Myanmar

Smart Axiata launches 5G technology in Phnom Penh in July.
5G networks

Cambodia 5G set to leapfrog ASEAN rivals with Huawei and ZTE

Smart Axiata and Cellcard pick Chinese technology to launch services by year end

5 September 2019
Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: more than 700,000 members of the ethnic Rohingya live in sordid makeshift refugee camps. 
Opinion

Rohingya refugees should press Myanmar for their own state

Self-government in Rakhine could persuade them back from Bangladesh

4 September 2019
A Uniqlo store in Tokyo: The chain earns 5% of its sales in North America. (Photo courtesy of Fast Retailing)
Trade war

Newest US tariffs on China drive Japan Inc. toward Southeast Asia

Uniqlo, Seiko and more weigh production shifts amid growing trade war

2 September 2019
From left, Naypyidaw, Putrajaya and Astana (source photo from Reuters)
Politics

A short history of relocating capitals in Asia

Indonesia's move has precedents in places such as Myanmar and Malaysia

30 August 2019
Philippine central bank governor Benjamin Diokno told reporters Wednesday that officials are bracing for the possible end of online gaming. (Photo by Manda Yeung)
29 August 2019
Swe Swe Aung of social enterprise Doh Eain, left, and local teenager Hsu Lin Htet, who helped design the park (Photo by Lorcan Lovett)
Tea Leaves

Yangon puts 'girl power' into green spaces

Safety comes first in city park designed by young women

28 August 2019
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands, but Cambodia needs to be careful about its relationship with its more powerful regional neighbor
Opinion

It is time for US and Cambodia, in China's shadow, to reset ties

Both sides need to repair rock-bottom relations with frank discussions

28 August 2019
Fadil hatchbacks began rolling off the assembly line at VinFast's $3.5 billion factory in June.
Automobiles

Vingroup leans on government and ride-hailer to boost auto sales

Vietnam conglomerate also eyes foreign markets to achieve ambitious targets

27 August 2019
The Mekong River in Laos: drought is a reflection of the broader inability of the Mekong countries to agree on a regional plan for managing their water resources.
Opinion

Mekong nears tipping point as US-China rivalry grows

Difficult choices ahead as drought takes hold in downstream countries

27 August 2019
Workers leave the Ngwe Pinlae Industrial Zone in Myanmar after work on Aug. 17. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business trends

Fashion brands rethink Myanmar position after report on military ties

Hong Kong's Esprit says it will no longer source from industrial zones named in UN report

26 August 2019
Myanmar's life insurance market makes up less than 0.2% of the economy, creating a wide margin for growth.
Business deals

Japan's Taiyo Life buys 35% stake in Myanmar insurer

$7m deal grants early entry into market ripe for growth

22 August 2019
ASEAN should remain front and center of regional action and coordination to keep powers from outright conflict.
Opinion

ASEAN must mitigate war without weapons between US and China

Southeast Asian bloc should stop coining acronyms and start acting

21 August 2019
Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has traveled to all parts of the country since January to shore up political support.
Politics

Myanmar's Suu Kyi furious about corruption ahead of elections

Ruling NLD struggles in rural regions with little to show in reforms

19 August 2019
A garment factory outside Phnom Penh: Garment exports are key to the country's growth.
Business trends

Cambodia garment exports at risk as EU wraps up tariff review

Suppliers to H&M and Levi's among those affected if duty-free access to Europe revoked

16 August 2019
Pol Pot's right-hand man Nuon Chea, pictured in February 2008, was finally brought to justice.
Opinion

Nuon Chea's death highlights importance of Khmer Rouge Tribunal

There can be no perfect justice for Cambodian genocide, but law helps healing

16 August 2019
The Nation's satirical cartoonist Stephff -- exuberant and irreverent Frenchman Stephane Peray -- migrated online when Thailand's second English-language newspaper ceased printing at the end of June after 48 storied years.  
Media & Entertainment

Thai online news sites replace ailing legacy media

Former Bangkok Post columnist aims to 'build a new-generation audience'

15 August 2019
Unlike in advanced economies, Myanmar's banks and other institutions are believed to refer to the black market's foreign exchange rate, and authorities are sensitive to its movements.
Economy

Myanmar's currency black market thrives in banks' shadow

Informal trading still on par with legitimate dealings, amplifying kyat's swings

14 August 2019
Top Glove denied the forced labor claims, but admitted that overtime had exceeded national regulations.
Opinion

Asia Pacific companies need to face up to migrant labor problems

Investors and advocacy groups step up calls for transparency

14 August 2019
Only five companies are listed on the moribund Yangon Stock Exchange since it opened in 2016. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Markets

Myanmar plans alternative market to jump-start stock exchange

New platform seen as springboard for companies looking to go public

13 August 2019
Narendra Modi visits Sri Lanka in June 2019: if connectivity initiatives have to succeed, "we must also build bridges of trust," said Modi.
Opinion

India responds to Belt and Road Initiative with infrastructure push

New Delhi does not want China to dominate its backyard so has started spending

13 August 2019
Myanmar has a messy transport system, which complicates the picture for ride-hailing companies.
Interview

Myanmar ride-hailer's CEO looks to raise funds

Oway's Kumar says next round 'will be one of most sizable fundraises in country'

12 August 2019
Chan Veang holds one of her microfinance loan agreements, which she says she cannot read. (Photo by Shaun Turton, edited by Nikkei)
Business trends

Cambodia's "reckless" microfinance industry puts economy at risk

Rights group claims lending practices amount to human rights abuses

7 August 2019
A colonial-era postcard of the Pegu Club
Life

Yangon's historic Pegu Club comes back to the future

Multimillion-dollar restoration evokes a grander era in Myanmar

7 August 2019
Myanmar's military, known as the Tatmadaw, has an array of business interests, from construction and pharmaceuticals to tourism and banking.
International relations

UN team recommends sanctions on Myanmar military businesses

Foreign companies urged to 'sever ties' to avoid enabling Rohingya abuses

5 August 2019
Cambodian Navy sailors stand in formation alongside a Chinese naval patrol boat at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base: China and Cambodia reportedly have signed a secret agreement to create an outpost for Chinese military forces.
Opinion

China's naval expansionism is natural path for emerging global power

Potential Chinese ports in Cambodia and Pakistan frighten regional rivals

2 August 2019