Thailand has decided to uphold a sentence of life imprisonment for Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha, charged with smuggling 1.2 million methamphetamine pills, locally known as ya ba, into the country in 2016.
The Thai Court of Appeal found that Mr. Xaysana had arranged for the drugs to be smuggled from Laos and for a vehicle with a false compartment in the roof to conceal them.
Bangkok Post quoted the court ruling as saying that Mr. Xaysna must serve his term in Thailand since the smuggling attempt was aimed there, although it happened outside the country.
The court also dismissed Mr. Xaysanaโs appeal that Thai authorities had misunderstood him, possibly due to a wrong translation between the Thai and Lao languages.
Mr. Xaysana has been linked to several of Thailandโs rich and high-profile but has consistently denied being a major player in the regional narcotics trade.
According to the indictment filed in April, Mr. Xaysana and six other then-alleged accomplices conspired in September 2016 to smuggle 1.2 million speed pills into Thailand from Laos through the Nong Khai border checkpoint.
At that time, it was speculated that members of the drug ring were going to transfer the pills to other members in Mr. Xaysanaโs network in southern Thailand, who were then going to attempt to smuggle them into Malaysia.
Police arrested several members of the network who were identified to be in possession of the drugs in October 2016.
Lao national baseball team is to visit Vietnam between December 26 and 29 for a friendly match with local teams.
The Lao team will participate in a match with Vietnam National University and Korean International School in Hanoi on December 27 and 28, respectively.
Laos is currently hosting its first professional baseball league that lasts until January 11 at Sapphavisa Stadium in the Lao capital Vientiane.
A total of six teams will participate, including Lao J Brothers, National University of Laos Miracle and four more from secondary schools in the capital.
Laos saw its first baseball team formed in 2013 and participated in the 2018 Asian Games, the first time that the country dispatched its baseball team to an international match.
The team is currently led by Kwon Young-jin, a former coach and supervisor at South Koreaโs Daegu High School baseball team.
The country formed a government-backed baseball federation in 2018 and began in April this year to build its first baseball stadium in Vientiane.
It is also currently constructing the countryโs first baseball stadium, which is expected to be completed this month.
South Koreaโs financial group DGB Group will support KRW 300 million (USD 256,200) for the construction of the stadium, with land and other necessary support provided by the Lao government.
The country began construction in April this year, recently completing soil flattening. The constructor is currently laying artificial turf.
The Lao Baseball Federation also plans to hold an international baseball league to celebrate the opening of the stadium by inviting teams from a total of five Southeast Asian countries.
A nationwide manhunt in Thailand has come to a close as authorities managed to arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang, dubbed the โJack the Ripperโ of Thailand, after he had been identified by an eyewitness who had boarded the same train. Pumpuang is suspected of murdering a 51-year-old woman in Khon Khaen last Sunday.
The alleged fifty-five-year-old serial killer was spotted on train No. 234 at Khok Kruat Station in Muang Distract bound for Bangkok, according to an article from the Bangkok Post. A mark over his left eyebrow had caused a worried university student to recognize the Pumpuang, whose face had been plastered all over television and posters, to alert the authorities. He was arrested by police at Pak Chong Station hours after the student confirmed that it was indeed the suspect.
Thai authorities arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang. Photo credit: Royal Thai Police
Earlier, a witness claimed to have seen a man fitting Pumpuangโs description disguised as a monk in Udon Thani. Authorities had surmised that the suspect might have planned to flee to adjacent Nong Khai in an ultimate attempt to cross into Laos.
Immigration and security officials at the Lao-Thai border were on high alert, checking both motor vehicles and pedestrians, as they searched for Pumpuang. Since Tuesday, all vehicles heading to Laos had been scrutinized for signs of the alleged criminal at all border checkpoints. The Nongkhai Immigration Department had put posters with the suspectโs pictures in bulletin boards around the border areas. Undercover Thai detectives had been deployed to search areas within the vicinity.
Pumpuang was originally given the death penalty for the serial murder of five people, but this was later reduced to life in prison. His life sentence started in 2005 and he was released earlier this year for good behavior.
Newly appointed Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, met with Trip.com Group CEO Ms. Jane Sun last Friday for discussion on ways the website may assist tourism in Laos.
World heritage sites such as Luang Prabang, Wat Phu, and the Plain of Jars illustrate the charm of Laos and demonstrate the importance of tourism to the national economy.
The Lao tourism sector has formalized arrangements with a growing number of foreign travel companies, and the nation now includes 15 international tourism ports. Meanwhile, tourism infrastructure is being upgraded, and online visa systems have made the entrance to Laos faster and more convenient.
During their talks, Ms. Jane Sun suggested that strengthening of resources and information between Laos and China, with an emphasis on sustainable and eco-tourism, would be mutually beneficial.
โThe Chinese market is crucial to Lao tourism, and we welcome Trip.com Group to grow its presence in our local tourism industry,โ said Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun, according to a report by Trip.com Group.
The Vientiane Times reported yesterday that more than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos this year, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jane Sun said she hopes to strengthen cooperation with Laos in the development of new products and the promotion of tourism.
The global visa service center of Trip.com Group has already formed an exclusive strategic partnership with Laos after the opening of a visa โgreen channel,โ which will allow tourists from China to enjoy a streamlined visa application process.
Trip.com Group says that their statistics indicate visa applications to Laos via their website platform have risen by 80 percent compared to last year.
Trip.com Group and the Lao government intend to formalize a strategic agreement in the near future to make both countries more prominent international tourist destinations.
South Korea and Laos have joined hands to develop the sport of Taekwondo in both countries.
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. It has been an Olympic sport since 2000.
