People and government
NA session ends with endorsement of new govt policy framework
The National Assembly (NA) has ended its mid-year session after endorsing four resolutions that create a legal framework under which the government and relevant authorities will carry out their duties over the next six months. Assembly President Mrs Pany Yathotou on Thursday officially closed the 9th ...
Times Reporters
Corruption, Weak Rule of Law Cited as Myanmar Probes Latest Jade Disaster
A team appointed by the Myanmar government to probe a massive landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar has begun its investigation into the deadly accident that killed at least 172 people, a Kachin state official said Tuesday. Heavy rains caused piles of loose dirt ...
Reported by Aung Theinkha and Zarni Tun for RFA’s Myanmar Service and by Jia Ao for RFA’s Mandarin Service. Translated by Nandar Chann. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Activist group renews SEZ fight in South
The Chana Rak Thin Network has renewed its call for the government to scrap a plan to develop a special economic zone (SEZ) in Songkhla’s Chana district ahead of a zoning meeting concerning the proposed project. Activist Kaireya Ramanyah, known as “daughter of the sea”, renewed ...
THANA BOONLERT
Central Highlands put on high alert as diphtheria cases hit 65
Vietnam’s Central Highlands reported 17 cases of diphtheria Tuesday, raising the total to 65 in a month, prompting health authorities to take stronger action against the deadly disease. With the new cases, Dak Nong now has 25 cases, Kon Tum 23, Gia Lai 16 while Dak ...
Tran Hoa
ASEAN Underground Abortion
Abortion is an extremely taboo topic in some parts of conservative Southeast Asia. ASEAN member states such as the Philippines and Lao do not permit abortion. Whereas Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand only allow abortion if a medical practitioner deems that continuing the pregnancy poses a danger ...
Athira Nortajuddin
‘No to corruption amid state-land distribution’: PM
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday warned of legal action against anyone caught taking advantage of state-mandated land distributions, two days after he ordered several ministries to oversee the transfer of state-protected land to its long-term occupants. The order was given to the Ministries of Agriculture, Land ...
Pech Sotheary
Major Impact from COVID-19 to Thailand’s Economy, Vulnerable Households, Firms: Report
Thailand’s economy is expected to be impacted severely by the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking by at least 5 percent in 2020 and taking more than two years to return to pre-COVID-19 GDP output levels, according to the World Bank’s latest Thailand Economic Monitor, released today. The COVID-19 pandemic ...
World Bank Thailand
WB offers aid for higher education, urban development in Vietnam
On June 30, the World Bank’s (WB) board of executive directors approved the financing of two projects —to help build a climate-resilient city in the Mekong Delta and improve the quality of Vietnam’s three national universities—at US$422 million. The Vietnam University Development Project, financed through credit ...
Gia Phong
Laos to establish centre for food quality; no Covid-19 cases
Laos will establish the National Center for the Quality Inspection of Foodstuff and Beverage to ensure the product is safe for consumption. The National standards Certification and Quality Inspection Center under Laos Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday (June 30) signed a memorandum of agreement ...
Xinhua
COVID-19: A Magnifying Glass for the Mekong Region’s Data Ecosystem
By the time COVID-19 was announced as a Public Health Emergency at the end of January 2020, the need for more data to understand both the virus and its impacts was clear. Now, more than ever before, data are needed to support decision-making on developing effective solutions that ...
