News
Champassak to forge ahead with Mekong management project
Authorities in Champassak province are confident that the Mekong River Integrated Management Project planned for Pakxe city will soon resume now that the Ministry of Finance has submitted a request for an additional loan to complete the first phase of the Landslide Protection Project. Officials in ...
Times Reporters
Farmers Encouraged to Replace Tobacco Crops in Laos
Health officials in Laos have asked the government to encourage farmers to grow other crops as alternatives to growing tobacco. Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Sanong Thongsana, has provided answers to questions by National Assembly members on Friday regarding the amendment of the draft law on ...
Phayboune Thanabouasy
Thailand agrees to buy electricity from Laos, ignoring NGOs’ concerns
Thai power authorities have agreed after a long delay to buy electricity from three hydropower projects in Laos, pushing aside objections from Thai NGOs who say the dams’ operations will harm the ecosystem along the Mekong River. The Nov. 5 decision by the Thai National Energy ...
eported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
China-backed gold mine in Laos pollutes local river, killing fish
A gold mine run by a Chinese company in southern Laos is releasing waste into a river in Sekong province, killing fish and fouling water used by villagers for drinking and bathing, Lao sources say. The Lao Kaleum Gold Mining Project began operations last year and ...
Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Lao inspectors uncover more than $216M lost to corruption incidents
Laos’ State Inspection Authority (SIA) has discovered that more than 2.24 trillion kip ($216 million) has been lost in incidents involving corruption, following investigations conducted over the past year. The authority said a huge amount of money had been misappropriated, consisting of 1.86 trillion kip, $24.88 ...
Asia News Network
Ministry mulls route of Vientiane-Vietnam expressway
The government is discussing the planned route of an expressway running from Vientiane through Xaysomboun, Xieng Khuang and Huaphan provinces to the Vietnamese border. A videoconference organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investment identified the key locations of the expressway corridor, which will end at ...
Times Reporters
Republic of Korea provides US$9 million for rural development
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry signed a Record of Discussion online on November 1 to initiate the Integrated Rural Development Project in Champassask, Saravan and Xekong provinces. The 5-year project is being implemented until 2025 with a total ...
Times Reporters
New reports highlight impacts of human and environmental incursions in Mekong
Overfishing and habitat degradation caused by rapid population growth, infrastructure development, and climate change are stressing the Lower Mekong Basin’s fisheries while changes in the Basin’s aquatic ecosystems are impacting social conditions, reports Laotian Times. This was discussed in two reports released today by the Mekong River ...
New Reports Point to Dams 'Stressing' Cambodia's Mekong River Fisheries
Kong Kim, a fisherman in Cambodia’s northeast, is worried about the next few years. “I am concerned that there will be no fish in the future,” the 62-year-old told VOA Khmer earlier this week. “Fish are now less and less.” Once he could fish the Mekong River ...
Sun Narin
End Poverty — Build a More Resilient Economy in Lao PDR
October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, or End Poverty Day as it is often known, one of the most important days on the calendar for people working in governments and development agencies all over the world. Let me be clear: poverty ...
