International relations

Laos remains on the United Nation’s (UN) list of least developed nations. The government wants the country to graduate from this list. To try to achieve this, it has borrowed money from abroad to fund infrastructure projects. The government’s policy is risking short-term prosperity for ...

The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a gambling empire hacked from the Laotian jungle which it said was involved in drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution. []The sanctions aim to destabilize the narcotics trade in the Mekong area at a time of ...

Students from 11 universities of six countries along the Mekong River, including China, competed in the third Youth Innovation Competition on Lantsang-Mekong Region’s Governance and Development. The competition was initiated in 2016 to inspire students to work out innovative and feasible projects offering suggestions and advice ...

Australia convened a meeting recently with six South-east Asian states focused on counter-terrorism. The meeting in Perth was not only a notable development in and of itself but also just the latest example of the use of minilateralism in the security realm in South-east Asia. []These ...

Member countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) are working to develop a master development plan for 2019-23 to strengthen sustainable economic growth and enact better economic management. Keep reading   ...

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) are set to work on Mice campaigns to boost visitors to Khon Kaen province.  Keep reading ...

Rivers are the lifelines of the world. Their waters crisscross cities, countries and continents. But after a week on the mighty Mekong, our correspondent sees a need for more ‘river democracy’. Keep reading ...

The second Lancang Mekong Cooperation Summit (LMC) concluded in January. Six national leaders met in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The six leaders were from countries situated alongside the Mekong River. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was among them. They signed an agreement on ...

UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson has expressed confidence in the kingdom’s reform process and return to democracy, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said Monday. []The majority of illegal wildlife products originate in Africa, which smugglers will often transit via Asean ...

Foreign Ministers of the 10-country Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) repeated its calls for a durable solution to the northern Rakhine crisis in Myanmar, one of its member states. The ASEAN foreign ministers also want a speedy and safe return of the over 650,000 Muslim ...