Environment and land
HCMC draws up plan to deal with hazardous waste treatment
The HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment has granted more than 5,000 registry books to the owners of hazardous waste sources. Official reports show the amount of hazardous waste has been increasing steadily year after year, from 250 tons per day in 2011 to ...
Experts question praise of China’s ‘drought relief’
The Mekong River Commission, in a missive posted on their website on November 14, credited China’s “emergency water release” from its Mekong dams with successfully helping to alleviate the drought in the Mekong River Basin earlier this year, a claim disputed by experts. The statement ...
Sand extraction in Koh Kong province halted, ministry says
Facing mounting scrutiny over the country’s sand trade, the Ministry of Mines and Energy said on November 16 that all sand extraction had been suspended in Koh Kong province, where much of the country’s extraction takes place. “We have suspended it for a long time already,” ...
Trade GSP can’t make profit for Myanmar in short term
Some 5000 goods from Myanmar have been granted classification under the United States Generalised System of Preferences export scheme, however this will not see a rapid turnaround in profits, say industry figures. The United States trade representative body announced on its official website that preferential tariffs ...
Trump vows Paris Agreement pull out; world unites behind green economy
The 22nd United Nations climate summit began as a wonky, low-profile affair. Nearly 200 nations, finally agreeing to keep the world from burning up, began writing the rulebook by which the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement could be achieved, while seeking the trillions needed ...
Indonesia ships first containers of timber under EU legality scheme
The first containers of plywood certified as legal under the EU’s anti-illegal-logging action plan were shipped out of the Indonesian capital on November 15, a milestone in the fight against blackmarket timber in one of the world’s most heavily forested countries. Of the 15 nations that ...
Thái Bình Province plans to grow 1,320 ha of coastal forest
Thái Bình Province aims to plant more than 1,320 hectares of coastal forests in the next five years and protect almost 4,000 hectares of forest, with total investment of US$18.7 million. The plan by the province’s authorities aims to recover lost forest areas, consolidate existing forest ...
Agriculture urged to reach 1.2% growth
The agricultural sector was urged to exert all-out efforts in the remaining months of the year to realise the sector’s gross domestic product growth target of at least 1.2 per cent and increase export value to US$31 billion in 2016. Speaking at a press conference hosted ...
Bill on contract farming reform gets initial NLA approval
The National Legislative Assembly on November 10 overwhelmingly backed the first draft of a proposed bill that would legalise contract farming. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said the bill would protect farmers against conglomerates and ensure fairness in contract farming, which would improve the country’s ...
Govt proceeds with planned Mekong hydro project
The government has informed the Mekong River Commission that it will proceed with the planned development of a new Mekong hydropower project in Pakbaeng district, Oudomxay province. The MRC Secretariat said on its website that it has received notification from the Lao government that Laos ...
