People and government
Officials talk education, reconciliation on National Day

The National League for Democracy’s patron championed the importance of education while acknowledging that some are eager for more rapid improvements to the system at a ceremony marking the 96th anniversary of National Day at the party’s headquarters on November 24. “In this era, there are ...
Cambodia leads pack for landmine clearance efforts

Cambodia has cleared more square kilometres of landmines than any other country over the past year, according to a new report by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, but is still unlikely to meet its goals in coming years. At 46.5 square kilometres, Cambodia’s demining ...
One ministry allows yellow vine, one stops it

While one government ministry gave approval to a Chinese company to collect yellow vine in Koh Kong province, another ministry told the provincial governor on November 24 to halt the construction of processing facilities for the vine, according to letters obtained on November 24. The Ministry ...
Gov’t rice loans find few takers

It has been over two months since the government made available a $27 million emergency loan package to the beleaguered rice sector, yet only 5 percent of the funds have been disbursed. Officials from the state-owned bank in charge of issuing the loans claim the ...
Govt, development partners to agree on next ten years cooperation
Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals, effective development partnerships, food and nutrition security, green growth, climate change and disaster response preparedness are cross-sectoral topics of discussion between the government and development partners this year. Experts from the government and development partners’ representative agencies began discussion on ...
Human trafficking needs urgent action: Mekong nations
Human trafficking continues to flourish within the region, requiring a joint effort by the Mekong countries to actively stamp out the trade and penalise those responsible. Human trafficking is harmful to socio-economic development and social order in the region and could worsen when the ASEAN Economic ...
ADB loan targets health infrastructure
Myanmar is set to receive a portion of a US$117 million Asian Development Bank loan aimed at combating emerging infectious diseases. The Greater Mekong Subregion Health Security Project will target outbreaks in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The loan is meant to boost access to ...
The AIIB and shifting economic dynamics in Southeast Asia

The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which seeks to help plug Asia’s infrastructure-funding gap, has begun shifting the economic balance of power and influence in Southeast Asia, a region in which Japan and the United States have traditionally been the key external economic players. While ...
Gov’t aims for stable power tariff

The electricity sector in 2017 would strive to prevent the power tariff issue from stirring controversies among people, said Hoàng Quốc Vượng, deputy minister of Industry and Trade. Vượng said the sector has not seen complaints about power tariffs this year, as the prices have ...
HIV/AIDS infections increasing in Laos
The number of new Lao HIV-contracted cases annually is trending upwards because at risk groups are having unsafe sex and receiving treatment too late, National Committee to Combat HIV/AIDS reported on November 23. Currently, there are some 11,500 people living with HIV in Laos with ...