Known as the first company to import the Mercedes-Benz brand name from Germany to sell in Laos in 1957, Auto Lao was honoured to receive a special award of “Mercedes-Benz Star Award” for Best Start in Van Business South East Asia 2016.
The award ceremony took place during the Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle Conference, held on November 25 in Bangkok, Thailand. The award was presented to Auto Lao Company Limited General Manager Mr Anolack Thammavong.
Regional Sales and Marketing Manager Mercedes Benz Vans South East Asia, Indian Subcontinent and South Pacific, Mr Thomas Berner, was honoured to present a trophy to Mr Anolack.
Lao Auto’s Sales Manager Commercial Vehicles, Mr Sirichith Inthavong, also attended the award ceremony with other VIP guests from regional and international countries.
“It was a great honour and pleasure to accept the award in recognition of the work the company has done to improve itself in Laos, especially exceeding our vans sales target to customers,” Mr Anolack said.
The award particularly recognises Mr Anolack’s efforts in leading the company, which has seen outstanding performance in selling the Mercedes Benz brand name in Laos, and for having made significant progress in establishing and reinforcing his company in the international business arena.
Mr Anolack stressed that the company brought these vans for sale in Laos in June of this year, saying “we have exceeded our sales target for the year and this has led to Mercedes Benz awarding us with the best start in Van Business for 2016.”
Citing the development of the company, Mr Anolack said Auto Lao has developed strategies to engender trust in its customers, including convenient and fast service, and high standards of this brand name.
“We are now launching our hotline 1868 to provide customers with 24-hour service and they don’t need to worry and wait any longer if their vehicle has technical problems or related issues,” Mr Anolack said.
Auto Lao has also improved its methods in the workplace and has developed its staff’s capacity to prepare them to lead the company forward.
Known for being easy-going and happy, Mr Anolack has become a well respected leader within the company.
In recognition of the tireless efforts and achievements made by the company in exceeding the vans sale target, it is not surprising that the concerned authorities unanimously agreed to present an award to Mr Anolack .
Mentioning the Mercedes Benz brand name, Mr Anolack explained that Auto Lao has many types of Mercedes Benz brand name, which are mostly designed to be luxury and comfortable, safety first, friendly for environment, long term use, oil save and other related issues for users .
“All of our vehicles are imported from Germany under Daimler AG. Our service centre guarantees the authenticity of our parts and the expertise of our mechanics,” Mr Anolack added.
For more information customers can visit the Auto Lao Company Limited showroom and head office, which is located on Asean Road at Oupmoung village in Sikhottabong district, Vientiane. P.O. Box: 592, Tel: (856-21) 244 472 or Fax: (856-21) 244 473, www.autolao.com.
Known as one of the top power generating companies in the Republic of Korea, KOWEPO-LAO International Company Limited will continue to provide its best resources and efforts to fulfill its mission as well as co-contribute to the mutual growth of Laos and the Indochina peninsula.
This was the statement delivered by the Vice President of Korea Western Power Company, Mr Yung Chul Jung during the official opening ceremony of KOWEPO-Lao International Company Limited, held on Wednesday in Vientiane.
The meaningful event was attended by Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Khammany Inthirath, Vice President of Electricite du Laos, Mr Duangsy Pharanhok, President of EDL-Gen, Ms Rattana Prathoumvanh, a representative from the Korean Embassy to Laos, Mr Sung Soo Park and other invited guests.
The KOWEPO-LAO International Company is a 100 percent subsidiary company of Korea Western Power.
KOWEPO-LAO International will operate the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Hydro Power Plant for 27 years which is located in Champassak and Attapeu provinces and the total capacity is 410 MW.
In his opening remarks, Mr Jung stressed that he and his team are looking forward to sharing their experiences of power generation with young Lao people as they will be working together for the long term operation of the plant.
“Today’s starting will become the milestone to cooperate in the power industry between KOWEPO and Lao power companies,” Mr Jung said.
