Economy and industry

World famous for its endless swarms of motorcycles, Vietnam is considering banning bikes in the capital over fears its leafy streets will become overrun as the population swells and its middle class buys up cars in record numbers. Hanoi is forecast to have seven million motorcycles ...

Suicide rates and poverty are on the rise among rice farmers displaced by Myanmar’s Paunglaung Dam. The change of government is expected to spur foreign investment into the country, contributing to its rapid development. But among the myriad issues facing the country, including  decades-long civil wars, the ...

According to a statement released by the US embassy in Bangkok, the Tier 2 Watch List ranking indicates that the Thai government made significant efforts to eliminate trafficking during the rating period, but still does not fully meet the minimum standards for doing so. The State ...

As Vietnam works to promote renewable energy, its power sector is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign investors. In the latest deal, the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, has bought a 16 percent stake in Gia Lai Electricity JSC, a major hydropower ...

The International Labor Organization said conditions in Cambodia’s garment factories have improved since it resumed identifying labor infractions at specific factories two years ago but noted significant ongoing problems in a report released on 1 July. The latest Synthesis Report, produced by the ILO’s Better Factories ...

Mineral exploiters reap major benefits, but local residents living near the mines suffer as ore exploitation has negative consequences.On June 16, a red mud reservoir containing waste sludge from the titanium exploitation project of Tan Quang Cuong Company in Binh Thuan province broke down, leaving ...

A farmers group is pressing local authorities to resurrect the controversial Southwest New City project. Though the three companies selected to build the new city were ready to proceed on the basis of approval from the outgoing Yangon Region government, the incoming National League for ...

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has told Chinese investors that political tensions in Thailand will decline by the middle of next year after the country holds a general election. Meanwhile, the government aims to attract further investment from China and elsewhere with extra incentives and ...

More than 60 percent of startups fail and 70 percent fail in the first year of operation. Rapid-fire good news has come to the Vietnamese technology startup community. US President Obama, during his visit to Vietnam in late May, announced that 500 Startups, the investment fund ...

Thailand and Burma have agreed to renew negotiations over disputed border demarcations, which had stalled under Burma’s previous government. The agreement was reached during State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent visit to Thailand, according to Burma’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Observers say that Thailand wants to ...