News
China works with Asean countries for return of corrupt officials
China and ASEAN countries will set up a regional anti-corruption legal framework to facilitate the return of corrupt Chinese officials who are still at large in ASEAN countries and confiscate their ill-gotten assets, a senior anti-graft official said. China is in advanced negotiations with some ASEAN ...
Mekong countries discuss measures to boost region's development
Leaders of the five Mekong countries discussed measures to promote cooperation and make the region more dynamic and competitive at the two summits that convened in Hanoi on October 26. The capital is hosting both the 8th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit and the 7th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation ...
ASEAN officials discuss way forward for greater connectivity
ASEAN dialogue partners and delegates gathered in Vientiane on October 18 to discuss ways to put the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 into action. In particular, they considered more effective coordination between sectors, among nations and within the region. Gathering at the 3/2016 ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee ...
Industrial sector says policy details are needed to ensure economic zones grow
Poor infrastructure, low-quality or unreliable electricity supply, water shortages, inadequate transportation links, and ongoing disagreements with local residents affected by zone development are among the most serious problems developing the country’s industrial sector, experts say. But perhaps the biggest problem, they say, is the lack ...
Growth to continue but economy faces significant risks
Economic growth in Laos will remain buoyant however the region still faces significant risks to growth, according to a new World Bank report. The outlook of the Lao economy remains favourable overall but with increasing downside risks GDP growth is projected to remain at around seven ...
Students gather for second model ASEAN meeting
Over 80 student delegates from ten ASEAN member states gathered in Vientiane yesterday for the Second ASEAN Foundation Model ASEAN Meeting to deliberate on issues related to labour immigration in the context of the ASEAN decision-making processes. The meeting was organised by the ASEAN Foundation in ...
Thailand pledges $1m to kick off ASEAN science development fund
Thailand will invest an initial US$1 million to establish a Science, Technology and Innovation Development Fund for ASEAN. After the first ASEAN Science & Technology Innovation Forum, held in Bangkok last week, Science and Technology Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj said the forum had come up with three plans to ...
Philippines to suspend 12 more mines in environmental crackdown
A dozen more Philippine mines, mostly nickel projects, are in danger of being suspended in an ongoing environmental crackdown on the sector, an environment undersecretary said on September 21. The Southeast Asian nation, the world’s top supplier of nickel ore, has already halted the operations of ...
Look to ASEAN for promising renewable energy markets
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is a political and economic organization of ten Southeast Asian countries. Formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, membership has since expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Covering more than ...
Warmer oceans bringing more severe tropical cyclones to land
Human-caused climate change has made certain typhoons more frequent and severe. Tropical cyclones can cause devastating and lethal damage to East and Southeast Asian countries. But accurately tracking changes in the frequency and intensity of typhoons is challenging in part because the data on these storms hasn’t ...
