Law and Crime

Laos Arrests More Than 550 in August Scam Crackdown

Laos has detained more than 550 people in raids targeting online scams and illegal gambling operations so far in August, as authorities step up a nationwide crackdown that has now netted more than 1,100 suspects since mid-July. The latest figures come after a series of raids across Vientiane Capital and...

Laos Seizes Nearly 1.8 Tonnes of Suspected Ivory, Black Panther Remains in Bolikhamxay Raid

On 16 August, Lao authorities detained 11 foreign nationals in connection with a wildlife...

Vientiane Authorities Detain Nearly 400 in Cybercrime Raids in Early-to-Mid August

Vientiane authorities have detained nearly 400 suspects in three separate raids since the start...

Laos Authorities Arrest Four in Alleged Marriage Trafficking Network

On 23 July, Lao authorities arrested four people suspected of operating a human trafficking...

Police Detain 261 Foreign Nationals in Thatluang Lake SEZ Scam Raid

On 8 August, Vientiane police raided a telecommunications fraud and online gambling operation at...

Thai Activist, Hunger-striker Dies in Custody

Thai democracy activist Nethiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom (28) passed away on 14 May to cardiac arrest at Thammasat University Hospital in Pathum Thani, shortly after...

Vietnam’s Arrest of Reformist Labor Official Could Disturb Bid for Better Trade Terms With US

BANGKOK (AP) — A senior Vietnamese official with the country’s labor ministry was arrested for “deliberately disclosing state secrets,” police announced on May 9,...

Huge Fire at Chemical Storage Tank in Thailand Kills One and Injures 4

BANGKOK (AP) — At least one person was killed and four others were injured after a huge fire broke out at a chemical storage...

Six Laos Nationals Apprehended for Drug Trafficking Into Vietnam

Vietnamese local authorities arrested six Laos nationals on 6 May for allegedly transporting 120 kg of drugs across the border into central Ha Tinh...

Lao Woman Arrested in Extortion Case Involving Police Officers in Bangkok

Thai authorities detained a 34-year-old Lao woman on 4 May, suspecting her involvement in a criminal gang, purportedly comprising several police officers, accused of...

Laos Makes History as First Southeast Asian Nation to Ban Child Corporal Punishment

UPDATED ON 12 NOVEMBER AT 10:42 Laos has just become the first in Southeast Asia to officially outlaw corporal punishment to fully protect children from...