COVID-19
Migrant workers’ unemployment may hinder disease control
As the Thai economy is heavily impacted by government attempts to control the COVID-19 outbreak, experts believe that the situation for migrant workers may contribute to the epidemic. Proper policies and employment support are needed to set things right. It has been 2 weeks since Rachen ...
Yiamyut Sutthichaya
Covid-19 measures leave Southeast Asia’s migrant workers exposed, lay bare their living conditions
Job loss, crowded quarters and reduced access to healthcare are among the issues foreign workers face. Advocacy groups say the pandemic can only be controlled with an inclusive approach that protects every individual’s rights to life and health. The spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus among Singapore’s migrant ...
Neo Chai Chin
Cambodia: Prisons Potential COVID-19 Epicenters
The Cambodian government should take urgent measures to reduce the risk that the country’s severely overcrowded prisons will suffer COVID-19 outbreaks, Human Rights Watch said today. Reducing overcrowding in prisons is important to prevent outbreaks, which would have serious health consequences for prisoners, prison staff, and the ...
World Bank approves $20 million to assist Cambodia fight COVID-19 pandemic
The World Bank has approved a $20 million line of credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to assist Cambodia’s COVID-19 emergency response. This is part of the banks first emergency support package dedicated to fast-track COVID-19 aid. The World Bank said, the funds will help ...
Sok Chan
Rights Group: Myanmar's camps face 'catastrophe' from virus
Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict in Myanmar face a health “catastrophe” from the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, a rights group warned, as international calls grow for an end to fighting. Overcrowded camps with an estimated 350,000 people were “Covid-19 tinderboxes”, Human Rights Watch said. Myanmar ...
Vietnam growth among Asia’s highest despite Covid-19 slump: ADB
The Covid-19 pandemic could see Vietnam’s growth slow down to 4.8 percent this year, but it will remain among Asia’s fastest growing economies. The 4.8 percent GDP growth forecast, compared to over 7 percent in the last two years, is estimated on the basis of a ...
Dat Nguyen
COVID-19 and Cambodia’s human rights concerns
In late January, Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen, made a televised statement about the spread of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 virus outbreak originating from Wuhan, China. He also threatened to “kick out” reporters or officials seen wearing a face mask. He said that the real illness ...
Jillian Louis
As COVID-19 hits global economy, Cambodian workers face layoffs
Cambodian garment workers have had their jobs suspended by the thousands as global markets clench and governments enact drastic measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Now, as the US and European economies grind to a halt, local industry insiders warned on ...
ALASTAIR MCCREADY
Laos Shutters Small Checkpoints on Borders With Vietnam, Cambodia, Citing Coronavirus Spread
Laos is shuttering small checkpoints on its borders with Vietnam and Cambodia as part of a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus into the country, where authorities have yet to announce a positive case of the disease caused by the virus (COVID-19). The ...
RFA’s Khmer and Lao Services. Translated by Max Avary and Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Thai lockdown sparks exodus of 60,000 migrant workers: ministry official
About 60,000 migrant workers living in Thailand have fled the country since authorities shut malls and many businesses at the weekend to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a Thai interior ministry official said on Wednesday. Thailand’s latest measures have left many without jobs and prompted ...
Panarat Thepgumpanat