News
ASEAN air chiefs unite with RTAF to ‘clear the air’ in Thailand pollution battle
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is gearing up to join forces with its ASEAN counterparts to combat air pollution, specifically honing in on the issue of fine particulate matter PM2.5. This announcement took flight during the annual ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, which concluded ...
Atima Homtientong
China welcomes Cambodian and Zambian leaders as it forges deeper ties with Global South
BEIJING (AP) — China and Zambia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership on Friday, the latest move by America’s chief global rival to forge deeper ties with the Global South. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Zambian counterpart announced the agreement shortly after Xi ...
KEN MORITSUGU
Vietnamese, Norwegian enterprises envisage a future of clean energy
HCM City (VNA) – An energy transition seminar on Norwegian-Vietnamese business partnerships opened in Ho Chi Minh on September 13, hosted by the Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam in collaboration with the Oil, Gas and Coal Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). According to experts, the participation and collaboration of the ...
VNA
Report: Forest encroachment for maize cultivation increased in Lower Mekong
Industrial-scale maize cultivation to produce animal feed, one of the two main reasons behind annual smog in the three Lower Mekong countries, has grown on a massive scale, satellite data analysis has revealed. More than 11.8 million rai (4.7 million acres) of forested area in the ...
Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA
A forest gave Cambodia’s captive elephants a new life. Now they’re paying it back
PU TROM, Cambodia — The quiet life that Sambo leads today seems as distant from her past plight as the searing-hot streets she once trod as a tourist attraction in the far-off capital of Phnom Penh. “Elephants are not meant to walk on concrete,” says Jemma ...
John Cannon
Vietnam Joins ASEAN Neighbors in Denouncing Chinese Map
Vietnam has joined three other Southeast Asian governments in denouncing a new map published by China’s government, which depicted the country’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. The so-called “new standard” map, which was published by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on August 28, has ...
Sebastian Strangio
Renewable energy in South-east Asia, including Laos, to deliver US$100bil in revenues
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Renewable energy generation in South-east Asia, including Laos, can generate US$90 billion to US$100 billion in sustainable revenues by 2030, according to a new report. The report, “Renewable Energy Manufacturing: Opportunities for Southeast Asia”, was published by the Asian Development Bank ...
Vientiane Times/Asia News Network
UN Warns Thousands Trafficked into Online Crime in SE Asia
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Hundreds of thousands of people are being coerced in Southeast Asia by criminal gangs into carrying out online scams, often under the threat of torture, the United Nations said Tuesday. Many have been trafficked into working in online criminality and face serious violations such ...
Cambodian Leader U-Turns on Rare Dolphin Conservation Law
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian leader Hun Sen on Thursday cancelled a law he created just two months ago to protect critically endangered Mekong dolphins as the mammals continue to die from illegal fishing activities. The population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the river Mekong has dwindled from 200, ...
AFP
New Thai government must show more responsibility with the Mekong
Around this time of year when the rainy season begins, people living on the banks of the Mekong River along the Thai-Lao border always feel a little less stressed because rising water levels mean more fish and food to support their survival. Until the mid-1990s, these ...
Titipol Phakdeewanich