News
Scramble behind the scenes as Yangon Stock Exchange nears launch
Just a week before Myanmar’s first modern stock exchange is set to open on 9 December, a much-delayed announcement on the names of securities companies has not yet been made, underwriters have not received licences and domestic IPOs seem a distant dream. Ten companies have been ...
Fire breaks out in Ho Chi Minh City slum
A fire broke out in a slum in Ho Chi Minh City on 1 December afternoon, burning out 13 houses but no injuries were reported. The fire started at around 3:15 p.m. in the neighborhood near a small market in District 1’s Cau Ong Lanh Ward. The ...
11 primate species in Vietnam are critically endangered: study
A new study by global primate experts found Vietnam in a dire situation with an increase in critically endangered species, several of which are endemic to the country. Experts assessed the threat of extinction for 182 kinds of primates in South China, South and Southeast Asia, ...
Number of AIDS deaths among young Asians doubles over past decade: U.N.
The estimated number of adolescents dying of AIDS in the Asia Pacific region has more than doubled since 2005, experts said on 30 November, warning of a “hidden epidemic”. UNICEF urged Asian countries to improve teenagers’ access to testing, saying many young people do not know ...
Critics doubt Thai PM's climate pledge
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on 1 December declared in front of the world community that Thailand would slash greenhouse gases by 20-25 per cent within 15 years, but critics panned the plan, saying it was just for show, as it looked unrealistic. Prayut told the two-week-long United Nations climate-change ...
PV Oil Laos marks anniversary
A ceremony to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Lao PetroVietnam Oil (PV Oil Laos), a subsidiary of the PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), was held in Vientiane on 30 November. The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung and Vice President of ...
Workers in Thailand get temporary labour permits
Vietnamese migrant workers in Thailand are allowed to register for temporary work permits at the country’s provincial labour departments from 1-30 December, according to the Thai Ministry of Labour. The ministry said on 30 November that the 30-day expansion for Vietnamese guest workers (excluding their companies) aims ...
Laos touts 40 years of stability, but critics decry debt, corruption and poverty
President Choummaly Sayasone marked 40 years of communist rule in Laos on 2 December touting the stability and security of his landlocked Southeast Asian nation, but some Laotians lamented their country’s corruption, rising debt and dependence on China and Vietnam. 2 December marked 40 years since the communist ...
Thailand 'to reap rewards' from IMF's yuan move
Thailand’s trade and investment will benefit in the long run from inclusion of the yuan in the special drawing rights currency basket of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says a senior central bank official. Greater use of the Chinese currency would help to slim down foreign ...
Parasite blamed for fish deaths in Sihanoukville
Fish farms in Sihanoukville have lost an estimated 100 tonnes of fish to an aquatic parasite infestation in the past five days, Fishery Administration officials said on 1 December. The parasite, known as “marine velvet” or Amyloodinaum Ocellatum, feeds on fish tissue – giving it a ...
