Illegal wildlife trade thriving
Despite concerted efforts by officials to prevent the illegal trade in wildlife through regular inspections in markets around the country, the trade is still flourishing unchecked. While the government is working to preserve aquatic animals and wildlife and protected areas, the sight of wild fauna for ...
Xebangfay River overflows again
Residents near the Xebangfay River between the two provinces of Khammuan and Savannakhet are still being spared from the flooding which has started since the river began overflowing on 21 July. A Xebangfay district official Mr Sisomphone Innoula told Vientiane Times that the four branches of ...
EU gives boost to nutrition, food security in Xekong
The European Union is assisting the Laos Partnerships for Poverty Reduction and Women’s Empowerment Project in Dakcheung district, Xekong province, with a view to ensuring that children have access to nutritious food. As with other EU funded nutrition and food security projects in many provinces across ...
Environmentalists urge Laos to scrap 'destructive' Mekong dam plans
Environmentalists have urged Laos not to proceed with the construction of another “destructive” dam on the Mekong River, a vital Southeast Asian waterway that sustains about 60 million people. Last week, Laos’ communist government announced plans for the Sanakham dam – close to the northeastern border ...
Nicola Smith
Laos gets plugged in
Laos is not exactly a heavy hitter in Southeast Asian energy production. Each year, the country produces approximately 8.2 billion kWh of electricity, less than one-tenth the generation capacity enjoyed by Vietnam and other neighbors. But this country of 6.77 million is nonetheless taking on strategic importance as ...
35 percent of Lao budget for debt repayment
The Lao government has instructed central and local state organisations to use up to 35 percent of the annual total budget allocated to them to repay debt they have accumulated. The instruction was part of debt payment measures resolved by the annual government meeting where the ...
Laos confident about development of Don Sahong dam
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad is confident the run-of-river Don Sahong dam in Champassak province will be a success after learning more about the processes involved in the scheme. Mr Somsavat went to the project site in southern Laos on 11 October after visiting Cambodia to ...
Severe Drought in Mekong Region Reduces Rice Planting in Laos
Lao farmers have planted rice on less than half the country’s cultivable land this year because of a persistent drought in the Mekong River region that has seen severely reduced water levels and the delay of seasonal monsoon rains, which have yet to begin. Growers have ...
Laos weather bureau official dispels Mekong flood concerns
There is no need for immediate public alarm about potential flooding of the Mekong River despite widespread reports of floods in neighbouring countries, especially China, a sector official has confirmed on Monday. The official from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department, ...
Japan supports the replacement of bridges on Laos' National Road No.9
The Japanese government has provided a grant for the ‘Project for Reconstruction of the Bridges on National Road No 9 in Laos,’ valued at 70 million Japanese Yen (over 4.6 billion kip). The signing ceremony was held on 24 November at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ...
Laos Builds Road and Workers’ Camp for Luangprabang Dam Ahead of Formal Approval
A Thai dam developer has begun clearing land for a large-scale Mekong River dam near the ancient Lao capital Luang Prabang before signing a hydropower sale pact required for approval, raising concerns from downstream communities already hit hard by Laos’ aggressive damming of the vital ...
RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
242 billion kip lost to corruption, inspection reveals
A Myanmar government inspection committee has uncovered almost 242 billion kip in lost assets due to corruption in 2015, resulting in 95 officials being disciplined. The shocking figures were released in a report that summarised the work of the Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee, ...
New Dam Planned in Same District as Xe Pian Xe Namnoi Collapse in Southern Laos
A new dam is set to go up in southern Laos, in the district where two years ago a major dam collapse caused a flood that was described as the country’s worst in decades. On July 23, 2018, water poured over a saddle dam in Attapeu ...
A broken dam and broken promises: Laos doubles down on hydropower despite risks
Two years ago this week, a dam in southern Laos collapsed, releasing a flood that displaced over 7,000 people and killed at least 71. When a section of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project broke on July 23, 2018, it sent 500 million cubic meters of ...
Spotlight shines on Laos as it takes a turn in the ASEAN chair
As Laos kicks off its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, activists fear that the human rights agenda in the country and the region will get swamped by economic concerns and regional discord over issues like the partition of the South China Sea. “When ...
Gold mining operation kicks off in Xaysomboun
A feasibility study of exploration and processing at a 234.6 square kilometre gold mining site at Naty village area in Longchaeng district, Xaysomboun province, has begun after the government gave the green light. The project is a partnership between the Jo Bounmy Mining Development Co., Ltd. ...
Laos waits for new dengue vaccine
While Laos is waiting for WHO approval of the quality of the dengue vaccine, Dr. Kongxay, deputy manager of the Expanded Programme of Immunisation of the Ministry of Health has advised members of the public to follow five principles on controlling dengue mosquito populations. Those include ...
Laos' ASEAN presidency to help Russia boost Russia-Asian ties- Putin
Laos’ upcoming presidency of the ASEAN could help Russia enhance trade and economic ties with Asia, Sputnik news cited Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying. Keep reading ...
Laos touts 40 years of stability, but critics decry debt, corruption and poverty
President Choummaly Sayasone marked 40 years of communist rule in Laos on 2 December touting the stability and security of his landlocked Southeast Asian nation, but some Laotians lamented their country’s corruption, rising debt and dependence on China and Vietnam. 2 December marked 40 years since the communist ...
PV Oil Laos marks anniversary
A ceremony to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Lao PetroVietnam Oil (PV Oil Laos), a subsidiary of the PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), was held in Vientiane on 30 November. The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung and Vice President of ...