Cambodia crack down on charities

PHNOM PENH, 23 August 2011 – The Asian Development Bank on Friday defended two land rights organisations in Cambodia that have been rapped by the government for criticising an ADB-funded railway redevelopment project.

The attacks on the two groups, who monitor the relocation of families living near the railway tracks, come as the government is preparing a controversial law to regulate the activities of campaigners and charity workers.

“ADB views recent developments with the utmost seriousness,” the bank said in a statement after the local Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) charity was slapped with a five-month suspension and international group Bridges Across Borders Cambodia (BABC) was given a government warning over a critical report. Read more

Asia resilient to global slowdown

SINGAPORE, 23 August 2011 – Asia’s economic growth will likely be hurt by the slowdown in the United States and Europe, but the impact should be minimal, the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday.

ADB chief economist Changyong Rhee said the development institution is expected to slash its economic growth forecast for Asia’s developing economies this year and next.

“Definitely, it’s going to slow down and we have already started to see some slowdown in exports from Asia,” he told journalists in Singapore. Read more

Fears over Myanmar deep-sea port plan

YANGON, 13 June 2011 – Mechanical diggers on the pristine beaches near the sleepy fishing town of Dawei are a sign that change is coming to the remote corner of Myanmar — but not necessarily for the better.

The area has been chosen for a vast port complex that is the latest example of how foreign investment from Asian allies like China and Thailand is transforming the military-dominated nation despite western sanctions.

Some believe the 10-year, US$8 billion Dawei Development Project, led by a Thai industrial giant, Ital Thai Group could invigorate the country’s impoverished economy and revolutionise regional trade.

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Third friendship bridge nears completion

BANGKOK, 7 June 2011 – Thailand’s Highways Department reported last week that construction of the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, 8 km north of Nakhon Phanom’s town centre, should open for traffic 11 November.

The department’s bridge construction bureau confirmed work on the bridge and support roads, both in Thailand and Laos, was 89.15% compete and around 4.38% ahead of the construction schedule.

Once open, heavy goods vehicles and tankers will by-pass Nakhon Phanom entirely, which should ease traffic in the centre of this riverside town.

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Australia finances Mekong bridge project

MANILA, 2 June 2011 – The Asian Development Bank is backing a bridge project over the Mekong River, in Dong Thap province in Vietnam, financed partly by the Government of Australia in support of a wider central Mekong River delta connectivity project.

Australia will fund detailed designs and implementation support for the construction of two large cable-stayed bridges and a 25-km road connecting the structures. Each bridge will be 2 km long, with a six-lane roadway 40 metres above the Mekong River.

Australia will provide a AUD160 million (US$171 million) grant to Vietnam for the project, as announced by Australia’s Prime Minister during her official visit to Vietnam in October 2010. Read more

Third Mekong bridge ready November

BANGKOK, 6 May 2011 – Thailand’s Highways Department confirmed, earlier this week, that construction of the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, just 8km  north of  Nakhon Phanom’s town centre, is ahead of scheduled and should open for traffic 11 November.

The department’s bridge construction bureau reported that bridge and support roads, both in Thailand and Laos, were 86.98% complete and around 6.55% ahead of the building schedule.

Foundation stones were laid, 26 May 2009, on both sides of the river. The bridge will span 1,423 metres with a road width of 13 metres. Before the bridge opens for traffic it will need to undergo load tests followed by a high profile opening ceremony attended by high ranking dignitary from both countries. Read more

Accountability key to Asia’s rise

HANOI, 6 May 2011 – Reducing corruption and improving government accountability are the greatest challenges to making Asia the world’s wealthiest region by 2050, the Asian Development Bank said earlier this week.

The continent is undergoing a historic transformation, according to a study for the bank unveiled at its annual meeting in Vietnam.

“If it continues to grow on its recent trajectory, it could, by 2050, account for more than half of global gross domestic product (GDP), trade and investment, and enjoy widespread affluence,” the report said. Read more

La cave guesthouse opens

VIENTIANE, 21 March 2011 – A Sustainable development guest house project partly sponsored by the Asian Development Bank opened earlier this month near Tham La or La cave in Nakout village, Viengthong district, Houaphanh province

According to Lao News Agency, the construction of the guest house was completed earlier this month with the handover of the facility to Vieng Thong community 10 March.

The construction of the guest house cost US$9,500 with about half provided by the ADB grant.

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ADB officials visit Myanmar

PHNOM PENH, 19 January – Asian Development Bank officials are visiting Myanmar this week to explore ways to reopen a dialogue that could possibly lead to resumption of ADB funded projects in the country following recent elections.

It is understood that an ADB official, closely linked to tourism development in the region, is leading the team that will have discussions with Myanmar’s economic and tourism related department officials.

Sources at the Asean Tourism Forum said the move “promised to spur development especially through the Greater Mekong Sub-region group that has been backed by ADB since 1990.”

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GMS refocuses tourism goals

PHNOM PENH, 18 January 2011– Tourism minsters representing the six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries endorsed a revised tourism sector strategy, Monday, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum.

The GMS region that stretches from Yunnan and Guangxi provinces in China to Thailand and Vietnam embracing neighbours, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, attracted around 26.19 million tourists in 2009 up from around 19 million in 2004.

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