News
Government green light for power purchase from Laos
The Thai government approved a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 21 December to purchase electricity from the Nam Thuen 1 hydropower project in Laos. The draft MoU was endorsed by the National Energy Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, which will see Thailand ...
Banteay Meanchey governor predicts water woes
The governor of Banteay Meanchey on 21 December warned of potentially dire water shortages in the province and said that authorities will begin constructing a small dam on the Serei Sophon River to keep the water from escaping. Pumping from other rivers, lakes and reservoirs will also ...
Villagers in land dispute say IDs were denied
More than 100 family representatives on 21 December filed complaints at Ratanakkiri Provincial Hall and the Interior Ministry, claiming that requests to be issued with identity cards so they could vote in upcoming elections were denied by local police officials. The villagers who signed the letter, representing ...
Study links deforestation, malaria
New research conducted in Malaysia has drawn a link between deforestation and a rise in a specific strain of malaria often carried by macaques, a link the study’s lead author says could hold true for Cambodia as well. The results of the study, published in Emerging ...
Expert calls for diabetes campaign
Diabetes is harming more people than landmines, a leading expert says. U Tint Swe Latt of the Myanmar Diabetes Association told The Myanmar Times that most amputations of hands and legs resulted from the disease, and not from the landmines that still litter parts of the ...
Flood aid brings relief, but also anger and distrust
Donor aid to villages afflicted by the July-August flooding is just a lucky dip, say angry residents. They blame “sloppy” out-of-town NGOs and ill-equipped local authorities for directing money – sometimes more than once – to some villages while completely neglecting others. Donors themselves say villagers ...
Thapaung farmers face silted waterways
Inadequate irrigation could lead to the loss of more than 1000 acres of farmland in Ayeyarwady Region as creeks and rivers are drying up, farmers say. The rice growers, in Thapaung township, are still recovering from floods in August and September that forced them to ...
EU pledges 70 million euros in project funding
The European Union on 21 December announced an additional 70 million euros (US$76 million) in funding for projects focused on police training, food and nutrition security, and support to the peace process. Roland Kobia, EU ambassador, said in a statement, “Since the start of reforms in 2011, ...
Thai authorities detain Lao women who illegally entered the country as sex workers
Thai authorities have detained 43 Lao women, some of whom appear underage, for illegally entering the country to work in the sex trade just two days after the Lao parliament passed an anti-human trafficking law to ensure protection for victims and punishments for perpetrators. Passed on ...
Fighting continues to expand in Shan State
Fighting is spreading over larger areas of northern Shan State as the Tatmadaw and a newly allied ethnic armed group move in reinforcements, according to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Villagers forced to flee the conflict are reported to have scattered across five townships. The current round ...
