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Illegal Gold Giggers Driven Out of Borikhamxay

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Illegal gold mining in Borikhamxay has ceased, but the provincial governor has ordered seven district governors to take steps to ensure that the practice does not resume.

Illicit gold mining in the province came to a halt several years ago after the authorities put measures in place to stamp it out and chased away villagers found to be engaged in the practice.

Deputy Head of the provincial Administration Office, Mr Somchay Khounphasy, told Vientiane Times on Friday that unlicensed gold diggers had operated with impunity under former governors.

As far as we know there are no unauthorised groups currently searching for gold in streams, creeks or the ground, but if we find any wrongdoers we will punish them in line with the regulations, he said.

Borikhamxay Governor Dr Kongkeo Xaysongkham told provincial and district authorities not to make it easy for people to dig for gold.

In neighbouring Xieng Khuang province, six years ago a large number of illegal miners were working the streams, rivers, forests and hillsides, digging up the ground and extracting the occasional nugget.

They did untold damage to the environment because their operations polluted water sources in the area and damaged woodlands.

The provincial authorities eventually evicted and fined them, with most found to be local residents.

Many of them operated in forested areas of Hae and the Tarn mountains in Paek district and on Sunnoy mountain in Khoun district.

Scores of the miners covered up their activities by pretending they were engaged in delivering soil, sand and gravel to houses and other construction sites, to deceive the authorities.

No large groups of gold diggers were found, with most trekking into the area from nearby villages. They panned the soil in rivers and streams, and used mercury bought from China or Vietnam in the process of extracting the gold from ore.

Mercury is a highly toxic liquid metal and is used to separate the gold before it is smelted, but permeates the soil and water and is a serious health hazard.

One man in Vientiane said a friend of his owned concessions on land in Xayaboury and other provinces where he dug up the soil for construction purposes. But during the course of his business he used excavators to dig for gold that might be in the ground.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Govt Aims to Restore Forest Cover to 70 Percent by 2020

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The government has developed a strategy to restore forest cover to 70 percent of the country’s terrain by 2020, meaning trees will need to be planted on about 8.2 million hectares of land.

Deforestation and forest degradation have denuded large areas of Laos since the 1940s when forests covered over 70 percent of the country’s land area. But cover dramatically decreased to less than 40 percent in the 1990s and there has been no change in this trend.

The situation was outlined on Friday at the Inception Meeting on Promoting Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Laos.

In line with government strategy, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has initiated support to promote the implementation of forest and landscape restoration in Laos. This work will be implemented through the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme project Promoting Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Selected Southeast Asian Countries.

The new project will build on progress made in an earlier regional Technical Cooperation Programme project Applying assisted natural regeneration for restoring forest ecosystem services in Southeast Asia, which was completed in September 2015.

The present project aims to promote the use of a FLR approach in the region through the development of practical methods, related awareness raising, capacity building, and implementation of pilot activities.

Friday’s meeting sought to raise awareness of FLR principles as a means to restore forests for policy makers, practitioners, researchers and other relevant forestry stakeholders in Laos and to introduce the FAO-Lao project for Forest and Landscape Restoration.

During the meeting, government officials from line ministries concerned, technical officials from provincial and district agriculture offices in the targeted areas, and international and local NGOs heard an overview of the regional project to restore forest cover, and an outline of the Lao government policy concerning forest landscape restoration and other related issues.

Participants were keen to learn the main global, regional and national FLR initiatives and better understand the forest landscape restoration approach and why it is being piloted in Laos.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Director General of the Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Boualy Phameuang, FAO Representative in Laos Dr Stephen Rudgard, and other guests from line ministries and international and local NGOs.

Laos Joins Race against the Clock to Overcome Antimicrobial Resistance

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Laos and other countries around the world have pledged to take immediate action to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Globally and in the region, the pledge to combat AMR was made with the support and collaboration of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a tripartite partnership.

WHO Representative to Laos Dr Juliet Fleischl emphasised the urgency of the issue this week, saying “We are beginning to see cases of resistance to antibiotics of last resort being reported in many countries. If we do not address antimicrobial resistance now, doctors and nurses will be empty-handed against a growing number of serious infections. WHO is committed to helping the government of Laos prepare to meet this challenge. But AMR cannot be addressed by the health sector alone.”

