Environment and land

China has scaled down its presence at a disputed South China Sea shoal but has not interfered with Filipino fishermen, the Philippine president’s security adviser said on October 30, after the administration had said China had withdrawn completely. Hermogenes Esperon said Chinese ships were still present ...

Vietnamese businesses are continuing to import outdated Chinese technology despite repeated warnings by scientists that the country could become a ‘technology landfill’. The latest report of the Ministry of Science & Technology shows that technologies used in most industries in Vietnam are outdated, causing serious pollution ...

Kneeling and sobbing before a top commerce ministry official, a Phichit farmer appealed to the government on October 30 to help growers suffering from the fall in rice prices to 5,000 baht a tonne, the lowest level in decades. Sanit Kaho, a 63-year-old farmer, held the legs ...

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has recommended revoking the licences of a chicken farm and a brick factory in Xaythany district, Vientiane, after learning they were causing pollution and affecting nearby communities. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sommad Pholsena told the National Assembly ...

Global study reveals huge number of children breathing toxic fumes more than six times over safe limits, while billions are affected by air pollution that exceeds guidelines. Three hundred million of the world’s children live in areas with extreme air pollution, where toxic fumes are more ...

Gems traders in Mandalay plan to hold a protest tomorrow, calling on the government to take action to bolster the region’s slumping jade market. According to U Than Win, one of the protest’s leaders, the market for jade in Mandalay has been in decline for ...

The Cửu Long (Mekong) River Delta needs to be more innovative in production and development to grow sustainably in the context of climate change and environmental and integration challenges, a conference heard. Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Trần Văn Tùng told the Mekong Connect-CEO ...

The world’s whaling watchdog moved on October 27 to curtail Japan’s annual whale hunt, conducted under scientific licence but blasted by critics as a commercial meat haul. A resolution on “improving” the review of deadly research programmes, which Japan alone conducts, split the 70-year-old International ...

Despite concerted efforts by officials to end the illegal wildlife trade through regular inspections at markets throughout the country, the trade continues to flourish. To reduce illegal wildlife trading in Laos, especially in the main towns, the authorities have asked various agencies to join the ...

The National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute and National University of Laos will continue a collaborative research project for the improvement of the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in semi-mountainous areas. The two parties will continue to work at the Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural ...