News
Heavy rainfall eases drought effects in Mekong Delta
Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on July 29. But it said river levels across all ...
UCA News reporter, Vientiane
In Laos, a Dubious Dam Threatens Luang Prabang
When investors in 2019 announced plans to build a massive hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River just upstream from Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital of the former Kingdom of Laos, they drew a slew of criticism. So much criticism, in fact, that UNESCO—which has ...
Nathan Thompson
Thailand’s hospitals under pressure as Covid crisis deepens
Thailand’s worsening Covid outbreak is placing intense pressure on hospitals, forcing doctors to treat patients in parking lots and turn away people who are severely ill. The country was widely praised for its Covid response last year, when it maintained one of the lowest caseloads in ...
Rebecca Ratcliffe and Navaon Siradapuvadol in Bangkok
Ministry of Water Resources issues warning of rising Mekong River levels, caused by Typhoon CEMPAKA
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has warned that the Mekong River will rise in the next three to four days, which could cause flooding in the lower Mekong Delta. Affected areas will be: Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham and other provinces. The rise of ...
Displaced Myanmar Civilians Denied UN Aid
United Nations aid to displaced people from Mindat, a mountainous town in Chin State which saw fighting between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters, is only reaching areas permitted by Myanmar’s regime. This week UN humanitarian organization the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered ...
THE IRRAWADDY
Mekong Delta attractive to renewable energy investment
Eleven of 13 cities and provinces in the region hold great potential for solar energy development, with average solar radiation of 1.387-1.534 Kwh per year. Coastal areas in the region have high potential to develop wind power, with wind speeds of 6.5-7m per second. Taking advantage of its natural conditions and investment ...
VNA
Chinese Embassy in Cambodia refutes false report by Reuters on Mekong River data 'hacking'
The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia on Thursday refuted a false report published by Reuters, which claimed that Chinese hackers “stole Mekong [River] data from Cambodia.” The Reuters report, also published on Thursday, quoted the US Justice Department and two anonymous sources as saying that Chinese hackers ...
Global Times
Chinese hackers stole Mekong data from Cambodian foreign ministry - sources
Buried in a long U.S. indictment accusing China of a global cyberespionage campaign was a curious detail: Among the governments targeted by Chinese hackers was Cambodia, one of Beijing’s most loyal Asian allies. The target of the hack, which two sources with knowledge of the indictment ...
Prak Chan ThulJames Pearson
Heavy Job Losses in Myanmar Since Coup: ILO Report
Myanmar lost an estimated 1.2 million jobs in the second quarter following the February military coup that crippled an economy already weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). “Myanmar was already facing economic stress with jobs and livelihoods under threat as ...
THE IRRAWADDY
Myanmar’s Electricity Sector Crippled Since Military Coup
The military coup has created a crisis in Myanmar’s electricity sector, which has lost billions of dollars in income and been beset by prolonged power outages across the country due to mismanagement by the junta and the public’s refusal to support the regime, Independent Economists ...
THE IRRAWADDY