People and government
Lower Mekong nations collaborate on flood response during exercise in Laos
Dealing with and attempting to mitigate disaster scenarios is why experts, both military and civilian, from six nations were in the capital of Laos participating in the 2015 Lower Mekong Initiative Disaster Relief Exercise and Exchange. The LMI DREE is an annual civil-military disaster preparedness and ...
Laos prepares for ASEAN chairmanship in 2016
Laos is ready to play the role of ASEAN chair and host the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits which will be held back-to-back in Vientiane next year. Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alounkeo Kittikhoun and Malaysian ambassador Than Tai Hing co-chaired an Asean Consultative Meeting (ACM) in ...
Huge drug hauls in "Safe Mekong" operations
A number of people were arrested and a large quantity of drugs seized in recent operations under the “Safe Mekong” project implemented by Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, Office of the Narcotics Suppression Board secretary-general Permpong Chawalit said on 27 September. Keep reading ...
Novartis launches chronic disease programme for poor countries
Drugmaker Novartis AG has begun a programme in Kenya, Ethiopia and Vietnam to supply 15 low-cost medicines to fight chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. The Swiss-based pharmaceuticals group said on 24 September its scheme would supply drugs for just $1 per treatment per month to ...
Rice mill owner acquitted of Bt11m embezzlement
Thailand’s Appeals Court has acquitted the owner of the Nopporn rice mill for their roles in the alleged use of forged warehouse receipts to embezzle rice worth Bt11 million, but upheld suspended jail terms for nine farmers in a case involving 750 tonnes of rice. Keep reading ...
Laos to highlight progress in MDGs in UN forums in New York
Despite its being a tiny landlocked nation, Laos has made some inroads in its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in providing primary healthcare to Laotian mothers and children in the country’s hinterlands. This will be the message that Laos President Choummaly Sayasone will bring to New ...
Under pressure on all sides, Union Election Commission reinstates 11 Muslim candidates
Eleven Muslim politicians have successfully challenged their controversial disqualification from contesting the November elections following a surprise reversal by the Union Election Commission. Their reinstatement after appeal followed concerted pressure from the United States and eight other governments, which had urged Myanmar to hold “a credible, ...
Mines on Cambodian premier’s UN speech agenda
Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the opening of the UN’s General Assembly in New York on 25 September and has vowed to push demining as a development issue, despite it not being on the UN’s agenda. Speaking at the Sokha Hotel, the premier questioned the issue’s ...
No options for families in Poipet facing eviction
Forty-three families from Poipet town and the nearby village of Kbal Spean 1 say they will ignore the 28 September deadline of an eviction notice from the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court. Resident Ith Sim said the families have lived on the land for over a decade. Keep ...
Time’s up for MDG targets
As the United Nations meets this week to draw up a new set of sustainable development benchmarks, the era of the body’s landmark Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is coming to a close, with some wondering – in spite of gains – what efficacy such targets ...
