News
Made in ASEAN initiative on the cards
Thailand is set to team up with the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) and ASEAN members to push forward the Made in ASEAN initiative, making certain products to the same quality standards. Keep reading ...
Thai PM blames past policies for drought
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has blamed past policies that heavily promoted cash crops as a root cause of floods and drought. Commenting in the latest government’s newsletter, Gen Prayut said growing cash crops without controls leads to the destruction of forests and watershed areas, and even affects ...
Conservatives still call the shots in Vietnam and Laos
Vietnam and Laos, the only Communist regimes in South-east Asia, inducted new leadership this past week through party congresses. Changes in both cases saw conservatives prevail. The relatively secretive Lao People’s Revolutionary Party which runs Laos – which is chairman of the 10-nation Asean this year – chose Mr ...
Company denies illegal logging allegations
A company owned by a tycoon accused of logging vast stretches of forest in Cambodia’s Virachey National Park on 28 January fired back at its detractors, claiming that it paid the state more than $1 million in taxes and was cleared by a recent anti-illegal logging ...
Next step in malaria strategy: paying for it
Following the announcement on 27 January of an ambitious new five-year plan to eliminate malaria in Cambodia, National Centre for Malaria officials and donors met again on 28 January, this time to discuss patching up a $22.8 million budget gap to fund the strategy’s first two years. Financial ...
Agro investors must be flexible
French agribusiness Socfin Group, which has managed rubber plantations in Cambodia since 2008, has seen rubber prices plummet and land claims multiply while waiting for its first returns on investment. The Post’s Ananth Baliga sat down with Jef Boedt, general manager of Socfin Cambodia, to ...
Vientiane records over 6.9 trillion kip in public debt
Vientiane recorded public debt of more than 6.946 trillion kip, including 6.931 trillion kip of state investment debt remaining on contracts and 15 billion kip owed to utilities and other expenses. The figure was revealed at Vientiane’s monthly meeting for January attended by Vientiane Mayor Dr ...
Laos, Indonesia seek closer ties
Laos and Indonesia are taking steps to deepen their bilateral relations with the foreign ministers of the two Asian countries holding talks in Vientiane on 27 January. Visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Ms Retno Marsudi is in Laos for a two-day official trip on 27 and 28 ...
Vietnamese from Laos welcomed
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to support free migration for Vietnamese returning from Laos to settle in Vietnam. The plan will be carried out in 10 provinces that border Laos including Dien Bien, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, ...
Water to be stored in 36 disused mines
Thailand’s Primary Industries and Mines Department is preparing 36 disused mines for water storage to help address the drought crisis. If the mines can be used as planned, their combined capacity will be 166 million cubic metres, said director-general Chat Hongtiamchant. He said his department found 36 ...
