News
Xayaburi Dam Dispels Rumors of Role in Dry Mekong River
Amid an ongoing drought and low water levels, the state of the Mekong River is a topic that is animating discussion along the watercourse, with sights often aimed squarely at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant. To help clear the waters, the project owners invited regional ...
Steven Cleary
Hundreds of corporations in VN transition to legal software, but warns of ongoing risks: BSA
Hundreds of corporations in Vietnam improved their cyber security and legal compliance by replacing illegal software with fully licensed programmes since the launch of BSA’s ASEAN software legalisation campaign last September. The Software Alliance reports that over the last six months, more than 300 corporations in Viet ...
Myanmar to Upgrade Urban Infrastructure in State Capitals, Border Town
The Myanmar government is planning to upgrade basic infrastructure and enhance urban management of three major cities in Mon and Karen states that lie along Japan’s planned East-West Economic Corridor for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Minister of Construction U Han Zaw said Monday that his ...
Nan Lwin
‘Environment hero’ Nguy Thi Khanh receives US$2 million award
With her initiatives and great efforts to help protect the environment, Nguy Thi Khanh has become the first Vietnamese Climate Breakthrough Project awardee. Born in Bac Giang, near a thermal power plant which emits smoke all year round, Khanh witnessed many people suffering from cancer and ...
Survey Finds Decade-High Numbers of Irrawaddy Dolphins
The number of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins found in Myanmar this year has increased to 79, the highest in a decade, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar (WCS). The numbers include seven calves aged three months or younger. The Irrawaddy dolphins can also be found ...
Zarni Mann
Tunnel Construction Chemical Leak Causes Mass Fish Deaths in Kasy District
A chemical leak at a construction site on part of the Lao-China Railway has caused the deaths of fish and contaminated sections of the Nam Lik River in Kasy District, Vientiane Province. Authorities in Kasy District, Vientiane Province, have urged residents to refrain from eating fish ...
Latsamy Phonevilay
In Laos, price of free speech a heavy one
The imprisonment of Houayheuang “Muay” Xayabouly, a young, female Lao environmentalist turned internet activist who simply asked for help for flood victims, should be a matter of deep concern to the international community. On Sept 5, 2018, Muay used her 17-minute-long Facebook Live broadcast to counter ...
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal & Adam Bemma
Laos Plans to Build Sixth Large-Scale Mekong River Mainstream Dam
A Thai hydropower company has plans to build what would be Laos’ sixth large-scale Mekong river dam, the latest cog in Laos’ ambitious plan to become the “battery of Southeast Asia.” The Thailand-based Charoen Energy and Water Asia Co. Ltd. (CEWA) presented to Lao authorities the ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong
Sihanoukville eyes a bright future to become ‘Shenzhen of Cambodia’
After allowing the MS Westerdam and its 2,000 passengers and crew to dock at its port on February, Sihanoukville, a quiet and small port city in Cambodia has commanded the global spotlight. Aside from offering a safe departure for those on board, Sihanoukville is in the ...
Lan Hui Source
Court orders rewrite of law on abortion
The Constitutional Court has found a section of the Criminal Code to be unconstitutional for failing to hold men legally responsible for illegal abortions. The ruling will take effect on Feb 13 next year — 360 days after the ruling was made. The court ruled on the ...