Environment and land
Huge challenges still facing Vietnam's economy
It has been five years since the economic restructuring programme was launched, and despite some improvements to the Vietnamese economy, there has been little change in the growth model. For that reason, many have called for a reconsideration of the restructuring methods used over the past ...
Agro SEZ to grow China exports
A Chinese firm plans to invest at least $2 billion into developing the Kingdom’s first special economic zone geared entirely for agro-processing and storage, with the sprawling zone’s factories and warehouses aimed at meeting the growing potential for Cambodia to export its agricultural produce to ...
PM announces continued suspension of mining concessions
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on October 19 the government will maintain the moratorium on new mining concessions because it needs more time to inspect a number of operations. The prime minister was speaking at a three-day conference taking place at the National Convention Centre for mining ...
China may give Filipino fishermen access to Scarborough - sources
China will consider giving Filipino fishermen conditional access to disputed waters in the South China Sea after the presidents of the two countries meet in Beijing this week, two Chinese sources with ties to the leadership said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to raise the plight ...
Amendments to agricultural land ownership approved
The cabinet on October 18 approved amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform Act, which has been in force for 40 years, in a move to narrow land ownership disparity and maintain existing land for agriculture. Key amendments include permitting heirs who do not want to ...
ADB supports sustainable biodiversity management
The Asian Development Bank has approved US$12.8 million in additional financing for the ongoing Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project in Laos. The grant assistance is sourced from ADB’s Strategic Climate Fund, Forest Investment Programme. The grant agreement was signed in Vientiane on October 18, inked by Deputy Minister ...
Singapore’s data mirrors UN’s in Cambodia’s sand export numbers
Singaporean customs data on sand imports from Cambodia show near identical figures to those recorded by the UN, which last month were dismissed by a top official amid a reporting discrepancy in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The UN data showed $752 million in imports ...
Attapeu airport potential examined during PM's visit
Attapeu International Airport may become more widely used in order to boost air transportation within Laos and the region. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith visited Attapeu province on October 15-16 for a working visit to discuss the future of the airport with provincial authorities after it opened for ...
Will hydropower turn the tide on the Salween River?
Both history and future development plans point to risks for the Salween River and its eco-systems and communities. Over-development, lack of public consultation and the appetite for energy threaten Asia’s last free flowing, international river. It is among the most visited, most photographed and most ...
Production slowing at Wa Tin mine
Output from a mysterious Myanma tin mine that has disrupted the global market in the metal is falling sharply and deposits could be depleted in “two to three years,” senior mine officials told Reuters. A surprise discovery of large quantities of tin has propelled the formerly ...
