Second phase of Nam Ou hydropower project kicks off
The Nam Ou River Basin Hydropower Project located in Phongsaly and Luang Prabang provinces has launched its second phase of construction in Vientiane on April 28, after completing the Nam Ou 2, 5 and 6 hydropower plants during the first phase. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ...
Recent arrests highlight Laos drug problems
Seizures of large quantities of synthetic drugs and their precursor chemicals by Lao police in recent months point to renewed efforts by authorities to slow growing rates of addiction in the impoverished, one-party state, sources say. In a major haul on 23 July at a warehouse ...
Govt widens ban on timber exports, tightens wood business
The government has announced a new ban on the export of various tree species, timber products and ornamental plants in a move to take ownership of and maximise the benefits of Laos’ natural resources. Prime Minister ThonglounSisoulith issued an order last week imposing the ban on ...
Laos in the spotlight again over human rights
Human rights violations are again an issue in Laos – and a thorn in the side of a government more concerned with centrally-planned economic policies – following the death 61-year-old Tiang Kwentianthong. Tiang was originally arrested for praying for a sick woman without government approval. Reports ...
Mega First gets hydropower concession in Laos
Power and quarry player Mega First Corp Bhd said an 80%-owned unit has secured a 25-year hydropower concession in Laos. The 260MW run-of-river project will cost the firm about US$500mil (RM2.15bil) and the company planned to fund it using internally generated funds and long-term debt. Keep reading ...
Family of missing Laos activist Sombath Somphone reveal new evidence three years after disappearance
Fresh footage of an abducted activist’s classic American Jeep could crack open a three-year-old mystery in Laos, campaigners say. On 15 December 2012, Sombath Somphone was driving home when he was pulled over just metres from the Australian Embassy Recreation Club in the capital, Vientiane. Mr Sombath ...
Prohibited rosewood seized en route to China
Police in Oudomxay province last week seized some 47 rosewood timbers and 25 partially-processed rosewoods weighing 2,534 kilogrammes in total loaded inside the container-like truck, which carried a Vientiane number plate reportedly being transported from Vientiane en route to China, a provincial police official said on ...
Laos Increases Electricity Costs Despite Producing More Electricity
State-run power companies in Laos are raising electricity prices, putting a squeeze on businesses suffering from the coronavirus pandemic shutdown and angering customers who say they deserve cheaper power after a decades-long hydroelectric dam building boom, sources in the country told RFA. The government of Laos ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
From bombs to bracelets, this jewelry line is clearing land mines
“After the war, we live afraid of unexploded bombs, and we’re very careful when we go and do anything,” says Somechit Phouangsavat, an artisan from Ban Naphia, also known as War Spoon Village, in Laos. The 32-year-old works alongside 30 other artisans at Article 22, a company ...
US demands answers over missing Lao activist Sombath
The United States called for Laos to immediately resolve the case of prominent activist whose abduction three years ago sent a “chilling message” to civil society. The State Department statement came as the top US envoy for East Asia prepares to travel to communist-governed Laos, which ...
Laos to Experience Electricity Shortage During Hot Season
Electricity generation will not be sufficient to supply all areas in Laos during times of peak consumption from March to June, according to authorities, who are urging the public to cut energy usage during this period. The Ministry of Energy and Mines has announced that less ...
Taejun Kang
Irrigation agricultural technology project boosts farmers' knowledge
Farmers have improved their methods of irrigation management and technique of rice products after the completion of a joint Japanese and Lao basic irrigation agricultural technology dissemination project recently. The project’s assessment meeting was held in Vientiane last week and was attended by the Irrigation ...
Lao loggers backed by corrupt officials pillaged Champassak forests in July
Illegal logging in southern Laos’ Champassak province was particularly devastating on forests in July, according to a local police officer, who said businessmen working in tandem with high-ranking officials raced to cut timber in the region ahead of the start of the rainy season. The police ...
Luang Prabang drawing more Chinese visitors
A large number of Chinese tourists are expected to visit Luang Prabang province this year and may constitute the largest number of all nationalities visiting the world heritage site. Last year most visitors to the northern town came from Thailand, with Chinese nationals ranking second. An official ...
Laos to export 20,000 MW of electricity by 2030
Laos’ electricity exports to neighbouring countries and Asean states are expected to increase to about 20,000 MW between 2020 and 2030. Electricity is considered a huge revenue earner for Laos, especially through exports to neighbouring countries and Asean states such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar ...
Vientiane Times
Asean labour officials discuss draft of Vientiane Declaration
The draft of the Vientiane Declaration on Transition from Informal Employment to Formal Employment towards Decent Work Promotion in ASEAN was the key topic of discussion at the 12th ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting held on 11 May in Vientiane. The meeting was hosted by the ...
Bringing order to tuk-tuk services in Laos
It has been observed that the drivers of some tuk-tuks and jumbos in Vientiane are rude to foreigners when they question the often exorbitant charges cited by drivers. While most Lao people prefer not to use tuk-tuks and jumbos, visitors often have no choice but to ...
Australia refines its investment in Lao people
Australia has agreed to continue to build on its support of more than five decades in Lao human resource development needs, at a high-level review meeting held in Vientiane on 27 May. Ambassador Williams told the meeting Australia was keen to build on its extensive support ...
Foreign tourist arrivals drop by 10 percent in 2016
The number of foreign tourists visiting Laos dropped for the first time in 2016 after several successive years of visitor growth, newly compiled statistics suggest. Laos registered average annual growth in foreign tourist arrivals of 10.7 percent on average over the past five years. But ...
Laos to increase domestic distribution of electricity
The Laos Ministry of Energy and Mines said the domestic distribution of electricity is likely to rise to 28,886 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) by the end of 2020. The information was shared by a ministry official at a recent annual meeting of the energy and mines sector ...
