Regional Roundup for Week of 3.15.2015

EXSE FOCUS

Air raid by Burma kills four in China – The Guardian China has summoned Burma’s ambassador for a meeting after a bomb from a Burmese aircraft fell in Chinese territory and killed four people, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Saturday.//Myanmar accuses the other side of sabotage, says damage didn’t come from Myanmar’s bombers.  China summoned Myanmar’s ambassador on Friday.  

    Related: After Myanmar Bombing, China Deploys Jets, Warns of ‘Resolute Measures’ – The Diplomat

Related: Supply Shortage for Kokang Refugees in China: Local Lawmakers – the Irrawaddy

Is China’s ‘Non-Interference’ Here to Stay? – The Diplomat Major General Huang Xing’s alleged involvement in supporting Myanmar’s Kokang rebels puts China in a tricky position.//Kokang’s ties to China and Yunnan run deep and long from the Cold War days of the Burma’s Communist Party and related rebel insurgency to the current era, the area has produced such colorful figures as Olive Yang and Lo Hsing Han. 

Knowledge Vacuum and Conflict Plague Salween River – The Irrawaddy Caught up in a web of international energy demand and supply, the fate of the Salween lies with the Burmese government, Burmese, Chinese and Thai hydropower companies, and to some extent the ethnic political groups who control pockets of territory along the river.//Hydropower projects on China’s portion of the Salween are stopped indefinitely.  

Deputy Party chief of Yunnan under probe – Global Times Qiu He, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Yunnan Provincial Committee has been put under investigation, China’s top anti-graft body said Sunday.//This week’s biggest story.  Watch as it unfolds.  

Trouble at home – The Economist Political instability returns to South-East Asia

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay Caught in US-Russia Crossfire – The Diplomat How will Hanoi respond to U.S. pressure to curtail flights of Russian refueling aircraft out of Cam Ranh Bay?//And I thought Petrov was only interested in the Jordan River Valley.  

Chinese loans for Burma’s police – DVB Burma’s parliament has agreed to borrow 246 million yuan (US$40 million) from China in order to purchase vehicles and equipment for the country’s police force.//Hmm, which lending neighbor will they purchase said equipment from?

The periphery cannot hold – The Economist Things fall apart along a violent stretch of the Myanmar-China border. Two reports look at the conflict from each side

Laos and China Prepare to Sign Construction Contract for High-Speed Railway Project – Radio Free Asia China and Laos will sign a construction contract for a $7.2 billion high-speed railway project planned by cash-strapped Laos, linking the two neighboring countries and extending to Thailand, the Lao government official is charge of the project said.//The fanfare has been blasting on this project for many years – still no revelation on how Laos will pay for the project which has a price tag worth its yearly GDP

China Blasts ASEAN Head for South China Sea Remarks – The Diplomat Beijing scolds ASEAN’s Vietnamese chief for allegedly biased and false comments.

ASEAN Is Not a Security Community (Yet) – The Diplomat Has the bloc really been the force for peace in the region that some claim?//Yes.  Despite the need for evolution of core ASEAN norms, Southeast Asia has been at relative peace (at the interstate level) for 20+ years. How many other regions have this track record?

Vietnam has 128 investment projects in Cambodia to date – ShanghaiDaily Vietnam has had 128 projects in Cambodia with a total investment of 49.6 million U.S. dollars so far, reported Vietnam’s state-run news agency VNA on Tuesday.//Worth knowing in comparison to China’s projects.  China is trying to paint Vietnam as the bad guy in Cambodia too or at least remind us that China’s not the only tiger in Cambodia’s mountains.  

Vietnam, Cambodia Boost Defense Ties – The Diplomat The two sides are looking to expand their defense cooperation.

Japan and Laos Forge New Strategic Partnership – The Diplomat The two countries have decided to elevate their relationship at a critical time.//Laos may be following the path of Myanmar (finally) and weaning off its reliance on China.  

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Work begins on 30MW dam in Khammuan – Vientiane Times Construction of a hydropower project on the Hinboun River in Khammuan province kicked off on Friday, aiming to supply electricity to central Laos and boost development in the region.//30 MW looks small, but central Laos is strapped for power.  

Related: Cambodia PM says work on mega-dam will not start until 2018 – Cambodian Times

ADB to Help Lao PDR’s Vientiane Set up Sustainable Transport System – ADB ADB has approved a $35 million loan to help finance a bus rapid transit system and other transport innovations to improve traffic flows in Vientiane, the fast growing capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Mekong Delta building five areas to cultivate special rice – Viet Nam News The establishment of five new specialised rice-growing zones is underway in the Mekong Delta to meet the growing demand of domestic and international markets.

Rice shipments from Vietnam climbing on lower prices, China – Thanh Nien Rice exports from Vietnam, the world’s third-largest shipper, will probably rebound this year as lower prices boost demand, while competition with Thailand keeps the gain to single digits, according to the government.

