News
Mekong pumps to ease Isan drought
Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department has begun pumping water from the Mekong River and redirecting it to drought-afflicted regions of the Northeast. The RID has shied away from using the term “diverted”, instead saying only that it is “using” the water as it looks to bypass consultation ...
In rare visit to tiny Laos, Kerry seeks closer relations
Secretary of State John F. Kerry arrived on 24 January in Laos, where the United States is helping the government clear a countryside still littered with unexploded ordnance dating to the Vietnam War. Kerry’s one-day stop for talks with senior officials marks a rare diplomatic visit. He ...
Myanmar released 29 political prisoners before power transfer
The Myanmar government under outgoing President Thein Sein on 22 January freed 29 political prisoners across the country, 18 of them from the notorious Insein Prison in the capital Yangon. Keep reading ...
Police to protect Kachin poppy destroyers
More than 1000 activists of a Christian-based anti-narcotics group are to have police protection after getting the go-ahead from the Kachin State government to destroy over 1600 hectares (4000 acres) of opium poppy fields. Permission was received on 21 January to mount the mass operation in Waingmaw ...
Disaster-prone year uses fraction of possible emergency fund
In a year of disastrous floods, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation accounted for more than 62 percent of total emergency expenditure, parliament heard on 21 January. Yet barely over one-tenth of the K100 billion emergency fund under the president’s control was utilised. The President’s Office ...
Chinese cash in on Thai solar power
Chinese solar companies are looking for opportunities in Thailand as an alternative growth destination to China, where the renewable power market has reached saturation point, according to BMI Research. Thailand is emerging as an attractive destination for renewable energy investment as the government looks to reduce the country’s reliance ...
Taiwan raises travel notices after Thai case of Zika virus
Taiwan has raised travel notices for five ASEAN nations, including Thailand and the Maldives, after a northern Thai man was hospitalised in Taiwan with a confirmed case of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus. Keep reading ...
Ho Chi Minh City cleans up the workplace
Workplace safety and hygiene improved slightly at Ho Chi Minh City companies last year, according to the city Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health. Speaking at a meeting held to review labour safety and hygiene on 20 January, Pham Thi Ngoc Loan, the centre’s deputy head, ...
Mekong nations build defences against bird flu
The ministries of health of Laos and other countries in the Mekong Region are taking steps to prevent and control avian influenza, or bird flu, over the next two months, in anticipation of a possible outbreak. Bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by ...
Lao rice farmers seeking more export markets
Phanphet Agriculture Development Farm (PADF) is preparing to sell 10,000 tonnes of rice this year after negotiating exports with international partners. PADF President Mr Thongsavan Miboun told the media on 20 January the farm was doing its part to increase rice production and overseas sales. Keep reading ...
