News
Myanmar officials use social media to fight flood rumours
Local government officials are turning to social media in an effort to share information on the flooding situation in upper Myanmar – and head off rumours of impending dam overflows and other catastrophes. The government has traditionally used state media, both print and broadcast, to share ...
8 fishing 'slaves' pulled from Thai boat in PNG
Authorities in Papua New Guinea have rescued eight fishermen held on board a Thai-owned refrigerated cargo ship, and dozens of other boats are still being sought in response to an Associated Press report that included satellite photos and locations of slave vessels at sea. Two Myanmar ...
Sagaing village’s electric ambitions drown in flooding
Sagaing Region’s flooding has quenched villagers’ dreams of electric power. The heavy rains and rising rivers have drowned at least 10 people, broken down bridges and dams, stranded road and rail passengers, driven hundreds from their homes and swept away entire villages. In addition, they have ...
Myanmar activists press Chinese mining firm for answers
Local activists have again failed in their bid to get a major Chinese mining company to answer questions about its involvement in mining activities in Sagaing Region. Ko Tint Aung Soe, a representative of the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability in Sagaing Region, told The ...
7-Eleven to invade Vietnam
Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings Co said it has decided to open 7-Eleven convenience stores in Vietnam, where convenience store users are expected to increase with economic growth. Keep reading ...
All 23 people aboard crashed Lao helicopter confirmed dead
All 23 people on a Lao military helicopter that crashed earlier this week while traveling to northern Laos have been confirmed dead, military officials and state media said 30 July, though the cause of the accident remains unknown. Air traffic control in Vientiane lost contact with the ...
Thailand wants to buy submarines from China, US wary of growing relationship between military junta and Beijing
The Royal Thai Navy claims it urgently needs more submarines to compete with other Asian countries. The assistant commander made the claim aimed at persuading a skeptical public that the nation should invest in its military in a white paper sent to reporters, the Bangkok Post ...
Megaprojects biggest risk seen
Fund managers estimate the Stock Exchange of Thailand index will hover between 1,350 and 1,559 points this year, with public investment in infrastructure projects the biggest risk factor. The big question is whether the government will be able to invest in infrastructure projects as planned, said ...
Post-coup Thailand sees economic slump putting pressure on junta
Thailand’s government is under increasing pressure to overhaul the cabinet and bolster the economy as falling exports, eroding consumer confidence and a slump in manufacturing portend one of the region’s slowest expansions. The finance ministry has cut its forecasts for exports and gross domestic product growth ...
Authorities charge Chinese man with illegally transporting Cambodians
Cambodian human trafficking authorities have charged a Chinese national with attempting to illegally transport 18 men to work in China in what one government official said was the first such case of trafficking Cambodian men to the country. Anti-human trafficking police, who are part of the ...