Editor’s Note
by Mattia Peroni, Lead Editor - Mekong Belt Desk
This 5th issue of the Mekong Belt dives into stories that highlight both the ambitions and growing pains unfolding across Southeast Asia, where countries are navigating rapid change, sometimes with innovative solutions, sometimes with uncertainty. In Laos, a crumbling education system forces the government to send soldiers into classrooms. In Thailand, the government’s cannabis U-turn sparks confusion and fear for small businesses. Meanwhile, Myanmar is making a bold pitch to revive its tourism industry — but can it rebuild trust and sustainability at the same time? And in Cambodia, Singapore’s new Prime Minister marks 60 years of diplomatic ties, but beneath the formalities, what signals are being sent about regional priorities? Whether it’s education, economics, governance, or recovery, this issue reveals how ASEAN countries are grappling with old problems in new ways, with uneven but revealing outcomes.
Lao PDR 🇱🇦
Lao PDR’s Education Crisis Deepens as Government Turns to Soldiers for Teaching
by Chammie Lo, in Vientiane
In response to increasing teacher shortages and rising dropout rates, the Ministry of National Defence decided to deploy 2,000 soldiers as volunteer teachers in remote and underserved communities. The government will primarily recruit graduates of teacher training programs, and they will receive short-term military training before entering classrooms. In return, they also receive military salaries, rank-based benefits, and a 70 percent teaching allowance.
The issue of teacher shortages is not new, but the country’s economic deterioration has aggravated the situation. In 2024, 267 teachers resigned or were dismissed, nearly three times the number in 2023. In Laos, school staff are part of the civil service. Yet, under fiscal pressure, government hiring quotas for civil servant positions have been shrinking. This resulted in a growing reliance on underpaid and underrecognized volunteers. Currently, more than 7,600 volunteer teachers work across the country, many hoping to be appointed as civil servants in the future. However, fewer than 1,000 are formally absorbed into the civil service each year. In Savannakhet province, one of the most populous provinces, local authorities began offering a 1.5 million kip (USD 68) monthly allowance last year to retain the volunteers. However, with inflation near 25 percent, the stipend barely covers basic expenses.
The teacher shortage issue is part of a structural problem: chronic underinvestment in the education sector. The continued decline in public education spending reached a historic low of 1.23% of GDP in 2023, which is well below the ASEAN average. Many schools, especially those in rural areas, have been merged or forced to shut down to reduce costs. Over one-third of primary classrooms are multigrade, with one teacher handling students across different grades in one classroom, making the implementation of a student-centered curriculum more challenging.
In this context, bringing soldiers into classrooms can temporarily relieve pressure in the most underserved areas. However, long-term investment remains crucial to strengthen the teacher pipeline and expand rural school infrastructure to ensure students receive quality education during critical school years and reverse the rising student dropout rate. As the worsening economic crisis makes higher education hardly accessible, the belief that education is unnecessary still prevails in rural areas, leading many to not see education as a pathway to opportunity and instead pursue better-paying jobs abroad, especially in Thailand or South Korea.
For a country where the youth accounts for more than half of the population, quality education is fundamental to unlock the benefits of the demographic dividend and, most importantly, prepare a workforce for the emerging digital and AI sectors. Without investing in human capital capacity, Laos may lose the critical chance to participate in the emerging AI economy, widening its development gap with other growing ASEAN neighbours and the rest of the world.
Chammie is a development professional working on sustainable finance and inclusive livelihoods in Laos. She holds a degree in Politics and Law from the University of Hong Kong and has contributed research insights to academic and community spaces on heat governance, climate migration, and emission transparency.
Cambodia 🇰🇭
Singapore and Cambodia Celebrate 60 Years of Relations—But What Comes Next?
by Chandara Samban, in Kandal
After taking office over a year ago, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong paid his first official visit to Cambodia on July 2, 2025. The one-day trip followed the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. The visit was widely seen as an introductory gesture, with no major agreements expected.
