Economy and industry

Softer growth prospects for China and a weak recovery in major industrial economies are expected to suppress economic growth in developing Asia and cut Thailand’s growth by half a percentage point, according to an Asian Development Bank report released March 30.  Keep reading ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday made a public appeal to the South Korean government for an extra $10 million – on top of $52 million already provided – to complete the second phase of a road project. Keep reading ...

The Thai central bank will relax rules governing investment in products linked to foreign exchanges and transferring money internationally via mobile phones at the end of this month. Keep reading ...

Provincial authorities in Tboung Khmum province on 26 March said they discovered 17 tonnes of illegal rosewood hidden on a commune chief’s family’s land, only to have a mob of armed local residents break into the property that night and steal potential evidence. Keep reading ...

Vietnam is willing to cooperate with China and other riparian countries to establish a cooperation center for sustainable use of the Mekong River’s water resources, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said, the Greater Mekong Subregion is facing major security and development challenges, especially pollution, ...

Laos has started releasing around 1,136 cubic meters of water per second from its dams to the Mekong River to help Vietnam’s southern region cope with severe drought and saltwater intrusion, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country planned to keep doing so ...

The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia on 27 March promised villagers in Stung Treng province who are set to be displaced by the construction of the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam for the massive energy project that she would raise their plight with the ...

Thai exports grew in February for the first time in 14 months, thanks to two unusual items — helicopters and an eight-fold increase from a month earlier in gold shipments. In February, customs-cleared exports rose 10.27% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. ...

A vision for politics and security in the region, tackling non-military threats and challenges, and maintaining cooperation in national defence were tabled for discussion at the Track II 9th Network of Asean Defence and Security Institutions meeting, which opened in Vientiane on 24 March. Keep reading ...

Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...