News
Most stations on Laos-China Railway now complete
Most of the stations on the Laos-China Railway are now complete ahead of the planned opening of the railway in December. Kasy Station in Vientiane province was the most recent to be completed and was officially unveiled on Sept 27. The station was built by the China ...
Vientiane Times/ANN
Outbreak fears as Mekong Delta struggles with returning migrant workers
With the Mekong Delta laboring under large quarantining burdens as migrants return from the southeast region in the thousands, officials fear outbreaks if the localities’ capabilities are stretched. An Giang Province, for instance, had more than 15,000 migrant workers return on motorbikes over the past three ...
Cuu Long, Ngoc Tai
Myanmar’s rice farmers are facing higher production and transportation costs, lower yields, and low prices, leaving many worried they will no longer be able to earn enough to survive.
Myanmar’s rice farmers are facing a bitter harvest. With the price of agricultural inputs more than doubling since the start of the year and market conditions more unpredictable than ever, cash-strapped farmers faced a tough choice: take on more debt to buy their usual amount ...
FRONTIER
UN Says Poverty in Myanmar at Worst Level in 20 Years Following Coup
The UN’s top humanitarian official in Myanmar said on Thursday the country’s people are living in “a severe crisis,” with a level of poverty not seen for at least 20 years. In a virtual briefing for UN correspondents, Andrew Kirkwood said the number of people in ...
THE IRRAWADDY
Quang Tri residents protect rare forest to let it grow again
Local residents tasked with protecting the 100-hectare Linh forest are doing their job well, minimizing human destruction including logging and other harmful activities. Classified as a special forest that serves nothing but conservation purpose, Linh stands beside Hien Thanh and Vinh Hoa communes in Vinh Linh ...
Hoang Tao
Following coup, Myanmar’s Indigenous vow to protect forests ‘until the end of the world’ (commentary)
The Tanintharyi Region in southern Myanmar is a beautiful and rich expanse of rainforest, ocean, and mangroves where we still have wild tigers and elephants, and where the forest provides all that we need in life. It is my home land. Our Indigenous communities depend ...
Esther Wah
Lao villagers still disenfranchised three years after eviction
Villagers who were evicted from their homes in northern Laos to make way for a new hydroelectric dam remain disenfranchised three years on, according to media reports. The villagers relocated from Xayaburi province in 2018 are housed in resettlement towns where they lack enough land and ...
UCA News reporter, Vientiane
World News Day: All hands on deck to preserve ecosystems in Vietnam's Mekong Delta
The local authorities and environmental organisations in the Mekong Delta region are stepping up efforts to preserve and develop ecosystems vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Located in southern Vietnam, the Mekong Delta has a diverse and unique ecosystem that includes marine life, islands, estuaries, ...
After Long Delay, Indonesia Repatriates 200 Vietnamese Held for Illegal Fishing
Indonesia this week repatriated 200 Vietnamese fishermen who languished at immigration detention centers for months amid the coronavirus pandemic after local authorities confiscated their boats on suspicion of poaching in Indonesian waters, officials said Wednesday. Another 216 fishermen from Vietnam will be sent home in October, ...
Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Lao Villagers Displaced by Xayaburi Dam Still Lack Farmland, Water
Lao villagers displaced by construction of the Xayaburi Dam, a hydropower project on the Mekong River in northwestern Laos, are struggling to survive in resettlement towns three years after being moved, saying they lack sufficient farmland and water to support themselves, Lao sources say. Construction began ...
Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
