News
Dams may worsen arsenic problem: study
A Stanford University study conducted in Cambodia has shed new light on the natural introduction of the poison arsenic into groundwater – an established problem in Cambodia that could be exacerbated by hydrological development, particularly dams, researchers say. According to a report on their findings, published ...
Villagers face court over ELC protest
The Preah Vihear Provincial Court has ordered nine villagers to appear on 9 December to respond to allegations that they dismantled the office of a Malaysian rubber plantation company five months ago. The nine villagers and 300 protesters allegedly pried the wooden walls off of a building ...
Tourism to see labour shortfall
In the run up to the much-anticipated ASEAN Economic Community integration, which comes into effect at the end of this month, member states, foreign investors and local businesses are looking to the new economic bloc to become a dynamic growth engine and, as a result, ...
Prison outreach day ‘stymied’
A prominent local rights group has been forced to abandon its annual International Human Rights Day (IHRD) events in Cambodia’s prisons for the first time in 20 years because of “prohibitive” conditions imposed by the government, it said on 6 December. In a statement, Licadho said ...
Suu Kyi, Than Shwe discuss Myanmar's future
Myanmar election winner Aung San Suu Kyi and long-time former military junta leader Than Shwe met for more than two hours and discussed the country’s future, sources said on 6 December. The 4 December meeting at military headquarters in the political capital Nay Pyi Taw was facilitated ...
Ho Chi Minh City passengers, drivers are getting off the buses
Buses, essentially the only public transport available in Ho Chi Minh City, are turning both passengers and drivers away due to a lack of investment, officials said at a conference on 4 December. The city’s transport department estimated that the system will have seen nearly 324 million ...
Vietnam's biggest airport to stop receiving new flights during rush hours
As overcrowding is getting more serious at Vietnam’s largest airport Tan Son Nhat, local aviation authority is now looking to stop receiving new flights during rush hours, a local official said on 5 December. Dang Tuan Tu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based airport, was ...
Dams slash Mekong fish stocks
More than 70 Vietnamese and international scientists and other experts and officials from ministries and international organisations discussed ongoing research into the impact of dams on the mainstream of the Mekong River at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on 4 December. At the conference ...
Yuan's effect on Vietnam economy uncertain
With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) including China’s yuan in its elite reserve currency basket, impacts from the step on Vietnam’s economy will depend on its preparation, according to experts. The IMF’s decision will impact global finance and Vietnam is not an exception, especially when the ...
Dairy firms protest customs' demand for $43.84 mln in back taxes
Eight dairy producers and importers in Vietnam have sought the government’s help, claiming that they are unfairly asked by customs to pay around VND1 trillion (US$43.84 million) in back taxes. In a letter sent to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance this week, the ...