Perspectives
by Lia Sciortino
Perspectives
China’s PR Problem Rears Its Head
Johanna Son
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CHIANG MAI, Dec 11 (TerraViva/IPS Asia-Pacific) - Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region.
These were some of the terms participants at a talk-show format discussion at the Mekong Media Forum used when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.
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’.
China: Benign Bully of the Mekong?
Johanna Son
SYDNEY, Oct 3 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – Over the last decade or so, China’s deft use of soft power has seen South-east Asian neighbours’ view of it change from a looming threat to a largely friendly, if still imposing, giant to the north.
Environment
Bauxite Plan Stirs Worries in Vietnam, PM Speaks Up
By Tran Dinh Thanh Lam
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, May 7 (Newsmekong) - While investors and their opponents argue the pros and cons of an ambitious plan to mine bauxite deposits in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, life for the tea and coffee farmers in nearby towns has already become a whole lot more complicated.
THAILAND: Landmines Threaten Elephants
MAE SOT, Thailand - More than 100 elephants hauling logs on the Thai-Burmese border are in constant danger, as one step in the wrong direction could injure or even kill them.
Troubled Waters Surround Cambodia’s Fisheries
By Andrew Nette
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KANDAL, Cambodia, Apr 9 (IPS) - Im Vandang, a former solider turned fisherman, is not sure why there are less fish in the Mekong River, but he knows the situation is getting serious.
CAMBODIA: Concerns Rise with Planned Lao Dam on Mekong
By Andrew Nette
PHNOM PENH, Mar 28 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - The Lao government’s decision earlier this year to press ahead with plans to build the Don Sahong dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River in southern Laos is causing major concern in Cambodia and internationally.
In Vietnam, Bird Flu Fighters Have Ducks in Their Sights
Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Nov 30 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - As the temperature drops and another cool season approaches, Vietnam's duck population is coming under attention because it is suspected to have become vulnerable to the avian influenza virus.
Applications Open for EarthRights Mekong School
EarthRights Mekong School is now accepting applications for its seven month training program from activists around the Mekong Region whose work specialises in environmental issues and civil society.
'Avian Flu Spread by Poultry, Not Wild Birds'
Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Sep 3 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - The search for answers to the spread of the bird flu virus is calling into question a long-held practice in science where recognition is given to positive test results, say experts meeting in the Thai capital.
LAOS: On the Bird Flu Map
Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Mar 11 (IPS Asia-pacific) - A spell of good fortune that South-east Asia's poorest country enjoyed for three years ran out this month. Laos has become the 11th country in the world to record a human death from the bird flu virus.
Work Begins on Serepok Dam
DAK LAK, Vietnam - The first stage of dam construction for a 220-megawatt hydroelectric power plant on the Serepok river began at two communes in Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong on Feb. 7.
China's Central Bank Goes Green
BEIJING - Enterprises that have poor environmental records risk being rejected for bank loans under a nationwide credit system that factors environmental information into loan applications.
Mekong's Avian Flu
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What's New
Mekong ICT Camp 2010
The Mekong ICT Camp (http://mekongict.org), a biannual training workshop on information, communication, and technologies for citizen media, community health, and civil society practitioners in Mekong subregion, is accepting applications until Mar. 31, 2010. Participants are welcome from the Mekong countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
COMING SOON: 'TALKING GENDER IN THE MEKONG MEDIA'
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BANGKOK - Do media organisations in the Mekong Region think that gender sensitivity, including giving voices to women, is part of doing better stories? How do they define it within the context of their societies and how do they report on different genders and sexuality? Do they include the use of gender-friendly language in their stylebooks and training programmes? How much is using a gender lens a news habit?