Environment and land
New funding programme to help improve ecosystems in Borikhamxay
The Wildlife Conservation Society Laos Programme will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to protect and conserve the unique and important species, habitats, and ecosystems in Borikhamxay province. An agreement on the Integrated Ecosystem and Wildlife Management Programme Phase 3 was signed ...
Hydropower in the Mekong: an alternative approach
Laos needs to rethink its aggressive hydropower plans as new markets and technologies create an opportunity to change course. A report published in September by the Stimson Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, challenges prevailing notions about the future of hydropower in the Mekong subregion, an ...
Rice exports tipped to beat state target
Rice shipments out of Thailand are expected to fare better than the government’s target of 10 million tonnes because of price competitiveness and recovering exports of hom mali fragrant rice, shippers say. Even so, that amount would be insufficient to retake the title of world’s ...
Makkasan land deal derails
The Finance Ministry has backed away from developing the 500-rai Makkasan plot owned by the State Railway of Thailand under a debt-for-land deal with the rail agency. The State Enterprise Policy Commission, or the superboard, earlier agreed to a proposal that the SRT lease the Makkasan ...
Hạ Long cement factory causing pollution
Many households in northern Quảng Ninh Province’s Hoành Bồ District have been forced to live with smoke and cement dust discharged from Hạ Long Cement Factory for years. This has seriously affected the lives of local residents and their cultivation activities. In the meantime, local ...
Carrying a stranger’s child through an uncertain time
Ly Raksmey left her home in the heart of the country’s rice bowl in January and headed to a hospital on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The 34-year-old stayed there several nights, in a facility that was better and cleaner than any hospital she had ...
The risks of diverting water

Thuong Kon Tum dam, which is built in the Dak Snghe River watershed, is one of the biggest hydropower projects in the basin of the Se San river. The effect of the dam is still questionable but it raises concerns about environmental impacts as the ...
EU ‘Green card’ for Thailand expected over IUU fishing

Thailand will at some point receive a “green card” from the European Union for its efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, once the EU realises the real progress the government is making in this regard, according to Steve Trent, executive director of the Environmental ...
Wood exports to Europe to rise

Once the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade comes into force, there will be opportunities for Việt Nam to export more wooden products to Europe and other new markets as well as get higher prices, according to the EU Delegation to ...
Expenses for frozen seafood tests covered by Formosa

All frozen-seafood testing expenses will be covered by part of the US$500-million compensation paid by Taiwanese Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Corporation. This was the latest order from Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình, who subsequently tasked the Ministry of Finance to make the ...