News
Laos, China railway groundbreaking set for 2 December
A groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of a high-profile rail project linking Vientiane with the Chinese border is scheduled to take place on 2 December– the day the Lao People’s Democratic Republic marks its 40th anniversary. The governments of Laos and China signed an agreement ...
Laos, China confirm railway launch date
The Lao and Chinese governments have signed an agreement to officially launch the construction of a new 418 kilometre railway next month. The agreement to begin the long-delayed project was signed on Friday in Beijing, the Vientiane Times online reported on 18 November. Keep reading ...
Thailand believed to have deported 2 Chinese activists
The UN refugee agency criticised Thailand on 17 November for deporting two refugees who were about to be resettled in a third country. Rights groups identified the two as Chinese pro-democracy activists, although the Bangkok office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees did not give their ...
Thailand, China agree on railways
The Thai cabinet approved a draft cooperation framework on 17 November for the Thai-Chinese railway development project. Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the draft framework covered the construction of 1.435-metre standard-gauge railways along two routes. They are Nong Khai-Nakhon Ratchasima-Kaeng Khoi and Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut. Keep reading ...
UN criticises Cambodia, China rights violations
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on 17 November that an arrest warrant issued against Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy was a worrisome development and called for dialogue. Meanwhile, in Geneva, a UN watchdog questioned Chinese officials over alleged widespread use of torture in the country’s prisons, deaths ...
Complaints filed against Thai workers in Dawei, Myanmar
Local residents of Myanmar’s Dawei Township, Taninthayi Region, complained to the Immigration Officer on 16 November about Thai citizens who have been working at the Banchaung coal mining project without legal work permits since 8 November. May Flower Mining Enterprises was granted permission to implement the Banchaung ...
US pledges $259m to SE Asian allies for maritime security
The United States said on 16 November it would provide US$259 million to its Southeast Asian allies for maritime security, as tensions rise over Beijing’s island-building in the disputed South China Sea. The pledges of support to the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia came shortly after US ...
Indonesia opens trials of Thais accused of enslaving fishermen
An Indonesian court has begun hearing trials of five Thais and an Indonesian charged with human trafficking connected with slavery in the seafood industry. The suspects were arrested in the remote island village of Benjina in May after the slavery was revealed by The Associated Press ...
Vientiane-Hanoi to conduct highway feasibility study
Laos is preparing to undertake a feasibility study with Vietnam for a Vientiane-Hanoi highway project to bring the two capital cities closer to one another. Head of Office of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Dr Santisouk Simmalavong told Vientiane Times on 16 November that the ...
Mekong river dolphin faces added threat of Laos dam
Conservation experts and residents in Cambodia’s Kratie province say they are concerned for the wellbeing of the Mekong River dolphin, especially if a major hydropower project is built upstream. Laos says it intends to go forward with the Don Sahong Dam project, despite opposition from Cambodia ...
