People and government
Chinese dams a threat to Lower Mekong River
One of the main issues facing nations in the Mekong River Commission, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, is that China has refused to share information about the operations of its hydropower dams. As a result, the MRC countries are cautious about using their limited ...
WHO supports exclusive breastfeeding
A representative committee of the Ministry of Health and the WHO took part in the World Breastfeeding Week celebrations in Vientiane on August 21, which is celebrated every year in August. The Ministry of Health and the WHO are encouraging exclusive breastfeeding and improving babies’ ...
NSSF, ministries finalising health insurance scheme
The National Social Security Fund on August 18 said it’s gearing up to sign agreements with about 200 provincial referral hospitals and health centres to provide coverage to a wave of recently insured workers in the country. Ouk Samvithyea, executive director of the NSSF, said a workshop ...
Japan contributes to mechanised UXO clearance in XiengKhuang
According to the Japanese Embassy in Vientiane on August 18 the Japan government has provided grant assistance worth over US$570,662 for Mechanical Cluster Submunition Clearance in Xieng Khuang province. This project will accelerate UXO clearance with a Cluster Submunition Clearance Machine which cuts bush around a site ...
Access to healthcare improving in Xekong
Xekong province is among the poorest in Laos, with an infant mortality rate of 70 per 1,000 live births and a maternal mortality ratio of 357 per 100,000 live births, according to 2015 statistics from the provincial health office. Xekong province was one of five provinces-targeted ...
Clock ticking as NEC trains 6,000 voter registrars
After many delays, the National Election Committee officially launched its computerised voter registrations system on August 18, though less than two weeks remain to train more than 6,000 staffers in the process. At the event – which was attended by the ambassadors of Japan and the ...
US supports HIV/AIDS response in Vietnam
The US Agency for International Development has awarded a five-year grant to the Center for Promotion of Quality of Life in Vietnam to strengthen community-led approaches to HIV prevention, care and treatment.The USAID Enhanced Community HIV Link – Southern project, implemented in Ho Chi Minh City, ...
Vietnamese farmers indignant as Mekong Delta prays for flood waters to arrive
Fishermen in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have been complaining about lower water levels and falling catches with experts blaming China’s construction of hydropower projects on the upper Mekong River. According to the experts, the dams have blocked fish from moving downstream and trapped sediment needed to enrich ...
China, ASEAN aim to complete framework of South China Sea rules next year
China and a grouping of Southeast Asian nations aim to finish by the middle of next year a framework for a code of conduct to ease tension in the disputed South China Sea, state media said on August 17. Meeting in northeastern China, the two sides ...
Southeast Asian economy grew 4.6% in April-June
The Southeast Asian economy is recovering, posting the sharpest growth in a year and a half in the April-June quarter. The real gross domestic product of five major countries in the region – Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines – expanded 4.6% from a year earlier, surpassing the 4.4% ...
