Government
International relations
Arrest of journalists a litmus test for how Thailand treats those fleeing persecution in Myanmar
Three senior reporters who fled Myanmar for Thailand after the brutal military coup “face certain arrest and persecution” if they are deported following their arrest in Chiang Mai on Sunday, journalist groups say. The three are prominent journalists with the independent Burmese news agency Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and were detained in ...
Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn,
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation vital to promote regional power connectivity, energy cooperation
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) is crucial to help promote power connectivity and energy cooperation among the six LMC countries, an official at the Electricite Du Cambodge (EDC) said in a recent interview. Prom Sokrith, chief of the administration at the EDC’s Power Plant C7 (400 megawatts) ...
Mekong countries’ diplomats call for more experience sharing in water governance upon in-person visits to China’s dams
Mekong River countries’ diplomats expressed that they value the scientific, regulatory effect of Chinese dams on water resources, following their latest in-person visits to the main hydropower stations along the Lancang River, recognizing China’s role in bringing practical benefits to downstream sustainable development and calling ...
Hu Yuwei in Yunnan
Myanmar Summit A Test For ASEAN's Credibility
A weekend summit on the Myanmar coup crisis will be a test for ASEAN’s credibility and unity, a senior Thai official said Thursday, amid an escalating death toll and violence across its western border. Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 739 people since a ...
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: After Five Fruitful Years, A New Journey Awaits
On March 23, 2016, the first LMC Leaders’ Meeting was successfully held in Sanya, Hainan. In the spirit of a “shared river, shared future”, leaders of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam jointly announced the launch of the LMC – a new type of ...
Wang Yi
Myanmar military ruler to attend ASEAN summit in 1st foreign trip
Thailand has announced that the head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, will attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia next week – his first known foreign trip since he seized power in a coup on February 1. Myanmar ...
Al Jazeera
Thai, Cambodia, Vietnam Ambassadors Urge ASEAN, US support for Mekong Management
The ambassadors of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have called for greater support from the U.S. and the ASEAN regional bloc to address urgent environmental threats to the Mekong River. They also emphasized the need for improved water data sharing by all countries on the river, ...
Seourn Vathana, VOA Khmer
Cambodia keen on Mekong diplomacy across entire region
Cambodia is committed to reinforcing the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) diplomatic mechanisms for the benefit of all six member states. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn reaffirmed the stance in a press statement on March 24. “Let me reiterate Cambodia’s commitment to reinforcing the MLC ...
Voun Dara
New report reviews China's 5-year cooperation with Mekong countries
The Blue Book of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) 2020 was released Tuesday in southwest China, marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the LMC mechanism. The mechanism was launched by six countries — China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam — in 2016. It derives ...
Thailand says $11M seized in wildlife trafficking sting
Thailand s anti-money laundering authorities said Wednesday they have seized or frozen more than 330 million baht ($11 million) worth of assets in a sting operation against a suspected wildlife trafficking ring. The March 12 operation targeted Boonchai Bach, a Vietnamese and Thai citizen who was arrested in 2018 ...
AP news wire