Social development
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 ...
Funding needed to improve lives of disabled people
The Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise Centre in Vientiane is continuing its work to raise money to improve conditions for disabled people in Laos, with over 1,000 people in need of the centre’s help. COPE Chief Executive Officer Ms Bounlanh Phayboun told Vientiane Times on September ...
Foreign investors inject more interest into private hospitals
More foreign investors are interested in opening private hospitals in the country in response to growing patient demand for high quality health services. Foreign investors from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and other countries have submitted their proposals to the Ministry of Health, asking for licenses to ...
Life of the Salween highlights Southeast Asia's dam concerns
To reach this village, you leave Mae Sariang in northwestern Thailand and drive a couple of hours along winding roads carved into the sides of valleys before reaching a landing on the wide, fast flowing Salween river. You take the steps down a muddy bank to ...
Laos sets ambitious education goals for 2020
Laos has set a goal for everyone aged 15-35 to complete the equivalent of lower secondary schooling by 2020, according to a government minister. Minister of Education and Sports Ms Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun revealed the ambitious plan on September 12 to mark International Literacy Day on September 8. This ...
Indonesian environment ministry shoots down geothermal plan in Mount Leuser National Park
The Indonesian environment ministry has denied the Aceh provincial government’s proposal to rezone part of Mount Leuser National Park for geothermal development, reacting to opposition from conservationists who argued the project would threaten key orangutan and rhino populations. The ministry’s director for protected areas told Mongabay ...
Thai authorities downplay Zika risk, worried by tourism impact
Health and city officials in Thailand downplayed risks from rising infections from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is linked to serious birth defects, and expressed concern that disclosing information would damage its tourism industry. On September 9, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned ...
Việt Nam gains ground in fight against illiteracy
Strides have been made in Viêt Nam to eradicate illiteracy over the last seventy years, and efforts to promote literacy continue on September 12. Việt Nam met the national standard for literacy in 2000, with 94 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 35 ...
ICT minister to hold meetings on satellite industry reform
The Information and Communications Technology Minister Uttama Savanayana, on September 12, will hold a meeting with relevant state agencies to discuss ways to reform the satellite industry, following the Cabinet’s recent acknowledgement of its reform proposal. The reform includes the ministry’s plan to bring the existing ...
Agricultural products exported to EU must meet health standards
Farms, market gardens, packaging units and companies that export plants and other agricultural products to the EU are required to register with the relevant authorities. This will enable them to obtain certification from district agriculture and forestry offices, according to a recent announcement by the Ministry ...
