Government
Thailand kept near bottom of political risk index
Despite a return of political stability after the May 2014 coup, Thailand is kept near the bottom of an Asian political risk index due to its “fundamental divisions” and concerns over the king’s health, a research unit of Fitch Group said. BMI Research gave Thailand the ...
Myanmar brings forward presidential vote
The vote to appoint a new president in Myanmar has been brought forward by a week, to 10 March. The move likely means an end to negotiations on whether the constitution could be amended so Aung San Suu Kyi could take the top job. Ms Suu Kyi’s ...
Spotlight shines on Laos as it takes a turn in the ASEAN chair
As Laos kicks off its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, activists fear that the human rights agenda in the country and the region will get swamped by economic concerns and regional discord over issues like the partition of the South China Sea. “When ...
242 billion kip lost to corruption, inspection reveals
A Myanmar government inspection committee has uncovered almost 242 billion kip in lost assets due to corruption in 2015, resulting in 95 officials being disciplined. The shocking figures were released in a report that summarised the work of the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee, ...
Laos starts off as ASEAN chair with ministers' retreat
Laos kicks off its Asean chairmanship on 26 February with an agenda-setting foreign ministers’ retreat in Vientiane, its capital on the east bank of the Mekong River. Analysts say this year could be a coming of age for the “lower-middle income economy”, where poverty continues to be ...
China’s expanding influence in Laos
The recently signed Joint General Scheme of Mohan–Boten Economic Cooperation Zone is the first cross-border economic cooperation zone that China has established in Laos and, for that matter, in the whole of Southeast Asia. The deal hints at the Asian giant’s goal to expand its ...
PM gives ministers an 'F', lashes out at illegal logging task force
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen unleashed a tirade against underperforming government officials in a pair of speeches on 25 February – musing aloud about reshuffling his Council of Ministers and wondering why rockets had not yet been deployed in the Kingdom’s recent “crackdown” on illegal logging. Speaking ...
Critics sceptical of NGO's optimistic findings
Cambodians were optimistic about the economic and political future of the Kingdom, according to a national survey on citizens’ perceptions released on 24 February by the Asia Foundation, although observers on 25 February questioned whether that optimism remains in light of the government’s recent crackdown on the ...
Myanmar Government ignores Amnesty report on rights abuses
The Myanmar government has said it will not respond to Amnesty International’s annual report, in which the rights group on 25 February criticised it for failing to address religious discrimination and human rights abuses. The report also alleged there was an ongoing climate of impunity for ...
Southeast Asian delegations jet into Laos for Foreign Minister's retreat
Top diplomats and delegations from across 10 countries commenced descent into the Lao capital Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat. Keep reading ...
