Many northern provinces have been experiencing bitter cold, while snow has been falling heavily in many areas across the northern mountainous region due to a strong cold spell that has enveloped almost half of the country since 23 January. Snow blanketed Sa Pa in the northern ...

The most cost-effective way to keep fresh water clean for human use? Nature itself. Forests, rivers and wetlands filter out contaminants, store excess water, and in some cases even drive rainfall, so maintaining the health of those ecosystems — typically far upstream from population centers ...

A new study of drug resistance in the parasite responsible for roughly half of all malaria cases worldwide has identified more than 80 genes that contribute to resistance, some of which could provide important information for drug development, researchers say.[]In recent years, however, a strain ...

Thailand aims to increase trade with countries on its borders by 15% this year, to a record high of 1.5 trillion baht ($50 billion). The government is backing the drive to offset an expected slowdown in overall export growth due to appreciation of the baht ...

The Mekong River Commission does not have the authority to stop projects even if they have trans-boundary effects, delegates to the fourth Green Mekong Forum said on 13 June, while the Thai Irrigation Department presented a water diversion project to fight poverty. If the MRC member states – ...

Most countries in Southeast Asia do not have a transparent budget process, according to a global survey conducted by International Budget Partnership. The 2015 Open Budget Index used 140 observable facts and indicators to measure if a country’s budget system allows opportunities for adequate oversight and public ...

THE THAI delegation at a meeting this week on a third dam planned for the Lower Mekong River at Pak Bang in Laos urged the Chinese project developer, Datang Corp, to conduct a transboundary study to resolve outstanding issues. The developer appeared hesitant to take ...

Law enforcement agencies from Thailand, China, Myanmar and Laos will once again join together to boost measures against drug trafficking, following the worsening situation in northern Thailand. The drugs being carried through the Golden Triangle bore the same characteristics with pills imprinted with a symbol ...

UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson has expressed confidence in the kingdom’s reform process and return to democracy, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said Monday. []The majority of illegal wildlife products originate in Africa, which smugglers will often transit via Asean ...

The Thai Ministry of Labour announced that actions will be taken against migrant workers from neighboring countries if they fail to register by March 30. The Thai Ministry of Labour told Channel 3 on March 20 that it has been providing services to register and ...

The Mekong River has turned a bright and striking blue, but this eye-catching sight has raised concerns about the environment and the livelihoods of those living in the region. The Mekong runs for nearly 3,100 miles and flows through China, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia, filling a ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Lao Brewery Company will comply with a notice issued by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism banning the advertising of alcoholic beverages and activities that promote the consumption of alcoholic drinks.But the company had a different perspective concerning the ...

A workshop was held in Hanoi on July 16 to launch a regional project to improve cooperation in policy research, implementation and advocacy in agriculture and rural development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The project “Network for Agriculture and Rural Development Think-tanks for Countries in ...

The recent collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam in Laos shows Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to natural disasters and highlights the importance of emergency preparedness, safety regulation, and sustainable development planning in energy security policies. It also demonstrates the growing asymmetry that’s emanating from an economic ...

 The ASEAN-Korea Centre (Secretary General Kim Young-sun) will organize the ‘Mekong Sub-regional Capacity Building Workshop on Cultural Heritage’ from 15 to 20 October in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. The Workshop will gather government officials in charge of training the cultural heritage specialist guides and developing ...

Welcome to the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, one of the key planks of the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).  The apparition on the Mekong is an under-construction bridge, part of the 420 km-long, US$6 billion worth high-speed railway connecting Kunming, in Yunnan ...

Southeast Asian migrant workers are no longer just emigrating to developed countries, increasingly they’re moving within the region. With cross-border labour migration increasing, the question for governments has been how to ensure their citizens enjoy social security benefits abroad. []In light of this, labour authorities from ...

The leaders of the CLMVT bloc pledged to forge deeper economic ties in the eighth Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation (ACMECS) Summit held on June 15th – 16th. In the keynote address, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said at the summit that ACMECS has been working towards ...

(KPL) The Japanese government has provided grant assistance worth over USD 414,000 for three health center projects and four water supply system projects through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).The grant contracts were signed at the Japanese Embassy in Vientiane Capital on ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government of South Korea has approved US$15 million (over 128 billion kip) to implement a flood recovery programme and assist the people of Sanamxay district in Attapeu province.Speaking at a press conference in Vientiane yesterday, the Ambassador of the Republic ...