The Mekong River in some parts of the region including Thailand and Laos has taken on a blue-green hue due to the extremely low flows, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC). In a press release issued on Monday, the MRC said its preliminary analysis showed ...

Twenty-three law enforcement officers from Australia, Asia and Europe are in Hà Nội for the next three weeks for the 44th Asia Region Law Enforcement Management Programme (ARLEMP). The officers will study management, communication and cultural topics, and develop their skills in investigating transnational cybercrime, ...

Statement from International Rivers on June 18 2015, calling for an announcement from the Mekong River Commission detailing the next steps for the regional decision-making process for the Don Sahong dam in Laos. ...

Throughout the Lower Mekong Countries (LMCs), local strategies are being developed to monitor the implementation of the SDGs. Yet, these metrics are not helpful without baseline data, which is inconsistent, if not unavailable entirely, for Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia. What data is available is often ...

Exploitative fishing practices, uncoordinated development of water infrastructure, and insufficient monitoring and sharing of hydro-data are among the major challenges facing Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam in managing their shared water resources across the Mekong borders, say new studies examining barriers to ensuring sustainable ...

In 2015, the FAO’s Global Forest Resource Assessment estimated that the Greater Mekong Subregion had 88.4 million hectares of forest, equivalent to 46% of the region’s land area and shared by 237 million people.1. The WWF reports that between 1973 and 2009 the region lost ...

A monkey with ghostly white circles around its eyes is among 224 new species listed in the World Wildlife Fund’s latest update on the greater Mekong region. The conservation group’s report, released Wednesday, highlights the need to protect the rich biodiversity and habitats in the region, which ...

In June 2018, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) held its eighth summit in Bangkok. ACMECS countries include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. Initially an initiative of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2003, there were few indications that the Thai government ...

Despite earlier successes in reducing hunger for the MDGs, the ASEAN region continues to struggle to eliminate hunger and improve nutrition. In the LMCs, only Vietnam and Thailand attained the MDG target for reducing the number of underweight children, and malnutrition still affects one in three ...

Electricity prices need to rise before the government can move forward with plans to meet demand for next hot season, a senior Ministry of Electricity and Energy official says. With many areas of the country suffering from crippling power cuts, the ministry earlier this month announced ...

To help conserve the critically endangered Siamese crocodile, WWF-Cambodia has announced it will conduct a survey this year to accurately record the number of the reptiles left in the wild in the Kingdom’s Eastern Plains Landscape. The Siamese crocodile was once widespread throughout much of ...

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is working to promote the maximization of the potential benefits of hydropower and other water-related development projects while minimising the harmful impact on the environment and millions of people living along this Southeast Asia’s largest river. The MRC launched two sets ...

The Industry Ministry has planned further measures to raise the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the export market, says Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana. He said the ministry is working with related government agencies to draft stimulus packages that will help cut costs and ...

The Mekong River has almost dried up in That Phanom district, forcing boats that transport goods and passengers across the Thai-Lao border to find other routes. The provicinial harbour office reported that water in the Mekong River as it flows through the province dropped to between ...

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is calling for proposals for biodiversity conservation projects in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and China. The closing date is 19 August 2015. ...

Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday ordered the creation of conservation zones on the Mekong river to protect critically endangered dolphins, after three were killed by fishing nets and lines last month. The Irrawaddy dolphins, known for their bulging foreheads and short beaks, once swam through ...

In 2017, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced the “New Southern Policy”, which is aimed at deepening relations with Southeast Asia to the extent that four other major powers — the United States, China, Japan and Russia — have done. In his tenure, he has visited ...

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has launched a regional writing competition in which citizens and residents of all ages from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam can enter and stand a chance to win different prizes. Entitled “What Does the Mekong Mean to You?”, the ...

Water levels on the Mekong River have fallen due to the filling of a Chinese dam on the upper reaches of the river in Yunnan province, according to locals and river monitors. The fall was reported on January 4, when locals in the Thai port town ...

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, USAID and a range of participating organizations have launched a five-year initiative they hope will transform the way in which the government, organizations, universities and citizens use data for research and decision-making. Called Servir-Mekong, the project will focus on Myanmar, Laos, ...