People and government
Vietnam sponsors educational, cultural centres in Laos
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s financial gifts were handed over to authorities in the Lao provinces of Luang Prabang and Houaphanh to build cultural and educational facilities. Keep reading ...
Verification program begins but most migrants frozen out
Immigration teams from Myanmar have arrived in Thailand to conduct a long-awaited nationality verification process meant to regularise the status of over half a million workers caught in immigration limbo. The current plan involves sending out newly arrived representatives from the labour ministry, immigration department and ...
Civil sector workers in Laos lose out to corruption and rising cost of living
Salaries for civil servants in Laos remain stagnant and will not be increased during the next fiscal year largely because of corruption, despite the rising cost of living in the one-party communist nation, sources inside the country said. Sila Viengkeo, vice minister of finance, told a ...
Why Southeast Asia's refugee crisis matters
The Diplomat, in collaboration with concerned stakeholders around the world, is launching a new series entitled “Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis.” In May 2015, thousands of Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine State of Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh were found stranded in the Strait of ...
Thailand leading Asia in cracking down on drinking
By banning alcohol sales near universities and technical colleges, Thailand is putting the nation at the forefront of efforts in Asia to curb booze consumption. Under amendments to the Alcohol Control Act endorsed by the government and to be implemented nationwide, bars, clubs and retailers will ...
Cambodia seeks role as mediator between ASEAN, China
Cambodia will continue to seek to be a mediator in South China Sea disputes between China and Asean nations, Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong has said. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China’s newly appointed ambassador to Asean, Xu Bu, Hor Namhong said Cambodia would ...
Burma sentences Chinese nationals to life for illegal logging
China has lodged a diplomatic protest with Myanmar after a court in the southeast Asian nation sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life imprisonment for illegal logging. China’s voracious demand for Myanmar’s raw materials has fuelled resentment in Myanmar towards its giant northern neighbor. Regions along Myanmar’s porous border with China have ...
Vietnam-Thailand cooperation thriving across the board: PMs
Cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand has been comprehensively flourishing, demonstrating the growing efficiency and importance of their strategic partnership, said leaders of the two countries. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha said at their retreat talks and the joint Cabinet ...
Coal plant proposed for pristine Thai coast sparks outcry
Plans to build an 800-megawatt coal power plant near some of Thailand’s most popular beaches have sparked protests and a hunger strike by activists who say officials aren’t considering its impact on the pristine environment that makes the area an international tourist destination. More than 100 members ...
Myanmar journalists fined for defaming President Thein Sein
A Myanmar court has fined two journalists 1 million kyat ($800; £514) each, after finding them guilty of defaming the president. Nine other staff from the Myanmar Herald were acquitted in the case, which was filed by the information ministry last November. Keep reading ...
