The hit to the value of Laos’ mineral commodity exports inflicted by lower international prices have been confirmed by figures showing an 8.7 percent decrease in returns despite increasing production, local media has reported. Falling prices for gold, potash and copper inflicted the greatest downward pressure ...

Many students at Laos’ University of Health Sciences are there because that’s what their parents want and are taking courses reluctantly because they have no personal interest in the subject. This is the finding of a survey carried out by Associate Professor Dr Mayfong Mayxay of the ...

Senior education officials and development partners gathered in Vientiane for a meeting of the Education Sector Working Group to endorse the sub-sector plan of the education sector development plan for 2016-20 before submission to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Another key objective of the meeting ...

A court in Laos has sentenced a Polish activist to nearly five years in prison after he posted criticism of the Lao government online, according to state media, drawing criticism from a diplomatic official who said the defendant was never given access to an attorney. Keep reading ...

The governments and private stakeholders of Laos, Thailand and Cambodia have now jointly consulted through videoconference, proposals for the Asian Development Bank’s most recent public communications policy review.The Asian Development Bank held the meeting on June 8 welcoming stakeholders including government and private sector counterparts, executing ...

A workshop on “Network for Agriculture and Rural Development Think-tanks for Countries in the Mekong sub-region” provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss their work plans. The workshop took place on Wednesday and was chaired by the Deputy Director General of the National Agriculture and Forestry ...

Major Cineplex Group is expanding its footprint in Laos, aiming to have 30 movie screens there within three years. Entering the country of 7 million people through its partner Platinum Cineplex, Thailand’s largest movie-theatre operator formed a 60:40 joint venture to open its first five movie ...

The inaugural meeting of the cross-sectoral Steering Committee of the Lao Decide Info project took place in Vientiane on 17 February, to assess the progress of the project to date. Lao Decide Info plays a critical role in enhancing the quality of key information relating to ...

Investigations into a scheme in Laos in which private companies cashed government bonds issued in promise of payment for work they never performed have revealed the involvement of senior government officials who will never be brought to trial, a state auditor says. The auditing of the ...

The Lao government is taking steps to promote and develop various agricultural products in the face of regional competition and international integration. Officials from the various concerned sectors implementing the “Sustainable food security and agricultural product promotion for commercial basis” project met in Vientiane to discuss ...

Laos will need to build four new international airports as the existing four of Wattay, Luang Prabang, Savan and Pakse will be unable to accommodate growing air transport in the coming decades, a minister told the cabinet. Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong ...

Laos expects to make a submission to Unesco for world heritage listing of the Plain of Jars in northern Xieng Khuang province as well as Phou Hin Nam Nor in central Khammuan province next year. Officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of ...

The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consulate Department has announced that it will halt the extension of expired passports and require officials and all citizens to apply for new passports. The move comes after sub-standard barcodes in passports issued between 2008 and 2012 caused problems when ...

Secretary of State John Kerry said on 25 January that the United States is considering increasing financial aid to help Laos clear the countryside of unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War more than four decades ago. Speaking at the end of a one-day stop in ...

The leading construction material supplier “Souvanny Home Center Public Company” is ready to be listed on the Lao Securities Exchange after receiving better than expected responses from share buyers. Souvanny sold all 25 million shares at the par value of 3,100 kip per share on 30 ...

Authorities in charge have prepared a workforce recruitment plan for the planned construction of the Laos-China rail project, Minister of Public Works and Transport has said. Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong spoke to local media at a press conference recently and declared that a recruitment plan will be ...

Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Management Department is working with local authorities and other sectors towards more efficient management of tour operators. The move comes after the Lao Association of Travel Agents asked the department to step in and address the problem of tour ...

Local fishers around Don Sahong Hydropower Project area in Khong district, Champassak province said their fish catches have only decreased slightly this year as the project has improved fish passage for upstream and downstream migration. One fisherman in Don Sahong village, Mr Viengxay explained that recently ...

The social security system so far covers only 30.22 percent of the population, which is far behind the target of 50 percent set for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, which ended last month. Director General of the Department of Social Security under the Ministry of Labour and ...

At least 29,107 billion kip of debt has been registered so far and many provinces have not yet reported their figures, an official report has showed. The debt was accumulated by 20 central state departments, four provinces and the capital of Vientiane, Minister of Finance Dr ...