On Tuesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed an order to launch a National Internet Gateway—similar to China’s complex network of blocks, filters, and human censorship known as the Great Firewall—which will regulate all online traffic in the interest of “protecting national security and maintaining social order.”
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Hydropower plants and electrification projects to carry on
Renewable energy production and hydropower plant projects will be prioritised to help power the country in the future.
Sand beach in Mekong River reopens, brings local economy to life
The beach normally opens whenever the river level falls, exposing the island, usually from October to May. It is one the province’s “unseen Thailand” attractions.
Ceasing fire: Thai sugar farmers struggle to change polluting ways
Thailand is one of the world’s largest sugar producer, turning out about 10 million tons of the sweet stuff each year. But the traditional method of harvesting it is being criticized for polluting the environment. The government wants the industry to modernize, but some farmers say that’s not financially feasible.
Forest defenders under fire in Cambodia
It seems the Cambodian authorities are not only failing to protect the country’s diverse and still-extensive forests, but also are attacking those that do.
Treading Water: The Dark Legacy of Hydropower Development in Myanmar
The “cradle to grave” environmental Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of five hydropower plants in Myanmar demonstrates that the projects currently fails to deliver sustainable hydropower and does not support the management of associated environmental predicaments.
New planning views climate change as opportunity for Mekong Delta
The draft features three guiding viewpoints, with the first respecting the ecosystem’s natural functioning, proactively adapting to climate change, and considering saltwater and brackish water as development resources.
Nearly 3K illegal burn sites identified across Kingdom
Illegal burning of rice stubble and land at the periphery of forests continues to occur throughout the Kingdom’s rural areas, especially in the north and northeast regions, according to officials who documented the activities on site.
Germany provides EUR 20 million for forest law enforcement, trade
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is providing about EUR 20 million and the Lao government is contributing the equivalent of EUR 4 million as non-cash benefits for the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) project from 2021 to 2026.
One injured after Mekong Delta erosion plunges homes into river
Around 500 hectares of land in the delta is lost to erosion annually, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.