News
Lao loggers backed by corrupt officials pillaged Champassak forests in July
Illegal logging in southern Laos’ Champassak province was particularly devastating on forests in July, according to a local police officer, who said businessmen working in tandem with high-ranking officials raced to cut timber in the region ahead of the start of the rainy season. The police ...
Flood coordination drastically improved, but not without flaws
According to the National Natural Disaster Management Committee, the ongoing flood crisis has critically affected more than 1.6 million people, displaced over 333,000 households and killed at least 110 people. The massive relief effort is still under way, with the current outpouring of humanitarian aid more ...
Foreign experts surveying for new Chin State capital
Experts from Germany are taking surveys on the earth quality in Hakha, as plans to relocate the landslide-prone Chin State capital move ahead. While a survey is already being conducted by the government, the Hakha Rescue Committee said it has contracted another, separate assessment by international ...
As water recedes, mud poses new problems
Even as floodwaters recede, landslide-plagued Chin State and some villages in Sagaing Region remain inaccessible behind a thick wall of mud. For more than a month, transportation to the hard-hit and impoverished areas has been almost impossible. Flash floods wiped out roads and then deposited deep ...
Gov’t eyes ban on asbestos
Cambodia may soon join other countries in banning the import and use of asbestos, which is known to have serious health consequences, officials have said at a symposium organised by the Ministry of Labour and Union Aid Abroad, an Australian aid NGO. Speaking at the event, ...
Advertising signs in Laos still not conforming
Shops and restaurants in Laos are still not following the law because much, if not all, of their signs and banners are written in a foreign language. All signboards are legally required to feature the Lao language predominantly, on top and in the most prominent position, ...
Kazakhstan President’s Special Envoy visits Cambodia, Laos
Kazakhstan’s Special Envoy of the President and Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Mussinov visited Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries Cambodia and Laos 12-13 August in the framework of promoting his country’s bid to secure a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security ...
Thailand’s Mekong water-diversion plan raises concerns
The Thai government’s statement in late July that it is considering bringing water from the Mekong, Moei and Salween rivers to farmland to nine of its provinces has raised major concerns. The water diversion has been described as a move to ‘extract blood from the Mekong’s ...
Vietnam's steel output reaches highest in a decade
Building steel output in July reached 613,000 tonnes, posting 51.5 per cent increase over the same period last year and marking the record high in the past 10 years, said the Vietnam Steel Association. Keep reading ...
HCM City speeds up work on special economic zone
The HCM City administration has instructed relevant agencies to finalise plans for the establishment of a special economic zone encompassing districts 7, Binh Chanh, Nha Be, and Can Gio. Keep reading ...