Mr Jung said he strongly believed that young Lao engineers who joined the Operation and Maintenance Company will become the competent experts and great leaders so they can contribute to the promising future of Laos as they are going to experience and share the new high technology for hydro power plant together with the Korea Western Power Company.
“As you all know, KOWEPO is one of the leading power generation companies in Korea as we have many experiences in the field of power generation through various projects such as coal-fired, oil-fired, combined cycle and hydro power plants in Korea and many other countries,” Mr Jung said.
“There is still a long journey ahead of us and there are many challenges to overcome. But I assure you that KOWEPO-LAO International will do their best with their assignments as well as contribute to the Lao government,” Mr Jung added.
Dr Khammany said Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Hydro Project is the first case that a Korean company invested into the power industry in Laos.
“The success of this project contributes to building a strong relationship and creating mutual benefits between the two countries,” he said.
Dr Khammany said he expected that new business opportunities can be created in the Indochina peninsula including Laos by the success of the project.
He highlighted that annual rainfall is about 2,000 millimeters and the Mekong river runs along the Laos borderline.
“Electricity is Laos’s third largest export earner. The country also has a plan to export about 80 percent of total power capacity,” he said.
“Neighbouring countries of Laos have steadily kept economic growth and they continuously need a power supply,” Dr Khammany added.
Besides hydropower, KOWEPO can consider other power resource like coal and renewable energy. Renewable energy may be prospective although development conditions are insufficient until now.
Mentioning KOWEPO-LAO International Company, the company has three steps of strategy developing projects in Laos, including establishing operation and maintenance in Laos, finding new operation and maintenance projects in Lao, and developing through the new power business including construction management, operation, maintenance, technical services in Laos.
Korea Western Power Company is owned by the Republic of Korea’s government and their total generation capacity is 11,808 MW.
The Korea Western Power Company produces and supplies electricity. It focuses on thermal, wind, solar, hydro, fuel, and combined cycle projects in Republic of Korea and internationally.
Korea Western Power Company is doing operation and maintenance service in overseas countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Indonesia, India and developing new power projects in more than five countries.
Korea Western Power Company has the Integrated Project Development and Management Solutions including investment, project development, financing, construction management, operations, maintenance, and technical services in overseas power business.
KOWEPO-LAO International Company is located on Khouvieng Road at Vientiane Centre 9th Floor, Vientiane Capital. E-mail: koyounho@gmail.com
Source: Vientiane Times
The Grand Opening Ceremony was managed and organized by Sengdara Communications, one of the leading event management and advertising firms in Laos.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has announced that fuel prices have increased across the country as of yesterday (December 15) in line with changes on the world market.
In Vientiane Capital, the cost of premium grade petrol has increased to 8,560, regular petrol is now 7,560 kip a litre, and diesel is 6,560 kip a litre.
In Phongsaly province, the price of regular petrol is now 8,290 kip a litre, while diesel has increased to 7,290 kip a litre.
In Luang Namtha province, the price of regular petrol has increased to 7,920 kip a litre with diesel increasing to 6,920 kip a litre.
In Oudomxay province, regular petrol will now cost motorists 8,010 kip a litre and diesel 7,010 kip a litre.
In Bokeo province, the cost of premium grade petrol is now 8,660 kip, while regular petrol is 7,660 kip and diesel 6,660 kip a litre.
In Luang Prabang province, the cost of premium grade petrol will set vehicle owners back 9,020 kip a litre, regular petrol is now 8,020 kip, and diesel has increased to 7,020 kip a litre.
In Huaphan and Xayaboury provinces, the price of regular petrol is now 7,960 kip and diesel has jumped to 6,960 kip a litre.
In Xieng Khuang province, the price of regular petrol has increased to 7,750 kip with diesel costing 6,750 kip a litre.
In Vientiane province, the pump price of premium grade petrol is now 8,560 kip a litre, while regular is 7,560 kip, and diesel 6,560 kip a litre.
In Borikhamxay province, the price of petrol has increased to 7,680 kip and diesel is now 6,680 kip a litre.
In Khammuan and Savannakhet provinces, the cost of a litre of premium has jumped to 8,590 kip, while regular petrol is now 7,590 kip and diesel 6,590 kip a litre.
