Environment and land
Wildlife trafficking poses risks to public health
Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam and the high demand for exotic meat, jewelry, medicine and even pets is a threat not only to bio-diversity, but also to public health, according to environment experts. Experts said the illegal trade of products, which has both domestic and international origins, ...
No decision on cable car project, Thai government says
The Thai government has yet to make a decision on the controversial Phu Kradueng cable car project, says government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd. Responding to criticism by environmentalists, Maj Gen Sansern said the cabinet has merely acknowledged the results of a feasibility study conducted by the Designated ...
Pat Ja San abandons poppy field mission
A Group of Christian hard-line anti-drug vigilantes on 28 February abandoned plans to destroy poppy fields in an area of Kachin State after clashes broke out between their members and armed attackers in the past week. Pat Ja San, which is known for flogging drug users, said ...
Volunteer vessel to monitor for migrants in Andaman Sea
A ship, two rescue boats and a fleet of drones will be deployed in the Andaman Sea on 3 March to comb for migrants and monitor for smuggling vessels – and respond in case of a crisis. The Migrant Offshore Aid Station was launched by an ...
Vietnam rice exports rebound; prices stay low
Vietnam’s rice exports hit US$445 million in the first two months, twice the number of the same period last year, the agriculture ministry reported on 26 February. Keep reading ...
Hydro standards ‘below par’, study finds
Chinese money accounts for the overwhelming majority of investment in Cambodia’s anaemic energy sector, but while the government has been happy to take Beijing’s loans for the construction of hydroelectric plants, a study published last month found that such investment came with both ecological and ...
Rough seas impede oil spill cleanup
Thailand’s Marine Department on 27 February said it had not been able to clean up the oil spill from the capsized cruise liner Ocean Dream off Koh Nok in Chon Buri’s Si Racha district due to high winds and waves impeding their operations. In a press statement, the department ...
Thai Government dusts off cable car scheme
The Thai government has dusted off the controversial 4.4-km Phu Kradueng cable car project, initiated more than 30 years ago, claiming there will be little environmental impact during its construction and that it has overwhelming support from locals. The move came amid strong opposition from environmentalists. Keep reading ...
Locals ask court to cancel coal permits
Residents in Thailand’s Nakhon Laung district in Ayutthaya province have asked the Central Administrative Court to withdraw the operating permits given to 51 coal and fertiliser companies and 26 piers on the Pasak River. They argue they have failed to protect the communities’ health and environment ...
Mekong 'gravity' study under fire
A feasibility study on a proposal to build a tunnel diverting water from the Mekong River to the drought-stricken Northeast region will be wrapped up by year-end and will determine whether the multi-billion baht project is economically viable, a senior irrigation official says. Somkiat Prajamwong, director of the Project ...
