Economy and industry
Thai garment exports tipped to drop further
Thai garment exports are expected to continue to decline with more Thai manufacturers expanding to neighbouring countries to tap cheaper costs and better tariff benefits. Vallop Vitanakorn, an adviser to the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association, said after expanding investments to Cambodia and Vietnam over the past ...
Experts warn of water scarcity
Low levels at dams could lead to problems if resources not carefully managed. While there is enough water available, resources have to be managed very carefully, as water experts have warned that mismanagement could result in serious problems. Sucharit Koontanakulvong, head of water resources engineering at ...
Bokeo families relocate to make way for dam
Resettlement of communities from areas of the Nam Tha 1 hydropower project is 87 percent complete, with displaced families in Bokeo province having been moved to a new location. Assistant Managing Director of Electricite du Laos Mr Vilaphone Visounnarath, who is Head of the Resettlement Management ...
Industry leaders enthused by reinstatement of US trade benefits for Myanmar

Businessmen, industry leaders and members of government have expressed enthusiasm after statements from President Barack Obama that the US would soon re-admit Burma to the Generalized System of Preferences. President Obama notified the US Congress on September 14 that it would reintroduce Myanmar to the preferential trade scheme ...
Rivers, canals gradually dying in Mekong River Delta

Rivers and canals in the southwestern region are becoming depleted as they are not regularly dredged and cleared, and are encroached upon by people’s housing. There are 26 seaports, big and small in Mekong Delta. The dredging capability and canal network in the region are factors ...
Southeast Asia in Africa: A partner for development?

From the turn of the century onwards, Africa has been placed in the centre of the debate over emerging economies in the South. The continent has also been going through a period of economic growth starting from the beginning of the 21st century. Despite such ...
Facebook post inspires landmark case for migrant workers in Thailand

Tun Tun Win and his coworkers from Burma thought life was fine at the Thammakaset chicken farm in central Thailand, where they reared hundreds of thousands of birds for export to the European Union. The migrants clocked 20 hours a day for 40 days straight, shoveling ...
Vietnam, Japan boost cooperation in ICT

Vietnam hopes to expand cooperation with Japan in three priority areas in information and communications technology following a Vietnam-Japan policy dialogue on ICT in Hanoi on September 15. The priority areas are identified as policies and a strategy for the development of 4G/5G networks after the ...
MDE replaces ICT Ministry

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society will be officially established on September 16, replacing the Information and Communications Technology Ministry. The MDE is being set up as part of the government’s “Thailand 4.0” policy. The Royal Gazette announced on September 15 that the MDE would become ...
Lao construction companies to benefit from planned railway
Twenty Lao companies will be selected as sub-contractors for construction work on the almost-US$6 billion railway that will link Vientiane to the Chinese border. But these companies must be sub-contracted by Chinese companies, who will supervise their work and provide technical assistance to ensure high quality ...