At the end of a long, dusty red road in Bolikhamxay Province stands a ticket booth, a turnstile, and fleet of electric buses. Festive local music plays from hanging speakers, and groups of visitors mill about among lush garden beds, taking selfies with exotic seasonal flowers and organic vegetables.
Landfill Fire Almost Out, Residents Affected by Toxic Smoke
The fire that consumed the Vientiane Capital landfill at KM32, Phasouk Village in Xaythany District has been almost completely extinguished, however nearby residents have been affected by toxic smoke.
Mr Chanthala Inthalangsy, Xaythany District Governor and head of the committee responsible for dealing with the landfill fire stated in a press conference on 6 March that measurements of the toxicity levels of the smoke found that it was beyond safety standards, with eleven nearby villages being directly affected.
He said that the Ministry of Public Health was working hard raising awareness of health concerns among the local population. Those that are not able to leave their homes have been instructed to wear safety masks to protect against dust and smoke, and have been told to remain low to the ground and to stay inside their homes. They have also been told to continually wash their hands to protect against food contamination.
Those experiencing respiratory problems, dizziness, or heart problems have been instructed to seek immediate medical attention.
The KM32 landfill fire broke out on March 4 and consumed some 30 hectares of the landfill area, causing a cloud of toxic smoke.
The fire brigade and a team of volunteers worked day and night to control the fire using a combination of fire trucks with water hoses, and bulldozers to smother the fire with soil.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Source: Lao Post
Lam Vong Dance to be Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Status
Laos is preparing to nominate the famous traditional dance Lam Vong for UNESCO World Heritage status.
On the 9th of March, a meeting led by Bouangern Xaphouvong, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism allowed representatives from relevant sectors to deliberate the possibility of nominating this unique and quintessential element of Lao culture for the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage status. It was only a month earlier that Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdara officially appointed a committee to supervise the preparation of documents required for this purpose.
Participants of the meeting also discussed the possibility of nominating other cultural elements such as Lao New Year, almsgiving, Baci ceremony, and Kong Khao Festival for the UNESCO World Heritage status.
According to the definition provided by UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is made up of oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship knowledge and techniques.
Some characteristics of ICH are that it is simultaneously traditional and contemporary; it is integrative and contributes to cultural identity; it is representative and transmitted from generation to generation; and it is based on communities.
Its importance lies not in the cultural manifestation itself, but in the heritage of the knowledge and techniques that are passed on, revealing social and economic value for both human groups and entire countries.
Within the context of globalisation, ICH is of tremendous importance as it allows cultural diversity to be maintained through dialogue between cultures and the promotion of respect towards other ways of life.
Several months ago, UNESCO recognized the Khaen, Laos’ famous traditional piped instrument, as part of the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Source: KPL
Embankment Road to Offer New Southern Route for Vientiane
A road stretching 26km along the Mekong River in southern Vientiane, which also serves as an embankment, will soon be paved and ready for commercial traffic.
The road improvement, which was announced in 2016, serves as part of the Vientiane Flood Embankment Protection Project, under the Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project (FDRMMP).
The embankment helps to protect the city against flooding, while offering a new route for traffic to travel through southern Vientiane. This will ease traffic on Kaysone Phomvihane Road, which is currently the only major road facilitating traffic bound for the country’s southern provinces.
A loan has been provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at US$ 36.5 million to finance the project.
The road stretches from the Vientiane-Nong Khai Friendship Bridge, downstream through Huaymark-hiew Village in Hatxayfong District, befor connecting to Phao Village in Pakngum District, which then connects to Route 13 South.
It is said the road will alleviate traffic congestion in Vientiane Capital by offering a new route, and will become a regular commercial route between Vientiane and the southern provinces.
Many large trucks are already using the road, despite its lack of sealed surfacing. An 8km section has already been paved, while another 6km section near Buddha Park will be surfaced by the end of April, prior to the rainy season.
Villagers are happy with the new route, which saves them time when transporting crops to markets in the area. The original roads, in poor condition, meant a trip of up to three hours to the city center for some, and will now take only one hour.
The road upgrade will also better facilitate tourists who want to visit Buddha Park, which is a popular tourist attraction located 25km southeast of downtown Vientiane Capital.
The Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project is comprised of several components, including urban flood risk management, disaster risk management systems, disaster risk financing and insurance, project management, and contingency emergency response.
Source: Vientiane Times
Top Lao Government Websites You Didn’t Know About
While most of us are familiar with visiting state offices and calling public hotlines for access to various government services, few would have considered that the Lao government has forayed into the virtual sphere. From being present on social media to maintaining more conventional websites and facebook pages, several government sectors have been more active than others in getting on the online bandwagon. Countless resources from both public money and official development aid have been employed in an attempt to get information on/in Laos on to the digital world map, so to speak.
For various reasons, although the country may not have yet fully realized its true digital potential, it is on the right track. Here are some top useful government websites that you may not have known existed.
The Lao Official Gazette
The Official Gazette is operated by the Ministry of Justice. Its primary objective is to publish legislation as well as draft legislation to ensure that members of the public are aware of and can comment on all approved and promulgated legislation.
Laws in Laos are adopted by the National Assembly and promulgated by a Presidential Decree. Subsidiary legislation (e.g. decrees, decisions, orders, instructions, etc.) may be issued by the National Assembly or its Standing Committee, the President, the Government, the Prime Minister, or a ministry.
While national legislation applies uniformly throughout the country, local legislation may also be adopted and implemented to address local issues. Provincial and municipal legislation must be published in the Official Gazette for 15 days to come into legal force, whereas district and village legislation may opt for local publication.
