News
Illegal rare-earth mining goes rampant in northern Kachin State
The number of illegal rare-earth element mining businesses in northern Kachin State has now increased much greater than the previous years, according to local sources. Locals say rare-earth mining was seen only in hilly border areas near Panwa before Myanmar’s political change in 2021, but the ...
TUN LIN AUNG (MYITKYINA)
The Peculiar Gender Dynamics of Hanoi's Male-Dominated Cờ Tướng Scene
On a sunset wander through Hanoi, you may be surprised by the peculiar sight of men haphazardly perched in nooks and crannies playing the ancient game of xiangqi. The strangely spectacular Chinese strategy game has for generations been hugely popular in Hanoi, though interestingly it seems only ...
Elise Luong
Thai zoos come under scrutiny again as tourism rebounds from COVID-19
A run-down department store tucked among Bangkok’s skyscrapers is home to the rooftop Pata Zoo, where nearly 300 animals pace in cages littered with feces, food scraps and trash. Bua Noi, the main attraction at the zoo and the only gorilla known to be in ...
Shannon Brault
Will the Mekong River Really Become the Next South China Sea?
In recent years, the fate of Southeast Asia’s great river – the Mekong – has attracted growing international scrutiny. The Mekong faces many challenges, from the impacts of climate change and saline encroachment in its delta, to dam developments on the headwaters of the river ...
Sebastian Strangio
Record high tide inundates Mekong Delta capital
Water levels along the Hau River, a Mekong branch, rose to 2.27 meters, breaking the 2019 record and plunging Can Tho City in chaos. Commuters drive through floodwaters on Nguyen Trai Street in Can Tho’s downtown district of Ninh Kieu at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Tides on ...
Cuu Long, Nguyen Anh
Student contributions sought for better monitoring of Mekong River
A competition has been launched to challenge university students to design technology to monitor the Mekong’s water level, rainfall, soil moisture, and water quality. The River Monitoring Technology Competition, launched by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), is for students in the four regional countries of Cambodia, ...
Minh Nga
Girls, you are not alone in the fight for rights
In an attempt to continue promoting young women’s rights and gender equality, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs led the commemoration of International Day of the Girl Child in the Kingdom in partnership with Plan International Cambodia. The celebration presided over by Im Sithe, Secretary of State ...
Yim Sreylin
Cambodia Microfinance Should be Taxed to Address Climate Change Impact, Research Says
New research from Cambodia challenges the microfinance industry’s assertions that its loans help farmers to resist the impacts of climate change. In fact, the research argues, microfinance undermines the capacity of farmers to respond to unstable climate conditions. The profit from Cambodia generated by foreign-owned microfinance ...
David Whitehouse
Pristine bay in Phuket under threat from marina developers
A marina developer has plans to turn one of Phuket’s few remaining mangrove forests into a new gateway for luxury yachts and cruises post the Covid-19 pandemic period. In Ao Kung, a quiet bay in the northern part of bustling Phuket island, Sujirtra Thothip stood in ...
Wanpen Pajai
In Vietnam, farmers show a willingness to work with the elephant in the room
Solving human-wildlife conflict is a complex issue and a pressing concern for a wide variety of endangered species, none more so than the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). People living around Vietnam’s Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, however, want to foster coexistence with elephants, not conflict. That’s ...
Sean Mowbray
