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EuroCham Laos Organizes Its Annual General Assembly, Hosts Laos-Europe Business Networking Event With EU Delegation

(Photo supplied)

The European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Laos (or ECCIL EuroCham Laos) gathered all its members at this year’s Annual General Meeting on 23 May to discuss the future of the Chamber.

Lao Prime Minister Urges Action Against Forest Destruction Ahead of Environment Day

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone

As World Environment Day approaches, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has delivered a crucial message to the nation, emphasizing the need for heightened awareness and collaboration to safeguard natural resources and protect the environment.

East, Southeast Asia Had Record Methamphetamine Seizures Last Year. Profits Remain in Billions

Thai police officers stand behind packages containing seized crystal meth, methamphetamine, and heroin during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand on 28 September 2023. (Photo: AP)

BANGKOK (AP) — East and Southeast Asia are awash in record amounts of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a new report on 28 May. It traced their source largely to the cross-border region known as the Golden Triangle where ThailandMyanmar, and Laos meet.

Laos Gears Up for First Digital Population, Housing Census in 2025 With Pilot Test

Laos Gears Up for First Digital Population, Housing Census in 2025 With Pilot Test
(photo supplied)

Laos is preparing to conduct its 5th Population and Housing Census (PHC) in March 2025, with a pilot test set to take place in Vientiane Capital, Houaphanh, Bokeo, and Sekong provinces. This will be the first digital census in Laos and aims to provide a detailed account of the total population, including residents in remote areas, and gather information on their living conditions.

Nam Theun 2 Power Company Boosts Lao Government Revenue with Significant Tax Contribution

(Photo: Nam Theun 2)

Nam Theun 2 Power Company handed over more than USD 15 million in income taxes from its electricity production in 2023 to the Lao government. Additionally, the company has made an advance payment of over USD 3.8 million for the first quarter of 2024.

Lao Nationals Apprehended in Vietnam For Drug Smuggling

(Photo: VOV)

Local border guards in Quang Tri Province, in north-central Vietnam, on 23 May, intercepted five individuals from Laos attempting to transport narcotics through the La Lay International Border Gate in Dakrong District.

Luang Prabang Approves New Economic Zone for Tourism, Economic Growth

Luang Prabang (Photo by Evensong Film)
Luang Prabang (Photo by Evensong Film)

Luang Prabang is set to launch a new economic zone for the development of ecology, agriculture, and tourism at a 7,693-hectare site in Luang Prabang City and Xiengngeun district.

On 23 May, during the 1st Ordinary Session of the Luang Prabang Provincial People’s Council (Series 2), local authorities in Luang Prabang approved two draft agreements to outline the plan. However, a start date and an estimated cost for the project are yet to be disclosed.

According to local media, the primary goal of the scheme is to enhance tourism and foreign investors to Luang Prabang. The project also aims to improve agricultural production and enhance agricultural exchanges in the region.

Meanwhile, the officials have delineated the rights and provisions for people affected by the economic zone’s construction, including the expected compensation for those impacted by the project. During the meeting in Luang Prabang, the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department further provided the participants with feedback and clarifications.

Before approval, the scheme underwent thorough scrutiny by the People’s Council of Luang Prabang province, ensuring that the preparation processes complied with the Law on Legislation and the Law on Land Allocation. 

 

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Will Be Indicted for Royal Defamation, Prosecutors Say

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, arrives at Don Muang airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, 22 August, 2023. Thai prosecutors on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, said Thaksin will be indicted for defaming the monarchy, three months after he was freed on parole on other charges. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai prosecutors said on 29 May former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted for defaming the monarchy, three months after he was freed on parole on other charges.

Thaksin will not yet be indicted because he had filed a request to postpone his original appointment on Wednesday with proof that he has COVID-19, Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, said at a news conference.

The attorney general’s office scheduled a new appointment for Thaksin’s indictment on June 18, Prayuth said, adding that Thaksin will also be indicted for violating the Computer Crime Act.

The law on defaming the monarchy, an offense known as lese majeste, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is controversial not only because critics consider it harsh, but also because they charge it is used for political purposes to punish government critics.

Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006. His opponents then had accused him of disrespecting King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. Thaksin’s ouster set off years of struggle between his supporters and his opponents, who were generally staunch royalists. The political polarization led to unprecedented public debate about the monarchy’s role, which sharpened when student-led protests for greater democracy took the the streets in 2020.

Thaksin had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence on charges related to corruption and abuse of power. He was released on parole in February from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses.

On his return, he was moved almost immediately from prison to the hospital on grounds of ill health, and about a week after that King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year. Thaksin was granted parole because of his age — he is 74 — and ill health, leaving him free for the remainder of his one-year sentence.

Thaksin’s return was interpreted as part of a political bargain between the Pheu Thai Party, the latest in a string of parties that he has supported, and their longstanding rivals in the conservative establishment to stop the progressive Move Forward Party from forming a government after its victory in last year’s general election.

But shortly after his return, the attorney general’s office said it had revived an investigation into whether Thaksin almost nine years ago violated the law against defaming the monarch.

Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 with violating the law for remarks he made to journalists when he was in Seoul, South Korea, a year before that, but the investigation could proceed only after he was presented with the charge in person in the hospital in January, officials said. Thaksin had denied the charges and submitted a statement defending himself.

Prosecutor’s spokesperson Prayuth said there is enough evidence for the attorney general to indict Thaksin. He said the prosecutors have already prepared their statement and documents to present to the court next month.