News
Satellites to show the way forward for Mekong region
Efficient natural resource management, disaster warning and a reduction in the effects of climate change on the Lower Mekong region will be enhanced thanks to the SERVIR – Mekong project. The SERVIR – Mekong project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented ...
Myanmar border trade tops $2.4bn
Trade between Myanmar and its four neighbouring countries has reached US$2.48 billion (85 billion baht) in the financial year to date, a Myanmar Commerce Ministry official said. Keep reading ...
Thailand apologises to Laos over football final drama
A group of Thai supporters arrested in Laos for causing disturbance during Thailand’s football match against Vietnam were released on 5 September after spending a night in detention. The Thai Embassy in the Lao capital issued an official statement to apologise for their act, which threatened to affect ...
Green light for Mekong ‘time bomb’ sparks alarm
Environmental groups have expressed alarm at the Laotian National Assembly’s approval of the concession for the Don Sahong Dam project, which has been described as an “ecological time bomb” about to be dropped on the Mekong River. The Laotian government and the project’s developer, Malaysia’s MegaFirst ...
Laos frees Thai football hooligans
Lao police on 5 September released 25 Thais who stirred up violence during a football match in Vientiane on 4 September, the Thai embassy said. The embassy said Lao authorities contacted Thai diplomats in Vientiane to arrange for the hooligans to be sent home and they ...
Thai PM: Migrant workers’ dependents to be barred in 2017
Thailand will prohibit family members from joining migrant workers coming to Thailand from neighbouring countries beginning in 2017, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said 4 September. He hinted that health insurance and education costs for non-working spouses and children of foreign workers was creating a burden on government ...
Laos officially approves controversial dam project
Laos’ parliament has approved the concession agreement for a controversial dam project, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2015, media sources reported earlier this week. Keep reading ...
Minister declares Vietnam map issue resolved
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong has demanded an end to opposition politicking on the Vietnam border issue, following the second and “final” verification of maps used by the government to demarcate the eastern boundary against French charts. Namhong, also a deputy prime minister, on 3 September presided ...
Korea extends support to Laos for ASEAN integration
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will provide more than US$13 million (more than 104 billion kip) in assistance to Laos next year in various sectors of development. KOICA President Kim Young-Mok announced the support when he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong ...
China, Vietnam agree to 'properly handle' disputes
The leaders of China and Vietnam agreed on 3 September to “properly handle” their disputes, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, amid tension over a territorial spat in the South China Sea. China’s increasingly assertive moves to press sovereignty claims in regional waters have rattled its neighbors ...
