News
Indonesia welcomes Laos’ chairmanship, urges unity
Indonesia has thrown its support behind Laos’ chairmanship of ASEAN, urging the country to maintain the group’s unity and centrality as it entered a new chapter in the establishment of the community.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo conveyed his remarks to new ASEAN chair Laos during a ...
Longer stay for migrant workers proposed
Currently, migrant workers from other countries possessing “pink-card work permits” can work in Thailand for one year and are required to renew their permits if they want to continue working. Under a new proposal, migrant workers can work for two years before renewing theirpermits. The workers ...
Thai products popular in Vietnam's domestic market
Vietnamese products are facing fierce competition from Thailand imports in the local market as Thai companies increasingly expand their presence in the country. A report from the General Department of Customs (GDC) showed that exports from Thailand reached US$7.5 billion in the first 11 months of ...
Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar in line for US$180m loan
The Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project will provide a US$180 million loan to finance initiatives in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to boost the capacity of commercial production in the three countries. A senior official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Vinoth Vansy, told ...
Jokowi conveys words of wisdom to new ASEAN chair Laos
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has congratulated Laos on its selection for the ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, saying that this year is an important milestone for ASEAN, as the ASEAN Economic Community was coming into effect.At a courtesy call with President Choumaly Sayasone of Laos in ...
Children of Vietnamese expats in Laos receive scholarships
Sixty-two scholarships were awarded on 15 February to children of Vietnamese expats living in Laos who wish to study in Vietnam, taking the total number of such grants this year to a record 92, according to newswire VietnamPlus. The scholarships are jointly sponsored by the Vietnamese Embassy ...
Thai food exports to Myanmar surge
The National Food Institute of Thailand’s Ministry of Industry says small and medium-sized food processing businesses should target Myanmar given the jump in Thai food imports. The institute revealed that Thai food exports to Myanmar increased 24 per cent last year. That makes Myanmar the world’s fourth largest importer ...
The Mekong river: Damned if you do
The Mekong watershed nurtures extraordinary biodiversity, with new species of plants and animals discovered every year. It has also nurtured humans. Tens of millions of people—much of the population of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam—depend on the Mekong. Planners think the Mekong has a gift to give: hydropower. ...
Myanmar’s health ministry deems Thai cosmetic products ‘unfit for use’
Products of a popular Thai cosmetics brand were found to be “unfit for use,” according to an official announcement by Myanmar’s Ministry of Health on 10 February. “Two products of ‘Forever Young’ cosmetics were found to contain prohibited chemical ingredients that can harm people’s health and [we] ...
Thai BJC to seek $6.2 bln loan for Big C purchase; shares drop
Thailand’s Berli Jucker PCL (BJC) said it would seek a short term loan and may consider an equity issue to fund a planned $6.2 billion acquisition of hypermarket operator Big C Supercenter PCL , sending its shares down 5 percent. Berli, controlled by Thai tycoon Charoen ...
