The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a gambling empire hacked from the Laotian jungle which it said was involved in drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution. []The sanctions aim to destabilize the narcotics trade in the Mekong area at a time of ...

(Mark Field, Minister for Asia and the Pacific of the United Kingdom)(KPL) During my very recent first visit to Laos, I was briefed by the Mine Action Group (MAG) and The Halo Trust (HALO) about the state of UXO clearance in Laos, and I spent ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith recently warned ministries and provincial and district administrations to put a stop to nepotism when it comes to recruiting civil servants.The warning came after the government acknowledged that instances of hiring the relatives of or people close ...

All populations are vulnerable to human trafficking. This is a low-risk, high-reward criminal activity for male traffickers who benefit from the vulnerabilities of women. Human trafficking is enabled by patchy policing, low levels of prosecution, and underfunded prevention. Traffickers prey upon women and girls with ...

Investors in an allegedly fraudulent scheme offered by the Asian Face company are increasingly concerned after the involvement of its operator in similar activities in his home country were revealed. Currently in police custody in Laos over his Asian Face Company Ltd’s alleged illegal capital ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government has given the green light for Chinese companies to develop trade-facilitation related infrastructure and invest in agriculture with a view to bolstering exports to China.The move is part of the government’s preparations to capitalise on the US$5.9-billion Laos-China railway, ...

The government has agreed with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to implement the Occupational Safety and Health in Laos Supply Chains project, which aims to protect workers.A Memorandum of Cooperation Agreement on the project was signed in Vientiane on Tuesday between the Ministry of Labour ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The second Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo opened in Vientiane on Friday, following on from last year’s well received inaugural event in Luang Prabang province.The expo is the region’s leading specialised fair for the tourism industry to celebrate, explore, and exhibit the latest ...

A new city is fast emerging on the China-Laos border, a manifestation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that if fully actualized will serve as Beijing’s new gateway to Southeast Asia. Once known for car smuggling and glitzy casinos catering to Chinese punters, the remote ...

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) is growing in development and investment projects, especially economic infrastructure, agriculture, livestock, hotels, tourism, residential areas, and entertainment, to attract more visitors, while over 500 companies are investing in the area. During a visit by reporters this week to ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Finance has ruled that village authorities have no right to impose their budget plans independently as they are part of the state administration and subject to implementing the budget law.Minister of Finance, Mr Somdy Douangdy signed the ministerial decision ...

Last week, Vientiane played host to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s High Level Conference on Transnational Organised Crime in Laos and the Mekong Region. The UNODC brought together senior Lao officials, international partners, and select experts from neighbouring Mekong countries.The conference agenda was focused ...

Vientiane plans to improve non-motorised transport and public transport in the face of the rapidly increasing number of vehicles, which are clogging up the capital’s streets. The project will encourage city people to use sustainable modes of transport, Vientiane Vice Mayor Mr Keophilavanh Aphaylath said ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The World Bank has agreed to provide credit of US$40 million to the government to foster its green growth reform. The international financial institution announced this week that its executive board of directors made the loan approval decision on May 28. However, there ...

(KPL) The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a three-week training course on “Basic English Language and Communication Skills” for 31 Lao government officials from 13 to 31 August 2018.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Boten Beautiful Land Specific Economic Zone in Luang Namtha province promoted Visit Laos-China Year 2019 activities and a cross-border cooperation conference at the zone.The Visit Laos-China Year campaign is taking place nationwide and was officially launched by the two countries ...

At least 140 families from eight villages in the Khong district of southwestern Laos’ Champasak province are refusing to sell their land or relocate to make way for a special economic zone planned for their area.Despite this, developers have begun the hasty construction of an ...

The Ministry of Science and Technology ended a six month Vietnamese language course for 50 Lao government officials in Vientiane recently, to improve communication between Laos and Vietnam. Director General of the ministry’s Science and Technology Administrative Institute, Mr Phimpha Outhachak, told the training course closing ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has been applauded by the government for its work in Laos over the past 25 years, which has destroyed more than 257,000 bombs and made safe 73 square kilometres of land, helping over one million Lao ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry achieved its 2018 target by creating an additional 153,000 hectares of agricultural land that can be farmed in the dry season.This figure equals an 83 percent expansion of dry season farmland land.In a recent report, ...