News
World Bank debars German oil and gas contractor for 13 months
The World Bank has announced the 13-month debarment of Germany’s Ferrostall Oil & Gas (FSOG), an engineering, procurement and construction contractor for oil, gas and other industrial plants. It is in connection with an alleged fraudulent practice under the Bank-financed Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management Project in Myanmar. The ...
Priyanka Shrestha
Laos Issues New Decree on Dams Aimed at Minimizing Harm
The government of Laos issued new guidelines for managing hydropower dams aimed at minimizing water shortages and flooding, state media reported on Thursday, amid debate on how its hydropower boom has altered the vital Mekong River. The new decree, effective March 4, requires all hydropower operators ...
Reuters
The US Government Launches Cambodian Agricultural Partnership Competition
The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched a new private sector competition for agricultural partnerships that addresses key challenges in Cambodia’s agriculture sector including cold chain, storage capacity, and logistics. “The United States is a long-standing partner to Cambodia and ...
US pledges to enhance cooperation with Mekong subregion’s countries
The US will bolster support for countries in the Mekong subregion through the Mekong-US partnership, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Atul Keshap said at a recent online seminar to reveal results of a report ...
VNA
Mekong needs tough govt stance
On Feb 8, Charge d’Affaires of Chinese Embassy Yang Xin paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in which they exchanged Chinese New Year’s wishes, looking ahead for warmer relations and closer cooperation. One topic was missing from their friendly talks: the fluctuating water ...
BANGKOK POST EDITORIAL COLUMN
New dam management guidelines to minimise water issues
New guidelines issued recently by the government aim to minimise water shortages and flooding both downstream and upstream of hydropower plants. Once water levels in reservoirs rise to a critical point, dam operators are required to notify the relevant authorities, under a new decree issued by ...
Times Reporters
Cambodia: Widespread illegal logging in Prey Lang rainforest amid ban on community patrols
Widespread illegal logging and the repression of environmental activism are among the grave threats to Cambodia’s Prey Lang rainforest, Amnesty International said today, one year after authorities banned environmental defenders from entering the Prey Lang wildlife sanctuary. Recent images and remote sensing data reviewed by Amnesty ...
Lao PDR: New Project to Protect Landscapes and Enhance Livelihoods
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$57 million project to help Lao PDR promote sustainable forest management, improve protected area management, and enhance livelihoods opportunities in eight provinces across the country. Project funding comes from the World Bank’s International Development Association, ...
Newsroom
Human Rights Abuses in Laos Are Rampant. International Businesses Should Take Action.
Authoritarianism in Laos is at the root of illegal land grabs, land grievances, and ongoing human rights violations. The upcoming elections in Laos are unlikely to change this. International business stakeholders, however, can do more to support local communities and uphold fundamental human rights. The Lao ...
Malaak Jamal and Jenny Wang
Myanmar Press Council Members Resign Over Military Directives
Half of Myanmar Press Council’s members resigned last week, saying they are unable to protect press freedom, uphold media ethics, or protect the safety of fellow journalists. The 15 resignations on the press council come in response to directives issued by Myanmar’s military to news outlets ...
Nyan Win Aung