Environment and land
Abandoned veterans’ land-grab nightmare
The scheme sounded good for the 240 disabled and retired army and police veterans and their families. The government built homes for them and promised a plot nearby on which to plant crops and support themselves. But five years later they are still without their land. ...
The new normal: facing climate change
Last year’s drought caused a nationwide crisis, with harvests ruined, forest fires raging and many rural families struggling to feed themselves. As experts take stock of the impact, news of another potential El Niño raises a question: Is Cambodia prepared for the next drought? For ...
Khammuan confiscates large illegal timber haul
Yommalath district authorities in Khammuan province this week seized illegally harvested timber which was hidden inside a shipping container and buried underground at a sawmill in Donpeuay village. The incident was outlined by local media after provincial Forest Inspection Division officials teamed up with local ...
Illegal fishing blamed for protected turtle death
An adult female royal turtle, among 21 of the endangered species released into the wild with installed microchips and GPS transmitters in 2015, has been found dead due to illegal electrofishing in Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel district. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society on February ...
Paddy prices rise as winter-spring crop ready for harvest
Domestic paddy prices have increased by 12 per cent as the winter-spring crop in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta is ready to be harvested. In An Giang Province, fresh paddy IR50404 is being sold at VNĐ4,500-4,600 per kilo, high-quality paddy VNĐ4,700-4,800, and dried high-quality paddy ...
Forest reform proposal merits our full attention
Alarmed by the steep decline in Thailand’s forest cover, reformers have drafted proposals for remedial action. A few weeks ago, the National Reform Steering Assembly’s natural resources sub-panel completed a 250-page proposal, which has been submitted to the NRSA for endorsement. The document notes that ...
Help clear mines, Canada urged
Cambodia has asked Canada to consider resuming aid for demining. Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn made the request when he met Canadian ambassador Donica Pottie, who is based in Bangkok, at the Foreign Ministry on February 16. Canada’s development aid for Cambodia, including assistance on demining, ended ...
Land owners face prosecution over illegal timber, says Yangon forest department
Owners of timber yards will be prosecuted if illegal timber is found stored on their land, warned the Yangon Forest Department. U Thein Toe, the department’s director, said even if the land owners were unaware that their land was used to store illegal timber, they ...
Tracking water use on smartphone in HCMC
With a smartphone on hand, HCMC residents can monitor their domestic water use, leakage, and even online payment no matter where they are. A representative of Rynan Technologies introduces the smart water meter at a meeting with HCMC leaders in this file photo. The above features are ...
Gov't, ministries, bankers and businesses cooperate to breed shrimp
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided that Vietnam should become the shrimp production base of the world. The target of exporting $10 billion worth of shrimp products by 2025 is within reach, he said. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said it hoped the shrimp ...