Tag Archives: vietnam

Floods Leave Southeast Asia More Vulnerable to Food Price Shocks

Massive flooding in Thailand and elsewhere have destroyed large parcels of rice farmland, pushing rice prices up and leaving Southeast Asia at greater risk of a food price shock. The rice-consuming region is under the threat of food supply shortages after heavy rains and massive flooding destroyed crops in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The United Nations says it is closely monitoring the potential for “serious food shortages” in several parts of Southeast Asia after floods affected agricultural activities and aid deliveries. Continue reading

Aid Arrives for Flood-Swamped Thailand, Cambodia

Help is starting to pour into Thailand and other parts of Asia where rising floodwaters are swamping entire communities and threatening to overrun even more. United States Marines arrived in Bangkok Saturday with equipment, sandbags and other relief supplies.  The U.S. Continue reading

Record Mekong Flooding Threatens Bangkok, Phnom Penh

United Nations officials say the capitals of Thailand and Cambodia are at risk as the worst flooding in modern times sweeps through the Mekong Basin. Kirsten Mildren, spokeswoman for the U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency, told VOA Tuesday that officials in Bangkok are taking urgent measures as the floodwaters bear down on the city. Continue reading

Key Vote on Mekong Dam Expected Next Month

As Southeast Asia copes with some of the worst flooding in decades, there are also worries over the environmental impact of a series of new hydroelectric dams now under construction. One dam in particular in Laos has drawn attention because of its impact on millions of people living in the Mekong Basin. The Laos government’s proposed Xayaburi Dam, located in mountainous regions of Northern Laos, is just one of 11 dams planned for the lower Mekong River Continue reading

Fast Relief Urged for Families in Flooding

The relief organization Oxfam American on Tuesday called for increased efforts to help tens of thousands of families cope with severe flooding across the country. Continue reading

Sam Rainsy Sentence Slightly Reduced in Map Case

The Cambodian Court of Appeals on Tuesday reduced by three years the prison sentence for exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy on criminal charges of disinformation. Sam Rainsy was facing a 10-year sentence for allegedly publishing a map of the border with Vietnam in 2009 that the government said was fraudulent. Sam Rainsy has said that Cambodia is losing land to Vietnamese encroachment, a politically sensitive claim the government denies. Continue reading