News
Sihanoukville beach vendors’ hopes hinge on PM
About 60 business representatives from three Sihanoukville beaches gathered at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s beachside home in Sihanoukville on 29 February, in a second attempt to deliver a petition calling on him to intervene on a government directive for them to vacate the beach. The ...
Yangon stock exchange on track for March trading debut
The Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) is expected to begin shares trading by the second week of March, with dry-run testing already underway, an official from the Securities Exchange Commission of Myanmar (SECM) told The Irrawaddy on 29 February. Though the YSX officially “launched” late last year ...
Interest rate race has Vietnamese businesses on edge
In anticipation of the central bank’s possible move to further limit the use of short-term deposits for loans, banks in Vietnam have rushed to attract savings with higher interest rates, starting a competitive race that might soon hurt many borrowers. Latest figures from the central bank’s ...
Wildlife trafficking poses risks to public health
Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam and the high demand for exotic meat, jewelry, medicine and even pets is a threat not only to bio-diversity, but also to public health, according to environment experts. Experts said the illegal trade of products, which has both domestic and international origins, ...
Spotlight shines on Laos as it takes a turn in the ASEAN chair
As Laos kicks off its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, activists fear that the human rights agenda in the country and the region will get swamped by economic concerns and regional discord over issues like the partition of the South China Sea. “When ...
Thailand ranked 5th for threats
Thailand ranked fifth out of 25 countries in Asia for cyber security risks last year, says Romanian internet security software company Bitdefender. Globally, the country’s exposure to cyberattacks was ranked 11th. The rankings were based on the quantity of malware detected, said Michal Dominik, managing director ...
No decision on cable car project, Thai government says
The Thai government has yet to make a decision on the controversial Phu Kradueng cable car project, says government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd. Responding to criticism by environmentalists, Maj Gen Sansern said the cabinet has merely acknowledged the results of a feasibility study conducted by the Designated ...
Reprieve on cards for flower market
Poor management of City Hall’s proposal to move traders from Bangkok’s historic flower market, Pak Khlong Talat, may end up prolonging the market’s life — albeit temporarily. The deadline to ban over 1,000 street vendors from Pak Khlong Talat is 29 February. No formal announcement on an ...
Refugees trickle home as TNLA reports more clashes
Fighting flared in northern Shan State on 7 February and while tensions remain high between the belligerents – the Restoration Council of the Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Tatmadaw – clashes have only been sporadic in the ...
Pat Ja San abandons poppy field mission
A Group of Christian hard-line anti-drug vigilantes on 28 February abandoned plans to destroy poppy fields in an area of Kachin State after clashes broke out between their members and armed attackers in the past week. Pat Ja San, which is known for flogging drug users, said ...