In Saravan province, regular petrol is now 7,770 kip a litre with diesel costing 6,770 kip a litre.
In Champassak province, the price of premium is 8,620 kip a litre, regular petrol is 7,620 kip and diesel 6,620 kip a litre.
In Xekong, Attapeu, and Xaysomboun provinces, the price of regular petrol has increased to 7,800 kip a litre and diesel is now costing 6,800 kip a litre.
The performance told the story of a lad who is turned into an ugly boy by a witch because of his stubbornness. The only way for the boy to restore his normal good looks is to conduct good deeds every month.
The school selected students i ts best performers from different classes and grades to highlight their singing, dancing, and dramatic skills onstage.
The performance also aimed to encourage students in school to perform good deeds for others along with concentrating on their studies.
The evening’s show was well received by both teachers and parents of students.
Sengdara International Bilingual School Director Ms Leodia Pagunsan gave an opening speech to kick off proceedings where she highlighted the success of students at the school in Laos and abroad.
SIBS has 275 students in kindergarten, primary along with lower and higher secondary school classes.
VIENTIANE, LAOS – Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT) in collaboration with Microsoft hosting Government Solution day event under the theme Empowering Government. The event was chaired by H.E. Dr.Thansamay Kommasith, Minister of MPT, and attended by key government officials and partners from public and private sectors, the event has demonstrated how the government can leverage technology to digitally transform and support social and economic development. The conference was co-chaired by Michelle Simmons, General Manager, Southeast Asia New Markets, Microsoft Asia Pacific.
The initiative is in line with the 8th National Social and Economic Plan, ICT Vision 2030, MPT 5 years strategic ICT development plan, as well as Microsoft’s National Empowerment Plan, which aims to advance the adoption of emerging ICT for sustainable development, to have smart government and generate new business development opportunities, to Industrialize and modernize ICT as tools to drive sustainable social and economic development, be centre for regional and international integration and fostering people engagement.
“Embracing trusted technology, particularly the power of emerging ICT, will be key to enabling Laos’ growing economy to take a giant leap forward, propelling our nation into digital enable community and economy,” said H.E. Dr. Thansamay Kommasith, Minister of Post and Telecommunications of Lao PDR. he further informed that “Government Solution Day affirms our vision to drive inclusive growth, to have smart government, and transforming the way both public and private sectors operate – not only by ensuring accessibility of tools, but also by establishing the right processes and building the digital skills of our citizens.”
Speaking at the Government Solution Day event, Vivek Puthucode, General Manager, Public Sector, Microsoft Asia Pacific, said: “Today, the benefits of the digital economy remains out of reach for many in emerging markets despite the enormous untapped opportunities across various industry sectors. Our approach is to work closely with governments and public sector agencies to support them in overcoming challenges and building more cloud-enabling environments to accelerate their competitiveness, productivity and modernization of operations through trusted technology.”
With the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 business productivity services in Laos, Microsoft also aims to set in motion a reinvention of productivity in enterprises across the nation, transforming employee collaboration and customer engagement through the power of the cloud.
“Besides having access to the right tools, people must also know how to use them,” said Michelle Simmons, General Manager, Southeast Asia New Markets, Microsoft Asia Pacific. “Looking ahead, what will be critical for Laos to thrive is digital literacy. We are working with the government to not only deliver educational programs, but also to support the educators themselves with the right resources to impart science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to local youth, preparing them for jobs of the future.”
In middle of this year Ministry of Post and Telecommunications had inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Microsoft and Ministry of Education and Sport in Laos to develop a youth online learning platform to leverage technology for education, covering a range of programs that will support the development of 21st century skills and employability of students.
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About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
For more information, please contact:
Thilanka Abeywardena
Enterprise Marketing Manager, Microsoft SEA New Markets
VIENTIANE – The Prime Minister and the company’s representatives held in-depth discussions on how Huawei can expand its partnership with Laos in the Information and Communications Technology sector.
