Government
International relations
China, Cambodia vow to improve military ties
China and Cambodia have vowed to improve their military ties and continue supporting each other on major issues regarding core interests. The pledge came out of a meeting and talks between Chinese military leaders Xu Qiliang and Chang Wangquan and visiting Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and ...
DMR hosts the 3rd Thai - Lao technical conference on geology and mineral resources
Thailand is hosting the 3rd Thai – Lao Technical conference on Geology and Mineral Resources, which is being held at the Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel, Bangkok, 7-11 July. Thailand and Lao PDR have been working together on geology and mineral resources study for over 12 years. ...
China-Laos military relations deepen as Chinese increase economic, infrastructure investments
China and Laos announced closer military ties on July 8, a development that coincides with China’s growing investment in infrastructure and economic influence. The Laotian defense minister met with Xu Qiliang, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other Chinese military officials Wednesday in Beijing to ...
Thais 'dress improperly' in Laos
Misbehaviour and “inappropropriate dress standards” by Thai officials during a visit to Laos have prompted a stern order from Education Minister Narong Pipatanasai. Adm Narong has ordered all ministry staff and students to dress and behave properly when making official visits to the country. Keep ...
Cambodia, Vietnam meet over border concerns
Cambodian and Vietnamese officials are meeting in Phnom Penh over border issues, but on the second of three days, no final decisions were made. Officials are meeting at the Council of Ministers building in Phnom Penh, to discuss June’s violent clashes along the border, as well ...
Cambodia, Vietnam agree to complete border demarcation ‘very soon’
Cambodia and Vietnam on 9 July wrapped up a three-day meeting to discuss tensions over their disputed border, with the two sides agreeing to complete demarcation of territory “very soon,” but a Cambodian opposition lawmaker dismissed the agreement and accused his government of ceding land ...
Myanmar joins chemical weapons organisation
Myanmar has ratified the chemical weapons convention and will become the 191st member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the body said on Thursday, another step in a rapid period of reform for the Asian country. Myanmar’s membership takes effect within 30 day, ...
Vietnamese PM welcomes Lao Vice President
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said the current visit by Lao Vice President Bounnhang Vorachith will give new momentum to the friendship and co-operation between the two nations. Receiving the Lao State official in Hanoi yesterday, Dung hailed comprehensive outcomes in many areas of bilateral co-operation, such as ...
The real importance of Japan’s new strategy for the Mekong
On July 4, the leaders of Japan and the five countries in the Mekong subregion – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – convened for the Seventh Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo. True to form, much of the media focus was on the dollar amount that Japan ...
Vietnam anxiously wants to bring quick end to tourism crisis, but can it?
Vietnam’s leadership have signed off on visa waivers for five more European countries — France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK — and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has continued to press ahead with further visa exemptions. In a directive dated July 2, Dung asked that ...