Environment and land
Is China meeting its international environmental and human rights obligations on BRI?
On Thursday, April 25, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in Beijing. Heads of state and other senior government officials from 37 governments will attend, including representatives from ...
Oliver Ward
Vietnamese land grabbers linked to Cambodian firm
A senior Virak Chey National Park official on Monday said the 12 Vietnamese nationals being held in pre-trial detention for allegedly crossing the border illegally into Ratanakkiri province and clearing land are suspected of having links to a Cambodian company. Sou Khon, Virak Chey National Park ...
Illegal Charcoal Trade Wrecks Myanmar’s Bulwark Against Cyclones
The depletion of mangroves in southern Myanmar is impacting local fisheries near the island villages and playing havoc with the mangrove forest that protect the coastline from extreme weather events. The illegal charcoal trade persists due to a lack of law enforcement and oversight in Myanmar ...
Wudan Yan
China’s assertive maritime policy is older than Xi
The toughening of China’s policies in the South and East China Seas is widely regarded as a defining characteristic of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy. But while it is true that the PRC has become more assertive in its maritime disputes under Xi, China had already ...
Andrew Chubb
Standing on the shoulders of science above the South China Sea fray
The waters of the South China Sea face environmental peril that is ‘inseparable from the territorial disputes that plague it’. As claimants solidify their positions through artificial island construction, with China driving the most ambitious builds, habitats with wide-ranging ecological and economic value are being ...
James Borton
Drought, saltwater intrusion double whammy for Mekong delta farmers
Due to a prolonged drought, seawater has intruded deep into rivers in the Mekong Delta, leaving thousands of households facing a water shortage. Freshwater is sold in certain areas for VND200,000 ($8.6) per cubic metre, and local authorities use tanker trucks to deliver water to households. For ...
Huy Phong, Hoang Nam
Tra fish industry needs to improve product quality
Việt Nam’s tra fish (pangasius) industry has been urged to strongly improve its quality so as to compete with not only traditional rivals, but also its biggest tra fish importer – China. According to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the domestic tra fish sector faces ...
Sacombank assists rice production, trading with loans

As of the end of last year outstanding loans in agricultural and rural areas around the country increased by 21.4 per cent from a year earlier, Nguyễn Quốc Hùng, director of the State Bank of Vietnam’s credit department, said. The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta accounted for ...
What Will It Take for Cambodia to Actually Strike Oil and Gas?
The government is once again heralding oil and gas prospects offshore and on, but it’s done so twice before. A new set of international companies are optimistic about Cambodia’s nascent oil and gas industry, but they are investing in an extractive business that has proven costly ...
Danielle Keeton-Olsen
Tighter control on transnational food industry required to solve haze problem: expert
A STRONGER political will is required to take action against monoculture corn cultivation both inside Thailand and in neighbouring countries, or the transboundary haze problem will never be solved, environmental experts said, as Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district continues to choke under hazardous smog. Greenpeace said ...
Pratch Rujivanarom