News
Mekong dams’ annual impact put at $450M
A 30-month study by Vietnamese researchers on the impact of 11 proposed hydroelectric dams in the Lower Mekong Basin has found that the economic damage to Cambodia alone will be worth some $450 million per year. According to the researchers, the Mekong River at Kratie could, ...
Bid forms for SEZs set for next week
Companies interested in developing state land into special economic zones in Trat, Mukdahan and Nong Khai provinces can buy the bid documents between April 11 and 19, says the head of the Treasury Department in Thailand. SEZ development is a major government policy aimed at boosting investment ...
New Thai migrant policy mired in confusion, scepticism
Over 1 million temporary passport holders in Thailand will not be allowed to renew their expiring residency documents, issued between 2009 and 2013 as part of a national verification process. Instead, they are being told to forfeit their legal status, and apply for “pink cards” that ...
ADB affirms support for Lao development
ADB President Takehiko Nakao on 4 April met Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Minister of Finance Dr Lien Thikeo and Minister of Planning and Investment Mr Somdy Douangdy, to discuss how the ADB can support the country’s infrastructure, private sector, skills development, and health services to enable ...
Ministry hits back at rebuke of contentious telecoms law
Cambodia’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has defended the controversial new Telecommunications Law following a biting legal analysis by rights group Licadho, which says the legislation is a veiled tool to silence critics and potentially criminalize private expression. Keep reading ...
Laos, China and Vietnam join to combat wildlife trafficking
Frontline enforcement officers last from key provinces, ports and border posts in Laos, China and Vietnam completed an inter-agency field mission this week to share experiences, approaches and update the situation on wildlife smuggling networks along the major trade routes between China, Vietnam and Laos. Keep ...
SME sector faces risks and reward under NLD
Myanmar’s small and medium enterprises will face both opportunity and risk under the incoming National League for Democracy government, industry observers say. In particular, anexpected increase in foreign direct investment could separate the strong from the weak. Keep reading ...
Viet Nam hosts workshop on gender in rural transport
Some 80 delegates from 11 countries in the East Asia-Pacific region gathered in Viet Nam yesterday to discuss gender integration in rural transportation. The World Bank (WB) workshop, hosted in Ha Noi, is part of a regional Gender Capacity Programme for Rural Transport projects, including exchange ...
PTT facing new gas pipeline suit
The Office of the Ombudsman lodged a complaint with the Administrative Court Monday demanding PTT Plc return all gas pipelines to the state. The Ombudsman accused PTT Plc, and 10 other defendants, of not returning offshore natural gas pipelines to the state after the Supreme ...
Asean ministers, bank governors strengthen financial regional integration
Financial integration, financial service access, and financial stability have been the central issues in discussions among Asean finance ministers and central bank governors at the meeting in Vientiane over the past few days. The ministers and governors have agreed upon the direction of regional cooperation ...
