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,...

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...

Japanese Yakuza Members Wanted for Murder in Thailand, Flee to Laos

Thai authorities are in pursuit of two Japanese nationals believed to be members of a prominent yakuza gang in Japan. Their involvement in the...