Disasters and emergency response
Cambodia one of just 49 countries to submit climate strategy to UN
Cambodia on December 30 submitted its egy (LTS4CN) to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , according ...
Ry Sochan
Thailand Keeps Quarantine-Free Entry Ban as Omicron Cases Surge
Thailand’s main Covid-19 task force will meet later this week to review the suspension of its quarantine-free entry program for vaccinated visitors amid an uptick in new omicron cases among foreign tourists. The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, will meet ...
Randy Thanthong-Knight
Mekong Commission failure: dam the river and damn the region
Evidence of the climate crisis is everywhere. The Mekong River has recorded historically low dry-season flows for the third year in a row, alongside an increase in the frequency of extreme flood events. Its delta is continuing to sink and shrink, while its riverbanks erode, ...
LAN MERCADO
Climate danger grows in ‘vulnerable’ Myanmar after military coup
There is increasing concern that Myanmar is at risk of a serious environmental crisis, as the generals who seized power in a coup on February 1 focus on cementing their control and shoring up their position by stepping up lucrative but devastating policies of exploiting ...
John Liu, Rory Wallace and reporter in Myanmar
Low-lying Mekong Delta deals with worsening land subsidence
The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region needs “consistent strategies” to deal with groundwater extraction, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion in an increasingly urbanising area, experts said yesterday at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at the online event, Nguyen Huu Thien, an expert on Mekong Delta ...
Vietnam News/ANN
Champassak to forge ahead with Mekong management project
Authorities in Champassak province are confident that the Mekong River Integrated Management Project planned for Pakxe city will soon resume now that the Ministry of Finance has submitted a request for an additional loan to complete the first phase of the Landslide Protection Project. Officials in ...
Times Reporters
Thailand plans to reopen borders to foreign workers amid shortage
Thailand plans to reopen its borders to workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, a government official said on Tuesday (Nov 9), in a bid to ease a labour shortage that is hurting its export and tourism-dependent economy. Pairote Chotikasathien, from the Ministry of Labor, said ...
Reuters/aj
Dams and droughts, data and diplomacy in the Mekong
As the Mekong Region faces more intense floods and droughts every year, data sharing and water diplomacy are emerging as new narratives for transboundary water governance. “This year, every country in the Lancang-Mekong Region is facing severe floods. But our challenge is now compounded by Covid-19. ...
Rajesh Daniel
Vietnam Faces Watershed Moment ahead of COP26
In a speech at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam, reminded member nations that sea level rise is a major threat for coastal nations, including the lowlands of China, Bangladesh, Indonesian islands, Philippine archipelagos and Vietnam. Other delegates lauded Quy’s ...
James Borton
Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists from over 60 nations
Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to arrive in Thailand today as the country reopens to tourists after 18 months of Covid restrictions. Vaccinated tourists from more than 60 “low-risk” nations are allowed to enter the country and avoid hotel quarantine. Tourist numbers are forecast to ...