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,...

US Deports 5 Migrants Convicted of Crime, Including one from Laos, to Eswatini

AFP - The Trump administration on 16 July announced the third-country deportation from the United States of five "criminal illegal aliens" to the small...

Body of Man Abducted from Laos Found in Chiang Mai

Thai police have discovered the body of a 24-year-old Chinese man, identified only as Yang, who was murdered in Chiang Mai Province on 14...

Vietnam Jails 30 People for Graft Worth USD 45 Million

A court in Vietnam on 11 July jailed 30 people including several former senior officials over graft that cost the state USD 45 million,...

Cambodia to Pass Laws Allowing for Citizenship to Be Stripped

AFP - Cambodian lawmakers amended the constitution 11 July paving the way for people charged with foreign collusion to be stripped of their citizenship,...

Over 70 Million Meth Pills Seized in Bokeo Province in First Half of 2025

Since the beginning of 2025, Bokeo Province has emerged as a major front in Laos’s fight against narcotics, with authorities intercepting over 70 million...

Thailand Drops Casino Legalization Plans After PM Suspended

AFP - Thailand's cabinet on 8 July dropped a bill to legalize casino gambling, a flagship project of the faltering ruling party, which last...