News
Reththy, Agriculture Ministry continue to squabble
The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a request from private-sector rubber firms – led by agricultural tycoon Mong Reththy – for a meeting to discuss the floundering fortunes of the nation’s rubber sector, claiming the ministry was busy and was already addressing the issue. The rejection ...
Lancang-Mekong leaders agree to pursue peaceful, prosperous region
Leaders from the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River agreed on 23 March in China’s Hainan province to join forces to build a peaceful and prosperous community, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, and has reached the agreement at the first Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting ...
Mekong Basin nations advised to step up disease surveillance
The six Mekong Basin countries convened in Vientiane on 23 March to discuss ways to increase their cooperation in disease surveillance, especially in border areas, to curb the spread of infectious diseases. Representatives from Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam attended the Mekong Basin Disease ...
Suu Kyi listed among NLD cabinet nominees
Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy chairwoman, was named on 22 March on a list of 18 Union-level ministers announced by Myanmar’s Parliament, all but ensuring she will be a member of the incoming government’s cabinet. Keep reading ...
Villagers torch ELC guard posts in land dispute protest
More than 200 people from five villages in Preah Vihear and Siem Reap provinces burned two rubber company guard posts to the ground on March 21, in protest of the planned clearing of at least 1,000 hectares of disputed farmland and forests, including land on ...
In Arakan State, resource control fuels conflict
In a new report, Arakan Oil Watch has urged Myanmar’s incoming government to amend the Constitution in an effort to quell tensions between the military and the country’s ethnic armed groups. “Breaking the Curse,” released on 22 March by the environmental non-government organization, describes the “decentralization of ...
Vietnam’s parliament to elect new president, prime minister next month
Vietnamese legislators are set to elect the country’s new prime minister in a secret ballot on April 7 during a National Assembly session. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is expected to have a speech to conclude his term on April 6 before officially stepping down from the position on ...
Evictions signal coastal development dilemma
With the threat of eviction hanging over businesses on Sihanoukville’s O’Chheuteal and O’Tres beaches, land rights advocates congregated in Phnom Penh this week to give voice to thousands of families locked in land disputes with powerful firms turning swaths of coastline into tourism destinations. Keep reading ...
One villager’s struggle for justice at Heinda tin mine
For more than a decade, U Saw Dar Shwe has been fighting a battle against a Thai tin mining company which he says has irreparably destroyed his land. A smallholder areca palm farmer and ethnic Kayin, U Saw Dar Shwe has repeatedly refused compensation from Myanmar ...
HAGL launches second phase of Myanmar centre
Vietnamese developer Hoang Anh Gia Lai has started building the second phase of its landmark Myanmar Centre, which will include two office towers and five residential towers including serviced apartments and units for sale. Keep reading ...
