News
China calls for border stability in Myanmar ahead of elections
China’s defense minister has urged Myanmar to maintain stability on their common border as it prepares for what Beijing hopes will be successful elections in November, the defense ministry said on 22 September. Myanmar holds an historic election in November, when the military-backed ruling party will compete with the ...
Montagnards mull leaving Cambodia
With the clock ticking for Montagnards in Phnom Penh to leave the country or face forced repatriation, some of the asylum seekers have asked the UN Refugee Agency to help them return to Vietnam. Vivian Tan, a regional spokesperson for UNHCR, said “a few people” have ...
Don Sahong project to begin construction in November
The 260-MW Don Sahong hydroelectric project is anticipated to begin construction before the end of this year after a number of agreements related to the project have been signed to guide the project’s go ahead. The Lao Ministry of Energy and Mine’s Policy and Planning Department ...
Groups slam dam go-ahead
Advocacy groups on 21 September voiced their “strong disappointment” over the approval of the concession agreement for the controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam in Laos. Keep reading ...
ADB cuts growth forecast
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) cut its two-year growth forecast for the region on 22 September, amid a slow recovery in major industrial economies and weaker prospects for China and India. The Manila-based bank said developing Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to slow ...
All in the same boat: Tourism potential along the Mekong
A recent field trip to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, organised by the Thailand Research Fund was aimed at promoting a community-based research project on managing social and cultural tourism routes. The project, extending into Sakhon Nakhon and Mukdahan, will help ASEAN Economic Community policymakers assess tourism potential along ...
Vietnamese rubber giant makes deal with Cambodian villagers
A “major breakthrough” has been reached in discussions between Vietnamese rubber giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai and 11 indigenous communities in Ratanakkiri province that have lost land and resources to the company’s plantations. During a three-day meeting with community representatives, NGOs and its own subsidiaries, the ...
Vietnamese environment group voices concerns over Mekong dam
An environmental watchdog based in Vietnam is asking the Laos government to reconsider the construction of a controversial hydropower plant along the Mekong River. The non-governmental organisation Vietnam River Network issued a press release on 18 September stating that the Don Sahong project, the second largest ...
Vietnam expels Chinese man for illegal mass earthworm hunting
Quang Tri border guards have deported a Chinese man who had asked locals to help him hunt earthworms using an illegal chemical and promised to buy the crawl for a high price. Gan DeQiang, 40, was also fined VND16 million (US$712) for his violations, according to ...
Laos to receive technical training from Chinese on proposed high-speed railway
Chinese railway experts are providing technical training this month for Lao officials in charge of a U.S. $7 billion high-speed railway project that will link the two neighboring countries and extend to Thailand, although the Chinese government has yet to sign a contract to begin ...
