Environment and land
Slag heaps from mining operations concern Kachin residents
Kachin people have complained that mining companies are dumping waste soil recklessly and that it could trigger natural disasters. “We’ve found some companies dumped slag near tributaries of the Uru River. The waste soil could block the river during the rainy season,” said a resident of ...
Agriculture, not gold or USD, most attractive investment channel
Agriculture was never found on the list of the most attractive investment channels for those who have idle money. But things are changing as the government has committed to reserve VND50-60 trillion worth of preferential capital and promised a series of preferential policies for agricultural ...
Dry season irrigation planned

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked 38 cities and provinces nationwide to promptly revise the operation of reservoirs to ensure water sources for low-lying areas in this dry season, especially in vulnerable areas such as the central region, the Central Highlands and ...
Deputy PM advises Saravan on development path
Deputy Prime Minister Dr Sonexay Siphandone and his delegation recently visited Saravan provincial authorities to encourage and guide their operations in the year ahead. During the visit from February 5-6, Dr Sonexay listed the successes previously achieved by the province and plans for the year ...
Mekong projects must take impact on environment into account
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha may have been wrong when he said his government would clear the waterway for navigation in the Mekong River for the benefit of Thailand, suggesting that nobody should oppose this project. The Mekong runs through six countries in the region and ...
Longer wait for final word on Myitsone dam project
The struggle goes on over whether the controversial Myitsone dam and other hydropower projects along the Ayeyarwady River should be built, following indications that further reports on the projects are needed. A member of the commission for reviewing and scrutinising hydropower projects along the Ayeyarwady ...
Cassava export prices down sharply
The price per kilogram of cassava exports from Cambodia has fallen this year due to plunging market prices and a lack of processing centers in the country. The price of dried cassava in northeastern Rattanakiri province is down to 410 riel (about $0.10) per kilogram ...
Foot-and-mouth affecting cattle
Many cattle in Svay Rieng province’s Svay Chrum and Chantrea districts have fallen ill or died from foot-and-mouth and other diseases over the past few weeks, resulting in the launch of a cattle vaccination campaign. Soun Norng, the deputy police chief of Chantrea district, said ...
Nickel market roiled by supply outlooks in Indonesia, Philippines
The nickel market has been undergoing wild swings this year, pummeled by Indonesia’s move to relax an export ban but later buoyed by expectations of a supply decrease from the Philippines. The Philippines said last Thursday that it will close mines responsible for roughly half of the ...
Expansion work starts at Myanmar's Thilawa industrial park
An expansion project at Myanmar’s first modern industrial park began Tuesday, as the government concluded negotiations related to resettling residents of the development area. The Thilawa special economic zone, which came about as a public-private effort between Japan and Myanmar, will undergo a roughly 100-hectare ...