News
Demarcation complete, Luang Prabang eyes investment to push SEZ project ahead
Development of a US$1.2 billion special economic zone (SEZ) in Luang Prabang province has faced delays attributed to project demarcation now completed while its developer seeks further investment and financial backing. The plans for the zone include a 23-storey building, schools, hospitals, shopping centre, bank, ...
China’s squeeze on capital outflow felt in Cambodia
Stringent capital controls imposed by China’s central bank last November that scrutinise the outbound flow of money from the mainland have created uncertainty for Chinese investors looking at the Cambodian market and could jeopardise future and existing projects.Read more ...
Human traffickers continue targeting young Lao
Thousands of young people including local factory workers have been lured into the trap of human trafficking, experts in the field have highlighted. Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) has called for governments in the region, notably those in Mekong Sub-region to work harder in ...
Gov’t: public should be consulted on coal power
The government is currently streamlining its policy for the power sector to ensure the country’s energy security and coal can be one of the options, according to Daw Mi Mi Khaing, director general of Department of Electric Power Planning under the Ministry of Electricity and ...
Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link
Construction of a 414 km railway line linking China to mainland Southeast Asia through Laos is underway in Phonesai village, about 30km north of Luang Prabang, the country’s ancient former capital and modern-day tourism center. A workers’ dormitory has been built under a banner in ...
A wetland laid to waste
Fires tore through the Tonle Sap wetlands last year, destroying an estimated third of the seasonally flooded forests that surround the lake. The loss of the trees, which are breeding grounds for freshwater fish, poses an existential threat to the area’s ecology and to the ...
Illegal logging a perennial problem in Vietnam despite premier’s order
Natural forests in Vietnam continue to fall victim to illegal logging, despite orders from the prime minister to shut down access to at-risk areas last year. Following a directive from PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in late June 2016, local authorities are no longer permitted to ...
Academics warn that China rail project could lead to bankruptcy
Academics have cautioned that the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed train project could end in bankruptcy and fail to develop sought-after technology in Thailand. Chulalongkorn University yesterday held an academic forum on the controversial Thai-Chinese partnership, with many academics saying they believed that the government had not completely ...
Vietnam’s black pepper race persists notwithstanding price dip
Though per-kilogram prices of black pepper in Vietnam have dropped 65 percent since their record high two years ago, local growers are still racing to increase production. After peaking at VND200,000 ($8.81) per kilogram in 2015, the price of black pepper in Vietnam has plummeted ...
100 rai of violated land seized by officials on Koh Lanta
Department of Forestry and allied officials on Thursday seized about 100 rai of land in Phuket’s Koh Lanta that had been encroached upon by parties they described as “too powerful, unfazed by law and willing to threaten authorities with death”.More than 30 officials from several ...
