News
Myanmar factory workers weary of the Arbitration Council
Factory workers have had enough of the arbitration council, the nascent, quasi-judicial body established to resolve labour disputes through mediation. Nearly 200 garment workers fired in the wake of the new minimum wage have decided to by-pass the conciliation system altogether, alleging that the members are ...
Myanmar Government urged to halt alabaster mining near religious sites
Monks and local residents have joined forces to fight an alabaster mine they say is disturbing monks’ meditation and undermining their monasteries. The campaigners are demanding that Khine Mar Toe company cease its operations beneath the Yat Kan Zin mountain range in Pat Le Inn village ...
Under pressure on all sides, Union Election Commission reinstates 11 Muslim candidates
Eleven Muslim politicians have successfully challenged their controversial disqualification from contesting the November elections following a surprise reversal by the Union Election Commission. Their reinstatement after appeal followed concerted pressure from the United States and eight other governments, which had urged Myanmar to hold “a credible, ...
Mines on Cambodian premier’s UN speech agenda
Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the opening of the UN’s General Assembly in New York on 25 September and has vowed to push demining as a development issue, despite it not being on the UN’s agenda. Speaking at the Sokha Hotel, the premier questioned the issue’s ...
No options for families in Poipet facing eviction
Forty-three families from Poipet town and the nearby village of Kbal Spean 1 say they will ignore the 28 September deadline of an eviction notice from the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court. Resident Ith Sim said the families have lived on the land for over a decade. Keep ...
Time’s up for MDG targets
As the United Nations meets this week to draw up a new set of sustainable development benchmarks, the era of the body’s landmark Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is coming to a close, with some wondering – in spite of gains – what efficacy such targets ...
No trafficking victims in Phuket, says report
After months of research, the Human Trafficking Crime Prevention and Suppression Centre delivered its report this week with the stunning revelation that the task force found not a single case of human trafficking on Phuket island. Keep reading ...
Laos Christian in jail for praying dies after authorities refuse to give him medication
A man from Laos who was jailed for praying has died after he was refused vital treatment in prison. According to the Human Rights Watcher for Lao Religious Freedom group, Tiang Kwentianthong was imprisoned with four others last year, when he prayed for an elderly woman ...
Lotteria to open in Laos
Fast-food restaurant Lotteria signed a franchising pact with Lao company, Soxay Chaleun Group, to make inroads in ASEAN countries. Keep reading ...
Vietnam to see September inflation lowest in 15 years
Vietnam is expected to see September inflation rate lowest in the past 15 years, according to General Statistics Office on 24 September. Specifically, the country’s Consumer Price Index, the main gauge of inflation, is estimated to decrease by 0.21 percent in September compared to the previous ...