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and his delegates visited Huawei’s Beijing R&D (Research and development) Centre on December 1, discussing how Huawei can help develop the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Laos.
The visit to the China’s tech giant office was made during the official visit to China by the Lao premier. During the tour to the company, the Prime Minister and the company’s representatives held in-depth discussions on how Huawei can expand its partnership with Laos in the ICT sector.
The Prime Minister and his delegation learned about Huawei’s latest business successes, its industry-leading mobile broadband technologies, ICT solutions like Safe City, and its development of smart phones and tablets.
Prime Minister Thongloun also tried out the Huawei telepresence system, connecting with the Huawei Lao office in Vientiane. He exchanged friendly greetings with Huawei’s Lao staff, and urged the Lao employees to work hard and help to grow their country’s ICT industry.
Ten Lao students interning at Huawei as part of Huawei’s “Seeds of the Future” programme introduced the Huawei smart phone Mate9, Matebook and Huawei Watch, while the prime minister posed and took photos with the students.
Huawei’s “Seeds of the Future” programme brings 10 communications students from Laos to China on short term ICT study. This is Huawei’s global Corporate Social Responsibility programme that aims to nurture the ICT talents of Laos. It also aims to facilitate the transfer of ICT knowledge, thus supporting Laos to be a digitally empowered nation.
Prime Minister Thongloun congratulated Huawei on its impressive results, both in Laos and around the world. He praised Huawei’s work with telecom operators and government agencies in Laos. The PM said that Huawei’s projects had proved extremely useful during the recent Asean summit hosted by Laos.
The Prime Minister encouraged Huawei to expand its collaboration with Lao telecom companies and government, and to push its projects through to faster completion. He also thanked Huawei for its sustained investment in Laos and expressed his appreciation for Huawei’s engagement in charitable projects.
Huawei began operating in Laos back in 1998, and since then its business in Laos has grown steadily. Huawei works closely with the Lao telecom operators LTC, ETL, Unitel, Beeline, and Sky Telecom. The company is an active participant in government ICT projects, and Huawei helped Ministry of Post and Telecommunications to release the 10-year ICT development white paper at the Lao National Broadband forum hosted on November 30. Huawei smart phones such as the P9 and Mate 8 are very popular in Laos.
Home to some of the most complex rock formations in Southeast Asia, Laos looks to cash in on cave tourism.
Since the late 19th century, the geological wonders of Laos have captured the interest of foreign explorers, not just for its striking mountain ranges, fertile Mekong River floodplains and waterfalls – but also for what lies beneath the surface. Countless caves have been revealed within the towering karst massifs and limestone mountains that dominate much of Laos’ picturesque landscape.
While many of these subterranean beauties have been transformed into worthy tourist attractions, others are in a continual state of exploration. For fast-developing Laos, whose major economies are mining and tourism, the caves represent an opportunity to unlock the potential of swathes of the landlocked country’s remote areas to the world. As the sport of spelunking gains traction, isolated villages are looking to cash in on this rise in visitors. Yet as experts have pointed out, great care needs to be taken in balancing the complex needs of locals and the conservation of the cave’s delicate ecosystems – one wrong step can cause irreversible damage – with the commodification of Laos’ natural assets.
“Cave tourism can have a highly positive impact on local employment and development, and a very large positive impact on the reputation of Laos, but not all caves are suitable for tourism,” said Claude Mouret, a French geologist who has spent the last 25 years researching and documenting caves in Laos.
“Developing cave tourism means selecting caves that are not too fragile with respect to the underground life. Safety must also be a concern. Caves have a risk of flooding even if there is no underground river. If you move a boulder or drill a hole, you can change the stability of the cave. Precautions need to be taken, but it’s not so easy to have all the aspects satisfied at the same place.”
Mouret together with his expedition partner Jean-François Vacquié carry the distinction of being the first two explorers to embark on modern cave and karst investigations in Laos. Since 1991, the caving duo has mapped roughly 100 caves in the small nation, totalling 170km. Moreover, Mouret and Vacquié have contributed to the opening of several “safari” and “tourist” caves such as the infamous Tham Konglor in Khammouane province as well as Xe Bang Fai – one of the largest river caves in the world, with a 7km channel snaking through it.
