News
Geopolitical standoff in South China Sea leads to environmental fallout
A long-running territorial standoff over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea has seen vessels dumping enough raw sewage to threaten the marine ecosystem there — and the degradation is extensive enough to be seen from space. On July 12, U.S.-based geospatial tech company Simularity ...
Leilani Chavez
How Mekong River is turning into a new flashpoint in Indo-Pacific
For several years, US politicians have adopted the Japanese slogan of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” calling for international law to apply over disputes in the South China Sea, where China is accused of acting aggressively. Earlier this month, during the East Asia Summit foreign ministers’ ...
David Hutt
Myanmar COVID vaccination rollout leaves Rohingya waiting
Authorities in Myanmar currently have no plan to include minority Rohingya Muslims living in densely-packed camps as they begin vaccinating priority groups against COVID-19 in western Rakhine State, the junta-appointed local administrator said. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh during military operations in 2017 ...
Reuters
Vietnam Punishes Critics of Government’s COVID-19 Response
Authorities in Vietnam have arrested a Facebook user for posting mild criticism of government COVID-19 policies, while a university fired a lecturer after a student shared on her comments faulting Hanoi’s pandemic response on the social media platform. The Tien Giang People’s Procuracy announced Tuesday that ...
RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Cambodia dam destroyed livelihoods of tens of thousands: Human Rights Watch
A massive China-financed dam in Cambodia has “washed away the livelihoods” of tens of thousands of villagers while falling short of promised energy production, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday (Aug 10). The 400-megawatt Lower Sesan 2 dam in the kingdom’s north-east has sparked controversy ...
AFP/kg
Myanmar Junta Pushing Ahead with China-Backed Kyaukphyu SEZ and Port
The military regime is inviting bids to provide legal services to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (KPSEZ) and deep-sea port project in western Rakhine State, a key strategic component of China ‘s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The junta’s invitation to tender comes as China is ...
THE IRRAWADDY
Left With Fish Too Small to Sell in Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin
Thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods since the completion of one of Asia’s widest dams, the Lower Sesan 2, in Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin. Built as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the dam, which spans well over six kilometers, has cut off vital migration ...
Birgit Schwarz and John Sifton
Crumbling under mountains of waste
Infectious waste is starting to pile up across the country as the Covid-19 pandemic continues — most notably in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, where the amount of waste is quickly exceeding the capacity of local incinerators. Nevertheless, the Department of Health assured that it has a plan ...
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
Nectec launches data-sharing tool
The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) has unveiled a new platform tool that will support the public sector’s move to share necessary data for further use by businesses and citizens. “Nectec continues to support open technology platforms which are useful for the public. We ...
SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK
Conspirators accused of plotting attack on Myanmar’s UN Ambassador have military ties, sources say
Two Myanmar citizens—charged in New York on Friday in an alleged plot to threaten and possibly kill Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN)—have family and community ties to the military and were backed by a Thailand-based arms dealer, according to a source close to ...
Myanmar Now