During his visit, Mr. Wong met with key Cambodian leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Manet and King Norodom Sihamoni. He also held talks with former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who now serves as Senate President. In their discussions, Mr. Wong and PM Hun Manet pledged to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, renewable energy, carbon credits, agri-food sectors, and the ASEAN Power Grid. They also committed to increasing people-to-people exchanges and human capital development.
Meanwhile, the discussion between PM Wong and Senate President Hun Sen focused on boosting economic, trade, and tourism ties, and included a proposal to increase direct flights between the two countries, especially once Cambodia’s Techo International Airport opens. The former Cambodian Prime Minister also briefed Mr. Wong on recent tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border. He underscored Cambodia’s commitment to a peaceful resolution under international law but warned that the country would defend its sovereignty if necessary. Mr. Wong responded by expressing hope for a peaceful resolution and emphasized ASEAN unity and regional stability.
Singapore remains a key trading partner for Cambodia, ranking as the country’s top ASEAN investor and third largest globally. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $901 million, and cooperation has recently expanded into digital governance, finance, and energy. During a ministerial meeting in May, the two countries agreed to enhance cross-border electricity trade with Laos’s support, while in June 2024 they signed an MoU on digital collaboration.
Government spokesman Pen Bona told The ASEAN Frontier that while the visit was primarily symbolic, it demonstrates both countries’ intent to build on six decades of close ties, as Cambodia was the first country to recognize Singapore’s independence in 1965. “The relationship goes back to King Norodom Sihanouk and Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, and continues through Samdech Hun Sen and Prime Minister Hun Manet,” he said. “It keeps growing stronger. We support each other bilaterally, regionally, and internationally. Cambodia values this relationship.”
Vann Bunna, Head of Research at the Cambodian Youth Network Association, viewed the visit as part of PM Wong’s broader ASEAN tour. Indeed, Cambodia is the eighth ASEAN member state visited by Mr. Wong, who has yet to visit only Indonesia and Myanmar. Looking at the countries’ political landscape, Bunna noted that both countries currently have new leaders from long-dominant ruling parties, which could pave the way for closer engagement. However, he also argued that “Cambodia-Singapore relations aren’t particularly prominent, strategically or economically, from Singapore’s perspective. Cambodia is small and less developed, so it might not rank high in their foreign policy,” suggesting that Cambodia may not be a strategic priority for Singapore. Still, he encouraged Cambodia to pursue cooperation with Singapore in areas like the green economy, technology, and governance, fields where Singapore leads.
Chandara is a freelance journalist with a focus on foreign affairs, security issues, and ASEAN affairs. He also serves as a Junior Counterterrorism Intelligence Analyst.
Thailand 🇹🇭
Cannabis Regulation Tightens in Thailand, Raising Alarm Among Small Businesses
by Natamon Aumphin, in Bangkok
The Thai Minister of Public Health Mr. Somsak Thepsutin issued a new ministerial regulation on the use of cannabis last week. The amendment tightened the rules for selling, growing, and using cannabis flower, limiting it to medical purposes only. The changes came into effect as a response to the growing concern among the public about the threats of high cannabis consumption, especially among youth.
Three years ago, when cannabis was legalized, it was expected to boost the economy by over a billion dollars. Nevertheless, due to the lack of regulations at the ministerial level, it was hard to keep track of and control activities related to cannabis usage. Additionally, many communities also observed an increase in the recreational use of cannabis among young people, despite the law prohibiting the sale to persons under 20 years old. This was due to the lack of regulations detailing enforcement and oversight mechanisms.
While cannabis remains legal for medical use, its reclassification as a drug brings it under tighter restrictions. As recreational use is now effectively prohibited, a prescription from medical professionals will be a prerequisite to purchase the flower bud. Moreover, its reclassification as a controlled herb imposes licensing requirements for cannabis farmers and sellers, as well as prohibiting sales in public spaces.
