Laos and Myanmar are following Thailand, which began the change in the 1980s. Long-term government investment in schools, hospitals and roads has weaned farmers off the crop, leading to its eradication.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Green transformation crucial for adaptation to climate change
Cambodia, Laos and Viet must work closer together to make the shift to using more renewable energy.
New understanding of Mekong River incision
An international team of earth scientists has linked the establishment of the Mekong River to a period of major intensification of the Asian monsoon during the middle Miocene, about 17 million years ago.
Vietnam should prioritize local factories for high-speed railway: senior official
The north-south high-speed railway should be seized as an opportunity for the country’s manufacturing sector and labor
Farmers pay the price for EEC
An increasing number of people in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) provinces are finding themselves victims of unjust expropriation and land-grabbing, as developers hunt for sites.
Thailand’s Weak Education System A Big Drawback For Development
Thailand’s outdated and somewhat defunct education system is holding back a new generation from becoming productive and innovative, it turned out in the new Human Capital Index issued by the World Bank and released on October 11.
Myanmar’s first solar power plant to start operations in Magwe
The power plant, in Minbu township, Magwe Region, is expected to produce 40 megawatts initially but will produce 170MW once fully operational, according to U Maung Maung Kyaw.
SK E&C’s attempts to cut costs led to design changes that resulted in collapse of dam in Laos
SK E&C attempted to earn excessive profits with changes to the format and design of a dam in Laos that eventually collapsed last July, an internal document confirmed on Oct. 14.
Committee to relocate national park villagers
The Ministry of Environment and Siem Reap provincial administration have formed a joint committee to deliberate the relocation of 5,000 people from Kulen Mountain following deforestation in the tourist area.
Chinese Tourism Benefits Few in Laos, Sources Say
A lot of Chinese are coming, but the problem is that most of them use their own services, and stay at hotels and use tours run by other Chinese. They even have their own tour guides.