News
Posing for ‘poverty porn’: The murky ethics of NGO fundraising ‘hero shots’
The young girl in Sunrise Cambodia’s recent fundraising campaign has been labelled a “sex worker” in glossy typeface. Her face is smeared with dirt. She is accompanied by a “trafficked kid” and a “homeless teen” on the page. “Just because it raises money, it doesn’t ...
Move to grow artificial forest in Nan dubbed unsustainable
Critics claim an all-star conservation group set up to tackle deforestation has missed the mark by advocating an artificially grown forest, which they say will not result in sustainability and rich biodiversity. Many people have welcomed the plan by the Plook Loei Group, which is led ...
Government will start chipping away at protected areas
Between 2009 and 2012, the Ministry of Environment went on nationwide leasing spree, signing over vast swaths of the country’s nominally protected areas to private companies for rubber plantations and other agribusiness ventures. A new map of Cambodia’s protected areas shows the 36,000-hectare concession controlled by ...
Meet touts benefits of ‘Thailand 4.0’
The government is pursuing its “Thailand 4.0” project by utilising innovative technology to improve quality of life, productivity and efficiency for all businesses in the nation. The government will also come out with new laws this year related to digitisation, while the Information and Communications Technology Ministry ...
Vietnam hopes for deepened ties with Japan: PM
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed hope that his visit to Japan from May 26-28 will create new impetus to further strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and Japan, in the interests of the two countries’ people, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the ...
Details of Kingdom’s first double taxation agreement released
In what could be Cambodia’s biggest step forward into the ASEAN Economic Community in terms of taxation deals and fiscal transparency, details on Cambodia’s first bilateral double taxation agreement (DTA) with Singapore have been released. Mey Vann, director of financial industry at the Ministry of Economy ...
ASEAN officials discuss minimum labour standards
President of the Lao Federation of Trade Unions, Mr Pan Noymany, highlighted the issue at the 2nd Validation Forum on ASEAN Minimum Labour Standards held in Vientiane on 26 May having reaffirmed its commitment to work with the trade union organisations of ASEAN countries to share experiences ...
Chevron mulls gas field stake sale amid concessions rejig
Chevron Corp is weighing a sale of a roughly US$500-million stake in its Thailand gas field even as the government moves to negotiate a better return from petroleum concessions held the US company and PTT Exploration & Production Plc. Chevron is seeking to divest some Asian ...
Govt revamps illegal fishing command hub
Thailand government has ordered a restructuring of the Command Centre to Combat Illegal Fishing with Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikulya replacing navy chief Na Areenij as head of the center. Under the new structure, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, particularly its Fisheries Department, will be the ...
Government relocates Yangon squatters
The Yangon divisional government plans to relocate squatters and provide them with temporary housing, said Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein on 25 May at a press conference. He warned against trespassing and living on vacant, private or government land from 25 May onward, and said that people ...
