Vue lecture

Thai-Cambodian Conflict Tears at Remnants of a Once-Proud Empire

People on both sides of the border share a cultural heritage much older than modern nation-states, dating back to the ancient Khmer civilization.

© Tang Chhin Sothy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The disputed ancient Ta Moan Thom temple (known in Thailand as Ta Muen Thom) in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia, in March.
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What to Know About the Rare Earths Mining Boom in Myanmar

In the chaos of war, there’s nothing to stop Chinese firms from ravaging the landscape and extracting the minerals, which end up in China.

© Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

A gold mine in Karen State in Myanmar last year. Chinese state-owned firms and criminal networks control the extraction of many natural resources in Myanmar.
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Rare Earths Mining in Myanmar Is Polluting Thailand’s Kok River

Unregulated activity led by Chinese enterprises in conflict-ravaged Myanmar is creating an environmental calamity in neighboring Thailand.

Levels of arsenic and other toxic metals have spiked to dangerous levels in Thai waterways like the Kok River, seen here in June.
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