Environment and natural resources
The challenges of campaigning against wildlife trafficking in Vietnam
In late January, WildAid and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Center of Hands-on Actions and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE) launched a graphic anti-wildlife trafficking campaign focused on three animals: pangolins, elephants and rhinos. In a bold move, the organizers brought a group of bloodied, weakened statues ...
Michael Tatarski
Forest activists call for seizure of assets from corrupt officials
Civil society and forest protection activists on Monday called for officials in the government and armed forces guilty of corruption and exploiting state property to be removed from their positions and have their assets frozen. The request came after a government spokesman said Prime Minister Hun ...
Soth Koemsoeun
China’s Push to Control the Mekong River a “Troubling Trend”
The United States has expressed concern over Chinese dam building, dredging and other activities on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, calling them “troubling trends.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with ministers from lower Mekong River countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The foreign ministers of ...
Deal with the stink, HCMC tells waste management firms
HCMC on Saturday asked three major waste treatment companies to quickly find solutions to deal with the stench they produced. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment asked Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS), Green Saigon Biotech and Hoa Binh Environment Service companies, all operating within the Da ...
Huu Nguyen
Damming the Mekong to environmental hell
Major dam construction projects have become a favourite pastime of some autocratic governments, with China leading the way. But, far from protecting against water shortages, as supporters promise, large dams are contributing to river depletion and severely exacerbating parched conditions. Nowhere is this more apparent ...
Brahma Chellaney
Mekong water level rising, but still very low
Water in the Mekong river in this northeastern border province is rising steadily, but the level is still very low compared to last year, local media reported. After months of being at a critical level, the water level in the Mekong river has risen, thanks to ...
Pattanapong Sripiachai
Drought, water shortages pose a big threat
Professor Trần Thục, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Meteorology and Hydrology, told the Voice of Việt Nam (VOV) online newspaper that Vietnamese central provinces are likely to suffer from severe drought and salt intrusion in the 2019-20 dry season. Is Việt Nam included in the list of countries ...
Mekong runs dry as politics, business fail local communities
“The most disastrous situation in history,” was one expert’s stark verdict when shown images of the dry Mekong River bed and dead aquatic animals. Dr Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer and ecology expert at Maha Sarakham University, was at a loss when asked to describe the ...
Piyaporn Wongruang
Three Chinese charged over illegal logging linked to tycoon
Mondulkiri Provincial Court yesterday charged three Chinese nationals and is questioning a provincial environment department and two forestry administration officials over illegal logging activities linked to tycoon Soeng Sam Ol. Meas Pros, court spokesman, yesterday confirmed that the provincial court prosecutor charged the three Chinese nationals ...
Khy Sovuthy
Mekong River at its lowest in 100 years, threatening food supply
A severe drought that has caused water levels in Southeast Asia’s Mekong River to drop to their lowest in more than 100 years could have devastating consequences for fish, as well as the tens of millions of people living and working along the river, experts warn. The ...
Stefan Lovgren
