Environment and natural resources
Myanmar Government trumpets pledges from China
Amid accusations that it caved in to Chinese pressure, the government has been at pains to show that its release in a presidential amnesty last week of 153 Chinese illegal loggers was accompanied by a number of pledges it has managed to extract from Beijing. The ...
Tusk thieves threaten Vietnam’s fast dwindling domesticated elephants
Several mahouts have been taking turns to look after a 20-year-old male elephant around the clock since it had a tusk almost cut off by some thieves on 14 July. “We used to be worried about elephants accidentally getting caught in traps set by poachers in ...
Anti-dredging activists refuse to meet with government
Activists have continued their campaign to drive out sand dredging companies from Koh Kong province’s Botum Sakor district, refusing a meeting with local authorities and instead holding a 100-strong protest outside the district hall. Keep reading ...
Economic land concessions tied to destruction of forests in new report
Cambodia’s most crucial forests are disappearing at a rate of more than 2,000 kilometres a year, as agricultural firms continue to harvest timber by illegal means in protected areas and national parks, according to a study from Washington-based Forest Trends. The report uses satellite imagery to ...
Thai activists hold alternative 'review' of coal plant
Songkhla residents protesting against plans for a new coal-fired power plant and sea port in Thepa district held their own “public review” 28 July. The move followed their boycott of the third and final public of the third and final public hearing on the Environmental and Health ...
Extreme weather: the new normal for Myanmar farmers
Recent flooding highlights the climactic challenges that upper Myanmar farmers are now facing on a regular basis. Sagaing Region was particularly badly hit from mid-July onward. As other rivers, streams, dams and dykes also burst their banks, houses and fields were inundated, with Kin-U, Kawlin and ...
Vietnam destroys 60 illegal gold mines in central region
Quang Ngai Province’s Military Command announced 27 July they had destroyed 60 illegal gold mines within 6 days, by one week earlier than previously planned. Government agencies have coordinated with Engineer Corps to carry a ton of explosives to the sites. Keep reading ...
China’s climate change plan represents decisive move
Chinese premier Li Keqiang recently unveiled the country’s plan for combating climate change. While it could have been more ambitious, the plan shows China’s leaders are serious about changing the country’s development path. It critically undermines those in the West who claim that climate action should be ...
Rayong fishermen mark two years since oil spill
Small fishermen in Rayong have called on Thailand’s biggest petrochemical company to do more to rehabilitate oil-spill impacted sites along the province’s coastline, saying they still are living with the after effects of a spill two years ago. Keep reading ...
Thai locals worried about plans to divert water from Mekong
A network of Thais living along the Mekong River have voiced their concern about a plan to divert water from the river to special economic zones. “Careful studies must be conducted before such a plan is implemented,” said network representative Jintana Kaysornsombat, who described the plan as a ...
