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NA Members Vow to Tighten Petition Handling

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Enhancement of inspection measures and measures against violators involved in abuses of power that lead to injustices in resolving disputes and court cases became a hot topic at the ongoing National Assembly (NA) debate.

NA members at the ongoing 2nd ordinary session of the 8th National Assembly legislature were debating the draft amendment to the Law on Handling Petitions.

Thirteen NA members gave their opinions on the draft amendment to the law, which was introduced to the NA session for consideration yesterday.

The latest amendment to the law was made in 2014 but it has been amended again to be compliant with the constitution and other laws such as the Law on National Assembly, and the Law on Local People’s Councils.

The latest amendment was made last year and led to the improved role and obligations of the concerned authorities.

At the debate with NA Vice President Somphanh Phengkhammy presiding, 104 of 116 NA members present voted for the approval of the draft while 10 members did not approve it and two members were neutral.

The current law (2014 law) contains 64 articles, while the draft amendment (2016 law) has one article less than the promulgated one.

Both the promulgated law and draft amendment include three types of petitions: a request, which is presented to a state administrative body, a claim, which is presented to an investigating orgnisation, the Office of the Public Prosecutor or the People’s Court, and a petition for justice, which is presented to the local people’s council and the National Assembly.

Speaking at the debate on the draft amendment, NA member for Vientiane, Mr Saithong Keoduangdy praised the draft, saying this would prevent the presentation of a petition to several organisations at the same time.

Meanwhile, he noted the reason for presenting a petition for justice needs to be identified, saying this related to investigating officials, prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement teams.

Our National Assembly and local people’s councils have to enhance their inspection. The law should make details about this, Mr Saithong said.

If we don’t do so, those people who used to earn money from dealing with court cases will continue to take advantage of the situation, he added.

Mr Saithong agreed with the NA vice president’s call for the punishment of judges who have been involved in offences or injustices. He said judges sometimes make the right judgment in accordance with the law but the decisions are not accurately supported by the facts.

He explained that non-factual decisions come about as a result of misconduct by information providers such as investigating officials, who change the information or testimony. He reminded the session about a case where investigating officials removed a document from the whole set provided by one party to the case.

Punishment should be meted out on the officials concerned, Mr Saithong said.

He also wanted inspections to focus on judges whose judgments made parties to the lawsuit continue to appeal consecutively.

The draft stipulates in Article 28, that the period for presenting a petition for justice to local people’s councils and the National Assembly is within 60 days from the date the concerned person is informed of the final decision of the public administrative authority or the final decision of the court.

NA member for Champassak province, Mr Meksavanh Phomphithak proposed the time limit for the acceptance of a reconsideration of a petition be extended, mentioning a time period of 30 years as is the practice in Vietnam.

NA member for Attapeu province, Mr Phetkeo Heuangpanya said he wanted the higher authorities to better define this law when it comes to dealing with petitions concerning disputes between individuals and local authorities.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Asean, China Join Forces to Tackle Transnational Crime

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ASEAN member states and China will further boost their joint efforts through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms to tackle transnational crime.

Transnational crime includes drugs and human trafficking which are increasing in scale as reflected by the large number of young people that fall victim to these crimes.

Vice President of the National Assembly, Dr Bounpone Bouttanavong, highlighted this point during his opening remarks at the 10th ASEAN-China Prosecutors-General Conference, held in Vientiane yesterday under the theme: Strengthening Cooperation to Effectively Combat Transnational Crime.

To address these issues, we need to increase our combined efforts, including ensuring effective coordination, the capacity building of prosecutors, and expertise exchange, he said.

The world is currently undergoing rapid changes that present both opportunities and challenges. Moreover, different regions of the world are facing challenges that impede socio-economic development, especially transnational crime, he added.

Dr Bounpone said that although the Lao government has made a strong effort to address these issues, including through the adoption of laws and strict measures, the country was still facing challenges in this area.

