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Saturday, April 20, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
Floods Leave Thai Economy Gasping
No guns are needed in this battle. Only the muscle of Thai soldiers defending a sprawling industrial estate on the eastern end of this city from an advancing enemy - flood waters.
China Steps in to Patrol the Lawless Mekong
China plans to send armed patrol boats down the Mekong River and assert its authority over a corner of Southeast Asia infested by warlords and drug traffickers.
ENVIRONMENT-THAILAND: ‘Bangkok Ignored Warnings’
This sinking mega-city’s eight million people are paying the price of ignoring warnings over many years concerning its climate vulnerability and the incapacity of its soggy foundations to handle flooding.THAILAND: Bangkok Braces for Month of Floods
As the Thai Airways flight descends into Suvarnabhumi International Airport, passengers pull out cameras to snap pictures of flood waters rising inexorably and predicted to inundate the capital city by the end of the week.Western Sanctions Look Fussy in Burma
On the face of it, the sudden release of political prisoners in Burma would appear a triumph for the sanctions regime imposed on the Southeast Asian nation by Western governments.Burma Exposes Fault Lines in China’s Dam-building Juggernaut
When Burma’s new president, Thein Sein, took the unusual step of opposing the construction of one of China's largest investment projects in the country – a mega dam – he did more than acknowledge the concerns of local communities and environmental activists.Thai Rice Stirs the Global Pot
Thailand is preparing to stir the pot in the international rice market with its fragrant jasmine rice nurtured by a new policy. But while the new policy pays farmers a great deal more, there are fears that the high prices could make Thai rice uncompetitive.HEALTH: China Scrambles Against Mutant Bird Flu
Veterinary experts in China and Vietnam are scrambling to produce a vaccine capable of beating a new strain of the deadly avian influenza (AI) virus, reports an official of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).BURMA: ‘Civilian’ Govt Eases Iron Grip
With Burma’s quasi-civilian government relaxing the iron grip on power maintained for half-a century by military juntas, the big question is: How real is the change?Donors Fund Forced Labour in Vietnam
A leading international human rights group has accused the United States government, the World Bank and other international donors of indirectly funding forced labour in Vietnam’s drug rehabilitation centres.China, India Score With Untied Aid
Armed with a smile, Don Marut exposes the pitfalls of Western aid to developing countries. At a conference here, the Indonesian recalled the story of how 40 electric-train carriages were sent from Germany to his country for a journey to nowhere.THAILAND: Yingluck Will Need Luck and Pluck
As she stepped into her role as an ingénue on the macho stage of Thai politics, the backers of Yingluck Shinawatra, the country’s first woman prime minister, had hoped she would enjoy a honeymoon period.THAILAND: The Green Cause Can Kill
In a country where the going rate for a contract killing is around Thai baht 15,000 (500 dollars), the price paid to eliminate Thongnak Sawekchinda, an environmental activist, has caught the police by surprise.NORTH KOREA: Food At Last for the Hidden Hungry
"Even if 100,000 people die of starvation in North Korea, foreigners working there will not see it," says a humanitarian worker who spent three years in the impoverished, communist country.Cambodia Stock Exchange to Push Transparency
Besides attracting international investors, Cambodia’s new stock exchange is expected to nudge this Southeast Asian country towards greater transparency.Thaksin Awakens Rural Thailand
Villages like this one are nothing more than a mix of small wooden and cement houses on tree-lined lanes where people make a living growing rice or rearing cattle and pigs. Yet they are shaping the future of Thailand’s democracy and taking part in what residents call a "rural awakening".THAILAND: Rural Folk Pave Way for First Female PM’s Landmark Win
Across villages, towns, and cities in northeast Thailand, a mood of political empowerment is bursting to the surface, with people gathering in groups since Sunday evening to celebrate political history. After all, they helped put Yingluck Shinawatra on the road to becoming the country’s first female prime minister.THAILAND: PM Targets Drug Traffickers Ahead of July Poll
With an eye on the tightly contested Jul. 3 general election, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is tapping into the national unease gripping this country over a deadly habit shared by some Thais: drugs.Thai Campaign Tempers Use of Antibiotics
Every month, Buddhist monk Phra Patarapong visits this village of mostly wooden houses on stilts and draws crowds, but not just for his regular sermons on spiritualism. People come to see him also for his tips on health, in particular his warnings about the excessive use of antibiotics.Red Shirts Shift to Village-Based Politics in Thai Heartland
The shimmering green paddy fields across the vast terrain here remain a vivid marker of rural identity. But now, another colour – red – is steadily taking root in the villages dotting this plateau in north-east Thailand that are home to poor farmers.McCain Cold to Warmer U.S.-Burma Ties
If Burma’s quasi-civilian government was hoping for warmer ties with the U.S. government, Senator John McCain’s visit to this South-east Asian nation has placed such hopes on ice.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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