News
Lower Mekong nations collaborate on flood response during exercise in Laos
Dealing with and attempting to mitigate disaster scenarios is why experts, both military and civilian, from six nations were in the capital of Laos participating in the 2015 Lower Mekong Initiative Disaster Relief Exercise and Exchange. The LMI DREE is an annual civil-military disaster preparedness and ...
Laos prepares for ASEAN chairmanship in 2016
Laos is ready to play the role of ASEAN chair and host the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits which will be held back-to-back in Vientiane next year. Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alounkeo Kittikhoun and Malaysian ambassador Than Tai Hing co-chaired an Asean Consultative Meeting (ACM) in ...
Huge drug hauls in "Safe Mekong" operations
A number of people were arrested and a large quantity of drugs seized in recent operations under the “Safe Mekong” project implemented by Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, Office of the Narcotics Suppression Board secretary-general Permpong Chawalit said on 27 September. Keep reading ...
Hanoi to open Vietnamese Goods Week 2015 programme on 27 September
Vietnamese Goods Week 2015 will be held on 27 September in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang to raise public awareness of Vietnamese goods as well as their competitiveness. Accordingly, Vietnamese Goods Week 2015 will organise an exhibition at the Giang Vo Exhibition center ...
Novartis launches chronic disease programme for poor countries
Drugmaker Novartis AG has begun a programme in Kenya, Ethiopia and Vietnam to supply 15 low-cost medicines to fight chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. The Swiss-based pharmaceuticals group said on 24 September its scheme would supply drugs for just $1 per treatment per month to ...
Thailand prioritises border trade
The Thai government is revving up efforts to tackle hurdles to border trade as it aims to achieve 1.5 trillion baht worth of cross-border business this year. Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn, who chaired a panel handling border trade and investment promotion, said the priority is to facilitate ...
Rice mill owner acquitted of Bt11m embezzlement
Thailand’s Appeals Court has acquitted the owner of the Nopporn rice mill for their roles in the alleged use of forged warehouse receipts to embezzle rice worth Bt11 million, but upheld suspended jail terms for nine farmers in a case involving 750 tonnes of rice. Keep reading ...
Vietnam's Military Bank sees 2016 net profit growing 7-10 pct
Military Bank, Vietnam’s sixth biggest bank by market value, has cut bad debt to 1.8 percent of total loans, and its 2016 net profit could grow by 7 to 10 percent, its vice chairman said on 24 September. Vietnam’s banks, once blighted by crippling levels of ...
Borrowing costs in Vietnam remain too high despite very low inflation: businesses
High borrowing costs have eroded profitability of many companies in Vietnam this year, a business group said, calling for a rate cut and better access to loans. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry said at a meeting in Hanoi on 22 September that 60 percent of ...
Laos to highlight progress in MDGs in UN forums in New York
Despite its being a tiny landlocked nation, Laos has made some inroads in its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in providing primary healthcare to Laotian mothers and children in the country’s hinterlands. This will be the message that Laos President Choummaly Sayasone will bring to New ...