“Regarding tourism, we have to consider two kinds of caves: Tourist caves such as Konglor or Tham Nang Aen Cave have dedicated installations such as walkways and steps to improve visitor safety,” said Mouret. “Safari caves such as Nam Non and Tham Heup have no dedicated installations. They inspire the unknown, and I think people like the mystery, the feeling of being an explorer – even if they are not really one. [They enjoy] overcoming the physical possibilities of their body and fighting mental fears.”
According to the Department of Planning and Investment in Laos, there are 32 villages in Khoun Kham district with a combined population of 22,163 people.
In 2015, 27,448 tourists visited Konglor cave in Khoun Kham, a substantial increase of 86% from the previous year. The total revenue from tourism for the district amounted to roughly $334,000.
Recognising the economic value of caves as tourist destinations, the local Khammouane tourism authority in central Laos’ Ban Nahin village is now embarking on an ambitious endeavour to open up a little-known but magnificent cave called Khoun Keo. Home to venomous vipers, long-legged centipedes, furry huntsman spiders and other cave-dwelling critters, Khoun Keo is certainly not for the faint-hearted. But from the standpoint of the ambitious tourism authority, the cave’s twisting labyrinth of striking stalactites, stalagmites and delicate columns is the perfect playground to lure in the growing number of adventurous explorers.
“We have an opportunity to increase tourism to Nahin by opening Khoun Keo to the public,” said Vilaisak Souvannarath, director of the Khammouane Information, Culture and Tourism Authority. “We also have an opportunity to develop community-based ecotourism to raise employment in the village. But we have to do it right.”
Situated in the permo-carboniferous limestone at the base of the Phou Phaman mountain range in Ban Khoun Kham district, Khoun Keo is well revered among the locals and tourism authority alike. According to Souvannarath, the cave – only discovered in 2012 by a subsistence farmer named Seng – holds spiritual element for Ban Nahin.
Photo by Gabriele Stoia.
“Seng discovered the cave after God appeared to him in a dream, telling him to open up the way. After finding the cave, he discovered it had three underground lakes,” said Souvannarath. “God wants us to open the cave but he also wants us to protect it.”
The significance of the cave pools is not lost on the tourism authority. According to Souvannarath, hundreds of locals once lived beside the Nam Theun River, a tributary of the mighty Mekong, and used it to irrigate their crops. This changed in 2011, when the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower plant (one of Laos’ biggest hydroelectric projects), upstream from the village, started diverting the river. While scores of people had to be relocated, Nam Theun 2 Power Company built more than a thousand new homes as well as rainwater collection tanks and water pumps. Early on, the measures that the company took to mitigate the dam’s environmental and social impacts were applauded by the World Bank as a model to emulate, yet according to the latest report from the International Panel of Environmental and Social Experts, challenges regarding resettlement still need to be addressed. Some NGOs have also questioned the impact of the dam on the river’s ecosystem and the communities that depend on it further downstream.
In Ban Nahin, Seng and a few of his neighbours opted to relocate to a parcel of land beside the Phou Phaman Mountains. While the dam had cleared the land, the villagers did not have easy access to water. According to Souvannarath, the discovery of cave pools inside the mountains has allowed the villagers to greatly improve their food security.
“Locals use these underground lakes to water their crops. Instead of planting just rice they’re now growing different crops like pineapple and cassava all year-round,” he said. “We really have to take this into consideration.”
Until recently, Monenoy Keomanixai – a former tour guide in Ban Nahin – was working with authorities towards opening the cave to tourists. While Keomanixai now works as an administrator for a power scheme in Bolikhamxay province, he continues to keep a close eye on the project’s development.
“We want people to come and we want people to stay, but we also need to focus on conservation of the region’s natural and cultural heritage. We can’t have tourists trekking through farmer fields and destroying crops to get to Khoun Keo. We can’t have them getting hurt while they’re exploring the cave, and we don’t want to have tourists not care about the village and its people. We don’t want another Vang Vieng,” he said.
