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Weather Bureau Forecasts Cool Weather with Rain

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Weather forecasters have issued warnings of cool weather and rain across many parts of the country from November 7-9.

The Meteorology and Hydrology Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued the forecast yesterday saying the unseasonal weather is expected to affect all provinces, especially in the central and northern regions, but is unlikely to be severe.

After November 9, temperatures are expected to drop to 12-15 Celsius in the northern provinces of Xieng Khuang, Huaphan and Phongsaly.

Pakxong district in Champassak province is also expecting low temperatures of 10-12 Celsius, along with some rain.

The public is urged to take care and be alert to the possibility of falling trees and damage to houses and other buildings. Landslides may also occur, along with flash flooding caused by heavy rain, and everyone is advised to listen to forecasts issued by the Meteorology and Hydrology Department.

The weather system crossed into Laos from China yesterday afternoon, with most of the effects felt in the central and northern provinces of Phongsaly, Huaphan, Luang Namtha, Xieng Khuang, Oudomxay, Bokeo, Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Vientiane, Xaysomboun and Borikhamxay.

The Weather Forecasting and Aeronautical Meteorology Division noted that gusting winds and rain passed over northern Laos in February this year and affected the capital as well as the provinces of Phongsaly, Huaphan, Luang Namtha, Xieng Khuang, Oudomxay, Bokeo and Luang Prabang.

The division said strong winds passed across Laos several times a year, with differing levels of strength, and are often very localised.

The Meteorology and Hydrology Department warned officials and local residents to be on their guard at all times during unpredictable weather. Trees, houses and other buildings can be damaged by wind and heavy rain, so people are advised to protect their property, essential equipment and animals.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Poverty Reduction Slows

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Poverty reduction has slowed a little but the government will strive to reduce the number of poor families from 6.56 percent in 2016 down to 6.09 percent by 2017, the government has told the National Assembly.

There are four main reasons for the slower rate of poverty reduction, Minister of Planning and Investment Dr Souphanh Keomixay told the ongoing ordinary session of parliament when he presented a report that concluded the implementation of the socio-economic development plan for 2016 and the plan for 2017.

Explaining the reasons, the minister said the remaining poor families were located in remote hardship areas. Meanwhile, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) registered smaller growth at just 6.9 percent in the 2015-16 fiscal year, a decrease from the 7.5 percent recorded in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Although the economy has enjoyed high-level growth in recent years, growth has been driven by the high-cost natural resource sector which has created only a small number of jobs so the benefits did not trickle down to the poor.

In addition, families that have just been lifted above the poverty line remain vulnerable to dropping below it again when they are affected by events such as weather extremes.

In this regard, a survey carried out in 2015 showed that Bounneua and Bountay districts of Phongsaly province, which were not previously included in the government’s list of the 72 poorest districts, are now on the list.

In an attempt to alleviate poverty, the government plans to spend more than 1,375 billion kip on poverty reduction programmes, Dr Souphanh told parliament.

The National Assembly is considering approving the government’s proposal to revise the next four-year socio-economic development plan and budget (2017-2020), which seek to lower the annual average economic growth forecast from 7.5 to 7.2 percent. The plans for 2017 are also being considered.

The more than 1,375 billion kip is envisaged to mainly finance poverty reduction programmes in 91 focal locations in 70 districts. The government will focus on stabilising settlements and livelihoods for villagers in targeted focal areas.

Through these programmes, the government aims to raise 5,580 poor families out of poverty by 2017, lowering the number of poor families from 76,318 or 6.56 percent in 2016 to less than 70,924 families or 6.09 percent in 2017.

Another target is for the number of poor villages to be reduced from 1,689 villages in 2016 to not more than 1,511 villages or 17.85 percent in 2017. The government will also strive to increase the number of developed villages from the current 3,836 to 3,914 villages, or 46.54 percent of the total. It is planned to develop and upgrade larger villages into two small towns in each province.

Over the past year, the government has placed great importance on poverty reduction. A number of programmes have been carried out to improve and develop infrastructure such as schools, dispensaries, clean water supply systems, rural roads, small-scale irrigation systems, and electricity networks.

The number of poor families fell from 83,856 in 2015 to 76,318 in 2016, representing 6.56 percent of the total, but failed to meet the target of 6.11 percent as approved by the National Assembly.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Laos Set to Launch Fifth Bond Issue in Neighbouring Thailand

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Laotian Times
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The Lao People’s Democratic Republic will launch an offering of baht-denominated bonds in the Thai market this week to raise up to 11 billion baht ($314 million) after finding a way to comply with restrictions on the repatriation of proceeds.

