News
Rain brings relief to Thailand's drought-stricken provinces
The number of drought-hit provinces has more than halved after rain made an appearance in the upper North and Northeast, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said Sunday. Department chief Chatchai Promlert said 40 provinces were reported as drought-hit until the weekend, when welcome rain eased the ...
Cambodia's mining tax likely won’t budge
Cambodia’s new mining law is on track for adoption by the end of this year and will introduce a raft of reforms to the sector, a senior official said, although the country’s mining tax will likely remain the same. Meng Saktheara, secretary of state at the ...
Udon Thani locals up in arms over potash mine
Hearts of many locals in Udon Thani’s Prachaksinlapakhom district are heavy because of a pending project to launch mining operations in their hometown area. They are worried about possible pollution and adverse impacts on their health. “To tell the truth, I don’t believe in the environmental impact assessment [EIA],” ...
Gold diggers: Thai gold mine causes environmental and health problems
A major Geographical investigation looks at the devastating environmental and debilitating health effects a Thai gold mine is having on a village in Loei, and at how a group of determined villagers are fighting back This idyllic valley is the stage for the violent suppression of popular protests in the ...
China growth slowdown may widen Vietnam trade gap, official says
China’s economic slowdown may widen Vietnam’s trade deficit as the Southeast Asian nation counts on its largest trading partner to buy commodities, according to a government official. “It would hurt our exports to China, especially with agricultural products,” Nguyen Duc Kien, deputy head of the National ...
Thailand's NRCT strikes deal on haze reduction in northern region
The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has made an agreement with the 3rd Army Area on a cooperative effort to reduce haze disasters caused by burnings in the northern region. The NRCT Secretary-General Soottiporn Chittmittrapap has revealed that the NRCT has joined hands with the ...
Severe drought takes toll on women in Cambodia
A severe drought is affecting many people in provinces across Cambodia and has prompted the government to warn that it will deepen poverty in the developing country. Sivann Botum, secretary of state for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and a member of the National Committee for ...
Beer competition brews as Heineken launches in Myanmar
Dutch giant Heineken opened its US$60 million brewery on 12 July, with its locally developed Regal Seven lager beer set to hit store shelves shortly. The brewer will also face the unusual situation of competing against one of its own beers. It owns Tiger beer, but ...
China’s ‘Myanmar corridor’
Much has been said and written about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent visit to China, and some commentators have even suggested that it may signal a shift in Beijing’s policy toward Myanmar—away from the government and toward a more favorable view of the pro-democracy ...
Laos: Officials discuss national food and nutrition security
Stakeholders from the government, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector gathered on 10 July to discuss and exchange information on food and nutrition security in Laos. Meeting at the Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security and the Asean Integrated Food Security Framework in ...
