ASEAN HEADLINE | THAILAND: Fire at Thailand’s Chatuchak market kills hundreds of animals
CAMBODIA: Cambodia attracts USD246M investment in May
Markets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. PHOTO: AFP
XINHUA – Cambodia attracted fixed-asset investment of USD46 million in May, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) said in a news release yesterday.
The Southeast Asian country approved 24 investment projects last month, which could generate approximately 15,000 jobs, the CDC said. The new projects included a solar photovoltaic power plant, a metal processing factory, a pipe manufacturing plant, an aluminium plant and garment, footwear and travel goods factories, it added.
China remained the top investor in the kingdom last month.
“Almost 50 per cent of the investment capital in May 2024 was from China, 31 per cent was from domestic source, and the remaining was from Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, South Korea, Senegal and the United States,” the CDC said.
According to the CDC, during the January-May period, the country received a total fixed-asset investment of about USD2.74 billion.
Cambodian Ministry of Commerce’s Secretary of State and spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement, together with Cambodia’s new law on investment, are key factors in attracting foreign direct investment to the country.
The two agreements are magnets to attract foreign investors to Cambodia, he told Xinhua.
“Foreign direct investment, especially from China, is crucial to help boost Cambodia’s economic and trade growth.”
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MYANMAR: Disputes among anti-junta ethnic armed groups continue in northern Shan State
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Recent tensions among Ta’ang, Kokang, and Kachin fighters—who previously fought against the Myanmar military as allies—stem from disagreements over mining rights and other matters of territorial control and jurisdiction
Since seizing broad swathes of northern Shan State from the Myanmar military last year, anti-junta armed groups have repeatedly become embroiled in disagreements over the captured territories, according to local sources and a complaint letter from one of the groups.The organisations involved in the disputes include the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the two members of the Brotherhood Alliance operating in the state: the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Except for the border town of Muse, the two northern Shan State-based members of the Brotherhood Alliance now exercise control over virtually all territory in the state north of the Mandalay-Muse union highway and the towns of Lashio, Hsipaw, Kyaukme, and Nawnghkio.
During the Brotherhood Alliance’s Operation 1027 offensive against the Myanmar military, which lasted from late October 2023 through early January 2024, the TNLA took over the. . .
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SINGAPORE: Construction of S’pore’s largest floating solar farm at Kranji Reservoir to begin in 2025
SINGAPORE – Construction work for a new mega floating solar farm is expected to begin at Kranji Reservoir in 2025, now that an environmental study has found that the installation of solar panels is unlikely to have a major impact on the biodiversity there.
The project – which will be the country’s largest solar farm to date – will be a major boost to Singapore’s efforts to harness more renewable energy.
The solar farm is expected to be able to produce 141 MW-peak (MWp) of clean energy, or 112.5MWp when converted to AC, which is the voltage used by the electricity grid and most of Singapore’s electrical appliances.
THAILAND: Fire at Thailand’s Chatuchak market kills hundreds of animals
Thai rescuer carries a survived chicken from a fire at the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday. PHOTO: AP
BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of caged animals died Tuesday after a fire struck Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the most famous markets in Thailand’s capital.
The fire was reported early in the morning and quickly swept across more than 100 shops in the market’s pet section, according to the Bangkok government.
Officials said it took them about an hour to bring the fire under control. There are no reports of human casualties, but Thai media reports suggested that the fire killed several hundred animals, including puppies, fish, snakes, birds and rabbits, kept in cages and locked inside the shops.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, said Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who visited the scene after the fire was put out. Officials could be seen at the site in the morning, inspecting the charred shops or breaking metal gates to bring out animals that survived the fire.
Officials said they are still working on estimating the cost of damage, and that affected shop owners could register for compensation.
The sprawling weekend market is a major tourist draw, bringing in shoppers from all over the world to browse its hundreds of shops and stalls for items ranging from food and drink to clothing, furniture, plants, books and pets.
Wildlife organisations have often accused some vendors of involvement in the trafficking of rare and endangered species, such as turtles, tortoises and birds.