The frontier-market sovereign has been keen to raise funds prior to an expected US rate increase next month and before the approval window for its Thai issuance programme expires at the end of January.

This will be Laos’s fifth issue in the Thai market after it was given approval earlier in the year to sell baht bonds of up to 12 billion baht. However, the approval was conditional on using all the proceeds in Thailand.

Earlier this year, Thailand started clamping down on foreign issuers’ repatriation of funds raised in the local market. The Ministry of Finance said it would “restrain” any offers of baht bonds if the issuer failed to comply.

It was a major stumbling block for Laos, which had repatriated all proceeds from its previous four issues.

In order to accommodate the ruling, financial adviser Twin Pine Consulting and the issue’s arrangers came up with a structure under which Thai banks extend US dollar short-term loans to the Laotian government, which will be repaid from the bond proceeds.

The structure had been suggested by Public Debt Management Office’s director-general Suwit Rojanavanich in an interview with IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, in August. The PDMO, part of the Ministry of Finance, manages approvals for foreign issuers in the baht bond market.

Market sources said the financing costs would remain competitive, despite the more convoluted route to obtain the funds.

Bank of Ayudhya, Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank will be joint bookrunners, as well as joint lead managers with Krung Thai Bank and Thanachart Bank. The bookrunners will manage sales to institutional and high-net-worth investors, while KTB and Thanachart will only manage the latter.

Books are scheduled to open on Tuesday with settlement expected on November 18. Preliminary price guidance ranges were indicated early last week at 3.70%-3.95% for a three-year piece, 4.00%-4.25% for a five-year, 4.50%-4.70% for a seven-year, 4.80%-5.00% for a 10-year and 5.00%-5.20% for a 12-year.

Laos will join a batch of issuers preparing for bond sales to raise a combined 56.5 billion baht over the next few weeks to beat a widely expected US rate rise when the Federal Reserve meets on December 13-14.

Thai government bond yields have already gone up in anticipation. Yields on government bonds of the three and five years were at 1.77% and 1.95% last Friday – about 15 basis points (or hundredths of a percentage point) and 25 bps higher than a week earlier, respectively.

HEALTHY DEMAND

Despite the heavy pipeline, investor demand remains healthy. Coming after Laos, Berli Jucker plans a Bt20bn issue in early December.

“The company has a balance of 60-70 billion baht in bridging loans to refinance, and it wants to do that before December, in case the US Fed raises its policy rates,” said one DCM origination banker.

Another company rushing to the market is True Move H Universal Communication with a sizable goal to raise up to Bt23bn. It recently mandated Bangkok Bank, CIMB Thai, Krungthai Bank, Phatra Securities and Thanachart Bank as lead managers and underwriters.

Separately, CP All will be in the public market later this month to sell perpetual notes of up to 10 billion baht.

(Reporting by Kit Yin Boey; Editing by Vincent Baby)

Source: Reuters & Kitco

Lao Ambassador Pays Working Visit to Ha Tinh

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Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Mr Thongsavanh Phomvihane and his delegation paid his two-day working visit to Ha Tinh Province of Vietnam beginning on November 1 to enhance cooperation and pay a visit to Lao students studying in Vietnam.

Mr Thongsavanh and his delegation were warmly welcomed by Mr Le Dinh Son, a member of Vietnam’s Communist Party Central Committee who is also Secretary of the Party Committee of Ha Tinh Province, and other Ha Tinh leaders.

During the cordial talks, Mr Thongsavanh thanked the leaders of Ha Tinh Province for the warm welcome they extended to him and his delegation, which was full of friendly solidarity.  He also expressed condolences over the loss of property experienced by people in the province recently due to severe flooding, but said that with the help and guidance of the Ha Tinh leaders, he expects the flood victims to have life restored to normal soon.

Ha Tinh Province has a close relationship with Lao PDR and has provided a large number of scholarships to Lao students. Currently, more than 2,000 Lao students are studying there.

Next year, the two governments will together celebrate the two historical days of 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam–LaosTreaty of Amity and Cooperation. The visit was considered a remarkable event to enhance the existing friendly relations between two countries.

 

Source: KPL

American Couple Proud of their Lives in Laos

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Washington DC: Sabaidee chao, sabaidee bor are the words that one American couple uses to greet all Lao people they meet.

