News
UN chief calls for empowerment of women as “agents of change”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a message to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, has called for the empowerment of women as “agents of change” to address pressing problems. In poor parts of the world today, women still risk death in the process of giving ...
Details scant for warrants issued in logging crackdown
The recently formed anti-illegal logging committee has issued 10 warrants against alleged illegal timber traders since it began its crackdown in January, officials have confirmed, although the details of those accused and the charges they face remain under wraps. The committee’s spokesperson Eng Hy said on ...
Sceptics question police push for female recruits
Cambodia’s National Police chief had said he wants to increase female recruitment into the force this year, in part to reduce “inappropriate” clashes between male police and female protesters, though observers were sceptical that simply hiring more women would solve endemic problems in the force. In ...
Revised rubber export tax scheme criticised
Rubber producers said on 6 March the Cambodian government’s decision to amend the export tax scheme on natural rubber fell short of expectations and would do little to stem the losses of farmers as rubber prices hover near a six-year low. Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ...
Laos gets tough with foreigners entering nation
The Laotian government has issued an urgent order for officials to get stricter on foreigners entering the country. Everyone entering Laos from 7 March must have complete documents, said a source at the 1st Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint on 5 March. Keep reading ...
Myanmar licenses four more banks
Myanmar has granted operating licences to four more Asian banks, bringing to 13 the number of foreign banks allowed to conduct business in the country. Keep reading ...
Thailand prepares for new poppy war
Far from the bustle of booming Chiang Mai, pockets of poppies are still being cultivated in the remote hills of this northern province, defying years of intensive efforts to eradicate them. Periodically, Thailand’s drug enforcement officials backed by foreign powers sweep through the area, but ...
Laos reports local transmission of Zika virus: WHO
Laos is the latest country to report a local transmission of Zika virus, according to the World Health Organization, as fears mount over the mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to birth defects. Asia has seen only a sprinkling of cases of the virus, but a ...
Cambodian Gov’t taps Wing for tax collection
The Cambodian government on 4 March signed an agreement with Wing (Cambodia) aimed at leveraging the company’s mobile money platform and extensive nationwide network of agents to facilitate the collection of tax payments. Chou Kimleng, secretary of state with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said that ...
Lao official thanks Vietnamese aid
Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said the support Laos received from the Vietnamese Supreme People’s Procuracy will help the nation successfully host the upcoming 10th ASEAN-China Procurators General Conference. Keep reading ...
