News
Farmers given 90 days to hand in chemicals
Manufacturers or importers of hazardous agrochemicals paraquat and chlorpyrifos — which are banned under Thai law — have 270 days to destroy their stock while a 90-day deadline has also been given to farmers to return the chemicals for destruction as their possession is considered ...
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Laos' debt woes worsen as bills for China-funded dams loom
COVID-19 has rattled Laos’ debut in selling a U.S. dollar bond in international markets, adding pressure on a country whose “Wild West of dam building” splurge has put it in a precarious repayment situation, especially in regard to China, its leading lender. Sources familiar with the ...
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
Mekong River offshoot erodes like a drill
A sediment-poor Mekong River branch cutting through An Giang Province is causing erosion due to rapid water flow. A three kilometer section of Hau River, a branch of the Mekong, is straitened by half in width when passing through An Giang’s Chau Phu District. Besides this natural ...
Cuu Long
Drought, scorching summer demand turn the heat on power industry
Prolonged drought and increased summer demand are exerting great pressure on the electricity industry as water levels in several major dams drop significantly. Doan Tien Cuong, director of Ialy Hydropower Company, told local media that water level at the 720 MW Ialy Hydropower Plant in the ...
Dang Khoa
Vietnam leads ASEAN through COVID-19
COVID-19 is posing serious challenges to ASEAN in 2020. But Vietnam, as ASEAN chair, is trying to make the best of the situation and demonstrate leadership. As 2020 marks a mid-term review of the implementation of the ASEAN Community Building Blueprints 2015–25, Vietnam chose ‘Cohesive ...
Bich T Tran
JICA to commence studies for deep-sea port at Dawei SEZ
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will commence preliminary studies for the construction of a deep-sea port at Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) this year, officials of the Dawei SEZ Committee said. “JICA first proposed the study in December 2019 but the process was waylaid by ...
Vietnam drafts new law to protect environment
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà has said amending the Law on Environment Protection is urgent to ensure the country’s sustainable development. Presenting a draft for a new law to the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday (May 26), he said the current law ...
Cambodian firm accused of creating a ‘monopoly in the timber business’
A surge in deforestation alerts from Cambodia’s Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary has raised fresh concerns over the role of a controversial timber firm in illegal logging. The 34,000-hectare (17,000 acre) Think Biotech concession was approved in 2012 under an agreement between Cambodia and South Korea aiming ...
DANIELLE KEETON-OLSEN
NESDC: 14.4m workers at risk
Thailand may lose up to 14.4 million jobs in the second and third quarters, largely because of the coronavirus outbreak and widespread drought, says the government’s planning unit. Of the total, some 8.4 million workers are estimated to be at risk of job loss, 2.5 million ...
CHATRUDEE THEPARAT
Investigation exposes European firms exploiting loophole to import Myanmar teak
Investigators have uncovered a scheme by European timber traders to evade E.U. laws by supplying Myanmar teak to the continent’s marine sector, including for decking on superyachts. The investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) was based on documents obtained from the Croatian agriculture ministry. The documents detailed ...
