Laos

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1 August 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen prepares to cast his vote on July 29. Monitors from Japan, the U.S. and the European Union were notably absent from the general election. (Reuters)
The Nikkei View

Cambodian election gives democracy a bad name

By holding a vote without the main opposition, Hun Sen shows his autocratic colors

1 August 2018
The golden Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon illuminated at night. Myanmar seeks to facilitate visits by East Asian nationals to put its many tourist attractions to use.
International relations

Myanmar to skip visas for Japanese and South Koreans

Government counts on East Asians for tourism as Rohingya crisis turns Westerners off

1 August 2018
Prior to the election, members of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party were transported in a police vehicle to attend a verdict announcement in Phnom Penh on May 10.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's opposition enters Dark Ages as Hun Sen secures power

Disbanded party activists to confront hardship of increasingly authoritarian state

31 July 2018
Flood victims are transported to safety after the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos on July 26. 
Politics

Dam disaster exposes cracks in Laos' communist information wall

Risk assessments hidden from residents as regime pushed ahead with hydropower ambitions

31 July 2018
Cambodian garment workers were promised big raises by their prime minister as he campaigned for Sunday's election, but Western sanctions could dispel their hope.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen's 'flawed' victory puts Cambodian businesses at stake

US and EU could deliver blows by taking away tariff-free access to their markets

31 July 2018
Cambodian leader Hun Sen is set to rule the country for another five years. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Five things to know about post-election Cambodia

Hun Sen now rules a one-party state, though questions about legitimacy remain

31 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to supporters in Phnom Penh on July 27, the final day of the election campaign. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian ruling party claims near clean sweep in election

Hun Sen's CPP says it won up to 123 of 125 contested seats

30 July 2018
An election official marks a voter's finger with ink at a polling station in Phnom Penh on July 29.
Opinion

Cambodia's flawed election will not remove pressure for change

Hun Sen must listen to his people and deliver reform

30 July 2018
Former Kachin State Minister for Shan Affairs and Shan-ni advocate Daw Khin Pyone holds a 50-year-old Shan-ni script. (Photo by Lorcan Lovett)
Life

Once-taboo language lives again in rural Myanmar

Shan-ni tongue and culture revive after years of suppression and conflict

30 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen casts his ballot during a general election in Takhmao, Cambodia on July 29. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian polls close with Hun Sen's legitimacy in spotlight

Many expected to boycott election over elimination of popular opposition party

29 July 2018
A collapsed dam in southern Laos has forced over 7,000 people to evacuate and set back the country's hydroelectric ambitions.
Economy

Dam failure clouds Laos' dream of becoming regional power force

Delays to power plant projects could harm other economies in Southeast Asia

29 July 2018
Commuters wait to buy tickets at a Phnom Penh bus station on July 28, the first day of a three-day weekend ordered by the government in an attempt to get people to show up at their local polling stations. (Photo by Yukako Ono) 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodians pushed to head home to boost election turnout

Apathy spreads as one-horse race lacks excitement of hard-fought 2013 poll

28 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to hundreds of thousands of his party's supporters in Phnom Penh on July 27. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's Hun Sen slams boycott calls as 'destroying democracy'

With an assured victory, prime minister closes campaign with no fresh incentives

27 July 2018
SK Engineering says it is conducting an internal investigation on the causes of the collapse.
Companies

Laos dam builder saw warning signs, partner claims

SK Engineering warned authorities on the day of deadly collapse, utility chief says

27 July 2018
Myanmar airline FMI Air hopes to resume its suspended operations after restructuring and perhaps partner with a foreign carrier.
Business trends

Myanmar's aviation industry stalls as third airline suspends operations

Foreign carriers such as ANA see opportunities in the restructuring

26 July 2018
Cambodian workers are being pressured to give a veneer of democracy to their country's increasingly autocratic rulers. These workers are on their home after their shift at a footwear factory in Kampong Speu.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian leader tries legitimizing election by getting out the vote

Aggressive tactics make voters afraid to abstain from casting ballots

26 July 2018
The opening of the $369 million Naga2 extension to the NagaWorld complex has generated a surge of new Chinese customers. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Business

Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp cashes in on Chinese influx

Company proceeding with expansion in Phnom Penh and Russia but hesitating on Japan

25 July 2018
When the dam broke on Monday evening unleashing five billion cubic meters of water, flash floods hit the homes of more than 1,300 families or 6,600 people
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos

Laos to investigate possible construction flaws after dam collapse

South Korea's SK and Korea Western Power among builders of $1bn project

25 July 2018
The flag of a Chinese government-owned company flutters on a ferryboat in Laos near the construction site of a high-speed railway project.
Belt and Road

Chinese project spending empowers Southeast Asia's strongmen

A giant new stadium being built in Cambodia gives authoritarian rule a lift

25 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany. Hun Sen is expected to clinch a landslide victory in the elections on Sunday. 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen warms seats for sons in post-election Cambodia

Eldest son seen succeeding but others point to divisions within ruling party

25 July 2018
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen smiles during a rally in Kandal province on July 4.
Opinion

Cambodia's Potemkin election -- what will come next?

Fresh challenges loom for long-ruling Hun Sen

25 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, joins hands with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah before the ASEAN Summit in Manila last November.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Southeast Asia urged to reject Cambodia's 'sham election'

Human rights group fears Hun Sen's example will inspire authoritarians in region

25 July 2018
The Zawtika gas block operated by PTTEP produces 300 million to 345 million cu. feet of natural gas per day.
Companies

State-owned Thai oil company unit to invest more in Myanmar

PTT subsidiary to bid for more oil blocks and plans power plant near Yangon

24 July 2018
Laos has been aggressively building hydropower dams on its rivers to sell electricity to neighboring countries (Getty Images).
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos

Laos dam collapse triggered by heavy rain, says Thai investor

At least several reported dead and hundreds missing near hydropower project

24 July 2018