News
Project to improve agricultural development policy in Mekong subregion
A workshop was held in Hanoi on July 16 to launch a regional project to improve cooperation in policy research, implementation and advocacy in agriculture and rural development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The project “Network for Agriculture and Rural Development Think-tanks for Countries in ...
Fed-up with graft, the public turns to social media for justice
While social media campaigns can and do attract significant support online, rarely do they translate into real-world action on this scale. That an estimated 6,000 demonstrators marched to the Criminal Investigation Department office in Yangon’s Insein Township on July 6 speaks to the growing concern over the ...
Mekong, south-east regions told to take advantages of technology and favourable climate to develop mushroom production
The Mekong Delta and south-eastern regions have great potential for growing mushroom year round thanks to their favourable climate and availability of vast quantities of agricultural by-products that can be used as inputs, according to the National Agricultural Extension Centre. Besides, farmers in the regions basically ...
PM requests Mekong Delta to make breakthrough changes in mindset, actions
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Mekong Delta to make breakthrough changes in mindset and actions, especially amidst severe climate change impacts, so that it could attain fast and sustainable development and be on a par with other Vietnamese regions in all aspects. PM ...
EEC megaproject draws flak from residents
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is a well-known flagship megaproject of the military government. The project aims to turn most of the land in the three provinces of Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong into industrial zones. When completed, the project is expected to change the face ...
Sonthanaporn Inchan
Dawei Road could endanger forests and wildlife - Report
Myanmar’s lush rainforests and at least nine globally-threatened species are facing significant risks if the Dawei-Htee Khee road project (“Dawei Road”) continues without a comprehensive biodiversity protection plan, conservation experts warned. In the report entitled ‘Nature in Peril: The risk to forests and wildlife from the ...
Lao Anti-drug trafficking efforts highlighted on control group’s bridge visit
Members of the Illicit Drug Control Sector Working Group (IDSWG) visited the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Vientiane last week to better understand the role of Lao Customs and Immigration officials in the fight against drug trafficking. The event was attended by Deputy Head of Office of ...
Senators approve 2019-2023 development plan, power projects
Senators yesterday unanimously agreed to pass the National Strategic Development Plan of 2019-2023 worth $57.7 billion in capital. In order for the budget plan to be finalised, it will need to be reviewed by the Constitutional Council and approved by the King. The vote was held ...
Ben Sokhean
LGBT activists petition National Broadcasting Commission over media’s offensive language

A representative of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights (Thai TGA), along with other independent LGBT activists, has submitted an open letter to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) in response to the recent use by several media outlets of the term ...
Nearly 500 Families to be Displaced This Month for Laos’ Fifth Mekong River Dam

A new Mekong river dam in Laos’ Luang Prabang province will displace up to 465 families this month, the latest in the continuing trend of hydropower projects forcing villagers to relocate all over the country. Residents of 10 villages in Luang Prabang’s Chomphet district must be ...
Eugene Whong