News
Magwe land confiscation team mired in red tape
Bureaucratic inefficiencies, cumbersome decision-making mechanisms and poor organisation are hampering Magwe Region’s Committee on Confiscated Lands and Other Lands in their efforts to resolve land disputes, say members. The committee, which was formed by the regional government on July 15, is tasked with making determinations on ...
Myanmar to boost its Thai embassy staffing
Three additional labour attachés will be assigned to Myanmar’s embassy in Thailand next year, the labour minister announced on December 18. More labour officers are being assigned in order to handle the high volume of cases stemming from the large number of Myanmar migrants working there, ...
Authorities will legalise Lao workers in Thailand
Lao authorities expect to begin a new round of verifying nationality and legalising the status of thousands of Lao workers in Thailand in the coming months, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare said last week. Dr Khampheng Saysompheng told local media during his attendance to ...
Deputy PM pushes for speedy mother and child health improvements
Deputy Prime Minister has called on the Ministry of Health to speed up improvements to health services for mothers and their children especially at district and community levels. Dr Sonexay Siphandone made the call in his address at a meeting held last week to review ...
Practices ‘victimise trafficked fishers’
Greenpeace has called for a permanent end to the dangerous practice of “transshipping”, which contributed to fatal cases of beriberi on a Thai fishing vessel crewed by trafficked Cambodian men earlier this year. Based on a 12-month investigation and released on December 15, Greenpeace’s Turn ...
Unions, government consult on new min wage law
The Ministry of Labour met with unions on December 16 to gather input on a universal minimum wage law currently being drafted, union representatives and ministry officials confirmed on December 18. “The meeting is a forum for each party to review the draft and provide comments ...
United Nations: one third of Cambodian women suffer abuse
More than 30 percent of Cambodian women have experienced some form of domestic violence at the hands of their partner at some point in their lives, a report released on December 15 by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund revealed. According ...
Institute: Thailand can be 'Top 5' food exporter
The National Food Institute says it plans to push Thailand to be among the top five food exporters within the next 20 years, with value rising to 6 trillion baht, says Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, the institute’s vice-president. Thailand ranks 13th among food exporters, with a value of ...
Rainbow snake, tiny frog among new Mekong species
A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said on Monday. Winding its way from the Tibetan plateau through the ...
Laos prepares for face-to-face EU FLEGT, VPA negotiations
The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade technical working group on December 15 met in Vientiane to discuss finalised key parts of the draft timber definitions to be submitted to the European Union by the end of this month. The submission is crucial preparation for ...
