News
Thai dredging vessels told to retreat from Lao side of the Mekong
The operators of Thai sand dredgers working in the Mekong River close to Khammuan province signed a document last week stating they would not continue to cross the border into Laos. Deputy Head of the Khammuan provincial Administration Office, Mr Vannavong Vongphachan, told Vientiane Times on ...
UXO sector achieves new clearance milestone
The year 2015 was a year of significant progress and innovation for the UXO sector in Laos, thanks to a new evidence-based survey method. The sector has seen a considerable increase in the number of cluster munitions cleared per hectare of land; from fewer than seven ...
Cost of petrol dips as price caps take effect
Prices at the pumps dropped on 15 March as Cambodia’s government’s fuel-pricing formula came into effect, with the country’s major petrol retailers advertising regular gasoline at 3,050 riel per litre, premium at 3,150 riel per litre and diesel at 2,700 riel per litre, in accordance ...
Kratie farmers petition government over land dispute
Five days after Kratie provincial authorities bulldozed some of the homes of 104 families they accuse of living on state land in Chhlong district, about 60 residents delivered petitions around Phnom Penh on March 15, calling for the release of three men who were allegedly ...
Police shut down NGO event for indigenous communities
Police in Ratanakkiri province on 15 March ordered rights group Adhoc to call off a planned workshop meant to inform local indigenous communities of their rights, claiming the NGO had failed to secure the necessary permission from authorities. Keep reading ...
Mystery blaze destroys timber, vehicles at Pursat forestry office
At least 27 vehicles loaded with confiscated timber were destroyed by fire while parked in the Kravanh Forestry Administration compound in Pursat province on 13 March, leaving no evidence for potential prosecution and rights groups doubting the authorities’ version of events. Keep reading ...
Passenger train to resume operations on April 9
After a 14-year wait, scheduled passenger train services between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville will resume on 9 April, according to a statement issued by Royal Railways on 14 March. Keep reading ...
Laos placed in top quarter of global peace rankings
Laos has been ranked 41st out of 162 countries in terms of peace, according to the recent Global Peace Index 2015 (GPI) report. The report ranked countries in five categories from ‘Very High’ to ‘Very Low’, and had Laos in the second best ‘High’ grouping alongside ...
Minister tours provinces to promote election campaign
Laos’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara visited the National Assembly election campaign in the provinces of Borikhamxay and Vientiane last week to explain the significance of the election. Keep reading ...
NLD set to claim presidency
Myanmar’s parliament is set to vote on 15 March for the new president and two vice presidents – despite a last-minute attempt by the military to derail one nomination – with the NLD confident its large majority will see U Htin Kyaw elected as Daw Aung ...