Such activities have caused great loss of life and property and are posing a threat to the peace, stability and security of nations, regions and the world as a whole.

These crimes are transnational in nature and involve many countries, and they are a pressing issue that no single country can handle on its own.

We should exchange information on the activities of offenders or groups of criminals with the aim of responding to and combating these crimes in an effective and timely manner, Dr Bounpone said.

Dr Bounpone noted that the conference was taking place at a time when ASEAN is focusing its efforts on the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the three community Blueprints as well as the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan III and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.

He said the cooperation between the offices of the prosecutors general of ASEAN member states and China would contribute to the implementation of related activities under the ASEAN-China Plan of Action.

The conference provides a good opportunity for ASEAN prosecutors general and China to discuss and together find ways and means to combat transnational crime, in particular drugs and human trafficking, he added.

Dr Bounpone stressed that with the cooperation and support of ASEAN member countries and China, the conference would meet with success, thereby significantly contributing to the ongoing ASEAN community building efforts and ASEAN-China relations as well as the common cause of maintaining and promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Dr Bounpone said he highly valued the important role played by the conference, which was first held in 2004. He congratulated participants on the achievements made in past years in the fight against transnational crimes of mutual concern, further contributing to cooperation between ASEAN and China as Strategic Partners towards a higher plane.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

NA Approves Draft-amended Law on Government

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The National Assembly (NA) approved a draft-amended Law on Government on Tuesday that revises the mandates of the prime minister, ministers and some state departments.

The amendments came after the Government Office was renamed the Prime Minister’s Office following the assumption of office of the new cabinet in April and the recent establishment of the provincial assemblies, the promulgation of the Law on Provincial Assemblies and other changed circumstances which require the amendments.

Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Khamman Sounvileuth told the parliament that the amendment to the 2015 law’s Article 6 would give the Prime Minister eligible rights to comment on the proposals of provincial governors or the Vientiane mayor regarding the appointment, removal from official or reshuffling of deputy provincial governors or vice mayors before such proposals are submitted to provincial assemblies for approval.

The amendment will be in line with the 2015-version amended constitution, which stipulates that the Prime Minister is eligible to appoint provincial governors and the Vientiane Mayor following the approval of the provincial assemblies.

Meanwhile the provincial governors and Vientiane Mayor are eligible to appoint their deputies following the approval of the provincial assemblies, the minister explained.

Therefore, prior to the provincial governors or the Vientiane mayor proposing to the provincial assemblies to approve [their deputies], comments should be sought from the prime minister, Mr Khamman told the law makers at the ongoing ordinary session of the NA.

He added that the government will also propose to the parliament to amend the Law on Local Administration in line with the relevant laws accordingly.

The minister said the fundamental content of the 2015-version law, which comprises eight Chapters and 36 Articles, remains unchanged and amendments were made to only six articles.

The amendment to Article 8 changed the name of the Administrative Office of the Government Office to the Administrative Office of the Prime Minister’s Office, while the amendment to Article 9 establishes the Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office instead of the Minister to the Government Office.

Amendments to Article 11 changed the name of the Government Office to the Prime Minister’s Office, while the titles of the ministers to these offices, their scopes of work and the responsibilities of the offices and the ministers have also been amended accordingly.

Yesterday, the law makers also approved a draft-amended Law on the Handling of Petitions. A draft-amended Law on Defence Lawyers was also debated at yesterday’s session.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Laos, China Prosecutors Confirm to Strengthen Future Cooperation

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The Office of Supreme People’s Prosecutor of Laos and China’s equivalent organization made a commitment in Vientiane on November 8 to further strengthen the existing cooperation between the two prosecutors.

The bilateral commitment focusing on mutual cooperation in the framework of technical terms of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor in the northern provinces of Laos is to ensure that future cooperation is fruitful.

The commitment was made at a meeting between Director of the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor of Laos Khamsan Souvong, and the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor of the People’s Republic of China Cao Jianming.

