News
Frightened by River Changes, Villagers Blame Laos Dam, Seek Answers
The sun cast its warmest rays before dusk across the farms on Koh Pnov, one of the Mekong River islands substantial enough to survive the river’s seasonal rise and fall. Though usually drenched by the late afternoon showers of rainy season, on a bright August ...
Chan Muyhong and Danielle Keeton-Olsen
Activists: Cambodia’s Draft Cybercrime Law Imperils Free Expression, Privacy
A recent draft of the cybercrime law obtained by VOA Khmer has drawn concerns from NGOs and rights groups over clauses that could help the government intensify its crackdown on freedom of expression, while also raising privacy and data collection concerns. The draft law, the formulation ...
Sun Narin
Water is China’s Greatest Weapon and its Achilles Heel
When it comes to flood myths, China’s is not as well known as Noah’s Ark, but just as influential. Legend says that four millennia ago, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers frequently flooded, with devastating consequences for the ancient Chinese. However, salvation arrived when a distant relative ...
Jack Silvers
Denmark committed DKK35 million to support Myanmar’s 5 year Climate Adaption Programme
Coastal communities in Myanmar are extremely vulnerable to the impact of climate change and highly exposed to severe natural weather events such as heavy rain, storm surge, floods and cyclones. To help Myanmar respond to those natural challenges, the Forest Department, with the support from Denmark, ...
Zazithorn Ruengchinda
More use of technology essential in education: minister
Governments around the world including Laos have been promoting and developing digital education systems, which is now an important global issue and a key priority for the education sector. Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune, recently shared her views and experiences on the topic ...
Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
Vietnam floods and landslides displace 90,000 people as new cyclone nears
Floods and landslides in Vietnam are reported to have left at least 102 people dead or missing, while tens of thousands of people have lost their homes to rising water. Two storms that hit central Vietnam in the first two weeks of October, Storm Linfa and Storm Nangka, ...
Ashley Lampard in Hanoi
Vietnam Has 3rd-Highest Sex Ratio Imbalance in the World, Report Says
Families are choosing to have more boys than girls, and experts worry this will cause problems in the future. SGGP reports that new data from the United National Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that in 2019, Vietnam’s sex ratio was 111.5 boys per 100 girls, an imbalance behind only ...
Saigoneer
The age of government (dis)information in Thailand
Social media giant Twitter last week blocked nearly one thousand accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, which were in violation of its policies on manipulation of information. According to a statement released by Twitter, the accounts were “engaging in amplifying pro-RTA and pro-government content, as well ...
MARK S. COGAN
Vietnam’s vision and goals for a digital nation
Vietnam has been eager to reinvent itself and key among its strategies is their digital transformation. The nation is are keenly aware of the decisive role perception plays in this. Digital platform development is a breakthrough solution to promote faster digital transformation, reduce costs and increase efficiency. ...
Samaya Dharmaraj
Is IoT the solution to Asia’s aquaculture problems?
Rising populations mean a growing demand for food, and that’s putting more and more pressure on the agriculture sector tasked with providing it. Faced with a crisis, like many other industries, it’s turning to technology as a source of innovation. IoT sensors and systems have been utilized to ...
Joe Devanesan