Social development
Four die in southern Thailand bombing
A bomb blast at a village checkpoint in Thailand’s far south killed four people and wounded four others, police said on 13 November, in the latest deadly attack to strike the insurgency-plagued region. The bomb exploded late on 12 November evening in Khok Pho district of Pattani, ...
Thai Education Ministry aims to cut foreign English tutors
The Education Ministry plans to recruit its first batch of 500 Thai teachers who teach English in state-run schools nationwide to undergo a “train-the-trainer” programme in a bid to reduce the cost of hiring foreign English teachers. Deputy Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said those Thai English ...
Myanmar government rejects key human rights recommendations
Human rights groups at the United Nations and in Myanmar are hopeful the incoming government will radically change the country’s attitude to protecting human rights, after representatives for Naypyidaw rejected a large number of proposed human rights reform made under the Universal Period Review process. The ...
Lao officials warn about overuse of antibiotics
It is estimated that 90 percent of private hospitals and medical clinics in Laos give too much antibiotics to their patients because they lack training in prescribing antibiotics. However this carries many risks. Director General of the Health Care Department under the Ministry of Health, Associate Prof. ...
Nam Theun 2 dam generates funds for poverty reduction
The Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant, one of the largest in Laos, has generated sizeable revenue for the government and contributed to the alleviation of poverty, according to the International Environmental and Social Panel of Experts. The Nam Theun 2 Panel of Experts released its latest ...
Vietnam's ambitious education reform plans come in for praise
The education ministry’s plan to transform general education from a system that provides knowledge into one that develops capacity is necessary but not sufficient, experts say. Keep reading ...
ADB offers Cambodia loans for malaria, irrigation
The Asian Development Bank will loan Cambodia $64 million for two projects covering irrigation upgrades and malaria control, according to an ADB statement released on 10 November. Keep reading ...
Lao PM calls for urgent job skill training
Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong has asked the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to take urgent action to set up a labour database to facilitate skills development in line with market needs. The prime minister made the comment at the ministry’s 2015 national meeting, which ended ...
Lao social security system coverage misses target
The social security system so far covers only 30.22 percent of the population, which is far behind the target of 50 percent set for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, which ended last month. Director General of the Department of Social Security under the Ministry of Labour and ...
Laos lacking young scientists
Laos needs more young people to study science so they can contribute to the nation’s development, according to a leading official. The number of students enrolling in science courses is continuing to decrease with most high school leavers studying in other fields, Minister of Science and ...
