Southeast Asia Globe
In Cambodia, this village shows even the wealthy are vulnerable to land grabbing
The river view behind the house was broad and serene, a wide expanse of the Mekong flowing just past the newly occupied villa. A pretty sight, and prime real estate too. So when the sand pumping crews showed up just after the housewarming party late last ...
ANDREW HAFFNER
Cambodian education in the time of Covid: Ripping up the textbook
Open, close, open, close – not the instructions for a particularly fiddly front door, rather it is the pattern that schools in Cambodia have followed as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to throw the system into limbo, forcing educators to rip up the textbook and adapt ...
ALEXI DEMETRIADI
The age of government (dis)information in Thailand
Social media giant Twitter last week blocked nearly one thousand accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, which were in violation of its policies on manipulation of information. According to a statement released by Twitter, the accounts were “engaging in amplifying pro-RTA and pro-government content, as well ...
MARK S. COGAN
‘Cambodia’s agricultural sector is in dire need of revitalisation’
n this time of uncertainty, one thing about Covid-19 is clear. This pandemic will lead to a sharp and unprecedented decline in Cambodian economic productivity. And the industrial and service sectors will be the hardest hit. In response to the pandemic and to the economic crisis ...
NITH KOSAL/Future Forum Asia
How protecting forests and their communities can prevent the next outbreak
Clear-cutting forests may provide short-term monetary gains, but the true costs of mass deforestation could be steep. The novel coronavirus that has caused the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is believed to be zoonotic, meaning it first spread from animals to humans. Not only is that a common ...
CAROLYN COWAN
Did China turn off the Lower Mekong? Why data matters for cooperation
The Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers. At the centre of this system is the flood pulse – a seasonal cycling of water that sees flow in the Mekong swell in response to the monsoon transporting water, nutrients and sediments from the headwaters ...
TAREK KETELSEN, TIMO RÄSÄNEN, JOHN SAWDON
‘Us’ vs ‘them’: The politics dictating the rise and fall of the Mekong
Cracked riverbeds, empty fishing nets and, snaking its way through the parched landscape, a beautifully clear, blue-tinted river. This was the view of the mighty Mekong River earlier this year, when record-low water levels revealed a striking vulnerability to the main artery of Southeast Asia, a ...
ANDREW HAFFNER
As COVID-19 hits global economy, Cambodian workers face layoffs
Cambodian garment workers have had their jobs suspended by the thousands as global markets clench and governments enact drastic measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Now, as the US and European economies grind to a halt, local industry insiders warned on ...
ALASTAIR MCCREADY
FDI in Vietnam: Rise of the north
A glossy photobook sits on the coffee table of the Deep C Industrial Zone offices, surrounded by walls the colour of sunshine and an abundance of indoor foliage. “Compared with other big cities such as Hanoi and [Ho Chi Minh City], Hai Phong is still the ...
Samantha McCabe
High water mark
There is little wonder why ancient humans gave prophetic qualities to the animal kingdom. Long before the days of computerised climate models and long term weather forecasting, animals were the nearest thing they had to an early warning system of seasonal arrivals, impending disasters, and ...