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Tuesday, August 12, 2025
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Lao National Dies in Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict

Houng Jorasa, a Lao national, lost her life during violent clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that erupted on 24 July near the disputed Ta Muen Thom temple area. News of her death was made public on 10 August. Houng had lived in Thailand for over three decades with her Thai national husband, Pod Jorasa, who sustained serious injuries during the same conflict and remains hospitalized in Ubon Ratchathani Province. Thailand’s Deputy Interior Minister, Theerarat Samrejvanich, presided over Houng’s funeral ceremony on 10 August in Nam Yuen District, Ubon Ratchathani Province.  She announced that the Thai Cabinet approved emergency relief assistance totaling THB 800,000 (about USD 22,700) for her husband, with additional compensation...

Economy

Attapeu’s Economy Grows 2.8% in First Half of 2025

Attapeu province’s economy expanded by 2.81 percent in the first half of 2025, but authorities say more work is needed to meet the full-year target of 5.4 percent.  Deputy Governor...

Over 6,200 Candidates Sit National University Entrance Exam, Up by 1,000 from Last Year

Over 6,200 candidates sat for the entrance examination to the National University of Laos (NUOL) for the 2025-2026 academic year, an increase of about 1,000 from last year’s total...

Vientiane, Bokeo Wrap Up Final Test for 2025 Population, Housing Census

Vientiane and Bokeo have just completed a test run to conclude the final phase of a three-year preparation before full-scale census data collection on 3 November.  The 5th Population and...

Achievers International School Makes History as First Lao International School to Graduate in Perth, Western Australia

Achievers International School celebrated a landmark achievement on 29 July at Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, as the first and only Lao international school to graduate under the...

Applications Open for Chevening Scholarships to Study in the UK

Applications for the Chevening Scholarships, a program that offers fully funded master’s degrees at universities in the United Kingdom, are now open from 5 August to 7 October. Chevening is...

Muan Specialty, CREATIVE TALK Host Laos’s First Marketing Conference

Muan Specialty, in collaboration with CREATIVE TALK, organized the CTC LAOS MARKETING 2025 conference and workshop at the Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane from 26 to 27 July. This...

Travel

Vientiane’s Running Boom: More Than Just Exercise, It’s a Movement

In recent years, Vientiane has seen a quiet but steady rise in running culture. Once considered a niche activity, running is now gaining traction across the capital, thanks to city races, charity events, and grassroots groups that are making the sport more visible, and more social. One of the figures inspiring this shift is Lodkeo Inthakoumman, one of Laos’ top female runners from Champasack Province in the south. She has gained recognition for her strong performances in national and regional long-distance events, helping to raise the profile of running in Laos. Benefits Behind the Movement Running is more than just a growing trend, it offers a wealth of physical and mental benefits....

ASEAN Rail Tourism Corridor Takes Center Stage at Mekong Tourism Forum 2025

Laos hosted the Mekong Tourism Forum 2025 in Luang Prabang from 24 to 27 June, spotlighting the proposed ASEAN Rail Tourism Corridor (ARTC) as a key initiative to boost regional travel and connectivity. Held...

Vientiane Launches Sustainable Tourism Initiative with Innovative Technology for Growth

The Lao government has announced plans to boost tourism in Vientiane Capital with the theme "Vientiane's Sustainable Tourism," The initiative aims to incorporate innovative technologies into tourism management and create new attractions for...

Health & Environment

Laos Unleashes Over 130 Million Disease-Reducing Mosquitoes After Global Dengue Surge

On 9 August, Laos officially launched the deployment of the World Mosquito Program (WMP) Wolbachia method, releasing over 130 million Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to reduce the incidence of dengue fever. This initiative is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the Department of Communicable Disease Control, and Save the Children International in Laos, with generous support from the Australian government and the World Mosquito Program. The release comes amid a global surge in dengue cases, which hit a record high of...

Sport

Vientiane’s Running Boom: More Than Just Exercise, It’s a Movement

In recent years, Vientiane has seen a quiet but steady rise in running culture. Once considered a niche activity, running is now gaining traction across the capital, thanks to city races, charity events,...

Lao Runner ‘Lodkeo’ Dominates Pattaya Marathon

Lodkeo Inthakoumman secured another victory by finishing first in the half marathon at the Pattaya Marathon 2025, held from 19 to 20 July in Thailand. “I trained six days a week, balancing both work...

Politics

Cambodia, Thailand Agree to Extend Peace Pact

Laotian Times/AFP - Thailand and Cambodia agreed on 7 August to extend a shaky ceasefire deal that followed five...

Japan Donates USD 10.5 Million in Road Repair Equipment to Laos

On 8 August, Japan handed over road and bridge repair equipment and machinery worth JPY 1.5 billion (about USD...

Thai, Cambodian Border Remains Calm as Diplomatic Talks Continue

The situation along the Thai-Cambodian border remained calm on the morning of 5 August, coinciding with ongoing General Border...

Laos, Russia Strengthen Partnership with Nuclear Roadmap, Key Agreements

Laos and Russia are taking their 65-year friendship to a new level after President Thongloun Sisoulith’s visit to Moscow...

Feature

Eighty Years Since Hiroshima: The Morning the Sky Turned White

It was 80 years ago, and the morning of 6 August 1945, when the sky above Hiroshima turned white.  The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was carried out by the United States during World War II to force Japan's surrender, marking the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare and killing over 100,000 people instantly or within days. "I Thought the Sun Had Fallen" “It was brighter than anything I had ever seen,” said Kuwamoto Katsuko. “I thought the sun had fallen.” Born in 1939 and only six years old at the time of the atomic bomb, Kuwamoto was a young schoolgirl attending class in Hiroshima, just 3.5 kilometers from the bomb’s hypocenter.  The bell had just rung to signal the start of class when a sudden explosion shattered the school’s windows with a deafening roar.  Outside, entire buildings lay in ruins, smoke choked the sky, and flames consumed the streets. Kuwamoto’s home, which was located closer to the city center, had collapsed under the blast.  “After the blast, my mother was trapped under the debris of our wooden house,” Kuwamoto recalled. “A neighbor heard her voice and dug her out. Together, they ran away from the...

Cambodia, Thailand Agree to Extend Peace Pact

Laotian Times/AFP - Thailand and Cambodia agreed on 7...

Japan Donates USD 10.5 Million in Road Repair Equipment to Laos

On 8 August, Japan handed over road and bridge...

Thai, Cambodian Border Remains Calm as Diplomatic Talks Continue

The situation along the Thai-Cambodian border remained calm on...

Laos, Russia Strengthen Partnership with Nuclear Roadmap, Key Agreements

Laos and Russia are taking their 65-year friendship to...

Laos Braced for Blow of Trump Tariff Threat

AFP - Hawking clothes outside the garment factory where...