News
Bombing tied to people smuggling
Police are giving weight to possible connections between the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier bombings and Uighur smuggling rings allowing migrants to flee China and head to Turkey. National police chief Somyot Poompunmuang on 3 September said as police pieced information together, it was becoming increasingly clear that those ...
Laos officially approves controversial dam project
Laos’ parliament has approved the concession agreement for a controversial dam project, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2015, media sources reported earlier this week. Keep reading ...
Thousands out of work as minimum wage kicks off
More than 1000 factory workers have lost their job in the wake of the new minimum wage, according to the Ministry of Labour. Just one factory has so far closed however. U Maung Maung Hlaing, head of the Labour Laws Inspection Department in Hlaing Tharyar township, said ...
Funding shortfalls hinder new development bodies
Lack of funding is impeding a new – and potentially significant – mechanism for decentralising social services, a recent study has found. The Asia Foundation study, “Municipal Governance in Myanmar: An Overview of Development Affairs Organizations”, was released on 1 September. The findings focus on development ...
Experts discuss ecotourism promotion in Laos
Nearly 100 experts on tourism gathered in a southern town of Laos on 4 September to discuss ways to promote the country’s eco-friendly tourism, a key to boosting its local economy. Under the theme of “Reinforcing sustainable Tourism in Laos,” the one-day workshop held in Pakse, offered ...
Project to focus on flood-hit livestock
About 8000 livestock in Ayeyarwady Region’s Ingapu township that are suffering a range of flood-related maladies will receive a three-month-long program or treatment and food supplements, a township veterinary official said. Keep reading ...
Minister declares Vietnam map issue resolved
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong has demanded an end to opposition politicking on the Vietnam border issue, following the second and “final” verification of maps used by the government to demarcate the eastern boundary against French charts. Namhong, also a deputy prime minister, on 3 September presided ...
Government calls for lower fuel prices
The government on 3 September asked fuel retailers to lower petroleum prices, so as to reflect the drop in global prices in the last few months. At a meeting chaired by Chhoun Dara, a secretary of state at the Commerce Ministry, oil companies were given a week ...
Cambodia logs top spot
Forest loss in Cambodia has accelerated faster than any other country in the world since 2001, according to a leading resource-monitoring initiative. Satellite data released by Global Forest Watch suggest that Cambodia has experienced the highest rate of tree-cover loss in the world over the past ...
Lao authorities pick new company to complete road upgrade project
Government authorities in Laos have selected a new company to upgrade a major thoroughfare in the capital Vientiane, after the firm submitted an estimate that was lower than one quoted by a Chinese company believed to have ties to the country’s national leaders. A survey conducted ...
