News
Extreme weather a wake-up call: experts
THE WORLD needs to be prepared for more extreme weather events in future after disasters caused by climate change inflicted losses running into many billions of dollars in 2018, according to a study. The British organisation, Christian Aid, last Thursday released its new report titled “Counting ...
Illegal logging claims refuted
Forest activists in Battambang province’s Samlot district said on Thursday that a company that has received an economic land concession (ELC) in the area is trading timber from outside its ELC boundary. The activists said Rath Sambath, whose ELC is located near the Phnom Samkos Wildlife ...
Environmental damage continues months after Laos dam collapse
IN July, a hydroelectric dam collapse in Laos released five billion cubic meters of water into surrounding countryside – the equivalent of two million Olympic swimming pools. The resulting flood killed dozens, devastated communities, forced thousands to flee and ripped through areas of protected rainforest. The ...
Small Voices, Real Actions of People in Forests
Similar to other ethnic groups, people of Hmong at Ban Pang Kob living in the buffer zone of Doi Phu Kha National Park and Khun Nan National Park are entirely dependent on the forests. Their livelihoods and food security from surrounding forests are now facing ...
Cybersecurity firms up as priority with new digital laws
The coming year is expected to be the year of cybersecurity for Thailand with the likely introduction of key digital laws, especially the Cybersecurity Act, to take effect in 2019. Paiboon Amonpinyokeat, of the National Cyber Security preparation committee and a cyber law expert, said that ...
What awaits any Rohingya refugees who return to Myanmar?
Since late 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, following a military crackdown on the Muslim minority people. Under a deal between the two countries, thousands of them were due to be moved back to Myanmar. But this was halted when ...
Dams threaten traditional way of life in Mekong Basin
Sak Siam, 69, chief of Chnok Tru, a village in central Cambodia, is worried. The floating village of about 1,700 households is located on a tributary of the Mekong River. “The villagers will be unable to survive if the fish catch decreases further,” he said. Hydroelectric ...
Mekong-Korea cooperation spearheads sustainable development
Ahead of the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit and ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit next year, the two sides can benefit together by tackling the development challenges of the future, according to a group of experts at the sixth Mekong-ROK Business Forum on Dec. 13 in Seoul. “Korea ...
Seminar seeks to address land subsidence in Mekong Delta
A scientific seminar on land subsidence in the Mekong Delta – situation and solutions took place in Hanoi on December 28. In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said climate change, riverside landslide and land subsidence are posing challenges ...
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation could play bigger role in regional river protection, development
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) could play a bigger role in the protection and development of the Lancang-Mekong river, Cambodian experts and officials said in recent interviews with Xinhua. Te Navuth, secretary general of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC), said that for Cambodia, the main concerns over ...