South Koreaโs Seogwipo Taekwondo Federation and the Lao National Taekwondo Federation agreed on a partnership on December 14 seeking future cooperation and exchanges of talent.
The partnership came after Seogwipo Taekwondo Federation dispatched a total of nine middle school Taekwondo participants to Vientiane between December 11 and 15 for a friendly match with their Lao counterparts upon invitation by the Lao National Taekwondo Federation. The two parties also participated in joint training exercises.
Laos first introduced the Korean martial art in March 2017. But the country made a historic debut not long after the inception of it.
Laosโs Pha Manyvong reached quarterfinals in the 2017 World Taekwondo Asian Para Taekwondo Open in Chuncheon, South Korea. It was the first time for Lao Taekwondo practitioners to compete in the international match.
At that time, the 20-year-old from Vang Vieng defeated Kazakhstanโs Zhumagali Yerzhanov in the last 16 of the under 61kg K42 (13-1), before losing in the quarter-final to Iranโs world No.1 Saeid Sadeghianpour.
Laosโs Luang Prabang ranks 11th in a list of top 20 places to travel in 2020, published by Architectural Digest.
Architectural Digest publishes its list of top travel destinations every year. To be included in the list, a travel destination must be appealing to architecture and design lovers, according to the digest.
Luang Prabang ranked 11th on the list and was described as โrelatively under the radar,โ but is to celebrate 25 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020. The Architectural Digest website continues:
A compelling blend of French colonial and traditional Buddhist architecture makes the town worth visiting, especially for anyone interested in learning about Buddhist culture and traditional Laotian crafts like weaving. The new Avani+ Luang Prabang, which opened last year in former French officer quarters, is the perfect base from which to explore. Itโs located in the heart of town, just steps from the night market and in easy walking distance to Mount Phousi, beautiful Buddhist temples, charming restaurants, and the Mekong River.
Topping the list was Lille, France, thanks to its long list of cultural events and interesting architecture, with the country of Japan taking second place in line with the nationโs hosting of the upcoming Olympic Games. Dessau, Germany, took third place in the list of top 20 places to travel thanks to the Bauhaus Museum Dessau.
Bangkok, capital city of Thailand, the only other Southeast Asian city in the list, ranked 16th, thanks to its promotion of the arts, well-designed shopping malls, and ranking as the worldโs most visited city in 2019.
The National University of Laos (NUOL) has won an award of excellence for its newly-built Confucius Institute at the 2019 International Chinese Language Education Conference held in China.
At the conference, which was held on December 9, the institute at NUOL was selected as one of 27 best institutes out of 550 around the world for the 2019 Confucius Institute of Excellence Award, with the universityโs facility ranked 12th.
The Confucius Institute, backed by Chinaโs Ministry of Education, is designed to promote international Chinese language education policies, standards, teachers, teaching materials, teaching methods, examinations, brand building, and deepening Sino-foreign cooperation.
The conference was convened on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Confucius Institute.
The Chinese government granted LAK 97 billion (USD 10.8 million) to construct a new Confucius Institute at the NUOL, which was completed in April.
The new building is three storeys high and can accommodate more than 5,000 students covering an area of 15,600 square meters.
The Laotian Times brings our readers a round-up of some of the most shared topics this past week, based on reach and engagement on Facebook. From gold medals in Laos and air ticket scams to falling boulders and UXOs, this list summarizes the types of content that are hysterically shared on Lao social media.
Food Galore!
Lao people definitely love their food. Steamed paddy field crabs, boiled bamboo shoots and snails, fermented fish dip, grilled fish and fish/ant egg/mushroom soups are some of the flavor-filled Lao dishes featured here in this mouthwatering food collage.
Last Sunday, while Miss Universe Laos Vichitta โMayโ Phonevilay was not able to bring back the crown from America, Lao social media put their national pride aside and conveyed their kudos to South African winner Zozibini Tunzi. While there were negative remarks in the comments section, expected in a country where light rather than dark skin is generally considered beautiful, the top comments showed tremendous support for the new Miss Universe. These words from two Facebook users illustrate this point:
โIt appears that those that are saying she is not beautiful, donโt possess international standards of beauty.โ
On Dec 4, Khamxom went out to look for food near Nongpeeng Village, Khammouane. He was tragically killed in a boulder landslide. His body was recovered four days later by army and police personnel who assisted villagers.
Lao social media users erupted in a proud frenzy when Soukan โOaโ Taipanyavong won the countryโs first gold medal, defeating a competitor from Indonesia in kickboxing, at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines. Read the full story here.
In this heartfelt post, Soukan is seen having an adorable moment with his wife who came to welcome him at the airport. Congratulations to all the medalists of the Lao national team!
After five days of no response, a Lao woman took to Facebook after she had been conned into buying airline tickets from the man in the post. The woman claimed that she had transferred money to him but he did not honor his commitment to issue airline tickets for her. Moreover, the scammer has now deactivated his Facebook profile.
This post shows an amazing aerial video depicting ordinary Vietnamese taking to the streets on cars and motorbikes as they celebrated Vietnamโs placing 2nd at the 30th SEA Games. The video follows hundreds of Vietnamese on their vehicles on the highway as they proudly waved their flags in honor of their national athletes.
Observation of President Kaysone Phomvihaneโs Birthday Anniversary
The 13th of December 2019 marked the anniversary of the birthday of deceased Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane. Considered one of the founding fathers of modern Laos, his birthday is observed as a special day each year. Social media users expressed their love of the former leader via Facebook.
PT Prachuap FC, a football club in Thailand, has hired Soukaphone Vongchienkham for 100 million kip ($11,200 USD). The โLao Messiโ is set to receive a monthly salary of 50 million kip.