Carol Compton and her husband Lin are retired professors from the University of Wisconsin which is located in the north-central United States.

One might be surprised to hear this couple fluently speaking Lao in America and wonder about their background. This journalist went to meet them at their home in Madison recently to find out how their lives are associated with Laos.

Speaking Lao language is my heart, Ms Compton says. I miss Laos. I miss the people that I know. They are so kind and hopefully they are well.

Carol Compton is from Minnesota and her husband comes from Ohio.

They did not meet each other in America, but met in Thailand in 1963 while working as volunteers for the International Voluntary Service (IVS) project (the project no longer exists).

After getting married in America, they went to work in Laos in 1965.

We met each other in Thailand but we had our honeymoon in Laos, they say with a big laugh ‘55555555’.

As a non-profit organisation, the IVS programme was designed to rebuild Asian countries after World War II. The programme, which sourced funding from the US and other donors, mainly focused on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The project activities were primarily related to agriculture and education. Ms Compton and her husband worked with the agricultural team to help boost farmers’ crop yields.

Their project was located in Borikhamxay province. One of the project activities was to conduct a survey to identify the needs of local people.

There were three things that most people wanted at that time. The first one was water wells, followed by schools and toilets. Perhaps the need for these three facilities is still there now.

Mr Compton described the hardships of the Lao people as they struggled with poverty more than 50 years ago. Nevertheless he was impressed by the capability of rural people, no matter how poor they were, as they were able to accomplish great things when they joined together as a community.

As individuals they can’t do that much, but as a community they join together in a project, they can do fantastic things, he said, saying that it’s critical to empower rural communities and properly encourage them to cope with the challenges in their lives.

Mr Compton last visited Laos in 2000. He worked with a UNDP programme to encourage people to work together to protect the environment, biodiversity and forests.

He was concerned about illegal logging in Laos, saying that it’s critical to ensure that local people benefit from protecting forestry resources and wildlife.

While living in Laos, the couple visited Vientiane and the provinces of Luang Prabang and Champassak.

Carol Compton recalled her wonderful life, including her time in Vientiane in 1973 when she rode a Suzuki motorbike to different parts of the capital.

I also remember walking through the forests. I remember my students and hopefully they have good lives. We used to have wonderful meals together in their villages. We went to look for bamboo in forests to make food, she said.

Ms Compton has many vivid memories of her time in Laos, being with groups of women and sometimes listening to Lam(folksingers). Mostly she remembers the kindness of the Lao people and the wonderful forests.

When she was in Laos she tried to build a small library and brought books for it so people could read Lao literature, and about the history of their country and the region.

She says books are a wonderful way to ensure literature becomes a part of people’s lives.

Laos is my heart. My husband and I got married and lived in Laos as the first place in our married life, she says.

Carol Compton was motivated to do a PhD on Mor Lam so she could understand it better.

She says Lam is a lovely combination of music and poetry, creating new ideas for music and dances.

Fifty years ago, Lam was very popular in Laos with large groups of people walking several kilometres to watch a performance. Ms Compton recalls several popular singers of the genre, including Ms Thongbang and Mr Thongkhoun.

It’s quite sad now that Lam is dying out because most people are more interested in modern music, dances, movies, videos and shows they can watch on the Internet.

Ms Compton did her PhD field research in the Siphandone region of Champassak province in 1972. While there, she learned a lot more Lao language and delved more deeply into the local culture.

When she returned to America in 1973, she started a Lao Language programme with students coming from all over the United States to study Lao language and culture. She is also writing a book about Mor Lam to educate young people about this art form.

The couple call on the Lao and US governments to strengthen their cooperation and jointly design programmes that respond to the real needs of local people.

What I want to see after the election is for the governments of Laos and the US to continue to shake hands and agree to strengthen cooperation especially in rural development and infrastructure development. These are the areas that Lao people need to be improved and are interested in. They need to grow more nutritious food and improve transportation and communication. There are many things to be done, Lin Compton says.

I hope that the US government will strengthen relations with Laos and ensure that similar kinds of projects to those I did 50 years ago can be initiated to respond to the needs of local people, Carol adds.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Rising Star May Quit Lao Entertainment Scene

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Sports star and fashion model Phongsathong Vongthavone, better known as Willy, may leave the Lao entertainment world once and for all to pursue his family business aspirations.

Phongsathone told Vientiane Times on Thursday that he now is helping his parents with their business after graduating from Rattana Business Administration College.

The schedule does not match the many entertainment events he must attend.

