News
25th meeting of Mekong Council reviews work on river
The 25th meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council was convened in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on November 28. It brought together 120 delegates from the council’s four member countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The commission’s dialogue ...
Residents fear Mekong blasting to proceed
Residents living along the Mekong River in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district have expressed strong opposition to a public hearing on China’s plans to blast away a stretch of rapids, saying there was no need for more talk about the proposal, which they would not ...
Floating markets – a typical cultural feature of the Mekong region
With its dense system of rivers and canals, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has become famous for floating markets which attract tourists with their abundant farm produce sold directly from boats. Located on the Cai Rang river, 6 km from Can Tho city, the Cai Rang floating market ...
Ministry working group to regulate Mekong fish migration
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has set up a technical working group to implement a project to facilitate fish migration in the lower Mekong basin. The technical working group, composed of ten officials, was created in early November but was only announced last week. ...
Vietnamese-Cambodian villagers forced into new homes
A total of 2,300 ethnic Vietnamese, who had been living in a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake in Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia, will soon be settled in their new homes with help from the government and non-government organizations. Since October the villagers, ...
New Strategies Needed as EAOs Adapt to Changes in Drug Demand
There is both good news and bad news for Myanmar on the drug front: a sharp decline in opium cultivation and a shift toward synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine. In the past 20 years, opium cultivation has declined to 41,000 hectares, a 75 percent drop from ...
INGOs Discourage Repatriation for their Own Interests: Gov’t Spokesperson
The Myanmar government’s spokesperson U Zaw Htay has accused international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) of deliberately discouraging refugees in Bangladesh from returning to Myanmar due to their own business interests. Speaking at the government’s press conference on Friday, U Zaw Htay, also director-general of the President’s ...
The Fight with China Over the Mekong River Basin
Countries in the Mekong River Basin, notably those located in the lower part of the river – Asia’s seventh longest – are in need of a collective strategy to secure their future, given China’s control of the upstream part and ongoing changes in global geopolitics. ...
76th joint patrol on Mekong River completed
The 76th joint patrol on the Mekong River jointly conducted by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand was completed Saturday. Ten vessels and 198 law enforcement personnel participated in the five-day mission that aimed to increase police visibility and enhance security and control of 512 km ...
Russia Concerned Over Western Chemical Weapons Found In Vietnam, Laos, Panama - Official
Russia is concerned that UK and US chemical weapons have been found in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Panama, Georgy Kalamanov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP CWC) said Wednesday. “We are concerned ...
