Perspectives
by Lia Sciortino
Perspectives
Reading Media
Johanna Son
BANGKOK -- Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. What images might these words conjure up in the minds of international consumers of news? Perhaps war, maybe the Khmer Rouge. Or they might say, ‘Oh, it’s that those countries that had that war some time ago. . . they’re near one another, and they’re all the same’.
MEKONG REGION: 50% Rise in Trade Seen
BANGKOK - Thailand expects to increase two-way trade value by 50 percent among the member countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) if the ACMECS projects to promote trade and investment are successfully completed, said Vichak Visetnoi, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department.
However, the members have yet to set a specific time frame to wrap up the projects.
The value of trade among Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is currently 2.5 billion U.S. dollars per year.
Speaking at the first meeting of the sector working group on trade and investment facilitation under ACMECS in October, Vichak said the projects would promote Thai economic development through cooperation with neighbouring countries.
“It’s not enough for us to develop only our own economy. To be globally competitive, we need to find cooperation in the ASEAN region to compete with other economic groupings,” he said. (The Nation, Oct.13, 2005).
Mekong's Avian Flu
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What's New
Journalism Workshop Applications Deadline Moved to Dec. 2, 2011
Due to the current flooding crisis in Bangkok, the Mekong Energy Journalism Workshop, originally set for Nov. 27-30, 2011, has been moved to 17 - 20 January 2012. Application submission deadline is on Dec. 2, 2011. The selection result will be announced on Dec. 14, 2011.
MA Scholarships Open for Myanmar Students
Heinrich Boell Foundation holds an annual scholarship competition for a small number of students from within Myanmar/Burma to study at two premier Thai universities, offering three international programmes for the academic year 2009 and 2009/10.