News

Where Have All the Mekong River’s Fish Gone?

The Mekong was once a river teeming with fish, providing food security for millions of poor farmers as well urban centers. These days, that river of abundance has disappeared, replaced by forlorn fishers who say they’re lucky if they can secure a catch at all, ...

Tom Fawthrop

Mercury rising: Why a Thai community believes it is being poisoned across the international border

NAN, Thailand: On clear mornings, at dawn, Ms Kanchanaporn Paeng-ud stands on a hillcrest where her family processes tapioca and looks out beyond the sweeping valleys across to neighbouring country Laos. On the horizon, some 20 km away, she can see what resembles billowing columns of ...

Jack Board

Fears grow that dam across Mekong River in Laos could harm World Heritage site of Luang Prabang

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Landlocked Laos doesn’t have the famous beaches of its neighbors to attract tourists, but instead relies on the pristine beauty of its mountains and rivers and historical sites to bring in visitors. The crown jewel is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where legend ...

DAVID RISING

Vietnam to purchase wind power from Laos: EVN

EVN urged the MoIT to review and submit to the Prime Minister the proposal to import electricity from the Trong Son Wind Power Plant, including additional planning for transmission lines. The purchase price for electricity from this project is 6.95 cents/kWh, equivalent to about VND1,700/kWh. The ...

Viet Nam News / Asia News Network

Report: Forest encroachment for maize cultivation increased in Lower Mekong

Industrial-scale maize cultivation to produce animal feed, one of the two main reasons behind annual smog in the three Lower Mekong countries, has grown on a massive scale, satellite data analysis has revealed. More than 11.8 million rai (4.7 million acres) of forested area in the ...

Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA

Renewable energy in South-east Asia, including Laos, to deliver US$100bil in revenues

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Renewable energy generation in South-east Asia, including Laos, can generate US$90 billion to US$100 billion in sustainable revenues by 2030, according to a new report. The report, “Renewable Energy Manufacturing: Opportunities for Southeast Asia”, was published by the Asian Development Bank ...

Vientiane Times/Asia News Network

Where’s the beef? Laos can’t meet Chinese cattle import demands

China has agreed to import half a million cows this year from Laos, but the landlocked Southeast Asian nation is having trouble filling the order due to a lack of capacity to produce them and high quality standards imposed by Beijing, Lao government officials and ...

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya for RFA Lao service. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

Laos PM vows stronger action to improve business environment

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has pledged to amend legislation to improve the business environment amid fierce international competition by governments to improve their ease of doing business. he government will “amend the Investment Promotion Law and relevant legislation to smooth business operations ...

Vientiane Times/ANN

Laos to proceed with seventh Mekong dam despite impact concerns

Pressing ahead with its vision to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia,” the government of Laos is going forward with plans to build its seventh of nine mainstream dams on the Mekong River, despite widespread concerns that it could inflict social and environmental damage. The 728-megawatt ...

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Australia, Laos Partner on River Basin Management

Australia and Laos have been cooperating on water resources management for nearly two decades. Key milestones in recent years include the Sekong Groundwater Management Plan approved earlier this year, the revision of the Water Law endorsed by National Assembly in 2017, the development of key ...

Phontham Visapra

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