News
Quang Ninh seaport and industrial complex awaits license
The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the prime minister to approve the investment plan of the $311.9 million seaport and industrial park complex invested by a consortium of three foreign investors in Quang Yen town of the northern province of Quang Ninh, Vietnam. According ...
Migrants’ hopes and fears in Little Myanmar
Thai employers are reluctant to attract media coverage focusing on the region’s docks, markets or construction sites; workers told The Irrawaddy that if they were discovered as having contributed to a story on Little Myanmar, they feared they would be later fired. Wandering through Samut ...
Credit life insurance provides a safety net for borrowers
Credit life insurance is a concept that dates back centuries but is still new to the Cambodian market. More Cambodians than ever are turning to microfinance for money to cover their small business endeavours or pay expenses, and, increasingly, they are looking to protect their ...
Laos to negotiate sale of electricity to neighbours
With Laos’ electricity generation set to reach 10,000MW by 2020, the country is continuing to negotiate with neighbouring countries to increase the volume of electricity exports. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines on 15 July, Laos will hold talks with Myanmar on electricity cooperation ...
Yangon govt orders safety modifications to high-rise buildings under construction
Despite complaints from developers, a review committee for the construction of high-rise buildings has ordered safety modifications to 12 structures, stating that failure to follow Rangoon’s updated urban planning standards could cause harm to the city and its residents. Ye Min Oo, the review committee’s spokesperson, ...
Agro tycoon building feed mill to supply local market
Agro-industrial conglomerate Mong Reththy Group is constructing a new $10 million feed mill to supply its own livestock operations as well as the domestic market, the group’s eponymous president and CEO said on 17 July. “His company had invested $10 million in the project that will ...
NUOL receives funding for environmental protection activities
The Environmental Protection Fund has agreed to provide over US$2 million in support of environmental protection activities in three faculties of Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences and of Economics and Business Administration. The fund is aimed at broadening the knowledge of students and lecturers on the management ...
World Bank approves loan to poverty reduction fund
On 13 July, the Ministry of Finance signed a US$30 million agreement with the World Bank aimed at continuing to finance Laos’ Poverty Reduction Fund, improving livelihoods and upgrading infrastructure for residents of 150 rural villages in over 40 districts of 10 target provinces. The funding will ...
More Montagnard asylum seekers return to Vietnam
On 12 July, 16 Montagnards – an ethnic mountain minority who are predominantly Christian – were sent back to Vietnam through Ratanakkiri province after most had their applications for refugee status rejected, and all volunteered to go back to their homeland, government officials said on 13 ...
Rights groups give NLD poor marks on party’s ‘100 days’ record
Two international advocacy organisations have slammed the new Myanmar government for failing to address fundamental human rights shortcomings in its first 100 days in office, echoing recent criticism from the international community. In a joint statement, the International Federation for Human Rights and the Alternative ...
