News
Laos in the spotlight again over human rights
Human rights violations are again an issue in Laos – and a thorn in the side of a government more concerned with centrally-planned economic policies – following the death 61-year-old Tiang Kwentianthong. Tiang was originally arrested for praying for a sick woman without government approval. Reports ...
Climate change targets aim high
The Ministry of Environment submitted an ambitious national climate change plan to the United Nations on 1 October ahead of scheduled climate talks in Paris (COP 21), though observers questioned the plan’s feasibility given a lack of both funding and political will. According to Sao Sopheap, spokesperson ...
Almost 2,000 deported from Cambodia so far this year: report
Nearly 2,000 people have been deported from Cambodia – the vast majority of them Vietnamese – in the first nine months of 2015, according to new government figures. From January through September, 1,919 people were expelled from the Kingdom, a report issued by the General Department ...
Refugee group shrinks by two
Despite a recent government announcement that four more refugees on the Pacific island of Nauru had agreed to move to Cambodia, Interior Minister Sar Kheng yesterday revised that number downward, saying two who had reportedly shown interest had backed out after meeting with Cambodian officials. In ...
PPA for Mega First’s Laos unit
Mega First Corp Bhd said its 80%-owned power generation unit in Laos, Don Sahong Power Co Ltd, has secured the power purchase agreement for its hydropower project. Keep reading ...
Thai Government warns netizen protesters
The government is threatening legal action against web activists who launched cyber attacks on state agency websites on Wednesday in a bid to derail the government’s proposal to restrict the flow of online information, causing sporadic disruptions of several government home pages. Keep reading ...
Charter, reform picks ready for Thai PM
The National Council for Peace and Order could meet as early as 2 October to pick prospective members of the new Constitution Drafting Committee and the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on 1 October. Keep reading ...
Drought Chao Phraya drought 'will last till 2017'
People living in the Chao Phraya River basin should prepare for a drought crisis that will last until 2017, and those in Bangkok should store water for consumption during the dry season, a seminar was told. Anond Snidwongs, director of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development ...
Myanmar again near bottom of competition rankings
Myanmar ranked near the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2015-16 released on 30 September, placing 131st overall out of 140. The positioning represents little change on the rankings in the 2014-15 report, when Myanmar came 134th out of 144 economies. Keep reading ...
Thai rice illegally imported into Myanmar
As domestic rice prices increase, cheaper and higher quality rice is now being illegally imported from Thailand, Myanmar rice traders say. Speculation over rice shortages since nationwide flooding in July and August increased transportation costs in some areas, and high production costs for farmers have driven ...
