Environment and land
Villagers wary of M’kiri mine project
An environmental impact assessment released on Friday for a $245 million mining project slated to begin operations in Mondolkiri province next year has raised concerns about its potential effects on the environment and local communities. The project, proposed by the Chinese-owned Alex Corporation, would see ...
Patrolling The Mekong ep.2: border control police balance work and life in isolated area
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement initiative on the Mekong River. In December 2011, security authorities in China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand launched the initiative after around 8 gunmen stormed two Chinese vessels and killed thirteen sailors. In today’s ...
Shut gold mine shows investors risks of Thai junta rule
When Thailand’s junta leader-turned-prime minister used his absolute power to suspend gold mining, causing an Australian miner’s shares to plummet 19% in a single day, he complicated efforts to attract foreign investors already spooked by military rule. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the order last ...
Stronger forestry laws needed: officials
Ineffective forest management has exposed shortcomings in the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development that need to be addressed through amendments, officials said at a conference on December 15. Participants at the national conference in the capital city said the law defined the forest ...
PM urges urgent flood victim aid
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has instructed ministries and agencies to mobilise all forces and resources to ensure safety and food for residents in flood-hit areas and minimise losses of human lives and property. “Food and supplies must be brought at any cost to residential ...
Magwe land confiscation team mired in red tape
Bureaucratic inefficiencies, cumbersome decision-making mechanisms and poor organisation are hampering Magwe Region’s Committee on Confiscated Lands and Other Lands in their efforts to resolve land disputes, say members. The committee, which was formed by the regional government on July 15, is tasked with making determinations on ...
Practices ‘victimise trafficked fishers’
Greenpeace has called for a permanent end to the dangerous practice of “transshipping”, which contributed to fatal cases of beriberi on a Thai fishing vessel crewed by trafficked Cambodian men earlier this year. Based on a 12-month investigation and released on December 15, Greenpeace’s Turn ...
Rainbow snake, tiny frog among new Mekong species
A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said on Monday. Winding its way from the Tibetan plateau through the ...
Laos prepares for face-to-face EU FLEGT, VPA negotiations
The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade technical working group on December 15 met in Vientiane to discuss finalised key parts of the draft timber definitions to be submitted to the European Union by the end of this month. The submission is crucial preparation for ...
Illegal Thai fishing hauls a possible threat to Woolworths sushi partner's supply
Thailand’s ‘ghost’ fishing fleet may have supplied contaminated seafood to Sushi Izu. Seafood caught by Thailand’s notorious ghost fishing fleet may have contaminated the supply chains of a sushi company operating in more than 165 Woolworths supermarkets. Guardian Australia can reveal that Woolworths and its fresh ...
