Regional

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signing a declaration of accession in Vientiane on 15 September during the treaty’s Third Review Conference. Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed the Declaration of Accession, and handed to Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister...

Seven-Year-Old Becomes Laos’ Youngest Internationally Rated Chess Player

Seven-year-old Bounthiengtham “Jayson” Sengphachan has already done something no Lao chess player his age...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic partnership to the next level,...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive...

Thai Court Drops Case Against Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court on Monday, 4 March, dropped a charge against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, now living in exile, for...

Thai Authorities Arrest Suspect in Illegal Surrogacy Ring Smuggling Semen into Laos, Cambodia

Thai authorities have made a breakthrough in the fight against illegal surrogacy rings with the arrest of Theeraphong Chaisuk, a 33-year-old Thai national, on...

Delivery Hero Ends Talks to Sell Foodpanda in Southeast Asia 

Following months of negotiations, Berlin-based multinational online food ordering and delivery company Delivery Hero has ended talks of the potential sale of its Southeast...

‘Rethink the Couch’: A New Perspective on Therapy in Asia

Balancing the demands of parenting, a full-time job as a therapist, and a recent move to Singapore meant that Allison Heiliczer found solace in...

Vietnam, Thailand Ramp Up Efforts to Expand Visa Exemption Policies for Tourism Boost

As Southeast Asian nations race to boost tourism recovery, countries such as Vietnam and Thailand have intensified efforts to expand their visa exemption policies...

Southeast Asian Region Contends With Far-Reaching Psychological Effects of Wildfire Smoke 

Research conducted by the Spears School of Business, with colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) revealed that wildfire smoke in Southeast Asia...