News
No progress on new Vientiane-Champassak highway
One year has passed but the new Vientiane-Champassak highway survey and design has not progressed following a Chinese company signing an agreement with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. “We are now writing a letter to the company informing them that if they cannot perform ...
Sugar company's compensation deals leave families bitter in Kampong Speu
In 2010, more than 1,500 families in Kampong Speu’s Oral district were evicted from the land they had cultivated since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 to make way for a Phnom Penh Sugar Company mega-plantation. Bunsak, head of the Cambodian Human Rights ...
Giant projects to kick off in Thu Thiem
Since Thu Thiem development scheme was released, investors have flocked to this region. Many billion USD estate projects have been proposed. In mid-May 2016, a group of American companies proposed a $4 billion project in Thu Thiem in Ho Chi Minh City. The investors consist of ...
Orlando shooting gives LGBT Singaporeans an unlikely opening
A tragedy half a world away has created an unlikely opening for a repressed community in Singapore. The mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, has galvanized LGBT people in Singapore, where a candlelight vigil was held on 14 June to express solidarity with the ...
UNFC proposes more negotiations prior to Suu Kyi meeting
The United Nationalities Federal Council, an alliance of nine ethnic armed groups, has told Burma’s peace delegation that it would like to hold additional talks with lead negotiator Dr. Tin Myo Win before meeting State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Tun Zaw, the secretary of the ...
DSI looking into Buri Ram forest encroachment
The Department of Special Investigation is considering whether to take over a case of alleged encroachment involving more than 2,000 rai of a forest reserve in Satuk district planted in cash crops by investors. A team of DSI investigators went to Khok Chod national forest reserve ...
Gov’t halts building of Koh Rong island port
“The company has the legal right to invest in Koh Rong from the state, but on June 7, the provincial working group had to stop the construction of the port of tycoon Kith Meng’s Royal Group because it was illegal,” said Sihanoukville City Governor Y Sokleng, ...
Vietnam may have new agency to manage state enterprises
The Vietnamese government is considering setting up a new agency to manage state-owned enterprises more effectively, but some economists have questioned the necessity of such a plan. Economist Ngo Tri Long urged the government to consider the plan thoroughly, arguing that a new agency means more resources ...
Ministry promotes more water efficient crops
Taking precautions against drought, the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to stop growing summer paddy in areas where water is scarce, according to deputy minister U Tun Win. Though the previous government wanted farmers to prioritise growing paddy, with water reservoirs near empty in several ...
DSI pledges to push trafficking cases
With more than 1,000 human-trafficking cases pending in the courts including a large number of Myanmar victims, Thailand has promised to speed up the legal process, the Department of Special Investigation deputy chief Pol Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul said on 14 June. Songsak met on 14 June with ...
