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Laos, China Agree to Strengthen Border Security

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Laos and China have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in the maintenance of security along their shared border with the signing of a new agreement.

The agreement was signed by the Head of the National Boundary Committee Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Phaengsavanh Keopaseuth, and Deputy Director General of the Border and Ocean Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. He Wei.

According to a statement from the Lao foreign ministry yesterday, the two parties signed the agreement during the 14th Laos-China Joint Border Inspection Committee meeting, held in China from October 25-29.

Under the new agreement, the two parties will share ideas, information and experiences concerning border control, and officials requested that the number of security guards deployed along their shared border be increased.

Regarding illegal trading and logging, the drug trade, human trafficking, transnational crime and other issues, the two parties also agreed to advise officials, districts and local authorities along their shared border to be extra vigilant.

The two parties also agreed to join forces to curb the sale and distribution of drugs and clamp down on other activities causing problems in the border area. They agreed to run a drug awareness campaign to educate people about the risks and dangers of using or dealing in drugs.

This will help to maintain peace and order among communities living in border areas. During the meeting, officials discussed tightening border security between the neighbouring countries, and also boosting ties and strengthening cooperation between the two countries to achieve greater security and peace along the Laos-China border.

The meeting sought to exchange ideas and review joint operations since the 13th meeting. Participants signed a memorandum on cooperation between local officials to allow them to handle any problems as they arise.

The meeting reiterated the high value placed by both nations on ensuring a border of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Although security along the border in many parts of the two countries has improved over the years, theft, illegal trade, drug trafficking and other anti-social activities still remain prevalent and those must be urgently addressed, officials in charge said.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Project Aims to Provide Skills Training for Young People

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The Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2017-2021 plans to promote skills development for young people in remote areas of Laos with a focus on particular skills needed by the labour market.

Programme officials will conduct research on employees and employers to seek balance from both, after which they will provide skills training to match the needs of businesses.

The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and International Labour Organisation met to discuss the Decent Work Country Programme in Laos 2017-2021 yesterday in Vientiane.

The meeting gave employer groups and businesses the opportunity to comment on and create good relationships with employees, as well as upgrade business development.

The meeting presented the DWCP five year strategic plan to improve skills development in rural areas, promote gender mainstreaming, and support disabled people and vulnerable groups.

During the meeting, LNCCI Vice President Mr. Saman Aneka said Laos’ economic growth had attracted foreign investment in line with government policy. This meant many businesses were joining forces and boosting production to better compete in international markets.

Skills development, labour migration, education and human resource development are important and benefit the country. So businesses should pay more attention to developing local labour skills, in addition to investment, to create more employment to support incomes for Lao people so the nation can graduate from least developed status by 2020, he said.

Mr. Saman said LNCCI business members had provided social welfare for employees as required under Labour Law, while other non-member businesses had not, so the LNCCI needed to encourage them to become members.

The Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2017-2021 plans to promote skills development for young people in remote areas of Laos with a focus on particular skills needed by the labour market.

Programme officials will conduct research on employees and employers to seek balance from both, after which they will provide skills training to match the needs of businesses.

The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) and International Labour Organisation met to discuss the Decent Work Country Programme in Laos 2017-2021 yesterday in Vientiane.

The meeting gave employer groups and businesses the opportunity to comment on and create good relationships with employees, as well as upgrade business development.

The meeting presented the DWCP five year strategic plan to improve skills development in rural areas, promote gender mainstreaming, and support disabled people and vulnerable groups.

During the meeting, LNCCI Vice President Mr. Saman Aneka said Laos’ economic growth had attracted foreign investment in line with government policy. This meant many businesses were joining forces and boosting production to better compete in international markets.

Skills development, labour migration, education and human resource development are important and benefit the country. So businesses should pay more attention to developing local labour skills, in addition to investment, to create more employment to support incomes for Lao people so the nation can graduate from least developed status by 2020, he said.

Mr. Saman said LNCCI business members had provided social welfare for employees as required under Labour Law, while other non-member businesses had not, so the LNCCI needed to encourage them to become members.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Road Building Bogged Down in Xaysomboun

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Upgrades to three main roads connecting to previously remote Xaysomboun province are mired in difficulties, mainly attributable to problems in sourcing state funds to complete them.

The main roads through large parts of the province are still unpaved which means they turn to mud whenever there has been a heavy shower.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchan Sinthavong explained the difficulties when answering questions put by National Assembly (NA) members concerning road upgrades during the ongoing debate session.

Work to upgrade a 120 km section of road is currently facing financial difficulties.

The road is the main link from the Thabok area in Thaphabath district of Borikhamxay province to Xaysomboun province.

From Thabok, this road also links with National Road No. 1D in Borikhamxay’s Viengthong district, over a length of 56 km.

