Law and Crime

Vientiane Shuts Down KM38 Dharma Practice Center After Leader Defies Order Over Reborn Buddha Claim

On 24 September, Vientiane authorities shut down the KM38 Dharma Practice Center in Sangsai village, Pakngum district, after its leader declared herself the reincarnation of Phra Sri Ariya Metrai, the Maitreya Buddha that Buddhist tradition says will one day appear on earth to succeed Gautama Buddha. Under the 24 September...

Corruption Crackdown in Laos’s Attapeu Province Uncovers Millions in Financial Irregularities

Attapeu authorities have detailed five years of corruption investigations and financial irregularities, including a...

Xaysomboun Identifies Four Companies Over Unauthorized Gold Mining

Authorities in Xaysomboun Province have identified four companies allegedly involved in unauthorized alluvial gold...

Laos Detains 33 Suspects in Two-Day Vientiane Cybercrime Crackdown

Lao authorities detained 33 people, all Chinese nationals, in a two-day operation targeting cybercrime...

Latest Scam Center Raids Hit Vientiane, Champasak with Nearly 100 Arrests

Laos has detained nearly 100 suspected scammers in raids across the country last week,...

Laos Puts the Brakes on April Fools’ During Covid-19 Pandemic

Laos has announced that posting or sharing April Fools' Day jokes about Covid-19 is now punishable by law. According to the Mass Media Department Facebook...

Vietnamese Man Caught Smuggling 30,000 Face Masks to Laos

A Vietnamese man was caught in Ha Tinh Province smuggling 30,000 face masks to Laos. The 13 boxes of face masks were stored in the...

Footpath Parking a Chronic Issue for Streets of Laos

One week has passed since the Mayor of Vientiane issued an order officially prohibiting the parking of cars on the city's footpaths in an...

Seven Women from Laos arrested in Phetchabun for Prostitution

Seven women from Laos were arrested in Phetchabun Province, Thailand, yesterday for prostitution. The Thai Immigration Bureau's Division 5 conducted a search at a resort...

Sang Jiang Temporarily Closed Due to Theft, Not Coronavirus

Reports of an outbreak of the new Coronavirus at Sang Jiang shopping center have been declared fake news. A viral social media post spreading panic...

Laos Prohibits Vehicles From Crossing Borders Without Road Tax Payment

Laos has announced that it will prohibit vehicle owners who have not paid road tax from crossing the border into other countries. According to a...