Economy and industry
Koh Kong dam to energise local supply
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the new 246-megawatt Stung Tatai hydropower plant in Koh Kong on 23 December, saying that the dam will add to locally generated power and help bring down the cost of electricity. Built by the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation for ...
Foreign arrivals in Laos expected to increase in 2015
Total foreign arrivals recorded in Laos are expected to reach 4.33 million for the year, compared to a total of 4.15 million the previous year, according to new statistics released on 23 December. Keep reading ...
Vietnam's currency drops to limit of trading band for first time
Vietnam’s dong fell to the limit of its current trading band for the first time, reflecting further pressure to weaken after three devaluations already this year. The currency fell as much as 0.07 percent to 22,547 per dollar in Hanoi, diverging from the State Bank of ...
Something in the water: The dark and deadly secret behind Saigon cheap coffee
A market of industrial chemicals in Ho Chi Minh City is having a new product on sale. And it has quickly become a bestseller. The black liquid, coming in big plastic cans, works magic. Just add a few drops into water and you can turn it ...
Vietnam's garment exports forecast to top $27 billion
Vietnamese textiles and garment exports will possibly hit US$27.1 billion this year, an increase of more than 10 percent from 2014, local media reported. Local producers shipped $20.63 billion worth of textile and garment products in the first 11 months, up 8.9 percent from the same ...
For migrants, the legal route brings few benefits: report
They are mired in debt bondage, their pay slips are slashed by hidden fees and fabricated taxes, and they’re forced to work excessive hours in slave-like conditions absent of breaks and without the guarantee of overtime pay. This is the lot of migrant workers who ...
Violent protests boil over in Bavet
Ongoing protests by striking garment workers in the Svay Rieng province town of Bavet spiralled into “anarchy” on 22 December after protesters pelted police with rocks, aggravating an already volatile situation and spurring national authorities to begin mediation efforts. Two military police were injured in the encounter, ...
Rent control law being ignored
The government is failing to enforce, or even make landlords and tenants aware of, the new rent-control law, even as rents begin to creep up in anticipation of garment workers receiving their annual wage raise next month, labour advocates say. The legislation, which went into effect ...
Starbucks opens doors in airport
The long-awaited Starbucks coffee chain opened its doors to passengers on 22 December in the Phnom Penh International Airport’s new terminal. Keep reading ...
Talks with neighbours about migrant labour
Thailand is preparing to take migrant workers from three other ASEAN nations under memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community. Labour Minister General Sirichai Dithakul met on 22 December with delegates from Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia to discuss the MOUs. Thailand has already signed MoUs with Myanmar and ...
