ABC Australian News
Sex workers have long been disapproved of in Thailand. Now they are calling for their billion-dollar industry to be recognised
It is hard to imagine, but Pattaya’s near-deserted “Walking Street” used to teem with revellers, as pulsating music filled the air and neon lights flashed until the early hours. Before the pandemic, the coastal city south-east of Bangkok was a buzzing party scene, and was once described by the Lonely Planet travel ...
South-East Asia correspondent Mazoe Ford and Supattra Vimonsuknopparat
How Laos escaped coronavirus community transmission and deaths — until now
The official coronavirus death toll in the South-East Asian nation of Laos remained at zero until this month. Amid a rapidly spreading outbreak in neighbouring Thailand, the Laotian government sealed its borders and imposed a lockdown on April 22. Everybody except for essential workers was required to stay home ...
Max Walden
Cambodian satellite city near Phnom Penh destroying wetlands with 1 million at risk of flooding, report finds
A damning new report shows a multi-billion-dollar satellite city near Phnom Penh threatens to pave over vital wetlands and unleash untreated sewage into the Mekong River, putting more than 1 million people at risk of dangerous floods and water pollution. The project further threatens to upend ...
Erin Handley
Asia's plastic-polluted rivers pose a problem for Australia. So scientists are turning to drones
It’s one of 10 rivers in the world that collectively contribute up to 95 per cent of plastic in the ocean. Running for more than 4,000 kilometres, the Mekong River flows through six countries, starting in China and making its way through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia ...
Amy Bainbridge
ANZ compensates Cambodian families forcibly evicted to make way for sugar plantation
ANZ has agreed to compensate hundreds of Cambodian families who were forcibly evicted from their land to make way for a controversial sugar plantation and refinery. Phnom Penh Sugar, owned by tycoon and ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat, received a $40 million loan from ANZ joint ...
China's Mekong River dams are generating renewable energy, but are costing locals their livelihoods
Early in January, locals in the northern Thai village of Chiang Khong woke to find the Mekong River had dropped a metre overnight. The water level fell so rapidly that damp mud was still visible days later when the ABC visited the area and some boats ...
Amy Bainbridge and Supattra Vimonsuk
Fungus is the next 'superbug' to threaten human health
Humans and fungi have always coexisted. In fact, among microbes, fungi are our closest relatives, with far fewer genetic differences than there are for bacteria or viruses. So why are we now hearing so much about “mysterious” infections and “killer superbugs” emerging from the fungal world? When ...
Justin Beardsley
China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests fuel anti-Chinese sentiment
China has warned its citizens in Vietnam after protesters clashed with police over a government plan to create new economic zones for foreign investment that has fuelled anti-Chinese sentiment in the country. Keep reading ...
Vietnam passes cybersecurity law despite concerns
Vietnamese legislators have passed a contentious cybersecurity law, which critics say will hurt the economy and further restrict freedom of expression. Keep reading ...
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi cancels Lowy Institute lecture
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi is “not feeling well” and has pulled out of delivering a keynote speech in Sydney on Tuesday. Key points: Lowy Institute Lecture was set to be Suu Kyi’s only public arrangement in Australia Suu Kyi facing criticism over plight ...
Caitlyn Gribbin
