Social development
Human rights
US officially terminates sanctions order
After imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar for nearly two decades, the US formally abolished the blacklist on October 7. US President Barack Obama signed an executive order terminating the sanctions, following his pledge to do so made when State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited ...
Scoring palm oil buyers on their sustainability commitments
2015 was supposed to be a big year for the palm oil industry — the year it proposed to reach a “tipping point” and begin predominantly producing and trading palm oil that was not responsible for the destruction of forests, abuses of human rights, and ...
US still urging Cambodia to broaden and clarify union law
The U.S. is continuing to urge the government to change and clarify key parts of a controversial trade union law that took effect in April, including an amendment to cover civil servants, the U.S.’s international labor affairs representative said on October 5. Sarah Fox, who was ...
Protesters told not to behave ‘lawlessly’
Villagers have been reprimanded over an unsanctioned protest staged outside the Mandalay Region government’s office last week. The Thabeikkyin township residents were seeking a meeting with the chief minister over gold mines they allege have encroached on village territory over the last few years with ...
Asian countries defend Cambodia after UN envoy critique
The U.N.’s special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia on September 28 hit the country with a growing list of criticisms over alleged human rights abuses, which Cambodia parried with the apparent support of neighboring states, including Burma, Laos, Thailand and China. Rhona Smith, in a presentation ...
Global land rush enters “more dangerous stage”, says anti-poverty group
International land deals, often for giant agriculture projects, now cover an area the size of Germany and a growing share are getting up and running, fuelling fears that local residents will be displaced, the anti-poverty group Oxfam said on September 26. More than 1,500 large-scale land ...
Promises unmet as Thailand tries to reform shrimp industry
Facing international pressure for failing to stop human trafficking in its seafood sector, Thailand promised almost a year ago to compensate victims of slavery and industry leaders vowed to bring all shrimp processing in-house. That hasn’t always happened. Instead, some formerly enslaved shrimp peelers have been ...
Disabled people struggle to get education, jobs: workshop
Various barriers still hinder the development of people with disabilities, particularly those living in rural areas and who lack access to education, vocational training, and employment. This was the message delivered on September 20 by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Prof. Dr Khamkeo Sanbounkhounxay, when ...
China media: opposition to hydropower dams in Myanmar is “extreme”
Opposition to Chinese-invested hydropower schemes in Myanmar is being orchestrated by “extreme” groups in the country and has been extremely damaging to joint investment projects, an influential Chinese newspaper wrote on September 19. The suspension in 2011 of the US$3.6 billion Myitsone mega dam project by former ...
Meet on freedom of information law as due date nears
Representatives of around 20 civil society organisations will meet on September 16 to discuss key chapters of Cambodia’s long-gestating freedom of information law, which is meant to be completed by late December. “We’ll discuss mechanisms to submit complaints if people don’t receive the requested information,” said ...
