People and government
Customs impounds 100 NGV buses amid duty doubts
The Customs Department has impounded 100 natural gas vehicle air-conditioned buses which were supposed to hit Bangkok streets late this month amid doubts over whether the import order is legitimate or was falsely declared to avoid more than 100 million baht in tax. The first ...
With HIV rates declining, drug treatment funding shrinks
Drug treatment programs are being cut back even as rates of abuse rise—with one organization describing the situation as a “crisis”—because most funding is tied to HIV prevention and the prevalence of the virus is decreasing, health experts said. “Virtually all civil society funding related ...
China funds Mekong road construction
The Chinese government has funded construction of a 22.5 km road along the Mekong River linking Tonpheung district in Bokeo province with Sing district in Luang Namtha province to facilitate transport and boost northern development. A signing ceremony for construction of the US$32.7 million road ...
European Union, CARE support nutrition project in Northern provinces
The European Union and CARE Denmark are providing over 2 million euro to support food and nutrition security projects in Luang Namtha and Phongsaly provinces. The four-year project on promoting agricultural production to improve food and nutrition security through multi-sector coordination were signed by CARE ...
Cambodia seals health pacts with China
Cambodia and China signed agreements on December 6 to build capacity in Cambodia’s health services, expand technology and fight the spread of diseases. After the official signing of four agreements, Health Minister Mam Bun Heng said the Chinese help would include preventing the spread of threats ...
Government to air concerns on Lao VAT
The government is set to raise the issue of Laos’s value-added tax in a joint discussion with Lao counterparts, fearing the new tax measure may cripple growing border trade. Adul Chotinisakorn, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said that while the issue is an ...
President pledges to encourage investment to Myanmar
President Trần Đại Quang pledged that Việt Nam will encourage its business community to invest in Myanmar, especially in agriculture, fish farming, mining and tourism. At a meeting with visiting Myanmar Minister of Home Affairs Kyaw Swe in Hà Nội yesterday, the President said that Việt ...
Reduction in underweight, stunted children falls short of targets
Reducing the numbers of underweight and stunted children has fallen short of the targets set, despite the efforts undertaken to pursue the targeted plan, a recent government report has showed. The number of underweight children less than five years of age has fallen to 25.5 ...
Customs urged to move online
Customs authorities should work quickly to adopt an envisioned online registration system for cross-border cargo shipments that would expedite delivery and cut out pesky middlemen who tack on unofficial fees, Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said on December 5. “Online registration is important because right now ...
CPP passes 2017 budget
The 2017 national budget, with more than $5 billion in expenditures, was passed by the Senate on December 5 without any changes despite opposition from the CNRP. Expenditures in the 2017 budget are up 15.6 percent compared with 2016 and include more than $1 billion in foreign ...