The main purpose of Mr Jianming’s visit to Laos is to attend the 10th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference which is being held from Nov 8 – 11 in Vientiane Capital.

At the talks, both sides noted that the two countries have been witnessing the constant growth of bilateral cooperation over the past years.

The representatives of the two countries exchanged points of view regarding the implementation of the MoU signed by the two countries, the effectiveness of formal exchanges of visits by high-ranking official delegations of the two countries, and the extent to which the knowledge and capacity of the prosecutors could be improved with the help of China.

 

Source: KPL

51st Meeting of ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information Held

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Representatives of ASEAN member countries met in Vientiane on Tuesday for the 51st Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information to discuss creative and relevant projects to further raise ASEAN awareness and deepen understandings among the people of ASEAN countries.

The meeting was held under Lao-ASEAN Chairmanship in 2016 along with other ASEAN meetings currently being held in Vientiane.

Recently, the 15th and 16th ASCC Council Meetings were organized in Luang Prabang and Vientiane with productive success. Several important documents of culture were endorsed by ASEAN Socio-Cultural Council (ASCC) ministers namely: the Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration on Culture and Arts to promote ASEAN’s Identity towards a Dynamic and Harmonious ASEAN Community, the Vientiane Declaration on Reinforcing Cultural Heritage Cooperation in ASEAN, and other related documents.

The ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information is one of the oldest institutions of ASEAN. COCI and its two sub committees SCC/SCI have played a key role in raising awareness among the people of ASEAN countries over the years. Activities such as the ASEAN Quiz have done much to educate people, particularly young people in the region, about ASEAN’s cultural diversity.

During the opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Savanakhone Razmountry highly valued the contributions and efforts of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information in developing and implementing a series of important projects on culture and information, for instance, the ASEAN TV News Exchange (ATN), ASEAN in Action (AiA) now known as the Voice of ASEAN-Beyond Boundaries, and some other projects under SCC.

“All the projects are highly appreciated by AMRI (ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information) and AMCA (ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture & Arts) and considered as recurring projects carried out for two decades,” said Mr Savankhone.

“Our meeting today is to follow up on the outcomes of previous meetings.  I strongly believe that, through kind consideration, consultation and active participation on the part of all of us, ASEAN Colleagues as well as the ASEAN Secretariat, the meeting today will be crowned as a great success,” said Director General of the International Cooperation Department Bounleuane Boupha.

 

Source: KPL

Korean Companies Eye Trade Expansion in Laos

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One-on-one business consultations were held between company representatives from the Republic of Korea and Lao buyers in Vientiane yesterday as part of efforts to boost international business cooperation.

The consultation meeting was a part of the Chungnam Trade Mission 2016 which was organised by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the commercial section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Laos.

The trade mission is an event where representatives of selected Korean SMEs visit Laos to meet and consult with Lao importers. During this event, both Korean and Lao companies carefully consider whether they could become business partners and successfully introduce new products to the Lao market.

During the Chungnam Trade Mission 2016, delegates of six Korean companies from Chungnam province and about 20 Lao buyers were present.

Various products were introduced at the venue, such as PIR panels, PUR panels, sanitary napkins, diapers, seasoned lavers, cosmetics, onion/garlic salt, aronia granules, and red ginseng extract.

While missions are held about four to six times a year, the Chungnam Trade Mission 2016 will be the last trade mission this year.

According to an official from KOTRA, trade missions this year have created various opportunities that have assisted the formation of business partnerships between Korean and Lao companies.

KOTRA will continue hosting trade missions in the following years as well as other such events, aiming to effectively promote bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries.

Around 100 Korean businesses are already in operation in Laos, and Korea has become the fifth largest foreign investor in the country.

