambodian-Chinese energy firm constructing the dam. Villagers who held negotiations ...
Military helicopter carrying 19 passengers, four crew ‘missing’ in Laos
A military transport helicopter carrying 19 passengers and four crew members in northern Laos is missing more than 36 hours after it departed an airport in the capital Vientiane, an Air Force official has said. Air traffic control in Vientiane lost contact with the MI-17 helicopter ...
Experts tell Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia to study border issues
Delegates from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos discussed the ASEAN Economic Community’s effects on transnational natural resources at an annual international conference on cross-border economic co-operation. Speaking at the meeting in Da Lat, chairman of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia should ...
Thailand to benefit from China's Belt and Road Initiative: experts
The Belt and Road Initiative is a trade and infrastructure network that includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to connect Asia, Europe and Africa. Thai government has voiced support for the initiative on various occasions, stressed that Thailand is ...
