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 ...

Lao Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Coca-Cola bottler in ThailandThaiNamthip Limited and Lao firmPT Sole Co., Ltd., recently inaugurated the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at a ceremony presided over by Mr. Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO ...

Director of the Luang Prabang provincial Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Onechan Souvannalit, said on 25 May that much more needs to be done in terms of marketing and creating confidence among international tourists, to encourage them to visit the World Heritage town. Tourists mainly ...

The winding road between Xieng Khuang and Huaphan provinces in the northern part of the country is steadily being straightened and widened, an official confirmed. An official from the Huaphan provincial Public Works and Transport Department Mr Ounchay Sisaengchan, told Vientiane times on 1 December that each ...

On 13 July, the Ministry of Finance signed a US$30 million agreement with the World Bank aimed at continuing to finance Laos’ Poverty Reduction Fund, improving livelihoods and upgrading infrastructure for residents of 150 rural villages in over 40 districts of 10 target provinces. The funding will ...

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 ...

An official from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mrs Sonephet Phosarath said on 28 April that the relevant ministries have an emergency response plan to fight against the worsening drought. “Someday, the Lao government will make a plan to respond to worsening droughts and floods,” ...

SOS Children’s Villages Laos have attained remarkable outcomes throughout the past years, thanks to the support and assistance provided by SOS International, SOS Asia, friendly countries and donor organisations. National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Laos Mr Soumata Dengchampa made the observation in his introductory remarks ...

The Chinese government has provided a grant of more than 21 billion kip to build a new nine-storey building at the 103 Hospital in Vientiane, which is operated by the Lao Ministry of National Defence. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on 29 May, ...

Bokeo provincial authorities are focusing on the inspection of petrol stations and petrol import companies after finding that different petrol operators are operating without licenses. Some 73 other petrol stations have been found operating with only 40 of those stations licensed. To manage petrol imports into the ...

Many cars in the northern parts of Laos appear not to have started in the cold weather and some people have speculated that maybe the stranded motorists were using low grade fuels. Last week saw many vehicles in the northern provinces of Phongsaly, Huaphan and Xieng ...

A leaked report by an international environmental group revealing huge increases in illegal logging in Laos with an implication of government collusion has prompted officials in the small Southeast Asian nation to take action to examine discrepancies in timber export and import figures with China ...

As a struggling least developed country, Laos stands alone when it comes to ignoring common sense and pushing ahead with infrastructure development that it can ill-afford and is unlikely to deliver its much hoped-for rags to riches outcome. Energy and Mines Minister Sinavav Souphanouvong made that ...

Houses along the Mekong River in Borikhamxay province have been evacuated after five of them were undermined by a landslide at about 2am on 11 October. People in six or seven houses in the Phonson area of Phabath village in Thaphabath district quickly gathered their pets ...

Members of the National Assembly’s 8th Legislature elected Mr Bounnhang Vorachit as the new President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at the Assembly’s inaugural session on 20 April.  Keep reading ...

The Department of Water Supply under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is targeting an expansion of projects across the country this year after racking up achievements in the sector during 2019. To achieve its goal to develop provincial water supply and sanitation systems, the ...

The Technical Working Group of the Lao Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process has elaborated a first draft Timber Legality Definition in preparation for the first face-to-face FLEGT/Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) negotiations between Laos and the European Union. The two-day workshop brought together 50 ...

Authorities in Laos have formally charged a young woman who has been detained since May after a photo she took was posted on Facebook, allegedly showing police officers extorting money from her brother during a stop for a traffic violation, according to an official source.   Phout ...

Farmers in two districts of Vientiane are unable to replant their rice after seedlings in thousands of low-lying plots recently disappeared under floodwater. Parts of Sangthong and Naxaithong districts were inundated following torrential rain earlier this month and farmers are dismayed because they say it is ...

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived in Laos on 17 September on a two-day visit. He will hold extensive talks with the Laotian leadership to deepen bilateral ties especially trade links as part of India’s Act East policy. Mr Ansari was received by Vongsavath Boupha, Minister to ...