Environment and land
SEZ polluting Bavet canal, villagers say

Villagers living along a canal in Svay Rieng province’s Bavet town say its water has been polluted by untreated discharge from the nearby Manhattan Special Economic Zone, rendering it unusable. Three communes live along the Tapov canal – Bati, Prasat and Bavet – with villagers from ...
Mekong agriculture lacks FDI
Bad weather, fluctuating prices and high risk in agricultural cultivation has made foreign investors hesitate in pouring capital into the sector. According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Can Tho branch, for the first six months of this year, the Mekong Delta attracted ...
Thai rice faces global price war

Thailand’s rice market is expected to face a price war next year as a result of oversupply that will lower prices in both domestic and export markets, while the stronger baht could hurt the competitiveness of rice shipments, exporters warn. Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai ...
‘An optimistic place to start’: Myanmar enacts national logging ban

According to environmental watchdogs, overexploitation of Myanmar’s forests have been driven by corruption and mismanagement in the country’s timber industry sector. They say the new ban is a big step in the right direction. “This is a decision that demonstrates clear intent to tackle corruption within ...
More Cambodia rice bound for China

China plans to increase its rice import quota from Cambodia next year as the country braces for possible cutbacks by the European Union to limit milled rice imports from least developed countries. Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak said on August 2 that his Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng agreed ...
As Irrawaddy river swells, Mandalay prepares for possible flood

As the Irrawaddy River swells due to recent heavy rains, rising water levels are concerning to both locals and authorities in Mandalay, who are preparing for a possible flood. The river is about two feet above the 230.74-foot alert level in Mandalay Division. Local authorities have ...
Laos - China’s gateway to Southeast Asia
Situated in Laos’ Luang Namtha province, Boten is China’s gateway to Southeast Asia and will be a critical link in both the North-South and East-West economic corridors. In terms of the North-South corridor, it is the transit point for the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway, which passes across ...
Rough waters of Lower Sesan II dam

According to the Vietnam River Network, Lower Sesan II dam in Cambodia will impact both environmental and social aspects. Impacts will be felt not only around the project site but also from the upstream Sesan River to downstream at the Sekong River, Tonle Sap, Vietnam ...
Sanctions help Asian banks gain foothold in Myanmar

AT the CB Bank branch in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone near Yangon, there’s a dedicated “Japan desk”, where an employee of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ sits to handle any Japanese corporate business that comes their way. The Japanese bank’s presence at Thilawa is no ...
US may allow import of VN star apples

The United States Department of Agriculture may allow the import of star apples from Việt Nam, Việt Nam’s Commercial Counsellor in the United States, Đào Trần Nhân has said. The import is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. According to the proposal from ...