News
Dying for land in Lao?
Reports recently surfaced revealing that 69-year-old Thitphay Thammavong had been arrested in Lao last month on 16 September. His crime? According to his family members, he had refused to sign papers that would give up control of his 1.5-hectare plot of land near Viengkham village ...
Sheith Khidhir
Lao Man, 69, Arrested for Refusing to Give Up Land His Family Has Held Since 1965
An elderly man in Laos was detained last month for refusing to give up land that had been in his family since 1965, family members said. Thitphay Thammavong, 69, was arrested on September 16 after declining to sign papers that would cede control of his 1.5 ...
Japan pouring US$17.8 million into Luang Prabang water supply upgrade
The Japanese government is funding a grant aid project worth US$17.8 million to improve the water supply system in Luang Prabang city, under a grant agreement signed in Vientiane on Thursday. The agreement was signed by the Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of ...
Working Together For Lao PDR’s Sustainable LDC Graduation
The Lao PDR is currently listed as a Least Developed Country (LDC). Countries recorded in the LDC category are defined as low-income countries that are facing severe structural impediments to sustainable development. Due to their status, these countries are granted exclusive access to specific international support ...
Provincial Official in Laos Wants to Cancel Concession for Chinese Coal Company
Officials for the local government in Laos’ Houaphanh province say they want to cancel the survey contract of a Chinese coal company after learning that its operations in the province have caused hardship for villagers who have yet to see any compensation. The company reportedly damaged ...
Laos' Luang Prabang dam reaches key development stage
The Luang Prabang hydropower project has reached another key development stage after the government asked the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to host the prior consultation on the project. The government authorised the Vietnam Petro Power Corporation to build the Luang Prabang hydro plant in 2007. As ...
Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Laos, Korea to partner in clean energy systems
Laos and the Republic of Korea are keen to set new heights for expanding their energy ties after becoming strategic partners in the hydropower sector. The Laos-Korea Energy Experts Joint Workshop, with the theme “Cooperation in the Power Sector”, was held in Vientiane yesterday as part ...
Bounfaeng Phaymanivong
Mekong River Commission Defends Seven-Week Silence on Lao Dam Project Submission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Wednesday defended its decision to wait nearly seven weeks before officially notifying the public that Laos began a preliminary procedure for the construction of a large dam that would be its fifth on the Mekong river. The Lao government informed the ...
Laos to go ahead with Luang Prabang dam project despite warnings
The government of Laos has officially informed the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its plan to build a new dam in Luang Prabang, despite warnings about the project’s environmental effects. “We confirm that the MRC Secretariat has received the notification from the Lao government on the Luang ...
Andrew Nachemson
Thai NGOs Speak Out Against Proposed Dam in Laos
A new dam planned for construction on the Mekong River in Laos is causing great concern for environmental NGOs from Thailand, who say Laos’ fifth big dam on the river will have adverse effects on fish and people in the region. The Luangprabang hydropower project would ...
