News
New dams call into question Cambodia’s commitment to REDD+ projects
PURSAT, Cambodia — The Cambodian government has approved at least three new irrigation dams across the Cardamom Mountains, carving even deeper into forests currently being used for the Southern Cardamom REDD+ and Samkos REDD+ carbon credit projects. Construction is yet to begin on the new dams, which ...
Gerald Flynn
Laos Freezes 50 Accounts, Recovers Billions in Anti-Corruption Crackdown
The Ministry of Finance Party Committee has intensified its anti-corruption efforts, taking action by inspecting and freezing 50 accounts while recovering substantial sums of lost revenue. On 18 March, Ouban Suphida, Deputy Chairman of the Party Committee Inspection, presented the 2024 annual inspection report, outlining the committee’s recent ...
Phontham Visapra
Vientiane Residents Demand Action Amid Ongoing Water Shortages
Many households in Vientiane are struggling with water supply issues, including shortages and low water pressure. Residents are growing increasingly frustrated, as water disruptions continue despite repeated calls for conservation. On 5 March, the Water Supply Department issued an announcement urging residents to save water due to high ...
Oulayvanh Sisounonth
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta benefits from UK-led £3.5m project on sustainable aquaculture
The University of Stirling in Scotland is leading a £3.5 million ($4.5m) project to support sustainable aquaculture in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. The AquaSoS initiative aims to tackle key challenges like pollution, climate change, and disease through a new digital tool that uses satellite data, water sensors, ...
Undercurrent News
Gender No Barrier: Women Excel in Demanding Gold Mining Roles
MONDULKIRI – Two trailblazing female graduates from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) are breaking barriers in the gold mining industry. They’re tackling key roles as a surveyor and a metallurgist at Renaissance Minerals (Cambodia) Ltd in Mondulkiri province, overcoming challenges related to gender ...
Rin Ousa
Southeast Asia’s Quest for Digital Sovereignty
Data is the oil of the 21st century, and Southeast Asia risks pumping its reserves into foreign tanks. The need for the region to develop its own technological infrastructure has never been more pressing. With nearly 700 million people and rapidly growing economies, Southeast Asia has become a ...
Vishal Rana and Govand Khalid Azeez
Thailand turns to mangrove carbon credits despite scepticism
Watchara Kumpai, 68, spends most of his time in boots, stomping through coastal mangrove forests in southern Thailand. He used to work in the tin mining and logging industries that contributed to mangrove loss, until all concessions in mangrove areas were cancelled in 1991. Today, Watchara is dedicated ...
Nicha Wachpanich, Dialogue Earth
From the Riverbanks of the Salween and Mekong to the Halls of Justice: Women Challenging Mainstream Assumptions and Asserting Collective Rights
Despite experiencing systematic social, economic and cultural marginalization, women like Noon, Dao Prasuk and Pornpimol remain determined to assert their communities’ rights to existence and to protect rivershed commons for generations to come, contesting the widespread public assumptions that large-scale hydropower and water diversion infrastructure ...
Pai Deetes, Phairin Sohsai and Tanya L. Roberts Davis/ IR
Infrastructure development boosts economy in Vietnam's Mekong Delta
Thanks to the national government’s investment in infrastructure in the Mekong Delta, localities in the region have achieved outstanding results in economic development over the past few years, returning to the growth trajectory seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-25, the economy of the Mekong Delta ...
Thanh Ha - An Long - Mau Truong - Le Dan / Tuoi Tre News
Cambodia’s China-backed canal on Mekong may threaten ‘fragile ecosystems’
A Chinese-backed canal in Cambodia is likely to put “fragile” ecosystems at risk, researchers in China and Britain have warned, calling for better mitigation efforts. The Funan Techo canal, a 180km (112-mile) project to link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand, is a flagship project expected ...
Leopold Chen