People and government
Poverty reduction slows
Poverty reduction has slowed a little but the government will strive to reduce the number of poor families from 6.56 percent in 2016 down to 6.09 percent by 2017, the government has told the National Assembly. There are four main reasons for the slower rate ...
New border crossings between Laos, Cambodia to boost trade and investment
Laos and Cambodia have agreed to open new border crossings to link the two nations more closely and enhance trade and investment cooperation. The plans were agreed to during Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith’s meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Phnom Penh in June. ...
High schools to develop ASEAN tourism skills
The ministries of tourism and education have agreed to set up a joint committee to work on the development of materials for vocational training of “ASEAN Tourism Professionals” to be integrated into the high-school curriculum, a government official said on November 7.Keep reading ...
NA members want new law to ban import of discarded electronic goods
Service fees and product standards offered by telecommunications companies as well as the import of discarded electronic products were among the concerns raised by National Assembly members during a debate on the newly drafted Law on Information and Communication Technology. The draft law was made ...
Anxiety in Manila as Duterte blasts U.S., embraces China
During long hours stuck in Manila’s choking traffic, taxi driver Maning Yabut constantly hears about the anxieties of Filipinos from all walks of life. These days, the talk is all about whether President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-U.S. outbursts are good for the Philippines. Particularly concerned, he ...
Irrigation systems ‘must be improved’
Experts have urged Thailand to develop its irrigation system to ensure food security for the world’s growing population and a precautionary cover against the impact of climate change. More than 1,200 policy-makers, academics, and NGOs from 45 countries gathered in Chiang Mai on November 6 for ...
Myanmar start-ups run into hurdles
Although start-ups in Myanmar aim high for rapid growth, they face hurdles such as difficult access to funding, low user education, and a lack of proper laws and regulations. Lwin Htoo Ko, chief technical officer of ezStay, a digital platform that provides temporary accommodation to ...
Minister slams UN rep over alleged ‘prejudice’
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon slammed UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights country representative Wan-Hea Lee for alleged “prejudice” in a two-page missive released on November 4. The letter was sent to UN Development Project resident representative Claire Van der Vaeren, blasting Wan-Hea ...
Gov’t to borrow over $1B this year: report
The government expects to borrow nearly $1 billion from external creditors this year, primarily for infrastructure development, pushing the national debt over $6 billion, according to a report issued on November 4 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. About a third of this amount, some ...
Authorities meet on proposed Law of Treaties
Authorities from eight northern provinces met in Bokeo province recently to discuss a proposed draft law of treaties and international agreements. The draft law would be the first law issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and would set the principles, regulations and procedures for ...
