Channel News Asia
Mekong shrivels as drought, dam strangle Southeast Asia's largest river
LOEI, Thailand: The once-mighty Mekong river has been reduced to a thin, grubby neck of water in stretches of northern Thailand – record lows blamed on drought and a recently completed dam far upstream. The US$4.47 billion Thai-owned Xayaburi hydro-electric power plant went into operation this ...
Commentary: Droughts and dams are drying up the Mekong river
An unusually long period of drought brought water levels to some of the lowest measurements in recent years. There are fears that the drought will have a particularly negative effect on the Tonle Sap River, connecting the Mekong to Cambodia’s Great Lake and which plays a ...
Milton Osbourne
Thai government urged not to buy power from Laos dam
The Thai government must suspend plans to buy electricity from a dam in Laos, conservationists said on Friday (Jul 26), as water levels along the kingdom’s section of Mekong river plummet to near-record lows. The Thai-built Xayaburi dam, a few hours from the northern Laos town ...
Fading icon? Clash of views over Aung San Suu Kyi’s record — and future
Steel magnolia is a term that comes to Ms Moe Thuzar’s mind when talking of Aung San Suu Kyi. “Daw Suu wouldn’t be Daw Suu without that steely inner core that has been a mainstay of her survival,” says the Myanmar Studies Programme co-coordinator at ...
Derrick A Paulo and Sumithra Prasanna
Commentary: Myanmar on the cusp of opening up to mediation on Rakhine crisis
Myanmar has recognised ASEAN’s role in assisting with the displaced communities’ humanitarian needs. It has also indicated willingness to address this via the good offices of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management (AHA Centre). To this end, the ASEAN Emergency Response ...
Myanmar seizes largest crystal meth haul this year
Myanmar authorities seized more than 1,700kg of crystal meth worth nearly US$29 million in a multi-state operation this week, the biggest haul of 2019 in a country widely believed to be the world’s largest methamphetamine producer. High-grade crystal meth – or “Ice” – is smuggled out of ...
Myanmar official suggests downsizing or relocation of dam that frayed China ties
A top Myanmar investment official on Tuesday (Jan 29) suggested alternatives such as scaling back or relocating a stalled Chinese-backed dam project that has strained ties between the neighbours. Myanmar angered China in 2011 when its former quasi-civilian government suspended the US$3.6 billion Myitsone hydro-power ...
Thailand must postpone election again, until March: Officials
Thailand’s long-delayed general election to end military rule will have to be postponed from its Feb 24 date and will likely be held in March, two officials in the Election Commission said on Tuesday (Jan 15). The Election Commission of Thailand has not announced the ...
Vietnam posts decade-high growth of 7.1% in 2018 Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/vietnam-posts-decade-high-growth-of-7-1--in-2018-11067344
Vietnam’s growth soared to more than 7 per cent this year, its highest in a decade, helped by a surge in its manufacturing sector. The country has long been one of Asia’s fastest growing economies – GDP growth topped 5 per cent over the past ...
Thai activist sued for defamation as poultry firm vows more cases
A defamation case by a Thai poultry farm against an activist who tweeted allegations of labour abuse should be dropped, a rights group urged Wednesday (Nov 28), as the complainant vowed further action against “so-called human rights defenders”. Thailand exports billions of dollars of farm ...
