People and government
Laos undergoes Communist Party leadership change
The Lao Communist Party has undergone a change in leadership during its 10th Party Congress, signaling the country’s future direction as it prepares to chair the Association of South East Asian Nations. The move came ahead of a visit to Laos by U.S. Secretary of ...
Vietnam congress ‘not likely to affect Cambodia ties’
As Vietnam’s Communist Party continues its weeklong congress to choose its general secretary, experts and analysts said the outcome would likely do little to change the historically close relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam’s ruling parties. Early media reports indicate that Nguyen Phu Trong will run for ...
Groups urge Kerry to demand government reforms
Five rights groups on 24 January called for United States Secretary of State John Kerry to use a visit to Phnom Penh this week to demand the Cambodian government stop persecuting political opponents and rights, environmental and trade union activists. Keep reading ...
In rare visit to tiny Laos, Kerry seeks closer relations
Secretary of State John F. Kerry arrived on 24 January in Laos, where the United States is helping the government clear a countryside still littered with unexploded ordnance dating to the Vietnam War. Kerry’s one-day stop for talks with senior officials marks a rare diplomatic visit. He ...
Myanmar released 29 political prisoners before power transfer
The Myanmar government under outgoing President Thein Sein on 22 January freed 29 political prisoners across the country, 18 of them from the notorious Insein Prison in the capital Yangon. Keep reading ...
Police to protect Kachin poppy destroyers
More than 1000 activists of a Christian-based anti-narcotics group are to have police protection after getting the go-ahead from the Kachin State government to destroy over 1600 hectares (4000 acres) of opium poppy fields. Permission was received on 21 January to mount the mass operation in Waingmaw ...
Taiwan raises travel notices after Thai case of Zika virus
Taiwan has raised travel notices for five ASEAN nations, including Thailand and the Maldives, after a northern Thai man was hospitalised in Taiwan with a confirmed case of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus. Keep reading ...
Mekong nations build defences against bird flu
The ministries of health of Laos and other countries in the Mekong Region are taking steps to prevent and control avian influenza, or bird flu, over the next two months, in anticipation of a possible outbreak. Bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by ...
Cambodian Government, UNHCR to share refugee responsibilities
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on 21 January said that it would divide between itself and the Cambodian government the duties of processing and potentially relocating the scores of Montagnard asylum seekers whose claims the government finally agreed to hear on 20 January. Keep reading ...
USDP majority parliament passes trimmed budget for next government
Parliament has passed the K23.62 trillion (US$18.28 billion) budget for the 2016-17 financial year starting in March. In effect, this means that defeated members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party government have bequeathed spending patterns and constraints to the incoming government elected last November. Review committees ...
