Economy and industry
Phnom Penh Autonomous Port seeks to generate $6.4M
The state enterprise that operates Cambodia’s second-largest port is looking to raise up to $6.4 million in its initial public offering and float 20 per cent of its shares on the stock market in December, according to a company draft prospectus released on 9 October. Keep ...
Laos faces the unknown as elephants walk from logging into tourism
Walk down any street in Luang Prabang, Laos, and you will be presented with any number of opportunities to interact with elephants. Some are more ethical than others. Indeed, at the Elephant Village, 15 kilometres outside town, the motto is: “Saving elephants is our mission.” Keep reading ...
LAC ups garment salary to $140
Following an at-times turbulent process, Cambodia on 8 October set the 2016 minimum wage for garment workers at $140 per month, a $12 increase from the current rate of $128 but well below union demands for $160. Labour Minister Ith Samheng announced that the government’s wage-setting group, ...
Highlands poor households lack clean water despite billions spent
Billions of dong have been poured into clean water supply facilities in the central highlands province of Dak Lak, but locals don’t see any clean water pouring out of their faucets. According to the Dak Lak Rural and Agricultura Development Department, the province has 133 concentrated ...
The biggest winner from TPP trade deal may be Vietnam
Vietnam, whose low-wage economy relies on exports, is likely to be the biggest winner of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that slashes an estimated 18,000 tariffs among the dozen participating countries. In a decade, the country’s gross domestic product will be boosted 11 percent, or $36 billion, as ...
Vietnam's fruit and veg exports on track to hit $2 billion this year
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables are getting more popular overseas with exports growing 26.5 percent annually, local media reported. In the January-September period, the revenue was estimated at over $1.4 billion, up 16.5 percent year-on-year. Keep reading ...
Factory hunger strike continues
Around 20 factory workers are still hunger striking while effective pay cuts and unpaid salaries continue, despite a government order that employers must implement the new minimum wage across all sectors. Workers at the Han Jen garment factory started the hunger strike on 5 October. They demand their ...
Yangon needs 75,000 new apartments each year
Yangon will need around 75,000 new apartments to be built each year to accommodate the city’s growing population, but contractors are struggling to come anywhere close to this target. More than 330,000 people migrate to Yangon each year from elsewhere in the country, but formidable challenges ...
Rohingya trafficking victims endure stress of limbo, stranded in Thailand
The strapping 23-year-old Rohingya Muslim was matter of fact as he described being forced onto a boat in Myanmar for a tortuous two-month-long journey, beaten and kicked by traffickers as he watched scores die of starvation and thirst along the way. He said he was abandoned in ...
Laos' Luang Prabang set to hit tourist target
Laos’ World Heritage town of Luang Prabang is on target to hit 500,000 visitors by the end of this year after reaching 470,279 in the first nine months. Keep reading ...
