News
Japan supports the replacement of bridges on Laos' National Road No.9
The Japanese government has provided a grant for the ‘Project for Reconstruction of the Bridges on National Road No 9 in Laos,’ valued at 70 million Japanese Yen (over 4.6 billion kip). The signing ceremony was held on 24 November at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ...
Publisher, four others jailed over calendar
A Muslim publisher and four others have been detained in Insein Prison for attempting to produce a calendar containing quotes from government officials in the 1950s and 1960s using the term “Rohingya”. The calendar contains quotes from speeches by former prime minister U Nu and other ...
Myanmar MPs push for changes to Arms Act
Myanmar’s pre-colonial law on weapons should be updated on the basis of expert advice, two upper-house members of parliament say. U Shu Maung, Amyotha Hluttaw MP for Shan State constituency 8, said the act appeared to take different forms in upper and lower Myanmar and ...
Myanmar government moves to bring non-ceasefire groups into dialogue
The Myanmar government’s chief ceasefire negotiator has indicated that the ethnic armed groups that refused to sign last month’s nationwide ceasefire agreement still have a chance of being included in the process leading up to political dialogue. His remarks indicated a shift in government policy to ...
More suspected cholera outbreaks reported
Local politicians and relief workers in central Shan State have reported two suspected outbreaks of cholera among villagers displaced by the fighting that is focused on two townships, Kye-thi and Mine Shu/Mong Shu. Shan Youth Group activist Ko Sai Oo said he was trying to ...
Vientiane hosts ASEAN journalists' workshop
The “ASEAN journalists to cover the biggest cultural event workshop” was launched on 23 November in Vientiane, and will run from 23-26 November. Media personnel from ASEAN member countries are attending the workshop to exchange their traditions and culture and also share news reporting skills on their biggest cultural events. The ...
Lao Prime Minister meets US President at ASEAN summit
Lao Prime Minister Mr Thongsing Thammavong met US President Barack Obama in Kuala Lumpur on 21 November to discuss the expanding relationship between the two nations. During the meeting PM Thongsing Thammavong highlighted the growing partnership between the US and Laos in the health and UXO clearance ...
Low yields sour Savannakhet sugarcane farmers' prospects
Some individual sugarcane growers in Savannakhet province now owe the milling company as much as 174 million kip following their poor harvests, it was recently revealed. According to a workshop on reducing debt risks for farmers in Vientiane, some families in Savannakhet’s Xaybouly district are in ...
Lao Deputy Prime Minister promotes rice production in Khammuan
Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, and other senior officials last week visited Nongbok district, Khammuan province for the promotion of agricultural production to ensure food security and a commercial basis. The delegation was warmly welcomed by the provincial authorities, especially the agriculture development promotion company ...
Johanna Powell's Laos river boat death was accidental
Passengers on a river trip in Laos in south-east Asia have told an inquest how their boat sank in seconds, killing a woman from south Wales. Johanna Powell, from Cardiff, was with three friends on the Mekong River near Pak Beng in April. The 37-year-old, a BBC ...