Situated some 450km away, Vang Vieng serves as a cautionary tale for Keomanixai, who remembers hearing stories about the village and its transformation into an epicentre for scantily clad backpackers looking to get wasted and ‘tube’ down the river. After a spate of deaths and injuries, the government shut the party down in 2012. While no longer in its hedonistic heyday, the village continues to attract drunken revellers – albeit on a much smaller scale.
“In the past few years, more tourists come through Nahin. They do a motorbike loop starting from Thakhek. It’s becoming very popular and bringing money to the area,” said Keomanixai.
While tourism has become an increasingly important component of Laos’ development policy, enabling poverty reduction in many rural communities, Keomanixai said Khoun Keo will not open until 2017 or 2018.
“A boulder from the cave entrance has already been removed to improve visitor access and safety. Mr. Seng and another village guide will lead the cave tours, but there is still so much more to consider,” he said.
Under review are walkways and steps to improve safety and prevent damage to the natural cave floor. Mapping and a clear understanding of the cave’s ecosystem are also required to move the project forward. Still, if plans come to fruition, Keomanixai sees more positives than negatives.
“Khoun Keo is like stepping into a magical world. We know that once it’s open, the beauty of Khoun Keo will be shared among tourists, especially those who love nature. It will bring very good luck to Nahin.”
Valmet will deliver key technology for a new green field dissolving pulp mill to Sun Paper’s new investment in Laos. The mill site, Muang Phin, is located in the southern province of Savanakhet. The target is to start pulp production during the 2nd quarter of 2018.
The order is included in Valmet’s fourth quarter 2016 orders received. The value of the order is around EUR 20 million.
“This is our first international investment where we are expanding beyond China. Laos has shown to be a good location for this mill from where we will supply high profit dissolving to China. China is an important market for dissolving pulp and we expect to gain higher profits from dissolving pulp compared to kraft pulp in China,” says Liu Yanbo, Mill Manager at Sun Paper”.
“We are very pleased to start this dissolving pulp mill project together with Sun Paper. Valmet has long experience and a wide scope of technologies in supplying equipment and processes for the production of dissolving pulp for various end products. Together with our customer we will create a mill producing pure high-quality pulp,” says Pasi Mäkelä, Vice President, Pulp Mill Sales at Valmet.
Valmet has strong market position and is systematically increasing its presence at the Asia Pacific region. All of Valmet’s businesses are present in the area and in 2015 it represented about 13% of Valmet’s net sales, excluding China that represented another 10 % of Valmet’s net sales. Valmet has 10 service points in the area and is opening a new services center in Indonesia in 2017.
Technical details about the delivery
Valmet delivery to Sun Paper’s new 250 kt/year dissolving pulp mill in Laos includes key technology for various process areas. Valmet’s scope of supply includes batch cooking with engineering package, brown stock and bleaching presses for the fiber line, wood powder firing, belt dryer and lime kiln. Valmet also establishes site services for all goods delivered.
The batch cooking is an ideal fit for this kind of dissolving pulp production. In batch cooking the process can utilize raw materials with varying quality. The wood powder firing solution provides fuel for the lime kiln solution and reduces the need for fossil fuels. This wood power firing implementation is first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region.
About the customer Sun Paper
Sun Paper is one of the biggest private enterprises in China, the biggest high class coated wrapping board production base and the leading enterprise of food wrapping paper board. The business of Sun Paper covers many fields such as papermaking, chemical industry, foreign trade, power, scientific research, forestry and paper industry, hotel, investment, textiles, and food. The company has more than 10,000 employees, and the annual pulp and paper production capacity of Sun Paper is around 5.7 million tons.
VALMET
Corporate Communications
For further information, please contact:
Pasi Mäkelä, Vice President, Pulp Mill Sales, Valmet, tel. +358 40 505 4199
Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.
Valmet’s strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers’ processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.
Valmet’s net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers’ performance forward – every day. Valmet’s head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.