This 120km long road needs to be sealed to provide a route from Xaysomboun province to Vientiane through Thabok and then link to Xieng Khuang province via National Road No. 1D, Dr Bounchan said.

Two other main routes will be surfaced with gravel but some sections of these roads passing through villages or over mountains will be sealed with asphalt.

The roads linking to Xaysomboun run from the provinces of Vientiane, Borikhamxay and Xieng Khuang. An NA member for Xaysomboun said there were other road links but most were tortuous.

Dr Bounchan said they planned to rebuild a 60km road between the Naphaeng area in Vientiane province and Xaysomboun province, and work was currently underway.

There are also other road links planned from Vientiane province to Xieng Khuang province via Xaysomboun province, for which a loan is being sought from the Chinese government.

Speaking at a national meeting on communications, transport, posts and construction in 1991, former President Kaysone Phomvihane said road building was key to ensuring economic development for both the Party and the state.

Today the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is prioritising the development of roads to link Laos with other countries in the region through the East-West and North-South Economic Corridors.

Road upgrades and new road construction in Vientiane and the provinces, especially roads leading to border crossings, roads linking provinces, and access roads to villages and new development areas, will help substantially in furthering rural development.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

National Assembly Pushes for Judiciary Improvement

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The National Assembly (NA) has put forth a proposal for prosecutors and judges to be stricter in implementing their legal duties in an effort to build public confidence and trust in the government’s judicial bodies.

Attendance of third party intermediaries is included in the new instructions given to the court system in the belief this will increase the judicial system’s objectivity and fairness in judgment.

Chairwoman of the NA’s Committee on Justice, Dr Buakham Thipphavong, outlined the instructions while commenting on the proposal made by the Office of the Supreme Public Prosecutor (OSPP) and Supreme People’s Court.

In the report put forward during the session, the OSPP addressed some deficiencies in the system pertaining to judges’ and prosecutors’ obligation of observing the right to a fair trial.

The committee asked the OSPP and its branches at all levels to implement their obligations defined by the Law of the Public Prosecutor, enhancing ideological education, and ethical training, said Dr Buakham in a speech to the committee.

The NA committee called on the OSPP to enhance their coordinating mechanisms in order to avoid illegal interference and misunderstanding between concerned authorities.

The committee asked that the OSPP respect the law at all levels by following the proper procedures of collecting evidence, filing charges and building a criminal case to foster public confidence and trust in the system.

More than 37,000 court cases have passed through the system in the last five years, with 36,000 of them coming to a conclusion.

The NA committee praised the efforts and achievements made by the courts.

Meanwhile, the committee commented on the shortcomings of the Supreme People’s Court, such as misconduct of judges, which the committee head said minimised public confidence in the judicial system as a whole.

The committee called for court staff to be models in respecting and following the law by making decisions without bias and discrimination towards defendants.

The committee proposes that the Supreme People’s Court augments their overall respect for adherence to the laws of the judiciary by following the guidelines set forth in the proposal, Dr Buakham said.

Our plan marks a new phase in building public confidence, contributing to state and social management through law enforcement and ultimately moving towards a more prosperous and just society, she concluded.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Luxembourg, Swiss Govts Lend Support to Tourism, Hospitality Sector

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The Luxembourg and Swiss governments will provide funding totaling 15 million euros or over 133 billion kip for skills development in the tourism and hospitality sector.

A launching ceremony for the Skills for Tourism project took place in Vientiane on Tuesday, presided over by Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy Sengmany; Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Luxembourg in the Lao PDR, Mr. Claude Jentgen; and Mekong Regional Director, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Mr.Tim Enderlin.

The purpose of this five-year project is the promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth in the tourism and hospitality sector, thereby contributing to poverty reduction.

Through the implementation of a range of initiatives, it is expected that graduates of improved and expanded tourism and hospitality skills development, particularly disadvantaged people, will find gainful employment in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The project, which is being implemented by the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev), builds on a previous successful Luxembourg Development Cooperation-funded project titled Strengthening of Human Resources in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry in the Lao PDR,’ which was implemented over the past seven years.

It was that project which led to the creation and operationalisation of the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.

Speaking at the ceremony, Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy Sengmany said The Skills for Tourism project aligns very well with the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan and the Ministry of Education and Sports’ Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Development Plan 2016-2020.

The vision of TVET is labour force development linked to national and provincial socio-economic development in key sectors including tourism, as well as ASEAN and international integration.

The Skills for Tourism project will provide ongoing support for vocational education and skills development for the tourism sector. When fully operational, it will allow for as many as 1,000 to 2,000 beneficiaries per year to be trained and find employment in tourism and hospitality.

