Economy and industry
ASEAN’s human trafficking woes
As most human rights defenders are already aware, Southeast Asia faces a problem when it comes to human trafficking. The United States (US) State Department’s latest annual Trafficking in Persons Report doesn’t paint a prettier picture either. Dubbed by the US State Department as the ...
Mekong Delta looks to high-quality agriculture
Provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have set to develop high-quality agriculture combined with eco-tourism, services and industry as their ambitious targets this year. Located in a key economic region, with advantages in tourism, aquaculture and rice production, Kien Giang province, for instance, achieved ...
EU eyes trade action over rights abuses in Cambodia
The European Union is launching action that could see it suspend Cambodia’s preferential access to the EU market over the deterioration of human rights and the rule of law in the country. Keep reading ...
Chinese investment in Southeast Asia is plummeting
China-funded infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia have plunged in the past year as foreign governments grow wary of Beijing’s overseas investments. The value of newly announced big-ticket deals in the region – investment commitments and construction contracts worth more than $100 million – dropped just ...
Thousands of Protesters Call For Termination of Dam Project in Myanmar’s Kachin State
About 10,000 people in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state staged a massive protest Thursday against the controversial Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam and recent calls by China for the suspended project to resume. Kachin activists, leaders from Kachin political parties, religious leaders, local civil society groups, Buddhist monks, ...
ASU creates network of young scientists in Southeast Asia
Arizona State University is preparing young scientists to improve environmental sustainability, health and economic development through social entrepreneurship. Last year, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering partnered with the U.S. Department of State to launch the Lower Mekong Initiative Young Scientist Program. The program’s overarching goal is to ...
The Hidden Environmental Toll of Mining the World’s Sand
By far the largest mining endeavor globally is digging up sand, mainly for the concrete that goes into buildings. But this little-noticed and largely unregulated activity has serious costs — damaging rivers, wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems, and even wiping away entire islands. In Cambodia, researching ...
Are Cambodia’s hydropower plans risky?
Along with most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia’s electricity consumption over the past decade has skyrocketed. In a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), electricity consumption in Cambodia has been growing rapidly, averaging 20 percent growth per annum since 2010. This rate continues to accelerate ...
Brexit could put 1.7 million people around globe into extreme poverty
It’s a long way from Whitehall and Brussels, but a study has found that the developing country that will be hardest hit by Brexit is the south-east Asian nation of Cambodia. With the deadline to reach a Brexit agreement looming in March, much attention has been given to ...
China’s Six Belt and Road Projects in Myanmar to Watch in 2019
The Myanmar government recently agreed to begin work on key projects under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) agreement which is part of Chinese’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Experts, including voices from the World Bank, have pointed out that Myanmar’s growth will largely depend on ...
