Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith discussed several matters when he visited provincial officials in Champassak on Tuesday, but emphasised five issues in particular.
The prime minister spent two days in Champassak after talks with provincial authorities in Attapeu from October 15-16.
An anonymous provincial official taking part in the discussions at the Champassak Administration Office on Tuesday told Vientiane Times yesterday “As I understood it there are five main issues that the prime minister wanted to address.”
Firstly, Mr. Thongloun asked the relevant officials to make sure that all officials in the province were paid their salaries on time each month, pointing out that Champassak has a strong economy and there was no reason for salaries to be delayed.
The anonymous official did not say how often payments had not been made on time, but said steps were being taken to ensure wages were not delayed in the future.
He said that sometimes officials did not get their salary in the same month they had worked, but were paid in the subsequent month.
Late salary payments are not only a problem in Champassak but in other provinces as well as in Vientiane. A few years ago, officials in Vientiane were always paid late.
Since Prime Minister Thongloun took office in April this year, monthly salaries in Vientiane and the provinces have been paid on time in general. However, the wages paid to teachers in some remote parts of the country are still late in arriving.
The second issue concerned the use of amphetamines in Champassak, with drug abuse on the increase nationwide. At an event held in Vientiane in June to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, more than 3 million confiscated amphetamine tablets were burned.
The third point made by the prime minister was that Champassak needs to seek more investment from domestic and overseas sources for coffee and other farms on the Bolaven Plateau in Pakxong district.
The prime minister also commented on the use of and trade in illegal fuel, but the official did not want to discuss these topics as he was not clear about the details.
Source: Vientiane Times