FAO Representative to Laos Dr Stephen Rudgard said “FAO is happy to be part of this strong partnership with WHO and OIE, taking its part in supporting agricultural agencies in the country to play their roles in monitoring antimicrobial usage in the sector and taking corrective action where needed.”

OIE Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Dr Hirofumi Kugita, said “The three organisations collaborate closely at the global and regional level to help their member countries implement sustainable changes in their use of antimicrobials, in particular through the implementation of OIE international standards. To achieve such a change of practices, inter-sectoral coordination between the public health and veterinary sectors is essential to lead member countries to take harmonised actions and long term commitments against antimicrobial resistance.”

AMR occurs when microorganisms develop resistance to antimicrobials, and infections in humans and animals become harder to treat. Antibiotics become more and more ineffective against previously treatable infections.

While the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in human health care have contributed to AMR and have received attention, another large concern is the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in animals, as well as plants. Resistance can also be transferred to humans through the consumption of meat.

The tripartite partnership between FAO, OIE, and WHO reaffirms a wider commitment to combat AMR and increase awareness about the scale of the problem in order to stop the emergence and accelerating misuse of antimicrobial medicines in both humans and animals.

The collaboration between human health, animal health and environmental health sectors is of critical importance to address AMR.

Starting last year, the Antibiotic Awareness Week has been observed in November to raise awareness about the effects of AMR on humans, animals and the environment, focusing on encouraging public and animal health professionals, including pharmacists and veterinarians, to prescribe or dispense antibiotics more cautiously.

To mark the occasion this year, Laos is holding its first multi-sectoral workshop on combatting AMR, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of Health co-hosting the event. The workshop brings the animal and human health sectors together to work on developing a national action plan for AMR.

The three agencies have stressed that, in order to avoid an international catastrophe, this global collaboration will need to be accompanied by political will and strong, coordinated action.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Ministry Drafts Safeguards Law to Protect Domestic Producers

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The Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce has stressed the need to carefully word a proposed law that will protect domestic producers against an influx of imported goods.

Mr Somchit Inthamith made the remarks during a one-day ‘Safeguards Law’ meeting organised by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The meeting discussed a draft law on the protection of domestic goods producers from imported products, to allow government officials and various sectors to share ideas before presenting the law to the National Assembly in April.

“The main objective of this meeting is for ministries and the relevant bodies in Vientiane to edit, improve and provide input for the draft which our officials will complete and present to the National Assembly next year,” Mr Somchit said.

Chief of Party of the USAID LUNA II project, Mr Daniel Fitzpatrick, welcomed attendees to the consultation session on the draft Safeguards Law.

LUNA II is funded by the United States government and was established by a Memorandum of Understanding between USAID and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to promote trade and investment in Laos, primarily by helping the country to meet its commitments under various trade arrangements, such as the WTO and the AEC.

“While increasing trade and facilitating commerce is our immediate task, our ultimate goal is to create more jobs and help raise the living standards of the Lao people. Today we have gathered to discuss the draft Law on Safeguards, which has been prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce over the past several months,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

The law is an exception to the overall principle that tariffs need to be kept within a range promised by a country when it joined the WTO. The agreement specifies that the safeguards can be imposed only if the increase in imports was unforeseen.

“This means the drafters have had to carefully figure out how to make the law work in the Lao context while having it comply with the international Safeguards Agreement. This is really important because if the law conflicts with the Safeguards Agreement, Laos will find itself in an uncomfortable position when it submits the law to the WTO for consultation. So, as you discuss the draft today, I urge you to remind yourselves that safeguards are an exception to the WTO’s policies of free trade, on e that should be rarely used and one that will attract attention if used incorrectly. Still, it has its place in protecting industries in countries such as Laos under the proper conditions,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

The meeting elicited ideas and insights from participants into the draft, with most of the discussion aimed at improving the wording to better protect domestic producers.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Ministry Struggles to Ensure Quality Food, Drugs

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Shortages of some drugs, their inappropriate use by doctors, unregulated circulation of pharmaceutical products, and chemically contaminated food are just some of the issues the Ministry of Health is seeking to address.

