News
Thai banks inefficient, says S&P
Academics have slammed the military’s iron grip on cyberspace following the 2014 coup. Surveillance and crackdown measures are creating a climate of fear and self-censorship, they argued. Since last year’s coup, the army has taken many steps to tackle content deemed sensitive or critical of the ...
Thai PM urges middle class to save day
Upper- and middle income people need to come out and vote if they want to stop parties pitching populist policies to the poor from regaining office, says Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They should decide what they want at the polls or someone else would do that for ...
Vietnam's credit growth quickens to 18 pct in 2015: central bank
Vietnam’s annual credit growth this year is expected to quicken to 18 percent, beating a previous government target of 17 percent, the State Bank of Vietnam said on 24 December. Keep reading ...
Hanoi-Vientiane highway may cost at least $4.5 billion
The manager of a highway project linking Hanoi with Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, has estimated the cost for the 707-kilometer route at US$4.52 billion. In its latest plan submitted to the transport ministry, the project’s manager Unit 85 said the six-lane highway will go through ...
Koh Kong dam to energise local supply
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the new 246-megawatt Stung Tatai hydropower plant in Koh Kong on 23 December, saying that the dam will add to locally generated power and help bring down the cost of electricity. Built by the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation for ...
Cambodian report on Vietnam rentals implicates no officials
Senior officials at Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior have concluded a preliminary investigation into allegations that Cambodians living along the border with Vietnam have been illegally leasing land to Vietnamese farmers. About 1,000 families owning almost 7,000 hectares of land in five provinces have rented the territory out ...
Illegal mining halted on Chinese ELC in Preah Vihear
Preah Vihear provincial authorities cracked down last week on an illegal gold mining operation occurring inside a land concession belonging to a Chinese company in Rovieng district. Unauthorised mining is common both inside and outside the 2008 concession to Cambodia WS Mining Industry Holding Ltd, known ...
Foreign arrivals in Laos expected to increase in 2015
Total foreign arrivals recorded in Laos are expected to reach 4.33 million for the year, compared to a total of 4.15 million the previous year, according to new statistics released on 23 December. Keep reading ...
Vietnam's currency drops to limit of trading band for first time
Vietnam’s dong fell to the limit of its current trading band for the first time, reflecting further pressure to weaken after three devaluations already this year. The currency fell as much as 0.07 percent to 22,547 per dollar in Hanoi, diverging from the State Bank of ...
Something in the water: The dark and deadly secret behind Saigon cheap coffee
A market of industrial chemicals in Ho Chi Minh City is having a new product on sale. And it has quickly become a bestseller. The black liquid, coming in big plastic cans, works magic. Just add a few drops into water and you can turn it ...