Mekong Evaluators' Institute

Putin hails Myanmar ties as junta chief visits Moscow President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday praised Russia's developing ties with Myanmar, during a visit by the Asian country's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to its key ally.

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Q&A: ‘The CNF will be abolished after the revolution’, says Chin leader Sui Khar In a wide-ranging interview, Chin National Front vice chair Dr Sui Khar discusses military strategy, Chin resistance infighting and Min Aung Hlaing’s miscalculations.

Criticality and the Securitization of Southeast Asia’s Indigenous Mineral Resources | Heinrich Böll Foundation | Southeast Asia Southeast Asia’s geographical location is blessed with abundant natural resources – minerals, forests, and wildlife. For hundreds of years, these resources have been a source of livelihood and even life for Indigenous peoples, as well as local communities. However, the capitalist perspective of ...

The lower house voted 312-84 to pass the Strengthening and Protection of Ethnic Way of Life bill in its second and third readings. The bill will now go to the upper house for consideration.

It aims to recognise the rights of about 60 ethnic groups in Thailand. Its key objectives include protecting ethnic rights, setting up mechanisms to enforce these protections, establishing an ethnic people's council for policy participation, creating an ethnicity database, and designating zones to preserve cultural heritage, natural resources, and the environment.

Before the final vote, lawmakers removed Section 27, which would have exempted ethnic protection zones from forest laws. Some government MPs argued this could violate the constitution and forestry laws.

Government MPs, led by Pheu Thai MPs, pushed to remove the exemption, while People's Party MPs and the majority of the vetting committee members opposed it. The main opposition said Section 27 was key to balancing state and community cooperation and ensuring officials worked with locals to manage forests. Without it, they warned, over 10 million people could be displaced under current forest laws.

They also said the section did not repeal existing laws but created a regulated process under state oversight, citing similar exemptions in special economic zones and community forest laws. They stressed that designated areas would still have strict rules and monitoring.

Despite these arguments, the lower house voted 268-154 to remove the exemption before passing the bill.

#พรบคุ้มครองและส่งเสริมวิถีชีวิตกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ #พรบชาติพันธุ์

(PDF) What if: Free, prior, and informed consent for Pak Mun Dam? PDF | This chapter considers the counterfactual scenario related to what if free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) had been serious applied to the Pak... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

A combined force of local officials, police and military personnel in Thong Pha Phum district of Kanchanaburi province intercepted a trailer truck and arrested 169 illegal migrant workers from Myanmar.

Acting on a tipoff that a truck was suspected to have been carrying illegal migrants from Sangkhla Buri district, near the border with Myanmar, to somewhere inside Thailand, Thong Pha Phum district chief officer, Chakrit Tanphiroon alerted the police, troops and defence volunteers.

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Luang Prabang dam and hydropower pursuits along the Mekong: Should banks finance them as ‘clean energy’ projects? Luang Prabang dam and massive hydropower quests along the Mekong: Should banks be financing them as ‘clean energy’ projects?

Cambodia, Laos sack foreign ministers in preparation for more combative geopolitics The new top diplomats in Phnom Penh and Vientiane are likely to heed China’s concerns.

'UN expert urges Lao PDR to prioritise cultural rights'

“Although Lao PDR legislation recognises cultural rights, I remain concerned about policies assimilating ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples into the main Lao ethnic group, as well as the folklorisation of culture for tourism,” Xanthaki said.

The expert highlighted prejudice against non-dominant cultural practices labelled as "backward", policies promoting "good culture" aligned with the party line, Lao-only education without cultural accommodation, and village relocations threatening traditional lifestyles.

“The state implements a policy of widespread relocation of villages in the name of development,” the expert said. “Relocations must only take place in rare occasions and only after the free, prior and informed consent of the affected and fair and mutually agreed compensation.

“I also consider that the Government’s refusal to recognise the existence of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples who suffer from marginalisation amounts to refusing them the protection of international standards that apply to their specific situation,” she said.

UN expert urges Lao PDR to prioritise cultural rights VIENTIANE – Inclusive development and prosperity of Laos, by the people and for the people, can only materialise if everyone can freely maintain their chosen ways of life and contribute their visions of and priorities in development, a UN expert said today.

"States and sporting associations must act immediately to revise discriminatory policies and practices in sports: says UN expert

VIENTIANE – Inclusive development and prosperity of Laos, by the people and for the people, can only materialise if everyone can freely maintain their chosen ways of life and contribute their visions of and priorities in development, a UN expert said today.

'Lao PDR must not sacrifice cultural diversity and cultural rights in the name of economic development and state unity,' said Alexandra Xanthaki, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, in a statement* at the end of a 10-day official visit to the country."

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Laos Durian Dreams Grow As Plantations Rise To Feed China High-speed railway fuels investment in ‘king of fruits’ amid worries over forest loss Chinese businessman Tao Jian spends an entire day navigating muddy roads on the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos...

🌾Once known for its thriving agriculture, Thailand's northeastern region locally named Isaan, is now battling desertification as a result of shifting rain patterns linked to global warming.

🌧️Local experts describe this troubling weather pattern as "concentrated but intermittent rainfall." Instead of consistent rainfall throughout the season, the region now experiences short bursts of heavy rain followed by prolonged dry spells.

This pattern not only floods fields, but also kills crops during the dry intervals.

By Prachatham ประชาธรรม

Watch: https://www.mekongeye.com/2024/11/25/isaan_desert/

How to Build an Inclusive Myanmar Post-Junta Resistance forces have unified against the military, but activists say that any future state must ensure rights for marginalized groups.