However, taking into account the rate of economic growth in Laos, averaging over 7 percent per year, and the two countries’ complementary economic structures, the Korean side believes that Laos still has much room for the further expansion of investment cooperation in the years ahead.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1995, the two countries have witnessed a 24-fold increase in bilateral trade and investment; Korea’s total investments in Laos amounted to US$1.03 billion as of last year.

The number of Korean people travelling to Laos has also increased year by year and reached about 165,000 last year.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Dentists Get Lesson on Infection Control

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The University of Health Sciences will continue to teach hygiene and infection control to dentists in order to provide a safe care and working environment in dental clinics and hospitals in Laos.

This was the message from Vice President of the University of Health Sciences, Dr Aloungnadeth Sitthiphanh, who addressed the opening ceremony of a Training Course on Infection Control in Dental Clinics, held in Luang Prabang province this week.

He said that since the beginning of 2016, the university’s Faculty of Dentistry has been running a series of training sessions to help dentists and oral health technicians to improve their work.

A video on the subject was produced by the faculty and was distributed to all participants. Training sessions started in Vientiane in February and March, then extended to LuangPrabang with the first session held this week.

This training aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of dental healthcare safety for both dentist and patient, and to prevent the risk of contamination from dental services and the dental clinic, said Dr Aloungnadeth.

During the training, the standard precautions were presented, including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (gloves, masks and eyewear), respiratory hygiene /cough prevention, sharp safety, and clean and disinfected surfaces.

There was also a presentation on the importance of fluoride in the prevention of dental decay and the iodised-fluoridated salt programme in Laos.

Participants agreed that the session was very successful and provided dentists with information on basic infection prevention recommendations for all dental health care settings.

Deputy Head of the Luang Prabang provincial Health Department, Dr Niphone Simphaly, and representatives of the French NGO Aide Odontologique Internationale, dentists from the provincial hospital and six district hospitals and healthcare professionals from the food and drug division and mother and child division also attended the training session.

Source: Vientiane Times

Ministry Calls for Tougher Action to Stamp Out Corruption

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Government bodies should do more to weed out and prevent corruption, using the methods put in place by the Party and state.

This was the main message of a meeting held on Monday to disseminate and explain the content of the 3rd National Inspection Meeting and provide instruction on inspection procedures.

Party committees and leading officials were advised to raise public awareness of the importance of complying with the law and encourage people to stay away from corruption, as a first step in preventing systemic corruption.

The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to inform ministry officials about various issues relating to inspection and corruption. It was attended by Minister Prof. Dr Bosengkham

Source: Vientiane Times

Vongdara and other ministry officials.

Participants were keen to learn about inspection methods in relation to corruption, which is a corrosive practice that is causing huge losses to the public interest and is an obstacle to social and economic development.

People all across the country have been attempting to combat corruption by various means and measures that have been agreed upon by the global community.

Participants and committees in charge were asked to share their knowledge and skills in carrying out inspections and fighting corruption.

The Party and state have always considered the campaign against corruption to be of great importance. Since 1982, the government has provided directions for dealing with underhand activities in state administrative bodies and amongst public officials, and for preventing corruption.

The Party Central Committee has issued resolutions and regulations in relation to anti-corruption measures.

The National Assembly adopted the first Law on Anti-Corruption in 2005, which was subsequently promulgated by the President.

This law was subsequently amended and re-promulgated in December 2012. The Law on Anti-Corruption is the primary reference for every organisation in Laos in the prevention and combatting of corruption.

Corruption is not only widely practised by provincial bureaucrats, but also at the highest levels of government, according to officials in charge.

From 2012 to 2014, Laos lost more than 1 trillion kip (US$123 million) to corruption, according to a report presented to the National Assembly.

In addition, Laos has issued bonds worth several hundred billion kip to firms that failed to carry out road construction in Oudomxay province, according to the Ministry of Finance, adding to recent losses.

The current government is trying to strengthen anti-corruption measures through the development and amendment of legislation and by improving organisational mechanisms.

Source: Vientiane Times

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