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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

The United Nations Children’s Fund has committed to strongly supporting the Lao government’s efforts to improve the quality of education and healthcare as well as combat malnutrition problems in the country. Ms Hongwei Gao, UNICEF Lao PDR Representative stressed the importance of providing opportunities and a supportive ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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’ 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 ...

The fragile relationship between agriculture and climate in Laos is imperiled. From the riverine paddies to the limestone karst, Laos’ subsistence farmers—about 80 percent of the rural population—depend on getting the right amount of rain at the right time. But in recent years, changes in ...

Environmental rights groups are calling on Laos to cancel the latest hydro-electric dam it has approved for construction across the Mekong River, warning of dire consequences for the millions of people who rely on the waterway for a living. A six-month “prior consultation process” for the ...

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 ...

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 ...

A representative committee of the Ministry of Health and the WHO took part in the World Breastfeeding Week celebrations in Vientiane on August 21, which is celebrated every year in August. The Ministry of Health and the WHO are encouraging exclusive breastfeeding and improving babies’ ...

Shops and restaurants in Laos are still not following the law because much, if not all, of their signs and banners are written in a foreign language. All signboards are legally required to feature the Lao language predominantly, on top and in the most prominent position, ...