People and government
Lao, Vietnamese journalists' associations agree to strengthen ties
The Lao Journalists’ Association and Vietnam Journalists’ Association on October 17 agreed to tighten their cooperation through more discussions and training sessions. The two sides agreed to boost ties during a visit by a Lao delegation in which 11 members of the LJA, led by its ...
Will hydropower turn the tide on the Salween River?
Both history and future development plans point to risks for the Salween River and its eco-systems and communities. Over-development, lack of public consultation and the appetite for energy threaten Asia’s last free flowing, international river. It is among the most visited, most photographed and most ...
Is the Belt and Road Initiative globalizing China’s national security policy?
Chinese security policy experts use potential threats to BRI projects to highlight the necessity of a globalized security posture. The suicide bomb attack on the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan in August 2016 highlighted China’s rising external vulnerability in a region at the heart of its signature ...
Lao businesses join efforts to fight malnutrition
The European Union Delegation and World Food Programme hosted a business leaders networking cocktail night to establish the Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network at the country level in Laos. Vice-Minister, Ministry of Health and Chair of the National Nutrition Committee, Assoc. Prof. Dr Phouthone Moungpak, European ...
Revenue shortfall drives budget deficit abnormally high
Revenue collection for this fiscal year reached only 95 percent of the annual plan, driving the budget deficit to 6.9 percent of gross domestic product, higher than the maximum of five percent usually adopted by the government. Economists have warned that such high deficits will increase ...
Royalties to include rentals under new Thailand-Singapore double tax rules
The New Double Tax Agreement between Thailand and Singapore becomes effective on January 1, 2017. If a Thai resident company has an outstanding rental payable to a Singaporean resident company, they should consider settling the debt before the end of 2016 in order to utilise ...
Mother Nature and a hydropower onslaught aren’t the Mekong Delta’s only problems
Early this year, many Mekong Delta farmers fought a losing battle against an epic drought, the worst since 1926. Was the drought a harbinger of climate change? Perhaps it was, but more certainly it was an artifact of El Niño. The same ocean-warming phenomenon that ...
After Thai King Bhumibol's death, succession may be delayed
On October 13, news broke that Thailand’s 88-year-old king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died after suffering complications from hemiodialysis treatment at Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital. King Bhumibol, the world’s longest reigning monarch, was revered as a demi-god and, for most Thai citizens, was the only monarch they had ...
Chinese deals help, but Cambodia needs to do more: experts
Despite strengthened economic ties following the signing of 31 agreements on October 13 between Cambodia and China, the Kingdom’s agricultural sector still needs to improve before it can fully benefit from the opportunities offered by the largest economy in the region, experts have said on October ...
Activists say urban insecurity hampers women’s capacity
Women’s rights activists have called on the government to consider the needs of women in its delivery of public services while also increasing its budget for women, and enacting and enforcing laws and policies to protect and promote their rights. Action Aid Myanmar, in cooperation with ...
