Economy and industry
Laos, Malaysia and Thailand Agree to Expand a Trilateral Power Deal

Laos, Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to expand a trilateral power deal, under which Lao electricity will be sold to the Malaysians via the Thai grid, Thailand’s minister of energy said Thursday. “Thailand, Laos and Malaysia achieved a new purchase deal, raising the capacity from 100 ...
Vietnam to build $1.3 billion expressway in Mekong Delta
A state-owned construction company is planning to build a 155-km (96-mile) expressway through the Mekong Delta using ODA and public funds. The Cuu Long Corporation for Investment Development and Project Management of Infrastructure (Cuu Long CIPM) has worked with authorities in the delta’s Can Tho City ...
Cuu Long
A new dam on the Mekong could cause a biodiversity crisis
The Tonle Sap Lake is called the Great Lake by Cambodians for good reason. The scenic lake spans a vast area as the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia. Its quaint waterborne villages are popular with tourists. Yet Cambodia’s Great Lake does more than just provide for ...
Darunee Sukanan
CDC approves solar parks in Kampong Chhnang and Pursat
The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) on Thursday approved the registration of solar park projects in Kampong Chhnang and Pursat provinces. Both solar farms are an investment of Schneitec Sustainable. Each park will have a capacity of 60 megawatts and will cost $58 million. One ...
Chea Vannak
New rules, new debts: slavery fears rise for migrant workers in Thailand
When Leng Lyda swapped Cambodia for a fishing town in Thailand hoping to find a job in the seafood industry, he was ready for hard work. But he wasn’t prepared for the delay, or the debt. The 22-year-old landed a job as soon as he arrived ...
Matt Blomberg and Nanchanok Wongsamuth
Winning the battle, losing the war?
Going by the sometimes breathless reports about how well Vietnam has done out of the US-China tariff joust, a reader would be forgiven for thinking that an authoritarian single-party state where farmers make up 40% of the workforce has been transformed into a kind of ...
Simon Roughneen
India to Include Laos in Planned Global Electricity Grid
India is poised to include Laos in plans for a global electricity grid, in response to an evolving energy security architecture. The country will present proposals for the grid at the second general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to be held in New Delhi from October ...
Tackling city issues with tech
The Digital Yangon App that can be used by the public to deal with issues such as abandoned vehicles, water problems, fire and waste disposal issues can now be used in six downtown areas of Yangon, said Yangon Region Minister of Kayin Ethnic Affairs Daw ...
Four Trapped in Collapsed, Flooded Coal Mine in Central Myanmar

Rescue workers were trying to get to four coal miners trapped in a collapsed mine in Satpyargon Village, in Magwe Region’s Minhla Township, as of late Monday afternoon. According to police, the mine, operated by the Inn Gyin Taung mining company, collapsed Sunday evening due to ...
Zarini Mann
Cambodia’s rice farmers in serious danger
Half a million Cambodian farmers could possibly be looking at empty rice bowls if the European Union (EU) pushes through with the withdrawal of its Everything But Arms (EBA) trade preference. While the garment and footwear sectors stand to lose the most if the EBA trade scheme – ...
Jason Thomas