Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members
Japanese aid
New cranes to raise Sihanoukville port’s capacity
State-owned Sihanoukville Autonomous Port received its first shipment of four new rubber-tyred gantry cranes from Japan this week under a $22 million investment plan that aims to expand the seaport’s container throughput capacity by 80 percent, a port official said on December 20. “We received ...
Local firm proposes $100 million aquarium
Local investment company Khmer Holding Group floated a proposal for $100 million aquarium during a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, a ministry official said on December 13. Eng Chea San, director-general of the fishery administration at the ministry, said the group discussed the project ...
Japanese get 3-Year visas
The government decided on December 8 to offer a three-year, multiple-entry visa for Japanese nationals to facilitate and attract more investment and tourists. The decision was made by Prime Minister Hun Sen during the 5th year anniversary of Minibea, a Japanese motor assembly plant at Phnom ...
MPs to mull Japan’s soft loan offer
Parliament will decide this week whether or not to accept a US$824 million soft loan from Japan. The government has proposed the loan to Pyidaungsu Hluttaw for a range of capital projects, including aid to farmers, building roads and bridges for rural development, expanding electricity ...
Govt, Japan to further develop human resources in legal sector
To realise the government’s master plan of building the country into a state governed by the rule of law, Laos will continue to work with Japan to enhance their joint efforts to develop institutional and individual capacity in the legal sector. This was the key ...
Myanma railways to offer compensation for circular line upgrade affected

Compensation is on the agenda for Myanma Railways, as planned up- grades to the Yangon circular railway gather steam. Myanma Railways general manager U Htun Aung Thin told The Myanmar Times there would be negotiation and compensation for those affected by the project. “We held ...
Japanese aid package funding three JICA projects
Three projects funded by part of a recently announced US$7.7 billion Japanese aid package are under way, according to the Japanese International Cooperation Institute. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced earlier this month that his country would provide 800 billion yen in aid, loans and ...
Gov’t to borrow over $1B this year: report
The government expects to borrow nearly $1 billion from external creditors this year, primarily for infrastructure development, pushing the national debt over $6 billion, according to a report issued on November 4 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. About a third of this amount, some ...
Government, development partners prepare for polio vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with various development partners, on November 3 held a meeting in Vientiane to prepare for a countrywide polio vaccination campaign. The polio vaccination project is supported by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. The meeting was attended by health officials ...
Agricultural research in remote areas to be extended
The National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute and National University of Laos will continue a collaborative research project for the improvement of the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in semi-mountainous areas. The two parties will continue to work at the Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural ...