News
Myanmar brings forward presidential vote
The vote to appoint a new president in Myanmar has been brought forward by a week, to 10 March. The move likely means an end to negotiations on whether the constitution could be amended so Aung San Suu Kyi could take the top job. Ms Suu Kyi’s ...
Gender underplayed in KRT’s 002/01: report
The Khmer Rouge’s forced evacuation of Phnom Penh in 1975 and its fallout carried unique and at-times harsher consequences for women, a phenomenon that the Khmer Rouge tribunal missed a valuable opportunity to explore in Case 002/01, according to a new scholarly report. In Recognition of ...
Crop insurance takes root
A pilot project that offers micro-insurance to help rice farmers cope with the risks of flooding and drought is looking to build on the success of its first season by scaling up beyond three existing provinces. The Cambodia Micro Agriculture Insurance Scheme (CAMAIS), launched in the ...
Sihanoukville beach vendors’ hopes hinge on PM
About 60 business representatives from three Sihanoukville beaches gathered at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s beachside home in Sihanoukville on 29 February, in a second attempt to deliver a petition calling on him to intervene on a government directive for them to vacate the beach. The ...
Yangon stock exchange on track for March trading debut
The Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) is expected to begin shares trading by the second week of March, with dry-run testing already underway, an official from the Securities Exchange Commission of Myanmar (SECM) told The Irrawaddy on 29 February. Though the YSX officially “launched” late last year ...
Interest rate race has Vietnamese businesses on edge
In anticipation of the central bank’s possible move to further limit the use of short-term deposits for loans, banks in Vietnam have rushed to attract savings with higher interest rates, starting a competitive race that might soon hurt many borrowers. Latest figures from the central bank’s ...
Wildlife trafficking poses risks to public health
Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam and the high demand for exotic meat, jewelry, medicine and even pets is a threat not only to bio-diversity, but also to public health, according to environment experts. Experts said the illegal trade of products, which has both domestic and international origins, ...
Spotlight shines on Laos as it takes a turn in the ASEAN chair
As Laos kicks off its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, activists fear that the human rights agenda in the country and the region will get swamped by economic concerns and regional discord over issues like the partition of the South China Sea. “When ...
Thailand ranked 5th for threats
Thailand ranked fifth out of 25 countries in Asia for cyber security risks last year, says Romanian internet security software company Bitdefender. Globally, the country’s exposure to cyberattacks was ranked 11th. The rankings were based on the quantity of malware detected, said Michal Dominik, managing director ...
No decision on cable car project, Thai government says
The Thai government has yet to make a decision on the controversial Phu Kradueng cable car project, says government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd. Responding to criticism by environmentalists, Maj Gen Sansern said the cabinet has merely acknowledged the results of a feasibility study conducted by the Designated ...
