The go ahead for construction of a new airport in Xayaboury province is still awaiting government approval with no decision in sight. The provincial Public Works and Transport Department sent plans for a new airport to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport earlier this year. A ...

More than five visses (one viss equals 3.6 pounds) of gold have so far been recovered in the annual gold leaves debris panning process at Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay, said U Aung Moe, convener of charity at the pagoda. “Gold leaves debris panning started on February ...

Over 1,000 prisoners were released nationwide this year, according to Laos’ Ministry of Public Security on 2 December. Officials from the Prison and Rehabilitation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security reported to Vientiane Times that across the country they released about 1,029 prisoners, including 232 ...

The formalisation of Cambodia’s derivatives sector will provide budding investors with more choices for their portfolio – although at a risk, insiders say.After years of deliberation, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) on July 2 passed a prakas, or regulation, which allows individuals ...

In a sign that they no longer have faith in the court system, more than 100 villagers in Kampong Chhnang province placed their fates in the hands of a higher power yesterday, and prayed for misfortune to rain down on a company with whom they’ve ...

Crocodile farmers in Siem Reap are turning away from the export of hatchlings to Vietnam, choosing instead sell the reptiles for their skins. Luon Nam, president of the province’s Crocodile Feeding Association, said yesterday the reliance on Vietnam was an unsustainable strategy for the industry. Any change ...

A new special economic zone aiming to make Cambodia into a regional logistics hub held an official groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, at its future home on the muddy outskirts of Phnom Penh in Kandal’s Takhmao district. The $100 million Kerry Worldbridge SEZ project is a partnership between ...

The fifth Ordinary Session of the National Assembly (NA) closed yesterday approving eight core measures to stimulate economic growth for the final six months of this year and beyond. The session saw the legislature pass 13 new and amended laws.More ...

Leaders meeting at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane on September 6 adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, who is Chair of the ASEAN Coordinating Council that oversees connectivity matters For the regional body, said the Master ...

National Assembly members have proposed that the government impose tougher measures in managing the distribution and use of dangerous chemicals so they can be brought under control. NA members expressed their wish on October 31 when debating the NA’s Standing Committee oversight of social and environmental ...

The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction would like to make clarification on a reportage with a title “In Mondulkiri,  the registration of the community lands was slow since indigenous ethnic minorities did not have money to pay the authorities”, which was broadcasted ...

Following a three-hour debate at the National Assembly, lawmakers passed a draft law approving the $2.5 billion the government spent in 2010. During the debate, CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap presented a 10-page document that he said justified the $2.5 billion in spending, which was 25 percent ...

Industrial-scale maize cultivation to produce animal feed, one of the two main reasons behind annual smog in the three Lower Mekong countries, has grown on a massive scale, satellite data analysis has revealed. More than 11.8 million rai (4.7 million acres) of forested area in the ...

The CPP on Monday quickly dismissed the latest proposal from NGOs aimed at breaking the political impasse over how to investigate irregularities surrounding last month’s contested national election. To break the deadlock, the NGOs, who have dubbed the group they formed to monitor the election ...

Investors in Asia have shrugged off terror attacks in Indonesia and the Philippines this week, but authorities are struggling to prevent further attacks and protect soft targets. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1% on Thursday, and the Philippine Stock Exchange index ...

New regulations are to be bought in for the life insurance sector, which has grown from $60 million in 2014 to $80 million last year, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.   ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy signed joint prakas with the Ministry of Environment to simplifying the environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements for artisanal and small-scale mining practices.   ...

The first comprehensive survey of the accessibility and usage of Cambodian financial services found that only 17 per cent of the Kingdom’s adult population is banked, with poor access to financial services among the key impediments to financial inclusion of those living in rural areas. ...

The Ministry of Interior plans to offer training courses to new commune councillors, Interior Minister Sar Kheng revealed yesterday after a closed-door meeting with National Election Committee officials. ...

The central bank has issued new regulations governing the licensing of payment services providers (PSPs), requiring that all firms providing online services to accept electronic payments have at least $2 million in registered capital, a move expected to increase the stability of the sector and ...