Stories tagged with mekong
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Chiang Saen’s port project slumping off
Local officials and businessmen in Chiang Saen, a port town along the Mekong River in northern Thailand, are beginning to worry that a government-promised port project is in danger of being abandoned. The town’s existing port facility is considered too small to handle the anticipated increase in trade between China, Laos and Thailand, but the government’s plan to develop has been extremely slow off the blocks.
Look across the Mekong River to the Laos side and it’s obvious that Laos and its Chinese-backed consortium are taking things seriously. Building is roaring ahead at a frenetic pace, even by Laotian standards, thanks to plenty of Chinese cash and a surplus of work. Businessmen on the Thai side of the river are having trouble even acquiring land to set up their trade bases due to tricky land title issues.
Laos, however, is allowing Chinese investors and the Chinese government itself to lease enormous tracts of land to develop. Projects in the works include an entire new town to accommodate 100,000 Chinese migrants, along with golf courses, casinos, hotels, shopping centres and parks. This initial mega-project is expected to be completed sometime in 2009, while Thailand’s efforts will likely still be languishing in the development vacuum that so often consumes ambitious projects in the kingdom.
Posted by: Andrew on 29 Sep 2008, 08:14 -
Thailand Exempts Neighbours' Agricultural Products from Duties
Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp told the MCOT News that Thai government has agreed to exempt the import tariffs for agricultural goods from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam as part of the economic cooperation projects under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) which we mentioned yesterday.
Posted by: Toony on 20 Jun 2007, 08:51 -
Vietnam Cooperates with Neighbours to Boost Rice Exports
The People's Daily Online carries details of the cooperation agreement between Vietnam and the other countries of the five-way Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy to boost rice exports. The strategy focuses on the transfer of farming techniques to improve quality across the board, and the sharing of market insights to increase competitiveness.
VietNamNet Bridge has a few more details courtesy of Viet Nam News.
Posted by: Toony on 19 Jun 2007, 03:31 -
Mekong Migrant Workers Face High Risks of HIV Infection
The recent growth in the number of migrant workers between countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion is leading to increased exposure of those workers to the risk of HIV infection, according to a report on a recent conference in Bangkok orgainised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The organization will try to improve the situation through educational videos. Thanh Nien News carried the story.
Posted by: Toony on 11 Jun 2007, 05:41 -
Upgrading Mekong River Trade
Transport ministers from the six nations along the Mekong River have signed a co-operation agreement to jointly build a cross-border trade and transport systems. By the end of the year, China will improve the channels of the Mekong to enable larger vessels to sail between China, and the countries downriver. Cargonews Asia has many more details on the various projects underway.
Posted by: Toony on 28 May 2007, 09:58 -
Thailand Tourism Festival 2007
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) states that there will be around 315 sellers from Greater Mekong Subregion countries participating in Thailand Travel Mart 2007. This will include 224 hotels, 5 airlines, 8 adventure operators, 18 medical & health tourism facilities, and other service vendors. The event, the biggest of its kind in Thailand, will be hold during 7-10 June 2007 at Challenger Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Center.
Posted by: Toony on 18 May 2007, 08:59 -
One of World's Largest Turtles Found in Mekong
Planet Ark carries a Reuters report that an 11 kg female Asian giant soft-shell turtle has been found during a survey of the Mekong River in Cambodia by Scientists of Conservation International, the WWF and Cambodia's fisheries department. The species is one of the largest species of turtle in the world, and is a threatened species thought to be close to extinction.
Posted by: Toony on 17 May 2007, 08:55