Radio Free Asia
Cambodia’s Dam Troubles, Power Woes Seen as Arguments For More Solar Energy Use
When the lights literally went out in many parts of Cambodia in February and stayed off in some areas during the following months, people immediately pointed their fingers at Prime Minister Hun Sen. They accused the mercurial autocrat who has ruled the country for more than ...
Lao Villagers Refuse to Yield Land for SEZ, Now Contend With Access Road
At least 140 families from eight villages in the Khong district of southwestern Laos’ Champasak province are refusing to sell their land or relocate to make way for a special economic zone planned for their area. Despite this, developers have begun the hasty construction of an ...
Lao Villagers Displaced by Nam Theun 2 Dam Say They Still Need Help
Lao villagers moved by government order from their homes 10 years ago to make way for a showcase hydropower project have new houses, schools, and clinics in their resettlement areas, but are still left without access to fishing areas or adequate land to farm, sources ...
Laos’ Deputy Prime Minister Blames PNPC Dam Collapse on Poor Planning
Laos’ deputy prime minister has identified poor soil analysis for a fatal hydropower dam collapse, often described as the country’s worst flooding in decades. At a concluding environmental sector annual meeting early this month in Vientiane, Deputy Prime Minister Bounthong Chitmany, who also heads the ...
‘Commissions’ Required of Companies Bidding for Building Work in Flood-hit Lao Province
Construction firms bidding for approval to build permanent homes for flood victims in Laos must pay between 10 to 26 percent of the total cost of the project to local authorities if their bids are approved, sources in the country say. Government officials in Attapeu ...
Cambodia, China to Kick Off Annual Joint Military Exercise Amid Waning Western Influence
Cambodia and China will kick off preparations for their third annual joint “Golden Dragon” military exercise on Feb. 28, Cambodia’s National Defense Ministry announced Wednesday, highlighting improved ties between the two countries as Western influence in the Southeast Asian nation wanes. Keep reading ...
Provincial Lawmakers in Laos Call for More Scrutiny of Foreign Firms
Lawmakers in Laos are urging the government to be stricter on foreign business entities in the country in an effort to protect the environment and protect the livelihood of the people. Khamsaphone Xayavong, a member of parliament from Oumxay district, Oudomxay province in northern Laos, called ...
Myanmar Opposition And Military MPs Submit Nominees For Constitutional Reform Committee
Lawmakers from Myanmar’s main opposition party and the military on Thursday said they submitted a list of nominees to be included on a new joint committee focusing on constitutional reform, despite their ongoing opposition to the panel which they claim has not been formed according ...
Southeast Asians See China Replacing US as Regional Power, Survey Finds
Three-quarters of educated professionals surveyed across the ASEAN bloc say China is the country most likely to fill a vacuum created by a perceived growing lack of American interest in the region, according to a report published by a Singaporean think-tank recently. More than 1,000 ...
Thousands of Protesters Call For Termination of Dam Project in Myanmar’s Kachin State
About 10,000 people in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state staged a massive protest Thursday against the controversial Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam and recent calls by China for the suspended project to resume. Kachin activists, leaders from Kachin political parties, religious leaders, local civil society groups, Buddhist monks, ...
