People and government
China pledges support for next Myanmar government regardless of winner

China will support the new government that emerges from next month’s elections in Myanmar no matter which party wins, senior officials told The Myanmar Times in Beijing. During an interview at a media forum in the Chinese capital last week, Sun Haiyan, director general of the ...
Ex-ruling party chair says USDP unlikely to win November poll
Speaking to reporters on the campaign trail in Pegu Division’s Phyu on 25 October, former ruling party chairman Shwe Mann has admitted the party will likely struggle in the upcoming general election. With 25 percent of seats in Myanmar’s legislature reserved for military appointees, the USDP needs ...
Southeast Asia may see rise in dengue fever cases as strong El Nino unfolds

Higher temperatures in Asia, including those during a strong El Niño cycle, can drive up the incidence of dengue fever, a group of international researchers has found. For the first time, researchers have been able to review the big picture of dengue epidemics on a continental ...
International hackers attack CAT Telecom

The international hacking collective called Anonymous declared cyberwar on the Thai government on 22 October, leaking documents on the single gateway plan and stealing data from CAT Telecom customer accounts. Keep reading ...
Ho Chi Minh City smog to hang for another month

The smog covering Ho Chi Minh City since early this month will continue until at least the end of November when Indonesia is expected to put out its forest fires, an expert has said. After lifting for a while, the thick haze is back over many ...
Thai expats to register online to vote
Expat Thais will be able to register to vote online in the next general election, a move which could boost overseas voter turnout, the Election Commission said on 22 October. Keep reading ...
How greatly must Laos suffer at the hands of drug traffickers?

Almost every day, Lao local newspapers report about the apprehension of drug traffickers, while every so often they report the murder of innocent people such as women and children as a result of drug use, particularly amphetamines. One example was reported on 11 October when a ...
ASEAN chokes on haze crisis
ASEAN leaders must seek an opportunity from the worsening haze crisis to tackle the problem at its roots and show the way to sustainable development. The smoke haze and accompanying pollutants that have blanketed several countries in the region is primarily caused by the burning of forest ...
Cambodia's dengue cases up 300%

The number of dengue fever cases in Cambodia has skyrocketed, with children hit hardest by the killer disease, according to new government figures. Incidences of dengue leapt by more than 300 per cent to 11,828 cases between January and September this year. Keep reading ...
Road safety efforts ‘insufficient’

A new study warns that a UN initiative to cut global road deaths in half by 2020 is on course to fail amid “clearly insufficient” efforts, with middle- and lower-income countries such as Cambodia at the forefront of the battle. Keep reading ...