People and government

Palm oil production in Indonesia often comes at the expense of traditionally managed lands as well as the livelihoods of indigenous communities, causing widespread conflict in the archipelago country. With oil palm cultivation set to double in Indonesia over the next 10 years, methods for understanding ...

An unprecedented meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers called to discuss the ongoing military campaign in Rakhine State ended on December 19 with Myanmar expressing its appreciation for the other member states’ understanding. This was the first such meeting Myanmar has initiated on the subject, having previously ...

China and Thailand are mulling the possibility of setting up a joint military production facility in the latest sign of an expanding defense relationship between Beijing and one of the United States’ two treaty allies in Southeast Asia. Sino-Thai military cooperation has deepened of late ...

The implementation of governance and public administration reform has improved various ministerial sectors in the country. This conclusion was reached at a meeting held in Vientiane on December 19 to review the National Governance and Public Administration Reform Programme. Strengthening Capacity for Service Delivery for Local ...

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors is providing US$25 million credit for Laos to strengthen its road maintenance systems and improve road connectivity throughout the country. The credit comes from the International Development Association, according to a report published on the World Bank’s Board ...

The Health Service Support Department plans to set up more than 1,000 elderly care centres as part of preparations for the nation’s ageing society. Department spokesman Pattarapon Jungsomjatepaisal said on December 18 the agency is working on the project to establish the centres across the country. ...

Malaysia said on December 19 the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar was a regional concern and called for the Association of South East Asian Nations to coordinate humanitarian aid and investigate alleged atrocities committed against them. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman was speaking at a ...

Even though Vietnam’s publishing industry continues to grow, outperforming its digital counterpart, the national reading rate remains low, education insiders said at a seminar. In its last meeting of the year on December 18, The Sofa, a monthly book-themed discussion group held on Ho Chi ...

Ineffective forest management has exposed shortcomings in the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development that need to be addressed through amendments, officials said at a conference on December 15. Participants at the national conference in the capital city said the law defined the forest ...

Three additional labour attachés will be assigned to Myanmar’s embassy in Thailand next year, the labour minister announced on December 18. More labour officers are being assigned in order to handle the high volume of cases stemming from the large number of Myanmar migrants working there, ...