Aid and development

The EU in Laos is providing support for the export of Lao goods to the European market through training sessions for government officials and associated parties. A training session conducted in Vientiane on Aug 2 was co-chaired by the political officer at the EU in Laos, ...

After United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken announced the US pledge to donate $52 million to Mekong countries for development, NGOs have come forward asking the government to utilise the donation with transparency. NGO Forum executive director Tek Vannara said that the donation will ...

Japan plans to hold a virtual foreign ministerial meeting next week with five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River, including Myanmar where the military seized power in a coup in February, Japanese government sources said Thursday. The meeting arranged for Aug. 6 comes after Japan ...

United Nations aid to displaced people from Mindat, a mountainous town in Chin State which saw fighting between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters, is only reaching areas permitted by Myanmar’s regime. This week UN humanitarian organization the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered ...

Myanmar lost an estimated 1.2 million jobs in the second quarter following the February military coup that crippled an economy already weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). “Myanmar was already facing economic stress with jobs and livelihoods under threat as ...

The United States and Asean leaders have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to counter the Covid-19 pandemic and recover their economies post-pandemic. Leaders from the 10-nation bloc and the US held a virtual special foreign ministerial meeting on Wednesday, co-chaired by Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs ...

The China Media Group (CMG) and ASEAN media on Wednesday initiated a partnership which has been established to promote mutual communications at the 2021 ASEAN Media Partners Forum. Members agreed to issue a joint statement, which aims at strengthening cooperation between the CMG and ASEAN media ...

Antony Blinken, the United States top diplomat, has expressed “deep concerns” about the military coup in Myanmar, calling on Southeast Asian nations to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country. Blinken made the appeal during a meeting with foreign ministers of the ...

The President of the United States announced a plan to deliver 80 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to countries in need around the world. Thailand will receive a share of safe and effective vaccines from this world-wide donation. The United States is sharing these ...

United Nations human rights and environmental officials called on Wednesday for an end to Cambodian authorities’ use of “punitive measures” against protectors of the country’s environment, following the arrests this month of four young environmental activists. The four activists, members of the Cambodian environmental protection group ...