Environment and natural resources
63rd joint patrol on Mekong River completed
The 63rd joint patrol on the Mekong River with law enforcers from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand was completed on Sunday. Keep reading ...
Xinhua News Staff
Mekong hydro resource coordination gets boost from France
Laos and France have agreed to enhance cooperation in the energy sector and improve the management of water resources on the Mekong River by building a new Coordination and Monitoring Centre (CMC). The centre will be equipped to monitor hydroelectric power project (HPP) development on ...
Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
RID backs off on Mae Wong Dam project
The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has withdrawn it’s environment and health impact assessment (EHIA) report on the Mae Wong Dam project after it is considered incomplete. Keep reading ...
Thai PBS News Staff
Progress review of SEZs in Myanmar demanded
As Myanmar pushes for attracting more foreign direct investment through its three special economic zones, civil society organizations have reiterated their recommendation to review and monitor the progress of the SEZs. Keep reading ...
Khine Kyaw
Pak Beng dam meets stiffer new resistance
An environmental group in Chiang Rai has renewed its campaign against the controversial Pak Beng dam that is due to be built on the transnational Mekong River by lodging a complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court against Thai authorities for failing to provide local communities ...
Startups tapped to rescue disaster-prone ASEAN region
From crowdfunding platforms to drones, chatbots, and artificial intelligence, emerging startups in ASEAN are leveraging on their existing technologies and business models to solve the region’s most urgent problems through a competition called “Startups to the Resque.”[] According to the 2016 World Risk Index by the United ...
Joie Cruz
Firms act on ocean plastic from Southeast Asia
Two initiatives involving industry aim to stop ocean plastic pollution at the source.[] The project aims at the root of the problem, the partners say. They say only five countries—China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam—are responsible for 8 million metric tons of ocean plastic ...
Alexander H. Tullo
Water resource bill: death of small-scale rice farmers?
[] Last month, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) introduced a Water Resource Bill. Although the bill seems to target large industries, the bill will also charge 0.50 baht per cubic metre of water from rice farmers with more than 50 rai (8 ...
Mekong countries to seek sustainable tourism by training Cultural Heritage Specialist Guides
The ASEAN-Korea Centre (Secretary General Kim Young-sun) will organize the ‘Mekong Sub-regional Capacity Building Workshop on Cultural Heritage’ from 15 to 20 October in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. The Workshop will gather government officials in charge of training the cultural heritage specialist guides and developing ...
Eleven Myanmar News Staff
Myanmar working to preserve eco-system in coastal areas, improve water management
As part of its environment protection efforts, Myanmar, a signatory of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, is taking measures targeting the conservation of the eco-system in coastal areas and striving to improve water resources management in the country. Keep reading ...