Radio Free Asia
Vietnamese-Cambodian villagers forced into new homes
A total of 2,300 ethnic Vietnamese, who had been living in a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake in Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia, will soon be settled in their new homes with help from the government and non-government organizations. Since October the villagers, ...
More Southeast Asian Dam Disasters Likely Unless Funders Ensure Higher Standards
The Lao dam disaster in July that resulted in heavy flooding in two provinces that left at least 40 people dead and displaced 7,000 others has drawn both regional and international attention to the potential dangers of Southeast Asia’s current dam-building spree. With plans for ...
Malaria Cases in Myanmar See Huge Drop, Thanks to Efforts by Community Health Workers
Instances of malaria in remote and rural locations in Myanmar have fallen dramatically during a six-year period as a result of trained community health care workers providing a wider package of services along with screenings for the disease transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical regions, a ...
South Korean CSOs Want Government, Company to be Accountable For Lao Dam Disaster
South Korean civil society organizations called for their government and the main partner in a joint venture to take responsibility for the deadly breach of an auxiliary dam at the South Korean-backed Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Laos, which left at least 40 ...
Regional CSOs Boycott Mekong River Forum Over Opposition to Lao Dam
Thai and Cambodian civil society organizations rejected an invitation from the Lao government to attend a regional stakeholder forum on the Pak Lay dam, saying that the prior notification and consultation procedures for the controversial hydropower project are not transparent. Keep reading ...
Cambodian NGOs Reject Invitation to Regional Forum on Proposed Lao Dams
A Cambodian coalition of NGOs dedicated to raising public awareness about the risks associated with dams on the Mekong River said Thursday that it will boycott a regional stakeholder forum for two proposed hydropower projects in Laos because its concerns were ignored by the organizing ...
Thailand Needs Criminal Law to Shield Migrant Workers from Abuse: HRW
As Thailand prepares to extend work permits for 11,000 foreign migrant workers, including many in the fishing industry, a Human Rights Watch official called on the government Tuesday to outlaw forced labor. Phil Robertson, a deputy Asia director for the global rights watchdog, praised the ...
Developers Press Ahead With Dams, Despite Lao Order to Halt New Hydropower Projects
Developers of two proposed hydropower projects in Laos are pressing ahead with plans to build the mega-dams on the Mekong River, despite a recent order by the government to halt new dam investments following a deadly breach in July that killed 35 people and displaced ...
Southeast Asian nations grapple with worsening plastic trash crisis
China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are dumping more plastic into oceans than the rest of the world combined. Are Southeast Asian nations doing enough to tackle the ever-growing plastic pollution problem? []The website Mekong Eye says that Southeast Asia’s Mekong region is “the world’s single ...
Southeast Asia's Tigers Show Slight Revival But Remain Under Pressure
According to the best estimates, some 100,000 tigers used to roam through parts of Asia. But that was more than a century ago. Today, experts estimate that worldwide only some 3,800 tigers have survived in the wild. This marks a slight improvement for the big ...
