News
How hydropower dams impact the communities they're built in
Over the last two decades, almost 1,000 hydropower dams have been built around the globe. And while these dams provide many benefits to farmers, wildlife and the climate, the costs of their construction on local communities where they are built has largely been left out ...
Liz Schondelmayer, Michigan State University
Ministry gives green light to gold mining operation
The government has authorised a local company to mine gold ore on a 18.28 square-kilometre site over a period of 20 years. An agreement on the project was signed by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Mrs Khamchan Vongsenboun and the company. The company will invest ...
Times Reporters
Hongsa Power provides 100 houses for families displaced by construction
Hongsa Power Co., Ltd. has built 136 houses and other essential infrastructure to accommodate people who had to move from their homes in Kiewngiew village, Ngeun district, Xayaboury province, when the company extended its mining operations. The 136 new houses have electricity and water connections, while ...
Phomphong Laoin
Authorities in Laos Draft Law on Hydropower Safety
The law will cover dams and hydropower installations and set standards or quality control procedures for each phase of construction, Lao National Radio reports. Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Sinava Souphanouvong, spoke during a conference held to discuss the draft law on hydropower safety that ...
Phayboune Thanabouasy
Mekong Countries Urged to Take Action as River Experiences Three Years of Low Flows
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat has renewed its call for the six Mekong countries to urgently address regional low flows, water fluctuations and drought as the Lower Mekong River experiences record low flows for the third consecutive year. During the last three years, flows in ...
Latsamy Phonevilay
Unraveling the Mystery of Laos U-Turn from Renewables to Coal to Power the Battery of Southeast Asia
After years of hydropower supercharging Laos’ successful ambition to become the key power exporter in the region, Laos’ energy export market has taken a surprising turn towards coal. According to most international analysis from Carbon Tracker to Bloomberg, carbon is dying. Yet in Laos, energy carbon production went ...
Kannikar Petchkaew
Time for America to Play Offense in China’s Backyard
As the Biden administration begins its second year in office, it is evident that its focus on the Indo-Pacific and geopolitical competition against China remains uneven. There are two small but strategically important countries that have been all but ignored by the administration so far: ...
Derek Grossman
Lao PM’s visit to enhance bilateral partnership in 2022: Vietnamese Ambassador
The upcoming Việt Nam visit by Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh during January 8-10, the first by the Lao leader in his position, will help reinforce the bilateral ties and create motivation for their comprehensive partnership in 2022, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyễn Bá Hùng has ...
VNS
Persons with disabilities given opportunities for income generation
Persons with disabilities and their households in Xieng Khuang and Savannakhet provinces are set to benefit from income generating activities, thanks to support from the Okard project. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Okard Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) project has provided 520 million ...
Times Reporters
The Completed China-Laos Railway: Bringing Opportunities for ASEAN and the Asia Pacific
In early December 2021, Laos inaugurated the Boten-Vientiane railway, a 414-kilometer (km) electrified high-speed railway that runs between the capital Vientiane and the town of Boten on the Laos-China border. This US$6 billion project (equivalent to one-third of Laos’ GDP) is backed by China as part ...
Ayman Falak Medinav