Deputy Minister of Health Mr Khamphone Phoutthavong noted the challenges in his opening remarks at a meeting on food and drugs held yesterday to review the sector’s achievements over the past five years and discuss future plans.

Food and drug experts from around the country and representatives from the ministries of Science and Technology, and Agriculture and Forestry are attending the three day meeting, which continues tomorrow.

Mr Khamphone highlighted the implementation of the health development policy and strategy over the past five years, saying several laws and regulations had been enacted and amended.

Other achievements included the quality guarantee system for food and drugs both before and post distribution, development of good laboratory practices, gaining ISO17025 accreditation, joint supply of drugs and medical equipment, centralised logistics, development of natural medicinal resources, the promotion and parallel use of modern and traditional medicine, and good manufacturing production (GMP) certification.

The deputy minister outlined the challenges the sector has to overcome in food and drug management. These included the s hortage of basic drugs at dispensaries and district hospitals, the inappropriate use of drugs or use of brand name drugs over cheaper generics, and the dispensing of antibiotics and stimulants by pharmacies without prescription.

According to the deputy minister, around 30 percent of drugs in distribution by private pharmacies were not registered with the government, medicine prices varied among hospitals, there was weak inspection of food and drugs at border checkpoints, and half of drinking water factories’ products were not registered.

Mr Khamphone also mentioned the shortage of personnel, technical facilities and coordination mechanisms as other challenges.

“If we don’t hurry up in addressing these it could affect consumers’ health and safety and in the future we could lose the advantage in joining the ASEAN Economic Community,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, the ministry’s Food and Drugs Department Director General Dr Somthavy Changvisommith stressed that the government’s aim was to increase people’s ability to access quality food and drugs.

In her remarks at the meeting, World Health Organisation Health System Coordinator in Laos, Ms Monica Fong, noted that drugs were key elements in people’s daily lives, saying everyone expected that food and drugs should be of the same quality and would protect them against health hazards, including hazards arising from tainted food and substandard drugs.

“This is very important these days as we see increasing cases of antimicrobial resistance and the emergence of superbugs,” she added.

More than 1,700 drugs are registered with the department, and three pharmaceutical factories – Pharmaceutical Factory No. 3, CBF Pharmaceutical Factory, and Kodufa – were granted GMP certificates.

Around 50 percent of the drugs in circulation in Laos are manufactured locally and estimated to be worth US$11.7 million.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Several Deals to Be Signed during Vietnam Leader’s Visit

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Several agreements are expected to be signed during the upcoming state visit to Laos by Vietnam’s Party leader, seeking to boost cooperation between the two neighbours, a senior government official has said.

Vietnam Communist Party’s General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will pay a three-day state visit to Laos from November 24-26 at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Bounnhang Vorachit, the External Relations Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s Central Committee announced last week.

An official from the Laos-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee told Vientiane Times yesterday that the documents to be inked include some that aim to boost economic cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, with that country being one of the top three foreign investors in Laos.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was reported as saying that a number of important issues will be discussed while many agreements are expected to be signed during the visit by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam Breaking News reported earlier this month, citing the Vietnam News Agency.

PM Phuc made the comment when he recently received Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Dr Souphanh Keomisay during his visit to Hanoi, when preparations for the visit were discussed.

The Vietnamese PM said the visit by the Vietnamese Party leader was important to both countries so they needed to make thorough preparations for the occasion, especially in relation to the cooperation documents to be inked, according to Vietnam Breaking News.

PM Phuc asked the two sides to work closely to realise the two governments’ cooperation plan for 2016 and prepare for the 39th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos intergovernmental committee slated for next year.

Regarding certain issues, PM Phuc said as a landlocked country, Laos could transport goods via Vietnam’s ports. Whether it chooses to use Vung Ang port or Cua Lo port in central Vietnam, it must comply with local regulations.

The two sides need to provide the best possible conditions for the scheduled implementation of power projects and electricity sale and purchase, PM Phuc noted, asking the Lao government to continue improving the investment climate and to facilitate Vietnamese business operations.

