News
Ethnic communities in Myanmar opposing a coal plant see their fight get harder
Almost two decades ago, Myanmar’s largest coal-fired power plant was built as a joint venture by a group of military-affiliated businessmen and the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation. Since then, it has disrupted the socioeconomic lives of the Pa’O and Taungyo people who are Indigenous ...
Robert Bociaga
Guardians of Nature: Bold and brave women rangers of Cambodia stand tall
As Cambodia marks World Ranger Day on July 31, Khmer Times highlights a handful of bold brave, and resilient women rangers who are standing alongside men to conserve and protect the wildlife and natural resources of the protected forest. Over the years, women have navigated from ...
Sen David
Houses, farmland inundated as rivers burst their banks
Downpours lasting several hours have caused rivers in several provinces to overflow and inundate dwellings, farmland, roads and other property. In Huaphan province, 13 households living alongside the Khan River in Hiem district suffered the effects of flooding after a deluge lasting several hours on July ...
Times Reporters
Is Cambodia’s thirst for sand putting communities and the Mekong at risk?
Sophea Soung has been farming on Boeung Tompoun, one of the few remaining lakes in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, since 2009. Every day, her family rises with the sun to float through verdant waters on a slender boat and harvest vegetables, which they then transport ...
Marta Kasztelan, Thomas Cristofoletti
COVID-19 surge hits Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record infections
The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced record COVID-19 infections on Saturday, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. The surge in Delta variant cases is rattling parts of Asia previously relatively successful in containing COVID-19, such ...
Reuters
China poised for Thailand’s solar move
In March, Thailand announced it will draft a master plan to reach net zero carbon emissions. Though it has not set a date for net zero, that deadline will proably be announced in November at the COP26 UN climate talks. According to energy secretary Kulit Sombasiri, talking ...
Tyler Roney
Southeast Asia losing tigers as deadline looms to double population by 2022
Tigers once roamed throughout the dense forested interior of mainland Southeast Asia and several islands of Indonesia. Positioned at the pinnacle of the food chain, tigers maintain ecosystem balance, and by protecting them, we can preserve entire biodiverse landscapes. However, the long-term survival of this flagship ...
Carolyn Cowan
Prosecuting women traffickers: breaking the cycle of double victimisation
All populations are vulnerable to human trafficking. This is a low-risk, high-reward criminal activity for male traffickers who benefit from the vulnerabilities of women. Human trafficking is enabled by patchy policing, low levels of prosecution, and underfunded prevention. Traffickers prey upon women and girls with ...
Christina Storm, Steven Baker, Rachel Tong
How Vietnam’s Rice-First Policy Weakened the Mekong Delta Against Climate Change
Citizens and government officials resorted to drastic measures this year to prepare for the annual dry season in Vietnam’s Mekong delta. As debate rages over the causes of and solutions to the drought, the government is building large reservoirs to deal with the increasingly dry delta. ...
Michael Tatarski
Japan to hold meeting with Mekong states including Myanmar on Aug. 6
Japan plans to hold a virtual foreign ministerial meeting next week with five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River, including Myanmar where the military seized power in a coup in February, Japanese government sources said Thursday. The meeting arranged for Aug. 6 comes after Japan ...
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