News
A ripe market for avocados
Avocados have never been a big part of the Khmer diet, making infrequent appearances in dessert dishes or drenched in condensed milk as a smoothie. But a small local market for the green pear-shaped fruit is forming, and experts say it could be a profitable ...
Pak Beng Hydropower project looks set to move forward
The construction of the Pak Beng Hydropower Project is expected to begin at the end of this year after reaching agreement among Lower Mekong countries. A group of technical officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat and media organisations ...
Laos buys fewer Thai goods after VAT at Friendship Bridge
Laotians have spent less money on goods in Thailand after Vientiane imposed a 10% value-added tax late last year, a Lao customs official said on January 26. Soutchai Inthavong, deputy chief of the customs international checkpoint at the Friendship Bridge, said the number of Laotians ...
Bridge crossing nets 98 million kip from Value Added Tax
Customs checks at Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Vientiane have netted the country over 98 million kip via the 10 Percent Value Added Tax since implementation of stricter controls in late 2016. Deputy Head of the Customs International Checkpoint under Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, Mr Soutchai Inthavong ...
World Bank loans support high-carbon development in Indonesia: report
Despite their stated aim of boosting low-carbon growth, World Bank policy loans to countries like Indonesia are creating subsidies for coal, gas and oil projects, according to a report released today by the nonprofit Bank Information Center. At the same time, these policy programs undercut ...
Foreign ministers move to enhance, deepen friendly Laos-Cambodia relations
Lao and Cambodian governments are looking toward to steps in furthering bilateral cooperation and further deepening friendly relations following an exchange visits by high-ranking delegations. Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith and his delegation paid official visited to Cambodia from January 24-25 in ...
Govt orders action to resolve illegal occupation of land
The government has ordered action to address the illegal occupation and purchase of land, which was one of the outcomes of the government cabinet meeting for January that closed on January 25. Emerging land issues raised have been illegal occupation of lands including land in ...
Vietnamese luxury wooden furniture makers feel pain of regulations and deforestation
A mere 45 minutes northeast of Vietnam’s bustling capital city of Hanoi is the carpentry town of Đồng Kỳ, where conversations take place above the incessant din of electric saws cutting wood. A thin layer of sawdust coats every surface, and after a few hours ...
China warned of risk to banks from One Belt, One Road initiative
Beijing’s plan to invest almost $1tn in infrastructure in some of the world’s poorest countries is raising concerns of risks for the Chinese banks backing the projects. Turmoil in countries such as Venezuela, where China has lent $65bn during the past decade, has led to ...
Vientiane dengue fever rates higher this year: authorities
Health authorities in the capital have admitted that the outbreak of dengue fever is higher this year compared to the same period in 2016. From January 1-24 this year, 70 dengue fever infections have been recorded in Vientiane, while in the same period last year ...
