ASEAN Post

Cambodia’s Beng Per Wildlife Sanctuary is symbolic of the country’s poor forestry management.

Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people.

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US $260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in these five countries’ economies.

Porous borders and a lack of enforcement contributed to the record seizure of methamphetamine in East and Southeast Asia last year.

Along with most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia’s electricity consumption over the past decade has skyrocketed.

The European Institute of Business Administration’s (INSEAD) 2019 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) report, released earlier this month, revealed that Cambodia had managed to move up one notch in the rankings as a country for attracting and growing talent.

Recent reports have revealed that villagers in the remote Lao settlement of Huaiyae in the scenic Vang Vieng region north of Vientiane have expressed concern about the possibility of losing their land to a Chinese development project.

Hordes of Chinese tourists descend upon an idyllic island paradise.

Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen’s authoritarian crackdown has rendered his critics defenceless. His last major blow to the opposition was the dissolution of the main opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP).

Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed that the number of tourists visiting Cambodia had increased substantially over the years and now the country is expecting 12 million tourists by 2025.

Cambodian Senate president Say Chhum recently encouraged the country’s youth to study hard in order to become future leaders.

A van arrives at Angkor Wat Temple and deposits its load of foreigners who make their way to the World Heritage Site. Noticeably absent among them is a local guide. The tourists brought their own guide, a handheld device that can speak up to 14 languages.

The European Union recently told Cambodia that the Kingdom will lose its special access to the world's largest trading bloc, saying that it was ready to punish human rights abuses in the country.

Cambodia’s ruling party, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) threatened legal action against a campaign started by opposition members which called for voters to boycott a national election slated to take place in July.

Cambodia and Lao PDR have agreed to work together to resolve pending border demarcation disagreements between the two nations.

With the Cambodian national elections coming in less than six months’ time, Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy has called for a boycott. Sam Rainsy, who is currently on a self-imposed exile criticised the Hun Sen administration for not allowing the opposition to run for elections.