Environment and land

Honey may soon join wine and coffee as among Shan State’s best-known local commodities, as production grows. Myanmar is set to export about 3500 tonnes of the sweet stuff this year, and experts say the “Made in Myanmar” honey label may soon spread. Rabbi Yossi Ives, chief ...

The Laotian government has given the green light to a special economic zone in the southern city of Pakse, a 625-hectare site dedicated to small and midsize Japanese companies. Businesses operating there will have corporate taxes waived for 10 years starting in the first profitable year, among ...

Vietnam on 17 September demanded Thailand to promptly investigate and handle Thai individuals involving in the fatal shooting of a Vietnamese fisherman at sea last week.   Foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said the ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the Thai embassy in Hanoi to ...

More than 200 researchers and practitioners from around the world are attending a three-day conference on sustainable manufacturing in the southern province of Binh Duong.   The 13th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, from 16-18 September, offered keynote speeches, panel discussions with parallel sessions on sustainable approaches ...

Rice exports seem to be the playground of big State-owned corporations, which are able to impose unfavorable conditions on others, especially farmers. The export floor price for rice is stipulated in Decree 109/2011/ND-CP, which is determined under the guidance of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) based ...

Thai maritime police said they opened fire on a Vietnamese fishing boat while trying to intercept another vessel in waters near Malaysia last week, a clash Vietnamese state media said killed a fisherman and wounded two others. Officials from the two countries were quoted on 16 ...

A tense stand-off between staff from a South Korean development firm and representatives of tycoon and ruling party Senator Kok An took place in northern Phnom Penh on 16 September, over what the Korean company says is an attempted land grab. More than 20 Korean and ...

The construction of a dam in Laos is endangering the ecosystem of the Mekong river, one of the world’s largest rivers running a length of 5,000 km (3,107 miles) and a source of life and livelihood for millions living along its banks. The dam threatens the ...

After years of complaints, the Myanmar government says it is finally ready to act against dodgy employment agencies that cheat seafarers. The trigger for moves to clean up the sector has been the signing of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which parliament approved on 28 August. Keep ...

As Udon Thani environmentalists expressed their objection to a public meeting on mining concessions being held at a military camp, Asia Pacific Potash Corporation (APPC) was one step closer to applying for the mining licence. APPC executive Woravudh Hiranyapaisansakul said the public meeting in Non Sung district ...