92nd joint patrol on Mekong River a big success
The 92nd Mekong River joint patrol by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand concluded on Saturday morning (April 25) as three Chinese law enforcement boats returned to Guanlei Port in the southwest Province of Yunnan. A total of 109 law enforcement officers from the four countries participated ...
Vietnam channels investment capital to Laos
The Vietnamese government has approved total investment of almost US$21.4 billion, US$5.12 billion of which has been allocated to Laos. The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment was quoted in the Vietnam News recently as saying that Vietnam had channelled the US$21.4 billion into 1,188 ...
Asean, US deepen cooperation to battle Covid-19
The United States and Asean leaders have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to counter the Covid-19 pandemic and recover their economies post-pandemic. Leaders from the 10-nation bloc and the US held a virtual special foreign ministerial meeting on Wednesday, co-chaired by Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs ...
Times Reporters
Bid to protect migrant workers in Thailand
Cambodia will soon host a meeting with Laos and Myanmar to discuss ways of protecting workers in Thailand. Cambodia’s National Committee for Anti-Human Trafficking yesterday met to prepare for the meeting with Laos and Myanmar. Keep reading ...
Sen David
More than a thousand furniture plants ordered to shut down
The government has ordered some 1,154 family-unit furniture plants across the country to shut down their illegal operations, a government spokesman announced on September 1. Additionally, more than 20 wood processing plants located in or near conservation and protected forests areas were also ordered to close ...
New Reports Point to Dams 'Stressing' Cambodia's Mekong River Fisheries
Kong Kim, a fisherman in Cambodia’s northeast, is worried about the next few years. “I am concerned that there will be no fish in the future,” the 62-year-old told VOA Khmer earlier this week. “Fish are now less and less.” Once he could fish the Mekong River ...
Sun Narin
Rail freight set to cut transport costs significantly
The transport of goods by railway could cut costs by 30 to 50 percent of the current charges for road transportation, a senior government official has said. Deputy Director General of the Lao Railway Department, Mr Sonesack N. Nhansana, told Vientiane Times on March 28 that ...
Does Lao’s Xayaburi dam benefit its people?
The newly-built Xayaburi dam has raised some key concerns about Lao PDR’s hydropower strategy. While hydropower is one of the country’s main exports, Lao PDR still has to import electricity. And although the government says the Xayaburi dam will improve access to electricity for its citizens, ...
Jason Thomas
Migrant workers must return to Thailand in set timeframe
Myanmar migrant workers need to return to Thailand before the date set by the Thai government in relation to the Thingyan holiday period, sources said. The Thai government gave free entry permits to migrant workers, including those from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, during the Thingyan ...
Ko Shwe Thein
What’s in the First Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Trilateral Border Exchange?
Later this week, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia will hold the first iteration of a new trilateral border exchange between them in Vietnam. Though the event was just one among many developments within the management of border relations between these countries, its significance nonetheless bears noting ...
Myanmar-Laos border gate receives international status
The border gate between Myanmar and Laos has been upgraded and given international status, according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. The ministry has upgraded the Wan Pong check point in Tachilek, Shan State, making it an international border entry point for Myanmar ...
Regional rural development experiences discussed in capital
Rural development leaders from Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Cambodia gathered in Vientiane yesterday to share their experiences and grow their understanding of the sector. ‘Strategies and Measures for Capacity Building in Rural Development’ is a fellowship programme that runs from August 21-25. The programme ...
New law offers incentives to attract investment
A newly-amended Investment Promotion Law has recently been promulgated, offering a variety of incentives to attract investment in both promoted sectors and hardship areas. Businesses investing and operating in hardship communities (known as Area I), where infrastructure has not yet been developed, will enjoy favourable ...
At Thailand-Laos Border, A Shadow Economy Thrives
A silhouette of the casino’s golden domes and gaudy crown appears in the distance, standing out like a sore thumb against the landscape of lush tropical hills in this northwestern corner of Laos. The Ton Pheung district is part of a special economic zone (SEZ) ...
Construction of the 5th Thai-Lao friendship bridge likely to begin this year-end
Construction of the 5th Thai-Lao friendship bridge linking the northeastern province of Bueng Kan with Laos’ western township of Pakxan in Bolikhamsai province is likely to commence this year-end with the Ministry of Transport expecting to seek budget from the government in October. Keep reading ...
Thai PBS Reporter
Kingdom okays 2,400MW power purchase from Laos
A cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided that the government will purchase 2,400MW of electricity from Laos. A briefing document uploaded by government spokesman Phay Siphan to his Facebook page confirmed this. It said Cambodia will buy exclusive power from two coal-fired power plants in Laos – TSBP ...
Thou Vireak
PM: Laos attaches great importance to fight against drugs
Laos has placed a strong emphasis on combatting drug abuse and illicit trafficking, joining the international community in battling the drug trade, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith (pic) has said. The premier delivered the message joining the world in marking the 33rd International Day Against Drug Abuse ...
ASEANPLUS NEWS
China reclaims top foreign investor spot in 2016
China overtook Vietnam to reclaim the number one position as the largest foreign investor in Laos last year, according to an annual report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment. China’s investment last year soared to over US$1 billion compared to US$88.9 million in 2015 ...
87th joint patrol on Mekong River begins
The 87th Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand started on Tuesday from Jingha Port in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. The patrol, expected to last four days and three nights, will involve joint inspections and an anti-drug publicity campaign. The four countries ...
Li Xia
DPM pushes development in Champassak
Champassak province should close all loopholes relating to the timber trade, and review all the procedures that have frustrated investors and delayed development. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Sonexay Siphandone tabled these issues in discussions with Champassak authorities during his visit to the province last week. ...