Crime and law enforcement

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Xieng Khuang provincial authorities are attempting to stamp out the cultivation of opium poppies after local officials reported an increase in the number of illicit plantations in several districts.Opium poppies have been found growing in seven districts of Xieng Khuang province. ...

Police on Friday deported 191 Chinese nationals on suspicion of telecommunications fraud, following investigations by Lao and Chinese police.Acting upon information received from members of the public last month, Chinese police discovered that a group of Chinese nationals was conducting fraudulent activities in Laos.More ...

(KPL) Military officers arrested on Sunday Mr Song Thor, 27, as he was transporting 5.764 million amphetamine tablets, and three sacks of heroin (180 bars) in a Vientiane-registered Vigo pickup truck from Huaylom village en route to Huaykhai village, Tonpheung district, Bokeo Province.More ...

More than 73 kilograms of ivory products were confiscated from a souvenir shop in Luang Prabang province recently and the foreign owner detained for suspected trading in elephant ivory.More ...

The Vientiane People’s Council has adopted measures demanding that a Chinese farming firm comply with environmental regulations or face the prospect of its investment licence being revoked.The council’s resolution was adopted after the company, which was granted 160 hectares of land to grow bananas, sweetcorn ...

Amphetamines and heroin were the most frequently confiscated items during a police crackdown on the drug trade in the capital this year. Head of the Vientiane Public Security Headquarters, Brigadier General Bouppha Siphomma, reported on the progress made in tackling the drug trade when speaking at ...

The National Committee for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) is continuing to assess Laos’ risks from money laundering and terrorist financing.This comes after Laos graduated from the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force last year, according to the National ...

The State Inspection and Anti-Corruption Authority has met with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vientiane to share knowledge and experiences on upgrading complaint handling systems.The two-day workshop on complaints systems which concluded on Friday aimed to provide concrete and practical guidelines ...

National Assembly (NA) members have urged the government to use decisive measures to tackle chronic undesirable conduct by penalising offenders in line with the law.Members said that harmful practices such as drug dealing were on the rise and were damaging to society.More ...

Last week, Vientiane played host to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s High Level Conference on Transnational Organised Crime in Laos and the Mekong Region. The UNODC brought together senior Lao officials, international partners, and select experts from neighbouring Mekong countries.The conference agenda was focused ...