News
China dam claims should be studied, says rivers official
A new report that found China’s upstream dam management is responsible for dangerously low water levels and drought conditions along the Mekong River needs to be “studied”, according to a Cambodian National Mekong Commission official. The report, titled “Monitoring the Quantity of Water Flowing Through the ...
Khy Sovuthy
Thailand’s marine life is rebounding during Covid-19 crisis
The Marine National Park in the southern province of Trang spotted 4 dugongs, 4 dolphins and 8 sea turtles offshore near Hat Chao Mai National Park. The MNP and Hat Chao Mai National Park conducted the observation by sea and air covering the areas abundant ...
Sean Kelly
Technology and e-commerce companies respond to the crisis
Services that deliver food, groceries, medical supplies and packages are among the few businesses thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic after local authorities ordered the closure of bars, dine-in restaurants, and entertainment facilities throughout much of Myanmar. More and more Myanmar people are practising social distancing ...
Andrew King
PM warns of fake Facebook pages
Prime Minister Hun Sen reminded Facebook users on Thursday not to be cheated by fake news spread by anonymous people. He said they used his name to post false news that misled the public, and that specialists have come up with ways to block such account ...
Long Kimmarita
Three Arrested in Laos for Illegally Mining Gold on Land Leased by Chinese Company
Authorities in Laos’ Luang Prabang province arrested three rural villagers for trespassing after they tried to mine gold on land granted in a concession to a Chinese company, RFA has learned. The villagers, from Phapon village in Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou district, were initially detained by ...
RFA’s Lao Service
Cambodia’s Senate Approves State of Emergency Law as UN Expert Warns of its Risks to Rights
Legislation authorizing a state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Cambodia risks violating the right to privacy, free speech, and peaceful assembly, a United Nations expert said Friday, as lawmakers gave their final approval of the bill. “Emergency measures must be necessary ...
New study shows China caused drought in the Mekong, local experts must have control of their resources
“No fish. Nothing. We can only catch enough to eat ourselves. We fish through the night and all we catch is one or two skewers for cooking,” a Lao fisherman told Radio Free Asia earlier this year. He spoke to journalists on his boat on the Mekong River ...
Skylar Lindsay
US ambassador talks forest protection
US ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy and the Greening Prey Lang project discussed conservation technology being used in Cambodia to preserve natural resources. The USAID-funded Greening Prey Lang is a project that promotes resilient, low-emissions development and inclusive and sustainable management of the Prey Lang forest. In ...
Ry Sochan
OPINION: China's drain on Mekong
More water discharged from Chinese dams to the lower Mekong River in the dry season and less water in the rainy season. That means a reduction of drought and flooding in the lower Mekong countries. That was the ideal “cooperation” Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam ...
Forest fires rage in northern Thailand
While the world’s attention has been focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, northern Thailand has been experiencing the worst forest fires in decades. Already raging since mid-March, the fires are projected to continue well into May. With the news of the pandemic dominating international media, the choking ...
Sonia Sambhi