Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Charity Concert Supports Fin Free Thailand Campaign
On December 21st, Swissôtel Le Concorde Bangkok hosted the Fin Free Charity Concert in support of the Fin Free Thailand campaign. The U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Patrick Murphy spoke at the event and helped celebrate the group’s work to reduce the shark fin trade in Thailand. Through support from the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response…
Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI)
Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), launched in 2009, is a multinational partnership among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States to create integrated sub-regional cooperation among the five Lower Mekong countries. LMI serves as a platform to address complex, transnational development and policy challenges in the Lower Mekong sub-region. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjLLkc3o6Uw
Building Community Response for Good
By Kristie A. Kenney, U.S. Ambassador to ThailandOne month ago, we were stunned by the natural catastrophe unleashed by Super Typhoon Haiyan on our friends nearby in the Philippines. Within days of the devastating storm on November 8, Thailand joined the international community in an outpouring of goodwill and humanitarian assistance. Thailand contributed to the…
Asia Saves Sharks, One Kitchen at a Time
There’s no getting around the fact that most people have a primal fear of sharks. It doesn’t matter that only a handful of the hundreds of shark species are even dangerous to humans. Sharks were getting bad publicity decades before the 1975 release of “Jaws.”The sad reality is that humans are a much bigger threat…
Thai Cities Share Experiences and Lessons from Flood Crises
The Mekong–Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities (M-BRACE) program, in partnership with Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), has built up a learning network for urban planners, meteorologists, hydrologists, Municipal Public Works officials, NGOs, and academics from seven cities across Thailand.On 26-27 November 2013 network members came together in Bangkok to discuss the implications…
Health Systems Strengthening through Clinical Capacity Building
In Rayong, Thailand, CAP-TB has a unique chance to take “health systems strengthening” to the next level. Unlike some high TB burden countries, Thailand has the capacity to diagnose and treat TB and MDR-TB, largely using the country’s own resources. So here in Thailand, we ask: How can these resources become even more effective? A…
Wildlife Trafficking Investigation Training Strengthens Thai Law Enforcement
From October 29-31, forty-three Thai law enforcement officers took part in a wildlife trafficking investigations training course in Bangkok, Thailand. Organized criminal syndicates profiting from illegal wildlife trade are becoming more sophisticated creating the need for advanced training on detecting wildlife trafficking.The training exposed officers, prosecutors and investigators to the methods commonly used by wildlife…
King of Tigers Training Leads to Capture of Rosewood Poacher
On October 31, 2013, the recently graduated King of Tigers ranger team arrested a Cambodian rosewood poacher in Thailand’s Pang Sida National Park in eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border.The high value of Siamese Rosewood, fueled by demand from China, has seen a sharp increase in the number of poachers and the consequent number of…
Cambodia Hosts Lower Mekong Initiative Meeting to Build Sustainable Regional Cooperation
The Royal Government of Cambodia hosted over 80 delegates from Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States in Siem Reap on November 6-7, 2013 for the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam…
New Elite Team Promotes Institutionalizing of Anti-Wildlife Trafficking Course
From October 24 - November 1, members of the new “King of Tigers” elite ranger team assisted with the instruction of a PROTECT Tactics course in Thailand’s Eastern Forest Complex, a regional hot spot for wildlife crime.The USAID-funded ARREST program (Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking), coordinated the course with Thailand’s Department of National…
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Vietnam
From October 28 - November 1, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) program held a technical training on forest carbon stratification and estimating historical emissions in Da Lat, Vietnam. The hands-on training allowed 27 Vietnamese geospatial analysts and foresters to develop a preliminary reference level for Lam Dong Province to be approved by the…
Triple Bottom Line Training Helps Lower Mekong Countries Assess Value of Protected Areas
“Triple bottom line” valuation is an approach used to assess the full value of protected natural resource areas, like national parks, accounting for the economic, social, and environmental benefits they provide to society. As a result, policymakers, park managers, and other stakeholders are better equipped to capture the full value provided by protected areas, including…