Dr Souphanh’s working visit to Vietnam aims to prepare for the visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The Lao minister said Laos wants to promote the sale and purchase of electricity with Vietnam, according to Vietnam Breaking News.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

ADB, Microsoft, Govt Expand Economic Opportunities for Youth

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Microsoft and the Ministry of Education and Sports have signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate and develop a technology platform to provide Lao youth with access to online technical and vocational training resources and employment services.

The document was signed yesterday by Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy Sengmany, Microsoft’s Marketing and Operation Lead, Rena Chai, and Deputy Director General of ADB’s Southeast Asia Department, Noriko Ogawa.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy stressed that the cooperation between the three parties would help Lao youths to seek jobs and generate income for their families, saying “The platform is very significant to our government in helping young people to upgrade their skills.”

He said the ministry planed to expand this platform to not only vocational schools and other institutions in Vientiane, but also to other schools in remote areas in a bid to help young people broaden their knowledge and access skills training.

“ADB recognises that inclusive education is essential to build the human capital needed to drive innovation, increase productivity, and accelerate private sector development,” Ms Ogawa said.

“Integrating an innovative technology platform into our education sector assistance programmes will help deliver longer-lasting benefits to the Lao economy.”

The platform called YouthWorks supports government efforts to use information and communication technology to boost access to education and employment services.

It will provide an online localised knowledge repository and open-access courses, career guidance and job placement services, free of charge.

YouthWorks empowers job seekers and entrepreneurs to develop the skills and knowledge needed to find decent jobs.

The collaboration is in association with the ADB-financed second Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Project.

The platform complements project efforts to increase access to quality TVET programmes and career guidance services.

The ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

Established in 1966, next month ADB marks 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2015, ADB assistance totalled US$27.2 billion, including cofinancing of US$10.7 billion.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Parliament Spells Out Additional Measures to Drive Development, Growth

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The National Assembly (NA) has spelled out additional measures for the government to undertake, adding to the 10 measures presented by the government and adopted by parliament to drive social and economic development and spur growth.

In the Resolution adopted by the Assembly’s ordinary session which ended on Friday, parliament asked the government to create conditions conducive for the development of micro, small and medium enterprises, which are the country’s economic foundation.

The lawmakers told the government to seriously reform state enterprises that are suffering from financial illiquidity.

The government was asked to properly implement policies to promote and attract better quality investment, while minimising dependence on natural-resource-driven growth.

The NA told the government to take strong action to carry out national-scale goods production, improve production quality, develop products for which Laos has potential as well as Lao brand products, and to seek markets. This could be achieved by introducing policies to enable farmers and operators to access technical assistance, finance, and markets.

Amid the current financial difficulties, lawmakers advised the government to place its investment focus on state- funded projects that would bring sound economic returns, while suspending those projects with low economic returns.

The government was told to review its education and health targets. Those targets failing to meet the set indicators would be taken into account when drawing up plans to pursue the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Parliament asked the government to do more to expand pre-school education and improve primary and secondary school education.

The lawmakers also told the government to place a greater emphasis on upgrading professional skills and raising ethical standards among doctors. They called for the government to train and distribute more healthcare staff to dispensaries and district hospitals.

The NA stressed the need to expand the social security system within communities and to carry out inspections to prevent contaminated food from being sold.

Parliament also told the government to take urgent action to complete the upgrade of labour skill standards and training curriculums to facilitate training of the workforce to meet the required standards and integrate with the Asean Economic Community.

Concerning unregulated resettlement, the NA called for the government to do more to stabilise resettlement and livelihoods for rural villagers.

The government was told to allocate appropriate investment for poverty-fighting initiatives in the 23 remaining poor districts, especially the poorest districts in Xaysomboun, Huaphan, Phongsaly and Xekong provinces in order to narrow the development gap between towns and rural areas.

The NA called for the government to define the national land policy to ensure it was in harmony with the national socio-economic development plan. Parliament asked the government to urgently introduce measures to address the environmental and social impacts caused by the unregulated use of chemicals in farming and manufacturing.

The government was told to take immediate action to address issues concerning polluted water and air as well as the bad smells caused by factories and investment projects, which affect local communities.

The NA told the government to take tougher action to regulate the timber industry. It also asked the government to appoint a task force working group under the Prime Minister’s Office to follow up and ensure that all ministries and local departments implement the policies and measures approved by parliament during this ordinary session.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

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