News
Passenger train services to resume
Passenger trains are set to roll between Phnom Penh and Cambodia’s coast next month for the first time in 14 years, a railway official said on 1 March. Sam Oeun Tith, commercial manager of Royal Railway, which holds a 30-year concession to operate the country’s railways, said ...
Index stresses risk of violence
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s (CPP) popularity will continue to wane, and change is on the horizon for Cambodia, although that change could be violent, according to the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) 2016 report. The BTI has been published every two years since 2006, monitoring countries’ progress ...
Shan rights groups call for mine clearance
Shan State locals are demanding the government clear landmines from conflict areas surrounding villages in the north of the state. The Kachin Ethnic Network of Shan State made the request in Yangon on 1 March during a press conference. They also demanded armed groups stop detaining civilians. Keep reading ...
Questions for rights body as NLD prepares to take office
In what many have hailed as a new dawn in terms of respect for human rights in Myanmar with the coming to power of a National League for Democracy government, some activists are questioning how much, and how soon, anything is going to change. The focus is ...
Call for manufacturers to cut water usage
Thailand’s Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) is urging businesses to cut water consumption to help reduce the adverse effects from the intensifying drought. JSCCIB chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree said he expected to see a 20-30% drop in water consumption from now through the end ...
Activists demand big hike in booze taxes
The Thai government should increase taxes on alcohol just as it has done with cigarettes in order to discourage new drinkers, the Centre for Alcohol Studies says. Sawitree Assanangkornchai, the centre’s director said alcoholic beverages were considered dangerous and created health and social problems ranging ...
Law change may allow drug abusers to choose rehab
Thai Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said on 2 March that Thailand was amending the law to allow drug abusers serving less than four years in prison for other crimes to volunteer for a rehabilitation programme. Keep reading ...
Int'l hydro conference highlights need for sustainability
The Lao government is hosting the sixth International Conference and Exhibition on Water Resources and Hydropower Development in Asia, aiming to promote the balance of the role of hydropower in the world and highlight challenges. The three-day event runs from March 1-3 in Vientiane. It gathers ...
Thailand kept near bottom of political risk index
Despite a return of political stability after the May 2014 coup, Thailand is kept near the bottom of an Asian political risk index due to its “fundamental divisions” and concerns over the king’s health, a research unit of Fitch Group said. BMI Research gave Thailand the ...
Mission to Seafarers expands with new center in Myanmar
The city of Yangon in Myanmar is home to the Mission to Seafarers’ newest port facility. The Anglican mission agency’s newest mission centre was dedicated on 28 February during a service at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon). The new facility is located ...
