Government
National government
China vows to advance strategic partnership with Laos
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping has expressed his willingness to advance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Laos, a Chinese envoy said on 26 January. Keep reading ...
Bomb-clearing in Laos may get more U.S. help
Secretary of State John Kerry said on 25 January that the United States is considering increasing financial aid to help Laos clear the countryside of unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War more than four decades ago. Speaking at the end of a one-day stop in ...
Laos undergoes Communist Party leadership change
The Lao Communist Party has undergone a change in leadership during its 10th Party Congress, signaling the country’s future direction as it prepares to chair the Association of South East Asian Nations. The move came ahead of a visit to Laos by U.S. Secretary of ...
Vietnam congress ‘not likely to affect Cambodia ties’
As Vietnam’s Communist Party continues its weeklong congress to choose its general secretary, experts and analysts said the outcome would likely do little to change the historically close relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam’s ruling parties. Early media reports indicate that Nguyen Phu Trong will run for ...
Groups urge Kerry to demand government reforms
Five rights groups on 24 January called for United States Secretary of State John Kerry to use a visit to Phnom Penh this week to demand the Cambodian government stop persecuting political opponents and rights, environmental and trade union activists. Keep reading ...
In rare visit to tiny Laos, Kerry seeks closer relations
Secretary of State John F. Kerry arrived on 24 January in Laos, where the United States is helping the government clear a countryside still littered with unexploded ordnance dating to the Vietnam War. Kerry’s one-day stop for talks with senior officials marks a rare diplomatic visit. He ...
USDP majority parliament passes trimmed budget for next government
Parliament has passed the K23.62 trillion (US$18.28 billion) budget for the 2016-17 financial year starting in March. In effect, this means that defeated members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party government have bequeathed spending patterns and constraints to the incoming government elected last November. Review committees ...
HRW slams ASEAN invites to US summit
Human Rights Watch has called on US President Barack Obama to make sure that human rights are at the top of the agenda when the US leader hosts the heads of ASEAN at a summit in California next month. Keep reading ...
Secretary of State Kerry visit to Laos confirmed
US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay an official visit to Laos on 24 January with a view to strengthening links between Vientiane and Washington, the local Foreign Ministry confirmed. Keep reading ...
Laos hosts first ASEAN-Russia meeting
The First Meeting of the ASEAN-Russia Eminent Persons Group (AREPG) is taking place in Vientiane to review and further enhance relations between ASEAN and Russia. Keep reading ...