The reason that he did not attend several recent events was so he could travel to neighbouring countries as part of his family’s business.

He thanks everyone that gave him the chance to work in the Lao entertainment industry. He especially enjoyed being a fashion model to promote the Lao fashion industry and also to promote sports such as badminton.

Phongsathone graduated with a bachelor degree in Business Administration from Rattana Business Administration College and did further training in Business English at HoaQiao University in China.

He has participated in badminton competitions both in Laos and overseas, winning several gold medals. He also got a scholarship from the Lao government to study with the Badminton World Federation as a trainer so he could learn more and help develop the sport in Laos.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

KOICA Holds Conference on World Friends Korea Volunteers

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The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on Friday held a conference for host organisations in Laos on improving the World Friends Korea (WFK) volunteer programme.

KOICA arranged the conference on its volunteer programme in Laos for 40 local participants from partner organisations including schools, provincial planning and investment and health departments as well as the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The conference aimed to review and evaluate KOICA’s volunteer programme with volunteer-related organisations and enhance effectiveness by sharing the best practices and creative ideas of the WFK volunteer programme, according to a press statement from the KOICA Lao PDR Office.

This meeting provided a platform to discuss various issues to promote better policies and effective implementation of the volunteer mobilisation policy. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Laos, Mr Yun Kang-Hyeon, emphasised the importance of cooperation between Laos and the Republic of Korea in his opening remarks.

It is expected the relationship between both countries will be closer through the WFK volunteer programme. And this meeting will help participants gain mutual understanding to achieve goals, he said.

The WFK volunteer programme is designed by KOICA to make practical contributions to socio-economic and human resource development in 44 partner countries through dispatching qualified Korean volunteers as well as sharing expertise, knowledge, and experiences.

Since Laos and Korea agreed upon the WFK volunteer programme in 2000, some 360 WFK volunteers have accomplished humanitarian missions in the significant fields of healthcare, computer education, tourism and nursing for a period of two years. Currently 56 WFK volunteers are working in nine provinces of Laos. In 2009, the Korean government consolidated overseas volunteer programmes provided by six different government agencies into a single brand. This government initiative gave birth to World Friends Korea, Korean integrated overseas volunteer programmes. As Korea’s iconic participatory development cooperation programme, World Friends Korea has deployed 20,000 overseas volunteers to partner countries from 2009 to 2014.

Currently, World Friends Korea is operating a wide range of volunteer programmes to engage high school graduates to retirees.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Students Face Off in Annual Robot Contest

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Students from several faculties broadened their knowledge of robotics skills after taking part in the 13th Robot Contest 2016 at the National University of Laos (NUOL) on Friday.

This year students were able to use their knowledge and ideas to develop new robots for the contest.

The goal of the annual event is to build skills in robot design and operation. The contest aims to develop students’ ability to design and engineer robots while teaching them to work as part of a team when it comes to problem solving.

The robot contest attracts junior level students who are pursuing paths in science, engineering and technology. This year the contest took on extra significance as 2016 is the 20th anniversary of NUOL.

The robot contest involves the use of computer science and electrical and electronic engineering.

The annual contest is supported by several bodies and was first held in 2002 with the aim of sparking students’ interest in science, engineering and technology and encouraging them to improve their skills by giving them an opportunity to design, assemble and operate their own robots.

The contest is organised by the Faculty of Engineering and the Japanese Embassy to Laos.

The opening ceremony this year was attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Dr Kongsy Sengmany, Minister of the Japanese Embassy to Laos Mr Kazunori Kawada, senior officials from NUOL, and students. Dr Kongsy said the contest represented the hard work of talented students and dedicated teachers.

He hoped the contest would serve to improve studying and teaching methods as well as contribute to higher standards at the university.

Eight teams competed in the event, including from the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, Soutsaka College, Lao-Japanese Technical Training Centre, Lao-Top College and the Vocational Technical School in Luang Prabang province.

The electrical engineering team from the Faculty of Engineering won the contest outright, receiving 5 million kip and a certificate.

They will now have the opportunity to go to Japan under the “JENESYS 2016” educational programme arranged by the Japanese Embassy to Laos.

Second place went to teams from Computer Engineering and Information and Technology, who won a cash prize, while third place went to a team from the Faculty of Computer Science, who also received a cash prize.

The Vocational Technical School in Luang Prabang province received a cash prize for good design, while the Lao- Japanese Technical Training Centre won a cash prize for their use of technology.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

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