Swathes of paddy fields across the Mekong Delta in Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar were inundated by the flood of water from both heavy rains and burst dams. Damaged reduced production up to 30 percent.
Category: Analysis
China Is Winning the Race for Water Security in Asia
China has dammed and now controls the flow of the Mekong River, yet omplaints about the Mekong have been muffled, in part because China has little to fear from smaller countries like Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Thailand: Southeast Asia’s Last Hope for Wildlife?
Thailand remains the region’s best hope for wildlife. Conservation efforts should focus on Thailand, and donors, scientists, and advocates need to get on board. Fast.
As West recoils, China surges south in Myanmar
China has seized on Myanmar’s renewed international pariah status to push forward its corridor ambition, recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the so-called “China-Myanmar Economic Corridor”, or CMEC.
Coal plan sparks ire as Myanmar struggles to keep lights on
Opposition to a planned $3 billion coal-fired power plant in eastern Myanmar is highlighting the challenges facing ’s government in crafting a coherent energy policy in one of Asia’s poorest and most electricity-starved countries.
Production of clean agricultural products remains insignificant
Despite increasing demand for clean agricultural products, the production of clean agricultural products remains insignificant and the majority of consumers find it difficult to get access to clean farm produce.
Politics of rice spring eternal in Thailand
Military regime justified its coup on uprooting the previous government’s boondoggle rice price scheme but four years later it’s not clear farmers are any better off
Chinese Initiatives Threaten Mekong River
China’s Belt and Road Iniative could deliver more damage to an already fragile ecosystem that helps support some 284 million people.
Vietnamese Fighting Back on Plastic Pollution
What makes Vietnam special, to the chagrin of environmentalists, is that it ranks among the top five countries in the world that send plastic trash into the ocean.
The Cambodian Port City on China’s 21st Century Silk Road That’s Becoming the New Macau
The new Macau. That’s what the Cambodian coastal city Sihanoukville is called nowadays. Chinese investors are building casinos there on a massive scale.