Radio Free Asia
Cambodia’s Senate Approves State of Emergency Law as UN Expert Warns of its Risks to Rights
Legislation authorizing a state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Cambodia risks violating the right to privacy, free speech, and peaceful assembly, a United Nations expert said Friday, as lawmakers gave their final approval of the bill. “Emergency measures must be necessary ...
Lao Villagers Lose Farmland to Chinese Banana Grower
Villagers in Laos say a Chinese-owned banana plantation in has unfairly acquired the land of 46 families in the northern part of the country, many of whom were coerced by authorities into selling for a miniscule compensation package The 46 families sold 60 hectares (148 acres) ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Laos Shutters Small Checkpoints on Borders With Vietnam, Cambodia, Citing Coronavirus Spread
Laos is shuttering small checkpoints on its borders with Vietnam and Cambodia as part of a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus into the country, where authorities have yet to announce a positive case of the disease caused by the virus (COVID-19). The ...
RFA’s Khmer and Lao Services. Translated by Max Avary and Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
New Dam Planned in Same District as Xe Pian Xe Namnoi Collapse in Southern Laos
A new dam is set to go up in southern Laos, in the district where two years ago a major dam collapse caused a flood that was described as the country’s worst in decades. On July 23, 2018, water poured over a saddle dam in Attapeu ...
Idle Factories, Empty Trade Zone Highlight Coronavirus Impact on Southeast Asia
A Chinese special economic zone in Laos has fallen silent, workers in Cambodia staged a strike after their factory closed for lack of inputs from China, and Myanmar grappled with plant closures and layoffs, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus cascaded across the region. In ...
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
Mekong River Dams Disrupting Lives of Southeast Asian Fishermen, Farmers
Tiem Ngern-tok pointed at the water level, shook his head and talked about dragon boat races to explain how dams in China and Laos have disrupted the lives of Thai people whose villages abut the Mekong River. “During annual boat races the water was high,” said ...
Myanmar Arrests 49 Rohingya Muslims Attempting to Flee to Malaysia
Myanmar authorities on Wednesday arrested nearly 50 Rohingya Muslims in Yangon region as they attempted to flee the country for Malaysia, a lawmaker said, while a separate group of Rohingya detainees appeared in court in Ayeyarwady region to face charges on traveling without official permission ...
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi Visits Kayah State as Party Tries to Improve Ties With Ethnic Groups
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with ethnic Karenni youth in eastern Kayah state Wednesday to discuss local grievances there, the latest step to shore up her ruling National League for Democracy’s relations with ethnic groups as the party faces year-end elections. The visit, and ...
Hundreds in Cambodia Protest Lack of Progress in Resolving Land Disputes
Almost a thousand protesters gathered on Monday outside the Ministry of Land Management in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh to urge direct intervention by the Ministry in long-running land disputes, saying that handing the responsibility off to provincial authorities has stalled resolution. Coming from the provinces of ...
