News
Controversial Luang Prabang Dam Construction Well Underway in Laos
Construction of the controversial Luang Prabang Dam on the Mekong River, near the ancient Lao capital of the same name, is making rapid headway, according to Lao energy officials. Access roads, including a 14-kilometer spur to the dam from a nearby highway and a road that ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Rescuers in Vietnam Search for Dozens Missing after Deadly Landslides
Rescuers in Vietnam are searching villages for dozens of people missing after a typhoon described by officials as the most powerful to hit Vietnam in 20 years triggered landslides, killing at least 35 people. The state-run Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday that nearly two dozen people ...
VOA News
Early Voting Begins in Myanmar Election
Despite Myanmar’s growing coronavirus caseload and continuing unrest in some areas, early voting began Thursday for the November 8 general election, which involves nearly 100 political parties and contests for the upper and lower houses of the national, state and regional governments. Early voters include citizens ...
May Kha
After Mekong Data Deal, Experts Call for More Upstream Information, Transparency
While welcoming China’s decision to share hydrological data with Mekong nations, experts said the next step would be to expand the information shared and to make this data accessible to citizens and communities who most need it. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) and China’s Water Resource ...
Aun Chhengpor/VOA Khmer
Myanmar aims for 14% power generation from renewable sources
Myanmar is aiming to generate 14 percent of the country’s electricity needs through renewable energy, U Win Khaing, Minister of Electricity and Energy, said during the Singapore International Energy Week 2020 held during October 26 to 30. He said Myanmar needs to choose sustainable sources of ...
Chan Mya Htwe
Land erosion worsens in the Mekong Delta
he damage caused by landslides in the Mekong Delta provinces has been increasing yearly. Localities such as Ca Mau, Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, and Bac Lieu have declared a state of emergency because of landslides. Solutions to limit the damage caused by landslides in the Mekong Delta are ...
VNS/VNA
Cabinet okays Mekong MOUs
The cabinet has approved two draft memorandums of understanding (MOU) that will set in motion the effective management of water resources for countries connected to the Mekong River, says the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR). The MOUs will establish international cooperation under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation ...
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA
Laos to Reopen Border to Travelers From China Under Streamlined COVID-19 Rules
Laos is set to fast-track entry for travelers from China beginning Sunday, relaxing controls on a northern border crossing previously tightly shut to prevent the spread of COVID-19, under relaxed quarantine policies that worry some ordinary Laos, sources in the country told RFA. Under a recent ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
World Bank provides emergency financing for small businesses
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors last week approved US$40 million in emergency finance support for small and medium-sized businesses in Laos to help them recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said in a press release. The funding will be channelled ...
Times Reporters
Vietnam Plans to Become Solid Middle-Class Nation by 2025
Vietnam’s top leaders have resolved to become at least a middle-income country over the next five years, an about-face from abject poverty in the 1980s, by attracting more foreign investment in manufacturing. The Communist Party’s Central Committee wrapped up a plenary session October 8 held to ...
Ralph Jennings