News
Laos releases dam water to ease drought in Vietnam's Mekong Delta
Laos has started releasing around 1,136 cubic meters of water per second from its dams to the Mekong River to help Vietnam’s southern region cope with severe drought and saltwater intrusion, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country planned to keep doing so ...
UN envoy meets with Sesan villagers to discuss dam site
The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia on 27 March promised villagers in Stung Treng province who are set to be displaced by the construction of the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam for the massive energy project that she would raise their plight with the ...
Unusual items bump February exports up 10.3%
Thai exports grew in February for the first time in 14 months, thanks to two unusual items — helicopters and an eight-fold increase from a month earlier in gold shipments. In February, customs-cleared exports rose 10.27% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. ...
ASEAN defence personnel call for closer cooperation
A vision for politics and security in the region, tackling non-military threats and challenges, and maintaining cooperation in national defence were tabled for discussion at the Track II 9th Network of Asean Defence and Security Institutions meeting, which opened in Vientiane on 24 March. Keep reading ...
State, private and foreign banks to compete for SOE clients
Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...
Myanmar fishing slaves in Indonesia to go home, ‘tip of the iceberg’
A final group of 24 fishing boat slaves is preparing to return home to Burma this week from Indonesia, aid workers said at a trafficking meeting in Bali, one of them calling the 1,200 slaves repatriated since last year the “tip of the iceberg.” Keep reading ...
Plan aims to rebuild silk sector
With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...
Water supply distribution to expand in Vientiane
The Lao government has set a water connection rate goal for Vientiane of 90 percent by 2020, while the current rate remains at around 80 percent and the existing water treatment plants already operate at overload capacity. The water distribution network is also inadequate, resulting ...
National bank ups cash reserve requirements
The National Bank of Cambodia has doubled the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks and significantly raised the requirements for microfinance institutions in a move experts say will protect and consolidate the country’s banking sector. Capital requirements are used by central banks worldwide to ensure ...
Vietnam seeks private investment for $721 million highway
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to attract private investment for a highway project in the Mekong Delta with a cost estimate of VND16.34 trillion (US$721 million), the government office said on on 23 March. Keep reading ...
