While [SEZs] can bring in economic development and trade, they are often intrinsically linked to human rights violations such as land grabs, poor labour conditions or environmental damage.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
China-Japan Rivalry Intensifies in Asia’s New Growth Region
A major criticism of the BRI is the suspicions that China is building these trade routes for its own benefit and not to promote two-way trade with countries in the Mekong Region.
Dolphin-enabled livelihood on the Ayeyarwady
On a stretch of the Ayeyarwady river, fishermen from six villages work hand-in-fin with 26 Irrawaddy dolphins in a unique collaboration.
Malaria’s ticking time bomb
There worries that donors will tire of the cause, and that the people in the GMS will grow to resent the obsession with malaria when they have more pressing needs. Yet if the effort lets up, malaria will roar back.
A Chinese takeaway in Cambodia
But the trickle-down effect of Chinese largesse has been minimal, exacerbating an already burgeoning wealth gap between the politically connected, aspiring mercantile class and the poor who can only watch, dumbfounded.
Maya Bay ongoing closure draws ire from tour firms
The closure of the world-class tourist site, Maya Bay in Krabi, to visitors was extended indefinitely to allow the damaged marine ecosystem to fully recover, drawing immediate protests from tour operators.
Mekong communities urged to organise emergency plans
A communities-led emergency response plan is being advocated to cope with water hazards and dam disasters on the entire Mekong River Basin, as climate change magnifies the threats of water disasters posed by dams.