News
Mekong nations urge Laos to review Luang Prabang dam impacts
Neighboring countries have called on Laos to consider the cross-border environmental impacts of a hydropower plant it plans to build on the Mekong River. Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand expressed concern after the Mekong River Commission (MRC) completed a six-month consultation process for the Luang Prabang Dam project ...
Viet Anh
Vietnam ready to carry out REDD+
A meeting was held in Hanoi on June 26 to review the project on support for preparing the readiness to carry out the international framework “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation” (REDD+) in Vietnam Phase 2 (FCPF-2). The programme, from November 2016 to June 30, 2020, has been implemented ...
VNA
New study reveals attitudes towards climate migrants
A new study from an international team of researchers has looked at how residents in Vietnam and Kenya perceive those forced to migrate because of extreme climates. The research team, including Dr. Quynh Nguyen from The Australian National University (ANU) say climate-induced migration is becoming more ...
Jess Fagan, Australian National University
Laos urged to better assess impacts, provide effective mitigation measures, as Luang Prabang dam moves forwards
Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam requested Lao PDR to conduct rigorous transboundary impact assessments and enhance proposed measures to mitigate potential adverse impacts from the 1,460-megawatt Luang Prabang hydropower project, as the Mekong River Commission concluded a six-month prior consultation process for the project. At a ...
Mekong River Commission Secretariat, Vientiane, Lao PDR
Myanmar: Project to Boost Agricultural Productivity, Support Farmers in Wake of COVID-19
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $200 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to increase agricultural productivity and diversification and enhance market access for Myanmar farmers, with a strong focus on inclusion for smallholder farmers, women and other vulnerable ...
Kyaw Soe Lynn, WB in Myanmar; Nick Keyes, WB in Washington
Vietnam approves 7 GW of new wind projects
Vietnam has given the green light to almost a hundred new wind energy installations, indicating the nation keeps powering ahead with renewables amid fears of looming power shortages as industry and population boom. The Vietnamese government on Thursday (25 June) formally approved 7 gigawatts (GW) worth of ...
Tim Ha
Laos to plough on with third Mekong dam project
Laos is pushing ahead with a hydropower project on the Mekong River, despite reservations aired by neighbouring countries over its potential to harm fisheries and farming downstream, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on Wednesday. The 1,400-megawatt (MW) Luang Prabang project will be Laos’s third and ...
A crisis for workers
Venue closure, curfew and state policies enforced to contain the spread of Covid-19 are affecting the labour force severely. Workers experience the impact in different magnitudes, with some getting less pay and seeing their working hours reduced. Others manage to work from home. Some lose ...
MELALIN MAHAVONGTRAKUL
Thailand, Myanmar Burn More Than $2 Billion in Seized Drugs
Authorities in Myanmar and Thailand say they destroyed more than $2 billion in seized illegal drugs Friday to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In Bangkok and in Thailand’s Ayutthaya province to the north, government officials incinerated 25 tons of confiscated drugs, ...
VOA News
NGO Report Shows Little Improvement in Handling of Land Evictions
Urban land rights NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut released a research document on Monday showing a slowdown in land evictions in the capital, but said there was little evidence the process was improving or following human rights standards. The document, released by Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) and titled ...
Sun Narin, VOA Khmer