The inception phase of the project began in September 2016. It is focused on achieving a number of key goals related to improving the quality, as well as expanding the scale and variety of good quality skills development programmes in tourism and hospitality.

This includes placing more disadvantaged groups in training programmes through transparent and effective support measures; and supporting and enabling governance, institutional and regulatory frameworks.

The government of Luxembourg is delighted to continue its support for tourism and hospitality skills development in Laos, said Mr. Jentgen.

This project is further helping to bridge the gap between the large number of job-seekers in the Lao PDR, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the enormous employment potential of the tourism and hospitality sector.

He emphasised that the project will also provide additional support to the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.

With the Skills for Tourism project, SDC aims to ensure that tourism and hospitality skills development and employment opportunities are available to all sections of society in the Lao PDR, in particular the poor and vulnerable, such as young people, women and the rural population, said Mr. Enderlin.

The tourism sector in the Lao PDR has expanded rapidly, with international arrivals increasing from 14,400 in 1990 to over 4.6 million in 2015.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

PM Reveals Measures to Bolster Economic Growth

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Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told the National Assembly (NA) that the government will employ a number of measures to spur economic growth amid the current economic and financial constraints.

The prime minister on Monday responded to questions raised by Assembly members about stimulus measures and policies the government will take to boost the economy.

The government pledged to ensure a stable and steady macro economy through the harmonised implementation of financial and currency policies and measures to ensure annual economic growth of at least 7 percent.

The prime minister committed to closely follow up the implementation of tax and customs policies and regulations as well as amending them appropriately in order to promote investment and business operations.

Laos is suffering from chronic debt, budget and trade deficits, violation of financial discipline, and revenue leaks, which are the main reasons for the current economic and budget difficulties, Mr. Thongloun told the lawmakers.

He said the government will strive to relax budget tensions, while exploring more financial sources to balance the budget deficit as well as gradually disburse debt.

The government will continue to regulate interest rates on deposits and loans at commercial banks so they are conducive to greater productivity and business operations. The government will identify measures to expand and manage loans to encourage greater investment in micro, small and medium enterprises.

The government will reform state-owned commercial banks that are still making losses so that they become more commercially viable.

The government will attach great importance to harmonising financial and currency policies to create a strong government domestic bond market as a source of capital, he told the session. Mr. Thongloun also announced that revenue collecting mechanisms would be reformed systematically to ensure the effective and transparent collection of revenue. The government will closely follow up and improve mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of budgets and financial plans. At the same, frugality would be enforced to counter extravagance through an Order which the government will soon issue.

The government will push sectors and localities to explore and make full use of all untapped potentials then draw up plans to maximise these potentials in a bid to alleviate poverty, especially in rural communities.

Additionally, the government will evaluate and draw lessons from the implementation of the Three Builds devolution directive, to increase its effectiveness.

The prime minister also committed to improve ease of doing business and the investment climate by removing barriers that caused difficulties for business operators.

We will amend some laws and regulations, which will contribute significantly to creating confidence among investors in a timely fashion, he told the lawmakers.

Mr. Thongloun promised to rejuvenate the Board of Investment Promotion to ensure effective performance of the one-door service to accelerate the investment approval process.

The government will inspect and re-improve mechanisms that don’t coincide with laws, and push various sectors to strengthen their coordinated action to facilitate investment and business operations,  he said.

The government will improve mechanisms for the transparent and faster consideration and approval of issues proposed by investors in line with the laws and regulations.

Mr. Thongloun pledged to more strongly promote the services and production areas in which Laos has potential, such as green agricultural production, organic agriculture, the processing industry, historical and cultural tourism as well as ecotourism, along with transit and logistics services among others. The government vowed to push for the effective implementation and operation of those investment projects already approved, especially mega projects that have a significant impact on the economy, while minimising environmental and social impacts.

The government will strive to improve state-owned enterprises for effective commercial operation so that these enterprises contribute significantly to the national economy.

Currently, the government is carrying out studies with a view to improving Electricite Du Laos, Lao Airlines, and two state-owned banks. In addition, improvements are being carried out in other state enterprises that are making a loss, lack transparency and operate inefficiently, Mr. Thongloun said. The state will no longer subsidise or carry burdens, he told the parliament.

I believe if we can improve and strengthen state enterprises, they will become an important driver of our economy.

The prime minister committed to streamline mechanisms towards greater transparency, speed, and effective and efficient governance.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Agents Can Book SilkAir Lao Flights

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Laotian Times
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Sabre Corporation and SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, have announced new flights between Singapore, Vientiane and Luang Prabang are now available for travel agents to book through the Sabre Travel Marketplace.

This is the first time this air content will be available to travel agents via a Global Distribution System (GDS).

