News
Migrant deadline passes in Thailand
Cambodian, Burmese and Laotian undocumented workers descended on Thailand’s one-stop service centres for visas and work permits before the closing deadline, as Thai authorities yesterday signalled a crackdown on illegal labour. More than 100,000 Cambodian workers in Thailand could face arrest and deportation after the deadline for ...
Could damming the Mekong destroy south-east Asia's greatest river and food bowl?
Conservationists, politicians and at least one prime minister are warning the quest for hydro power for booming urban centres in China and south-east Asia is threatening the food supply of more than 40 million people, including millions in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s food bowl. Kraisak Choonhavan, ...
Groups call for halt on construction of major dam in Laos
The environmental group International Rivers has called on Laos to suspend construction of a major dam on the Mekong River and to continue talks with its concerned neighbours downstream. The Don Sahong Dam, which would spread across the river just above the Cambodian border, is a ...
Saving Laos from global warming
The fragile relationship between agriculture and climate in Laos is imperiled. From the riverine paddies to the limestone karst, Laos’ subsistence farmers—about 80 percent of the rural population—depend on getting the right amount of rain at the right time. But in recent years, changes in ...
Cambodia priced out of Filipino rice tender again
Cambodia has lost a 100,000-tonne Filipino rice bid to Vietnam, on account of a higher costs as compared to regional competitors, marking the fourth time the Kingdom has failed to win a rice tender issued by the Philippines. The Philippines National Food Authority last week awarded ...
Indian miner sets 2016 target for extraction of gold in Cambodia's R’kiri
Indian mining firm Mesco Gold will begin mining a gold field in Cambodia’s northeastern Ratanikiri province by early 2016, according to a company statement released yesterday. If it begins extracting successfully, Mesco Gold, which is owned by the Indian company Mesco Steel, would effectively become Cambodia’s ...
Laos works to strengthen SMEs prior to AEC integration
Around 400 representatives from enterprises, companies, banks, and financial institutes of Laos and Thailand met in Vientiane Capital on June 16 to discuss improving Lao Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and enhancing their competitiveness in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The half-day seminar was held at the ...
Community opposition impeding consultations on controversial dam: Australian firm
An Australian company contracted to assess the potential environmental and social impact of the planned Mongton dam has responded to recent criticism of the consultation process, saying that interference with its data collection efforts could lead to “suboptimal outcomes for the affected communities.” The Snowy Mountains ...
Cambodia mine on track for 2016 start-up
India’s Mesco Gold (Cambodia) presented to the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy that its Phum Syarung underground mine, in the northeastern province of Ratanakiri will start with initial capacity of 500 tons per day with a recovery rate of 85%. Angkor Gold discovered the epithermal gold deposit ...
Myanmar Govt earns US$170 million monthly from gas exports
Natural gas exports earn Myanmar US$170 million each month, with a total of 1.6 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas exported to Thailand and China, according to the Ministry of Energy. “Gas exports earn over US$170 million every month, including taxes and other charges. ...
