News
Rough seas impede oil spill cleanup
Thailand’s Marine Department on 27 February said it had not been able to clean up the oil spill from the capsized cruise liner Ocean Dream off Koh Nok in Chon Buri’s Si Racha district due to high winds and waves impeding their operations. In a press statement, the department ...
242 billion kip lost to corruption, inspection reveals
A Myanmar government inspection committee has uncovered almost 242 billion kip in lost assets due to corruption in 2015, resulting in 95 officials being disciplined. The shocking figures were released in a report that summarised the work of the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee, ...
Pat Ja San reports being ambushed on poppy mission
Dozens of Kachin anti-narcotics campaigners were injured after a poppy eradication campaign was met with gunfire and grenades on 25 February. After a week-long stand-off, Pat Ja San reached an agreement with Kachin State authorities to re-launch the eradication mission, despite protests of angry poppy farmers ...
TNLA field clearing suspended by air strikes
In Myanmar, Tatmadaw air strikes have put a quick end to an ethnic armed group’s foray into poppy field eradication. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army began clearing fields in Nam-hsan and Kutkai townships in northern Shan State on 16 February, according to Tar Gyoke Ja, vice ...
Travel agency calls for safety checks
The Lao Association of Travel Agencies (LATA) is asking its members to conduct safety checks on all tour vehicles following the tragic bus and minivan collision on 21 February which claimed the lives of four Korean tourists. The road accident in Kasy district, Vientiane province also ...
Laos starts off as ASEAN chair with ministers' retreat
Laos kicks off its Asean chairmanship on 26 February with an agenda-setting foreign ministers’ retreat in Vientiane, its capital on the east bank of the Mekong River. Analysts say this year could be a coming of age for the “lower-middle income economy”, where poverty continues to be ...
China’s expanding influence in Laos
The recently signed Joint General Scheme of Mohan–Boten Economic Cooperation Zone is the first cross-border economic cooperation zone that China has established in Laos and, for that matter, in the whole of Southeast Asia. The deal hints at the Asian giant’s goal to expand its ...
Thai Government dusts off cable car scheme
The Thai government has dusted off the controversial 4.4-km Phu Kradueng cable car project, initiated more than 30 years ago, claiming there will be little environmental impact during its construction and that it has overwhelming support from locals. The move came amid strong opposition from environmentalists. Keep reading ...
Casinos could bring B100bn windfall
More than 100 billion baht a year in tax revenue is expected to pour into state coffers if casinos are legalised in Thailand, according to a study conducted by the dean of Rangsit University’s College of Social Innovation. The estimated revenue excludes contributions from tourism and ...
Food shipments expected to rebound after 2015 slip
Despite a contraction of 1.9% last year, Thailand’s National Food Institute (NFI) expects food exports this year will grow by 5.8%. The optimism is based largely on rising demand for some food segments in neighbouring emerging markets and government efforts to boost exports. NFI president Yongvut Saovapruk attributed ...