SilkAir launched its Singapore-Vientiane-Luang Prabang-Singapore flights 31 October, available through a codeshare agreement with Lao Airlines.

With the new destinations, the full service airline operates almost 400 weekly flights to 51 destinations in 14 countries, using a fleet of Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

SilkAir’s Vice President, commercial, Ryan Pua, commented that the launch of these new routes will support Laos’s emergence as a popular international tourism destination.

“This new service connects Laos with the joint Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network of over 100 cities worldwide, via the Singapore Changi Airport hub and connecting international flights. Now, through our agreement with Sabre, these flights will also be made available to over 425,000 Sabre-connected travel agents globally, supporting further growth in travel bookings to and from Laos,” added Mr Pua.

Total visitor numbers to Laos reached 4.6 million in 2015 and are projected by the Lao Tourism Development Department to almost double by 2025, reaching 9 million.

“Laos has significant potential as an international tourism destination. Continued visitor growth is being further supported by a government commitment to promote the industry, ongoing infrastructure development and the country’s entry into the ASEAN Economic Community last year,” commented Sabre Travel Network vice president of supplier commerce and strategic partnerships Asia Pacific, Hans Belle.

Sabre is the first GDS to enable electronic ticketing of SilkAir tickets amongst authorised travel agents in Laos, which is a non-IATA Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) country.

inside-no-71

Source: TTR Weekly

Singapore’s DBS Pounces on ANZ Assets to Extend Asia Private Banking Push

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Laotian Times
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The logo of DBS is pictured outside an office in Singapore January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

DBS Group (DBSM.SI) plans to buy Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s (ANZ.AX) wealth and retail businesses in five Asian markets – part of a big private banking push for the Singapore lender and the first significant retreat from Asia for ANZ.

The businesses in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Indonesia, will be sold for around S$110 million ($80 million), in a deal that underscores how smaller players in private banking are being squeezed out due to lack of scale.

Where ANZ said it would have needed to invest further in branches and digital capacity to build up those businesses, Singapore’s biggest lender noted it already had the advantage of existing infrastructure in those markets and would not have to deploy much capital.

“Further investments do not make sense for us given our competitive position and the returns available to ANZ,” said Shayne Elliott, chief executive of Australia’s third-largest lender by market value.

Elliott, who announced a review of ANZ’s Asia strategy in May in a departure from his predecessor’s “super-regional strategy”, stressed the bank was not turning its back on Asia but would focus on its institutional banking business.

Clarifying earlier remarks, Elliott said ANZ would also look to exit its retail and wealth assets in the Philippines and Vietnam, but there were no plans to sell similar assets in Cambodia and Laos.

Elliott told Reuters in a separate interview ANZ plans to return to growth in its institutional business in Asia after the sale of its wealth and retail businesses. ANZ’s institutional business involves services such as trade financing, foreign exchange and cash management, mostly for corporate clients.

“It’s very different from the retail business, we have already got scale. So we just want to do more of that,” Elliott said..

PICKING UP THE PIECES

For DBS, which recently became the fifth biggest player in private banking in Asia-Pacific, the deal is part of aggressive attempts by Singapore banks to pick up assets as some Western wealth managers depart from the region unable to compete with dominant players like UBS (UBSG.S) and Credit Suisse (CSGN.S).

Driven by the emergence of more millionaires in China and India, Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing wealth region in the world and has nearly 5 million individuals with $1 million in liquid assets.

Sources have said DBS is weighing a bid for ABN AMRO’s Asian private bank, a deal estimated to be worth at least $300 million. Earlier this year, it lost out to domestic rival Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC.SI) in bidding for Barclays wealth units in Singapore and Hong Kong.

DBS said the ANZ transactions will be completed over 15 months and are set to add S$200 million to income in 2017 and S$600 million the year after.

“This adds on and complements our Singapore and Hong Kong base quite nicely,” DBS CEO Piyush Gupta told a news conference.

The news comes as DBS posted a slight increase in third-quarter net profit, in line with expectations, although bad debt provisions rose sharply due to its exposure to the troubled oil and gas sector.

ANZ said it would take a loss of A$265 million on the sale, including writedowns and added the sale was expected to increase its Tier 1 capital ratio by 15 to 20 basis points. The losses are set to be booked in the first half of the current financial year.

“Overall, the deal looks good since it releases a bit of capital,” said Omkar Joshi, an investment analyst at Watermark Funds Management.

The latest losses will come of top of A$360 million in one-off charges that will be booked in the year just ended. Those earnings are due to released in full on Thursday.

In 2009, ANZ acquired the Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS.L) retail, wealth and commercial businesses in Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong as well as institutional businesses in Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam for $550 million.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney and Saeed Azhar in Singapore; Additional reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee and Denny Thomas in HONG KONG; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Source: Reuters

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