People and government
Peninsula’s future in flux
Chea Sophat stood on the gravel embankment of a road as he pointed to what was once his rice field, an unfenced, 4,000-square-metre waterlogged plot with a handful of buffaloes wallowing in the mud. Across the Tonle Sap river, Phnom Penh was celebrating the festivities ...
Work set to begin on Laos-China railway this month
Construction of the Laos-China railway will start this month, with work to begin in several provinces simultaneously, an official in charge of the project has said. This approach will ensure that construction of the historic rail line, linking Vientiane to the Chinese border over a ...
Parliamentary commission advises overhaul of national land use policy
The National Land Use Policy is in line for redress, after being highlighted by a parliamentary commission charged with targeting legislation for reform. In its current form, the policy only covers farmland – something the Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues ...
New domestic tourism tax breaks okayed
The cabinet gave the nod on November 29 to the reinstatement of tourism stimulus measures including a 15,000-baht tax break on domestic tour packages and hotel accommodation for individual taxpayers. The measures are intended to entice people to spend the long public holiday at home ...
Myanmar and India to open new international border gate in Tamu
Pilgrims, traders and adventurous holidaymakers can soon look forward to the opening of a new border gate between India and Myanmar, officials say. Immigration Minister U Thein Swe said the new international border gate at Tamu, Sagaing Region, would open soon. He said the Indian ...
13.5 million Vietnamese suffer from common mental disorders
Around 15 per cent of Việt Nam’s population – approximately 13.5 million people – suffer from 10 of the more common mental disorders, reveal statistics released on November 29. Around 2.8 per cent of Vietnamese live with depression, 2.6 per cent suffer from anxiety disorder, ...
Medical waste crisis in Tuyên Quang province
Medical waste is threatening the northern province of Tuyên Quang due to difficulties in treating the hazardous material at local healthcare facilities, said Deputy Director of the provincial Health Department, Đỗ Thị Ngọc Mai. She estimated that some 500kg of medical waste were discharged daily ...
Voter drive extended for one day
The National Election Committee (NEC) decided to extend voter registration by only one day after pleas from the opposition and civil society to extend the deadline due to more than one million citizens failing to register in time. The new voter list, with 7.7 million ...
Violence against women still a major concern in Laos
Laos needs to increase cooperation with development partners to help eliminate violence against women and girls, with a focus on economic development. A strong partnership among the government, development partners and the private sector is required to ensure adequate and sustainable resources to end violence ...
Progress touted on safe workplaces for women
More than 200 drinking establishments in the capital have so far pledged their commitment to their female workers’ safety as part of the ongoing “Safe Workplaces, Safe Communities” project, officials at a workshop on the program’s progress said on November 28. Launched by the Ministry ...