A Turning Point in China’s ‘War on Pollution’ – The Diplomat For the first time since 2001, China’s total carbon emissions dropped last year.

Locals cold to garbage-powered electricity – The Nation The fight against plans to build a garbage-powered electricity-generating plant in Khon Kaen’s Phu Wiang Municipality has continued unabated. This plan was meant to be among various garbage-disposal methods to be used to help alleviate the problem of overwhelming waste in the municipality’s 24-rai dump, located in Tambon Ban Reu.//re-examine the technology – the burning and gasification process removes most of the toxins from exhaust.  Garbage any way you cut it has a net negative carbon contribution – turn it into electricity to prevent other carbon loss brings its carbon contribution closer to zero.  

‘Unprecedented Rate’ of Agriculture-Driven Deforestation: Report – The Irrawaddy The conversion of forestlands for agricultural development is occurring at an “unprecedented rate,” aided by a weak legal framework governing forest management and land use, according to a new report released on Thursday.

Related: Burma’s forests and the danger of agribusiness – DVB

Campaign to try and save Nan’s unique tree tunnels – The Nation In a bid to save Nan’s tree tunnels, the “Big Trees Project” will this morning submit over 6,000 signatures as part of a petition against cutting down the big trees to the National Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Transport.

CHINA

Chinese Police Detain Five Women’s Rights Activists – The Irrawaddy China formally detained five women’s rights activists on Thursday, apparently for planning to demonstrate against sexual harassment on public transport, paving the way for police to levy formal charges.//once again the reaction becomes the story. 

China’s Polluted Soil and Water Will Drive up World Food Prices – ChinaFile China’s push for more intense farming has kept its city dwellers well-fed and helped lift millions of rural workers out of poverty. But it has come at a cost. Ecosystems in what should be one of the country’s most fertile regions have already been badly damaged—some beyond repair—and the consequences will be felt across the world.//China’s farmers use 4-7 times global average of pesticides.   

China’s Real Inconvenient Truth: Its Class Divide – ChinaFile China is talking about its pollution problem, but its equally serious class problem remains obscured behind the haze.

Foreign NGOs in China Fear Clampdown Under New Law – The Irrawaddy Foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) in China are bracing for a crackdown as the government prepares to pass a new law to regulate their activities, which critics fear could curb activism and drive out several groups.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

About 50 Dead as Ferry in Burma Sinks in Bad Weather – The Irrawaddy About 50 people were believed to have drowned off Burma when a ferry sank in bad weather, government officials said on Saturday, though residents said they believed more people on the overcrowded vessel had died.//The Chinese news is quick to cover this issue too in the wake of Myanmar’s accidental bombing in Yunnan.  

VDO: 127 students arrested in Letpadan chaos – DVB One hundred and twenty-seven people were arrested in the police crackdown on students in Letpadan on Tuesday, the Burmese government has reported.

Related: 12 Letpadan students released from prison – DVB

Mass impeachment action launched against former Thai MPs – The Guardian Thailand’s anti-corruption body on Thursday launched impeachment proceedings against 250 ex-lawmakers, the majority from the toppled ruling party of Yingluck Shinawatra, in a move that could be a bodyblow to her family’s political network.

100 More Bomb Blasts Planned in Thailand, Police Told – The Diplomat Detained suspects disclose details about bomb plots following grenade attack.

    Related: Police nab two more over blast – The Nation

Suu Kyi’s NLD to Compete in Burma Vote Despite Block – The Irrawaddy  The party of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will contest the general election this year even if there is no change in the Constitution to allow the Nobel laureate to become president, one of the party’s top leaders said on Friday.

No More ADB Funding to Finish Stalled Railway Project – The Cambodia Daily Visiting Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao said Tuesday that no more money would be forthcoming from the bank to complete a stalled and bankrupt project to rehabilitate Cambodia’s old railway lines, a $142 million effort that had been billed as a key infrastructure initiative.//Perhaps the AIIB can help continue to line Hun Sen’s pockets.

Touching up Cambodia – SEA Globe After years of floundering near the foot of global rankings on a range of development indicators, Cambodia is finally taking some steps in the right direction

DSI probe into cooperative unveils fishy land deals – The Nation The Department of Special Investigation’s examination of financial transactions relating to the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement has found that up to three land plots covering as much as 1,000 rai (395 acres) were bought using stolen money and then transferred to other people in a bid to avoid detection.

Defiant Narong vows to fight his abrupt transfer – The Nation Dr Narong Sahametapat has vowed to put up a fierce fight against what he perceives as intimidation in the wake of an abrupt transfer order to remove him as Public Health Ministry permanent secretary pending a probe.

YUNNAN

Minor quake hits Songming, rattles Kunming too – GoKunming A moderate earthquake hit Songming County in central Yunnan on March 9. The temblor caused little noticeable damage, but was felt by many in Kunming.//Pretty scary for a city that rarely feels earthquakes.  My house rocked back and forth on a tiny pendulum arc.