News
Ethnic parties concerned over limited voice in 2016 parliament
Ethnic political leaders are concerned over their marginal collective role in Myanmar’s next Parliament, with the majority of ethnic parties enjoying few gains in 8 November’s general election. “It’s like we have been hit by a tsunami,” said Sai Aung Myint Khaing, a central committee member of ...
Vientiane-Hanoi to conduct highway feasibility study
Laos is preparing to undertake a feasibility study with Vietnam for a Vientiane-Hanoi highway project to bring the two capital cities closer to one another. Head of Office of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Dr Santisouk Simmalavong told Vientiane Times on 16 November that the ...
Lao authorities plan future UXO operations
Laos’ National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO/Mine Action sector in Laos has set a target to reduce the number of UXO casualties to less than 40 per year and provide assistance to at least 1,500 UXO victims in the period from 2016-2020. The target was set ...
Mekong river dolphin faces added threat of Laos dam
Conservation experts and residents in Cambodia’s Kratie province say they are concerned for the wellbeing of the Mekong River dolphin, especially if a major hydropower project is built upstream. Laos says it intends to go forward with the Don Sahong Dam project, despite opposition from Cambodia ...
ASEAN integration concerns aired at grassroots event
Hundreds gathered on 16 November in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park for the fifth Cambodian Grassroots People’s Assembly, where they called for issues ranging from deforestation to democracy to be addressed ahead of ASEAN integration. About 700 people from the Cambodian Cross Sector Network, a group made up ...
Cambodian PM calls for drought aid preparations
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on local authorities and government ministries to be ready to distribute water to farmers around the country due to the ongoing shortage in Cambodia’s reservoirs. “Drought . . . has been threatening our agricultural production, therefore relevant authorities and ministries have to ...
Stripped of immunity, Rainsy delays return
Three days after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy on 16 November backed off a pledge to return to the Kingdom and face the prospect of jail, but insisted he would arrive soon. A day of drama that began ...
Activists call for delay of controversial union law
A group of more than 20 union leaders filed a petition in front of the National Assembly on 16 November demanding a delay in the passage of the draft trade union law, while yet again requesting a full copy of the controversial legislation. The draft law, which ...
Mekong locals seek a voice on Don Sahong
More than 6,400 residents of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia have signed and thumb-printed a statement on the Don Sahong Dam project, airing concerns ranging from the river’s diminishing fish stocks to the lack of transparency of the Mekong River Commission. The statement, presented last week at ...
Thailand's tourist numbers maintained at 32m
Thailand’s Office National Economic and Social Development Board has maintained the tourist number target for 2016 at 32 million, despite terrorist attacks in Paris. Keep reading ...
