News
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi names former general to head key advisory panel
Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party on 4 February nominated Shwe Mann, one of the country’s most powerful politicians, to head a prominent legal advisory panel, as the freshly elected parliament prepares to choose a new president. Shwe Mann, the No. 3 in the junta ...
‘Fifth Estate’ app aims for govt accountability in Myanmar
In a country now saturated with smartphones and an information-hungry population, it was only a matter of time before someone developed an app for civic engagement with the newly elected National League for Democracy-led government. Enter Ko Soe Lin Htoot, a 32-year-old computer designer who hopes ...
Ethnic MPs get ready to take on the majority
Even though Myanmar’s NLD controls both houses of parliament, ethnic minority MPs are ready to take on the majority to improve ethnic rights. The representative of the Zomi Congress for Democracy, which won two upper house and two lower house seats, said that even with a small ...
Thai TV faces loss of digital licences over unpaid fees
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is expected to revoke the licences of cash-strapped Thai TV Co’s two channels without further notification on 8 February. Secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the regulator had offered the company many chances to solve its financial problems. Keep reading ...
Pacific Rim nations sign giant trade deal amid protests
The US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the biggest trade deals in history, was signed in New Zealand on 4 February as protestors demonstrated over fears for jobs and sovereignty. The ambitious deal, promising the elimination of nearly all tariffs among the 12 member nations, aims to break ...
Petrol-smuggling fight requires co-operation
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on ministries and agencies to co-operate better with the coast guard and border guard in fighting petrol smuggling. Phuc, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and ...
Vietnamese PM issues decree on nutrients newly required in food
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a decree to introduce iodine, iron, zinc and vitamin A as compulsory elements that need to be contained in Vietnamese food. Decree 09/2016/ND-CP on food fortification released last week and to take effect from 15 March this year ...
Thailand's NLA passes teen mom prevention bill
The National Legislative Assembly Thursday passed the final reading of a bill aimed at reducing pregnancies among teenage girls. The bill was passed in the third reading with 179 votes while six NLA members abstained. Keep reading ...
Police raid capital's drug-blighted village
Officials at an annual anti-drug police conference in the capital on 2 February called on authorities to renew their efforts to eradicate drugs in the blighted Phnom Penh village of Trapaing Chhouk, and this time, they said, make it work. As if on cue, a contingent of ...
Bavet SEZ hashes out fears with deputy PM
A representative of a Svay Rieng province special economic zone that was rocked by violent strikes in December discussed security and law enforcement during a meeting on 2 February with Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, the province’s ruling party lawmaker. Keep reading ...