The amendment to the November 2022 bill has spread wide concerns among SMEs, adding to existing discontent about the bill’s uncertainty. Criticism mostly pointed to the lack of a transitional period, ineffective audits, and unclear procedures for relicensing businesses that had previously obtained legal permits. Moreover, many enterprises criticized the 2022 bill for disproportionately favoring foreign investors rather than supporting domestic businesses. With tighter regulations introduced abruptly and without a proper transitional period, thousands of Thai cannabis SMEs now fear that their investments may be at risk.
Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka, a cannabis activist known as Thailand’s “Queen of Cannabis,” warned that the new bill could result in a 90% decrease in the number of licensed cannabis shops in Thailand. She also stressed that the businesses most likely to survive the amendments are larger players, while smaller, independent shops will struggle to keep up. In fact, the cannabis market has already been in decline since late 2024, with falling sales and a shrinking number of distributors. In this context, the amendment would only add to the hurdles that small businesses have to face. Therefore, the government can continue to promote growth in the cannabis industry by introducing clear and fair policies that protect smaller businesses, while also allowing sufficient time for communities to adjust to new regulations and reduce associated risks.
Natamon has served as a rapporteur at the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS Thailand). She has also worked as a research assistant on diplomatic issues in Southeast Asia. Her work focuses on how domestic politics shape foreign policy in the region. She holds a degree in international relations and has experience in policy analysis, event reporting, and regional research.
Myanmar 🇲🇲
Myanmar eyes a tourism comeback, could this be feasible?
by May
Myanmar is eagerly preparing to revive regional tourism and host the next Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) as the 2025 edition hosted by Lao PDR concluded on June 27. This annual forum serves as a collaborative platform to discuss growth and promotion of regional tourism. The Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Strategy 2030 aims to enhance community well-being in the Mekong subregion while stimulating the growth of regional tourism with an emphasis on sustainability, cultural heritage, and agritourism.
Over the past few years, Myanmar's tourism industry has struggled significantly, hit first by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, then by the 2021 coup d’état and the ongoing civil conflict. Now, as the nation attempts to revitalize its tourism industry, a fundamental question remains: how can Myanmar's tourism sector bounce back from these setbacks?
Following the discussion at the Mekong Tourism Forum, the aim is to preserve heritage while promoting regional tourism. The tourism industry is a significant contributor to Myanmar's economy, generating employment and raising living standards. Additionally, community-based tourism would create economic opportunities for ethnic minorities, particularly through local experiences and products. For example, in Chin State, such initiatives strike a balance between economic benefits and the preservation of cultural heritage, providing a platform to showcase traditional practices while preserving social and cultural identity within local communities. Not only does this approach benefit both tourists and locals, but it could also facilitate a quicker recovery of infrastructure and bring resources into remote areas.
While community-based tourism holds promise, other forms of tourism, such as agritourism, remain more difficult to develop in Myanmar. The climate has a significant impact on tourism activities in Myanmar, as visitors tend to avoid the monsoon season and primarily travel during the dry season. In recent monsoon flooding, farmers have lost crops, which has significantly affected the agriculture industry this year. Overall, the severity of weather conditions makes it challenging to implement agritourism and attract visitors throughout the entirety of the year.
The long-term strategic goal of Myanmar's tourism recovery is to develop a more responsible and sustainable tourism sector that aligns with the Mekong Subregion's strategy. The vision is to design and manage tourism sustainability (considering the environmental, social, and economic impacts) to preserve heritage. Recent history shows that sustainability is essential to revive and stabilize Myanmar's tourism sector, as past tourism activities inadvertently harmed some of the destinations. For instance, the rapid growth of tourism and the exploitation of unsustainable resources have caused environmental degradation in Inle Lake, a well-known UNESCO biosphere reserve in Myanmar.
Myanmar is currently at a pivotal moment in its efforts to revive the tourism industry. The country's eagerness to host the next Mekong Tourism Forum shows its determination to reestablish regional tourism. The path forward remains uncertain due to the persisting challenges of political instability and climate conditions. Yet, there remains potential.
May has previously worked in the editorial department at a media group in Myanmar. She also has experience in film and photography, and engages with people-centered stories through her travels and creative work.
Editorial Deadline 04/07/2025 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
