Provincial Official in Laos Wants to Cancel Concession for Chinese Coal Company
Officials for the local government in Laos’ Houaphanh province say they want to cancel the survey contract of a Chinese coal company after learning that its operations in the province have caused hardship for villagers who have yet to see any compensation. The company reportedly damaged ...
LFTU's seventh congress concluded in Vientiane
The Seventh nationwide Congress of the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) concluded on 15 October with the election of 49 members as the new Executive Committee to further oversee the tasks of the union. The congress elected Mr Pan Noymany as the President of the LFTU ...
Chemically grown vegetables remain widespread in Laos
Organic vegetables are not widely consumed in Vientiane because many people don’t give much thought to the fruits and vegetables they are eating. Awareness of organics is low because the ingestion of chemicals in food is normally at low levels and only harmful over time. Keep reading ...
Magical Laotian town preserved by UNESCO
It is officially described as the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia, a bygone seat of kings tucked into a remote river valley of Laos. Luang Prabang weaves a never-never land spell on many a visitor with its tapestry of French colonial villas and Buddhist temples draped ...
Poverty reduction for Laos receives boost from further World Bank financing
The Government of Laos and the World Bank on 17 August signed agreements for three projects aiming to improve the efficiency and reliability of electricity, to improve women’s and children’s health and nutrition, and to enable the construction of vital infrastructure including schools, health clinics, roads, ...
Tiger meat and bear paws on menu for Chinese tourists in Laos, says report
A resort complex in northwest Laos targeting Chinese visitors has become a “lawless playground” for the trade in illegal wildlife ranging from tiger meat to bear paws, an advocacy group has said. Customers “can openly buy endangered species products” in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone on ...
Laos to adopt public-private partnership in poverty reduction
Officials from the Laos government and autonomous organizations have pledged to involve the private sector in poverty reduction programs to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency. The officials were speaking at the 4th ASEAN Forum on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, which began on 15 October in ...
ASEAN labour ministers formulate joint action plans
The 24th ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (24th ALMM) kicked off in Vientiane on 15 May to consider and adopt plans towards ensuring better conditions and prospects for the region’s workforce. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and attended by labour ministers from ...
Luang Prabang town plans to expand
Luang Prabang provincial authorities have plans to expand the town to ease traffic congestion and in response to the increasing number of tourists to the World Heritage site. The Luang Prabang town expansion project covers 100 hectares of land starting from Donkeo village to Luang Prabang ...
Japan gives boost to human resource development in Laos
The government of Japan is providing grant assistance of 308 million yen for the continuation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Project in Laos. An agreement was signed on 4 July in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Khamphao Eunthavanh and Japanese Ambassador to Laos ...
Poverty rate in Laos down to 18.3 per cent
Poverty in Laos continues to decline to 18.3 per cent, as infrastructure accessibility has improved, particularly road electricity, clean water and sanitation access, according to data from the Lao Consumption and Expenditure Survey in 2018-2019. Consumption and expenditure of households in Laos have significantly increased, particularly ...
Furniture fair raises profile of Lao wood products
The Lao Furniture Association hopes that the furniture fair, which opened in Vientiane on 14 January, will attract more domestic and foreign investors in the sector and promote Lao wood products on regional and international markets. The Lao Furniture Association on 14 January officially opened its ...
Women urged to vote in upcoming elections
If more women vote in the upcoming election, more women will be elected to the National Assembly and the Provincial and Capital Assemblies, which would strengthen efforts centered on the advancement of women and child protection, according to a statement made by Head of the Secretariat ...
Effective management helps Saravan save millions from state-invested projects: governor
Saravan province has been able to save about US$18 million from state investment projects thanks to effective management of their infrastructure development projects. The projects that the moneys were saved from included the 15A Road construction project linking the Napong area to the province with a ...
Vientiane prepares dengue prevention
Vientiane authorities are seeking measures to prevent dengue at the initial stages as the disease may return following the severe outbreaks in the country from 2010 to 2013. The authorities held a meeting last week to learn lessons from previous years in controlling the epidemic and ...
Thai NGOs Speak Out Against Proposed Dam in Laos
A new dam planned for construction on the Mekong River in Laos is causing great concern for environmental NGOs from Thailand, who say Laos’ fifth big dam on the river will have adverse effects on fish and people in the region. The Luangprabang hydropower project would ...
In Laos, an invisible minority is finding its voice
If there is one word to describe the LGBT community in Laos, the landlocked nation sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, it might just be “invisible.” This is the ninth part of a 10-part series on LGBT rights in Southeast Asia, which uncovers the challenges facing the LGBT ...
Downward spiral persists in exports of Lao coffee amid world price slump
The volume of coffee exports from Laos has decreased continually over the past couple of years due to a slump in coffee prices on the world market. Total coffee exports in 2014 reached 26,000 tonnes at an estimated value of US$60 million (Bt16.6 billion), which fell ...
Cement suppliers all set for Laos-China railway
Senior officials have advised the Lao Vangvieng Cement Plant to produce sufficient supplies of cement in preparation for construction of the Laos-China railway. Vangvieng Cement Plant Deputy Director, Mr Chanthay Vongnakhone, told the press on 16 July that their three plants at Vangvieng were quite capable of ...
Deadly attacks by bandits in Laos leave one dead, three injured
Bandits in a mountainous and isolated province in northern central Laos have shot one person dead and injured three others in the latest of a series of attacks on vehicles passing through the region, said a retired Lao soldier close to a high-ranking officer in ...