News
Caffeine high as Laos tops South-East Asia's coffee producer rankings
Laos is riding high as largest coffee exporter in ASEAN followed by Vietnam in second place and Thailand third according to figures compiled by the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment. Coffee is among Laos top export income earners in terms of agricultural commodities, earning ...
Authorities retrieve 50b kip from corrupt officials
The State Inspection Authority (SIA) has retrieved more than 50 billion kip over the past two years from corrupt officials who had previously embezzled State properties. A senior official from SIA who asked to remain anonymous told Vientiane Times on Monday that all State budget ...
Tourism sector looking to boost its capacity
The engagement of local authorities and investments will help the government boost the number of foreign travellers over the years to come, reports a senior tourism official. Deputy Director General of Tourism Development Department under the Ministry Information, Culture and Tourism Ms Phonemaly Inthaphom told ...
Govt warned to manage growing debt
Economists have warned the government needs a long-term strategy for managing its burgeoning debt against obligations while it works on securing more efficient and additional revenue sources. At the moment, Laos requires 1,559 billion kip to meet its budget expenditure following revenue shortfall in the ...
Maximum concession period cut to half century in investment promotion overhaul
A newly-amended Investment Promotion Law has moved to cut by half the maximum investment period for new concession projects to 50 years, down from previous maximum period of 99 years. The move is aimed at maximising investment benefits for the Lao economy, an official from ...
Documenting the fight to save Borneo’s animals
After graduating from school, Aaron “Bertie” Gekoski was on a fairly conventional career path for a young businessman, starting out in copyediting for a magazine before launching a modeling agency in London. But the more successful his agency became, the more Gekoski felt like something ...
Xamtay to Vietnam road construction expects delays
Construction of a new road connecting Xamtay district in Huaphan province to Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam will not be finished according to plans, say officials of the project. Head of the District’s Public Works and Transport Office, Mr Soukaseum Sonesavat, telephone interviewed by Vientiane ...
CIMBT sets sights on guiding Bt30 bn debentures
CIMB Thai Bank (CIMBT) is stepping up its push into financial advisory services and expects its corporate clients to issue debentures of up to Bt30 billion this year. The bank is also targeting bank assurance business and aims to |generate first-year premium growth of 15 ...
Safety stepped up after sexual attack on Bueng Kan hospital worker
A sexual assault on a female official at a small state-run hospital has raised concerns about the safety of health workers. The female nurse was physically and sexually molested by a teenager who turned up at a tambon-level health promotion hospital in Bueng Kan province at ...
Pickups allowed to carry passengers until new rules done: police
Senior police are pressing the Land Transport Department for new regulations that would allow pickups to carry passengers, not just cargo, in cabs or beds – as long as they have safety belts installed. Until the new regulations are issued, police have no plan to ...