Enterprise Registration Database
The Enterprise Registration and Management (ERM) Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) is tasked with maintaining the country’s national register of enterprises (businesses). This website consists of a complete database of all registered businesses in Laos.
If you’re dealing with a company in Laos and would like to verify whether it’s a legitimate and registered business, the chances are that you will find them on this website. You can search for the owner’s name or the company’s name in both English and Lao language.
While this should not be a substitute for actual due diligence before potentially conducting business with prospective firms, searching for them on this official government website would be a starting point.
Copies of the records of the businesses listed in the website can be bought or viewed at the MOIC central office in Vientiane Capital, according to the website.
Lao Trade Portal
The Lao Trade Portal is the single stop point for all information relating to import into and export from Laos.
Managed by the Department of Import and Export of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on behalf of all government agencies involved in the import/export process, the website allows traders access to information about all the regulatory requirements they need to fulfill in order to carry out their transactions. These regulatory requirements may involve a number of government agencies. This website will help with finding out what is required by each agency in relation to a specific business.
The website provides a comprehensive set of guidelines in easy to understand language, and the database is also designed for convenient search by topic.
Lao Securities Exchange – Checking Local Stock Prices
While it’s hard to compete with MarketWatch or CNN Money, the Lao Securities Exchange website does offer all the latest stock prices of and updates from all locally listed companies. To date, there are currently 7 local company stocks that are traded daily.
In order to be able to trade Lao stocks, one must open a brokerage account with any brokerage firm registered in Laos such as BCEL-KT or Lanexang Securities.
The stock prices are also available on the Laotian Times website.
Lao State Fuel – Checking Fuel Prices
Being the biggest provider of fuel products in Laos, the Lao State Fuel Enterprise’s fuel prices provide a benchmark for all other fuel stations in the country.
The rates for Vientiane Capital are available on the Laotian Times website.
National Television & National Radio
Do you want to improve your Lao comprehension skills? Do you want to be kept up to date with current events inside Laos? Are you interested in Lao music?
The official websites for Lao National Television (also available on YouTube) and Lao National Radio are great examples of Lao broadcast media that provide answers to the aforementioned questions!
BCEL – Check Exchange Rates
The biggest and most widely used bank in Laos is undoubtedly state-owned Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao, otherwise known as BCEL. For this reason, its exchange rates are often used as a benchmark for all other banks to issue their own rates for the day.
While the Bank of Laos website provides, on a daily basis, the rates by which all commercial banks must follow, it is often BCEL to which members of the commercial public turn to when the question “what’s the bank rate today?” comes up.
These rates are also available on the Laotian Times website.
Lao Tourism
While it could benefit from a little revamping, this is the government’s official tourism website and it contains a wealth of information about what to do and visit in Laos. Managed by the Tourism Marketing Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MOICT), the website contains swathes of pictures of activities, attractions and advice to travelers.
For alternative sources of information, it may be wise to check out the Lao Airlines inflight magazine website, Champa Meuanglao or the newly-created We Are Lao portal.
The Status of Laos’ Forests
The beauty of Laos resides not only in its charming people and sabai sabai culture, but also in the large amounts of green forests that cover the country. Decades of improper and unplanned use of forest areas, deforestation, slash-and-burn-cultivation practices by indigenous peoples in mountainous areas have led to a noticeable reduction in Laos’ arboreal resources – less than 40% of the country’s total land area – in the 1990s.
However, according to Sousad Xayakoummane, Director of the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, things have been looking brighter as the government’s reforestation efforts have increased the nation’s forest cover from 40% (since 2012) to 58% of the total land area in 2017.
The government has set an ambitious plan to restore forest cover to 70% (its original state in 1940) of the country’s terrain by 2020, in government hosted seminar which included Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Lien Thikeo, deputy provincial governors, and representatives from the relevant sectors.
“In recent years, the government and local authorities have focused on sustainable forest resource protection by issuing policies, laws and regulations,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
In 2000, the government issued a decree on commercial tree plantation and environmental protection allowing for the allocation of tree plantation areas and land concession activities, ownership of farmed trees, credit policies, tax exemptions and reductions.
“The implementation of the policies and strategies over the past years has not yet been satisfactory as there have been continued impacts on forest resources and forest areas have decreased,” said Xayakoummane.
Source: KPL
Dreams on Canvas: Two Female Artists Finding their Voice in Vientiane
Ole Viravong Scovill was just seven years old when she started drawing. First, it was a comic book; she created a story about a girl who wants to become a painter, but is too poor to realise her dream.
Foreign Embassies Host Speed Mentoring Event for Lao Female Youth
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Canadian Embassy and Sinouk Café together with the French and US Embassies organized a Speed Mentoring event on the 6th of March at the French Institute of Vientiane, where more than 40 young Lao women were able to talk with twenty mentor role models who have achieved professional success.
Over 40 Lao students nearing the end of their studies and young professionals were able to make exchanges with 20 mentors (women leaders from the public and private sectors, civil society and the international community). This sequence allowed the participants to share their journeys towards professional success.
During her opening speech, French Ambassador to Laos Claudine Ledoux recalled the international urgency of tackling socio-economic inequalities that affect women in all countries. In this regard, the evening reflected the strong commitment of the partners for the education of girls, for the economic empowerment of women and for fight against all forms of violence against women.
With five countries represented (Canada, France, the United States, the Philippines, Timor-Leste), the diplomatic representations wished to demonstrate a strong and common commitment to Laos’ female youth. Several ambassadors personally got involved in the evening by acting as mentors.
