News
Visitors to Cambodia spike after Thai terror
The number of visitors crossing into Cambodia through Poipet City spiked after last week’s bombings at tourist sites in Thailand, according to a senior official in the Banteay Meanchey provincial tourism department. The number of tourists coming in through the border town per day has almost ...
Indonesian president vows to fund ‘massive’ maritime infrastructure program
President Joko Widodo vowed on August 16 to develop all of Indonesia’s frontier areas, including the Natuna Islands close to where it is embroiled in a dispute with China, and outlined plans to fund a massive maritime infrastructure program to accelerate growth in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. “We ...
Bananas on the Lancang: grown in Yunnan, destined for Shanxi
Along the banks of the Lancang in Yunnan, bananas grown from the river’s water are part of a complex network of national trade. Luc Forsyth and Gareth Bright have set out on a journey to follow the Mekong river from sea to source, The Diplomat will ...
First joint meeting for nuclear plant
Cambodia and Russia on August 17 started discussing plans for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Kingdom as the country’s energy demand soars due to its economic growth, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment. A joint working group between Cambodia and ...
Thailand gains clout as Southeast Asia's leading investor nation
Thailand has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most enthusiastic investors in mutual funds as a growing middle class seeks ways to better manage its financial assets. “The Thai percentage is high, compared with the Southeast Asian average of about 10%,” said Yohei Kitano, senior analyst at ...
New Mekong dams to affect millions in Vietnam
Building more dams along the Mekong River will destroy the livelihoods of millions of people, according to a report commissioned by the Vietnamese government. It also says plans to construct new dams will damage crops with salt water intrusion, particularly in the south where the Mekong ...
Greenpeace defines plan to fund solar energy use
Filipinos can easily gain access to solar energy through financing package which spreads the initial cost over the long-term while generating savings on electricity bills, Greenpeace Philippines said. The group gathered financing companies and solar providers on August 17 to connect consumers to financing options and help ...
Authorities join private sector to rebuild tourism
The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicted that the country may lose 100,000 to 200,000 foreign tourists following the blasts, which would mean a loss of some Bt5 to Bt10 billion in tourism income this year. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said on August 16 that tourism authorities ...
EPF extends support to combat illegal hunting and trading of wildlife
The Environmental Protection Fund has budgeted over US$ 1 million for two projects aiming to support the combat of illegal hunting and trading of wildlife in the country. The project known as Timber and Non-timber Forest Product Trade and Law Enforcement will receive US$568,862 and will ...
RCAF stripping timber from Oral Wildlife Sanctuary: probe
Military vehicles are hauling wood from a protected area to be burned as fuel in garment factories, investigators from NGO Wildlife Alliance have found. Seng Bunra, country director of NGO Conservation International, said on August 16 that RCAF trucks have become notorious for taking wood from ...
