Government
National government
Vietnam, Laos step up corruption fight

Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has asked the Commission for Inspection of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee to closely co-ordinate and regularly share experience in inspections and anti-corruption work. Keep reading ...
New minister of agriculture and forestry appointed
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Phet Phomphiphak has been appointed Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, replacing Mr Vilayvanh Phomkhe, as approved by the government. A ceremony to hand over the position took place at the ministry on 24 August, attended by Deputy Prime Minister ...
New strategy for Japan, Mekong cooperation

Japan and four Southeast Asian nations along the Mekong River Basin – Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand – have approved a plan to speed up industrial development in the region. Keep reading ...
Laos 'ghost project' audits point to higher-ups in government, source says

Investigations into a scheme in Laos in which private companies cashed government bonds issued in promise of payment for work they never performed have revealed the involvement of senior government officials who will never be brought to trial, a state auditor says. The auditing of the ...
Japan charts road to industrialization for Mekong region
Japan and the five Southeast Asian countries bordering the Mekong River adopted a blueprint on 24 August to boost industrialization in the subregion. The blueprint, known as “The Mekong Industrial Development Vision,” got the thumbs-up during a meeting between Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichi ...
Vietnam affirms close cooperation in transport with Laos, Cambodia

The transport ministries of Vietnam and Laos have affirmed close cooperation in all aspects of the transport sector at an annual bilateral ministerial meeting in Hanoi on 22 August. They agreed to promote transport infrastructure connectivity between the two countries. On the same day, Vietnam and Cambodia ...
Map critics face arrest

Prime Minister Hun Sen has delivered a warning to anyone still thinking about criticising the government’s handling of the ongoing border demarcation with Vietnam: you will be arrested. Addressing a cabinet meeting, Hun Sen said anyone who persisted with claims that authorities were using “fake” maps or ...
Kazakhstan President’s Special Envoy visits Cambodia, Laos

Kazakhstan’s Special Envoy of the President and Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Mussinov visited Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries Cambodia and Laos 12-13 August in the framework of promoting his country’s bid to secure a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security ...
Cambodian opposition senator faces up to 17 years in prison for Facebook post

A Cambodian opposition senator could be jailed for 17 years after a court charged him on 16 August over the posting of a disputed document on social media about the border with Vietnam. Senator Hong Sok Hour was arrested on 15 August. Keep reading ...
Influential leader in Myanmar is removed as head of governing party

The head of Myanmar’s governing party has been removed from his post in what one aide described as a “coup,” the most visible sign yet of splintering within Myanmar’s military elite and the resurgence of conservative forces that dominated under decades of military rule. The removal ...