Government
US Vice President Visit Underlines Growing US-Vietnam Ties
US Vice-President Kamala Harris touched down in Hanoi on August 24 after a three-hour delay from Singapore as part of her Southeast Asia tour. The aim of the trip was to build relations and upgrade their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership. Harris’ visit was ...
Dezan Shira & Associates
Cambodia risks becoming a hub in the Mekong region’s thriving drug trade
Along Cambodia’s porous 435-kilometre coastline, three major ports support the lucrative shipping industry. Most shipping containers are coming to and from Bangkok and Singapore, but a more illicit business could soon have a major foothold – the region’s booming, multi-billion-dollar drug trade. On a daily basis, ...
JOHN WOJCIK
US CDC Southeast Asia Regional Office opens in Hanoi
The office, based in Ngo Quyen street in downtown Hanoi, is one of the CDC’s four in the world, together with the East Europe/Central Asia office in Gruzia, the Middle East/North Africa office in Oman, and the South America office in Brazil. It will strengthen the ...
VNA
Washington gets serious about the Mekong
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris launched a mission impossible this week to restore her country’s shaky credibility as a trusted ally. “The reason I am here is because the United States is a global leader, and we take that role seriously,” a straight-faced Harris said on her ...
Kavi Chongkittavorn
Mekong talks not inclusive
Arriving late is always better than never. So, after years of witnessing the ecology of the Mekong River being choked by the development of hydro-powered dams, communities in this region can have some hope after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Mekong ...
Editorial
Laos govt reveals debt payment plan; determined to pay off US$14bil owing over the next five years
Revenue earned from potential mining operations, revamped state enterprises and from other as yet untapped sources will be used to pay debts amounting to almost US$14 billion, the government has told the National Assembly (NA). Foreign debt has accumulated to about US$13 billion and domestic debt ...
Conspirators accused of plotting attack on Myanmar’s UN Ambassador have military ties, sources say
Two Myanmar citizens—charged in New York on Friday in an alleged plot to threaten and possibly kill Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN)—have family and community ties to the military and were backed by a Thailand-based arms dealer, according to a source close to ...
Myanmar Now
Japan resumes meeting with 5 Mekong countries after suspending it due to Myanmar coup
Japan is expected to use its meeting on Friday with the five Mekong River states to reiterate its commitment to the region, although analysts said it will also aim to reinforce its foreign policy objective of countering China’s influence. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will hold ...
Julian Ryall
Japan to hold meeting with Mekong states including Myanmar on Aug. 6
Japan plans to hold a virtual foreign ministerial meeting next week with five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River, including Myanmar where the military seized power in a coup in February, Japanese government sources said Thursday. The meeting arranged for Aug. 6 comes after Japan ...
KYODO NEWS
Laos Seizes Record Meth Haul Amid Regional Production Boom
Earlier this week, authorities in Laos announced the seizure of a record haul of methamphetamine, the latest indication of the massive amounts of illegal narcotics now flowing through the lower Mekong region. As per the state-run Vientiane Times, an official at the Public Security Office reported that ...
Sebastian Strangio