People and government
Special rapporteur barred from Laiza, Hpakant
Just a few days into her fifth visit and the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has already encountered a few bumps in the road, with the government blocking her from going to Laiza and Hpakant, in Kachin State. Yanghee Lee and her ...
Problems in education sector mount
The educational sector has been blamed for the unemployment of 200,000 university graduates, among other issues. A report released by MOET and UNICEF shows that 80 percent of students suffered from gender-based violence at least once, while 71 percent suffered from school violence in the last ...
Four new Zika virus cases in Đồng Nai Province
Four new Zika virus infection cases have been recorded in southern Đồng Nai Province since the end of December, according to the province’s Steering Board for Epidemic Prevention. The cases occurred in Nhơn Trạch District’s Vĩnh Thanh Commune, Bạch Thái Bình, director of the province’s ...
Thailand’s proposed death penalty for corruption a stunt, experts say
Those convicted of corruption in Thailand involving more than one billion baht could face the death penalty under a new proposal. A proposal by the Thai government to impose the death penalty in some corruption cases is largely “for show”, according to analysts. Under plans approved ...
Savings spare women from labor in Myanmar
Ma Nwe places a rock the size of a baseball at her feet, then tightens the string holding her bamboo hat in place. “I can’t risk it falling off,” she explained, squinting in the sun. “It’s only going to get hotter as the day goes ...
As catch and sales fall, Myanmar’s fishermen sink into debt
On a recent afternoon, the beach at Jatetaw village was bustling with fishermen hauling their boats a shore and off loading the catch. Local women carried the fish off in bamboo baskets and laid them out to dry in the sun, after which they would ...
VN, Laos, Cambodia boost defence ties
The defence ministries of Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia will step up military co-operation via programmes to be implemented this year. The agreements, boosting long-standing ties of friendship between the three countries, mark ongoing visits (January 8-11) by Lao and Cambodian defence ministers to the ...
Vientiane gears up to make capital more livable
Vientiane authorities will continue to improve basic infrastructure in a bid to keep the capital clean and orderly. Efforts will focus on improving roads, easing traffic congestion, building embankments, managing garbage disposal and other issues. This was the information outlined on January 9 by Vientiane ...
Thailand expects tourism revenue of nearly $50 billion in 2017
Thailand expects revenue from foreign tourists to rise 8.5 percent to 1.78 trillion baht ($49.8 billion) this year, a deputy prime minister said on January 9. The expected rise results from an improved outlook for global tourism as well as Thailand’s investment in infrastructure, Deputy ...
Yangon bus system overhaul set to start
Yangon’s infamous public bus system – where commuters are dragged by callous conductors onto ageing vehicles operated by drivers with scant regard for road safety – is about to change. A long-awaited transformation of the bus network, which some 80 percent of the commercial capital’s ...
