News
Deforestation of endangered wildlife habitat continues to surge in southern Myanmar
Tanintharyi, Myanmar’s portion of the spit of land that splits the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea, is still swathed in old growth rainforest home to a unique medley of animals and plants – some of which are endangered and found nowhere else on ...
Morgan Erickson-Davis
Forest loss in mountains of Southeast Asia accelerates at ‘shocking’ pace
Southeast Asia is home to roughly half of the world’s tropical mountain forests. These highland ecosystems support massive carbon stores and tremendous biodiversity, including a host of species that occur nowhere else on the planet. But new evidence suggests these havens are in grave danger. ...
Carolyn Cowan
Sweden supports Cambodia towards a circular economy
On 28 June, the Cambodian National Council for Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Environment launched the implementation of the National Strategic Plan and Action Plan for a circular economy with financial support from Sweden, Japan, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The strategy includes ...
Mette Larsen
Japan Shifts Toward Clean Energy in Southeast Asia as China Stokes up Coal
Japan has launched a $10 billion fund to promote clean energy in Southeast Asia, amid growing signs that the world’s third-largest economy is shifting away from the investments in coal-fired power generation still heavily promoted by its key strategic rival for regional influence – China. The Asia ...
COVID-19 Cases Surge in Southeast Asian Countries, as Officials Call for Renewed Attention to Prevention
With COVID-19 infections and deaths rising in Myanmar and its neighbors, deposed national leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called on citizens in the military-ruled country to strictly observe all precautions aimed at preventing the pandemic’s spread, her lawyers said on Monday. Following a court hearing ...
Reported by RFA’s Myanmar, Lao, Vietnamese, and Khmer Services. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane, Max Avary, Viet Ha, and Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Luang Prabang Dam a threat to World Heritage?
The Lao government is intent on building a dam on the Mekong just upstream of the country’s old royal capital. Despite the project having undergone design work, environmental impact assessment and a prior consultation process managed by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), no impact assessment ...
PHILIP HIRSCH
Vietnam worried about continued violence, extreme racial discrimination
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has urged the Israeli side to exercise maximum restraint and take measures to prevent hostile and racist acts in all forms. Addressing a meeting on June 24 of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the Middle ...
VNA
Lao Deputy PM: Laos treasures ties with Vietnam
General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and State President Thongloun Sisoulith’s selection of Vietnam for his first overseas trip after taking office demonstrates the importance that Laos attaches to the great friendship, special solidary and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. The ...
VNA
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)As Phuket opens, Bangkok, 9 provinces face new restrictions
Things are changing next week in the level of severity of the rules and restrictions for Covid-19 safety and control. No, we’re not talking about loosening all the restrictions in the Phuket Sandbox reopening, we’re referring to partial lockdowns in Bangkok and 9 other provinces around Thailand ...
Neill Fronde
Chinese private security presence is growing in Southeast Asia, report finds
Chinese businesses with risky investments in Southeast Asia’s Mekong region are increasingly turning to legal, China-based private security companies for protection, according to a new report. The Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) found that China-based companies account for 29 of the 49 foreign private ...
Joshua Berlinger
