News from the Mekong

Preah Vihear Tiff the Latest in Testy Cambodia-Thai Ties

News from the Mekong | Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Jul 24 (Newsmekong) - The armed standoff between Cambodia and Thailand over ownership of the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear is the latest chapter in the neighbouring countries’ troubled relationship.

Temple Row May Sour ASEAN Spirit

News from the Mekong | Publications | Thailand

BANGKOK, Jul 18 (IPS) - Amornchai Sirisai has been a regular visitor to the Thai-Cambodian border, close to where a 10th century Hindu temple sits atop a steep cliff. But it is not tourism that brings the Thai national to the ancient site.

CAMBODIA: Locals, Lawyers Prepare for Battle over Land

News from the Mekong | Publications | Cambodia

RATANAKIRI, Cambodia, Jul 10 (IPS) - In thick forest in the north-east Cambodian province of Ratanakiri, a team of lawyers uses a global positioning satellite handset to mark the location of traditional spirit forests and gravesites belonging to local Jarai villagers.

Landgrabbing Hounds Cambodia’s Ethnic Groups

News from the Mekong | Publications | Cambodia

RATANAKIRI, Cambodia, Jun 27 (Newsmekong) - The wording of the two-page document in Dam Chanthy’s hands may be vague and legalistic, but the meaning is crystal clear. It details yet another land concession covering nearly 7,000 hectares that a company wants to plant with rubber and acacia trees.

China Quake Shakes Dam Ambitions

News from the Mekong | Publications | China

DUJIANGYAN, China, Jun 25 (IPS) - China's deadly earthquake appears to have shifted more than just tectonic plates here in picturesque Sichuan province in the country’s south-west.

ASIA: Jatropha May Ease Mekong Countries’ Fuel, Food Needs

News from the Mekong | Publications

MANILA, Jun 25 (Newsmekong) - The jatropha plant is not yet a household word, but experts say it can help economies in the Mekong region cope with both energy and food self-sufficiency needs at a time of surging fuel prices.

CAMBODIA: Wave of Dam Projects Calls for New Approaches

News from the Mekong | Upstream-Downstream | Publications | Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Jun 9 (IPS) - An explosion of dam building projects along the Sekong River in Laos, the Mekong river’s largest tributary, is prompting Cambodian and foreign experts to warn of significant downstream impacts and call for new approaches to governing the cross-border issues that arise from the use of the Mekong’s water resources.

BURMA: ASEAN Steps in Where Others May Not Tread

News from the Mekong | Publications | Thailand

BANGKOK, May 31 (IPS) - Four weeks after Cyclone Nargis swept through the populous Irrawaddy Delta in Burma, a regional effort to help the victims is slowly grinding into motion.

CAMBODIA: Resource Curse or Blessing?

News from the Mekong | Economy | Publications | Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (IPS) - Cambodia is facing a natural resource boom, but donors and non-government organisations (NGOs) warn that this potential windfall could be squandered without measures to improve financial transparency, promote better governance and curb corruption.

Burmese Workers’ Death Shocking, But Far from New

News from the Mekong | Trafficking | Thailand

BANGKOK, Apr 12 (IPS) - The death by suffocation of 54 Burmese migrant workers who were being transported in an enclosed container truck in southern Thailand was a shocking tragedy, but one that did not surprise labour rights activists.

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