News
Yuan devaluation seen reigniting currency wars in Asia
A measure of the region’s 10 most-traded currencies excluding the yen is set to decline for a third year, its longest losing streak since 1997, amid signs the US will raise interest rates for the first time in a decade. The People’s Bank of China’s cut ...
About 71% of businesses satisfied with Vietnam's tax procedures reform
The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and General Department of Taxation, under the Ministry of Finance, revealed a report on the satisfaction of businesses with the tax administrative procedures reform in 2014 in Hanoi on 11 August. Keep reading ...
Vietnam widens dong’s trading band after China devalues yuan
Vietnam’s central bank doubled the width of the dong’s trading band 12 August, a day after China further weakened its currency, pushing the yuan into its biggest devaluation in two decades. The State Bank of Vietnam widened the dong’s trading band against the U.S. dollar to ...
The labeling problem in Southeast Asia's refugee crisis
In the ‘crisis’ involving the displaced Rohingya people in Southeast Asia, the preferred institutional label is “irregular migrants.” It is a term which implies that migration is well-regulated, which is not the case in South East Asia. The ‘labeling’ or construction of identities of social groups ...
Port Hope charity brings clean water to 10,000 people in Laos
After six years working in the southeast Asian country of Laos, a local charity has provided 10,000 people with access to clean water. Adopt a Village in Laos, a charity based in Port Hope and founded by resident Steve Rutledge, works to bring water filtration systems ...
Mekong Delta's largest waste water facility opens
A new waste water treatment plant, the largest of its kind in the Mekong Delta, was put into operation on Saturday in Tra Noc Industrial Park in Can Tho, Vietnam. At the completion of the first phase of the project, the new waste water treatment facility can ...
Rice destined for Myanmar's flood-hit areas
A local trading firm has donated 85 bags of rice valued at K2 million to Myanmar Red Cross Society for distribution to families affected by recent flooding. Lucky Family Trading handed over the rice on 8 August at MRCS headquarters in Botahtaung township. Keep reading ...
UN 'appalled' by Thailand's record jail terms for royal defamation
The United Nations on 11 August denounced “shockingly” long prison terms imposed by Thailand for insulting the monarchy and urged authorities to amend the law and release those convicted. Thai military courts on 7 August jailed two people for insulting the monarchy, one for 30 years and the ...
China devalues yuan by 2% to boost flagging economy
China has devalued its currency to boost flagging exports in a move that risks deepening the global currency war. After recent data showing falling exports and a stalling manufacturing sector, the central bank said on 11 August that it was allowing the yuan to weaken by nearly ...
SEZs seek to boost Thai-Laos partnership
Thailand and Laos have pledged to raise bilateral trade to US$8 billion over the next three years, driven mainly by underlined partnerships through special economic zones (SEZs). Thailand plans to develop SEZs in 10 provinces, six of which have been designated in the first phase ...
