Politics

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic partnership to the next level, with both countries targeting USD 4 billion in bilateral trade in 2026. The goal follows a strong year for trade, with two-way trade reaching USD 3.196 billion in 2025, up 12 percent from the previous year. The...

Trade, Energy, Tourism Drive Laos-Vietnam Economic Ties Past USD 1.3 Billion

Trade between Laos and Vietnam reached USD 1.305 billion during the first six months...

Laos Formalizes Shanghai Cooperation Organization Dialogue Partner Status

Laos has strengthened its regional ties after formally confirming its status as a Dialogue...

Railway Expansion, Education Reform Among Key Issues at National Assembly

Expanding the railway to southern Laos, rolling out a new school system, reducing poverty,...

Myanmar’s Leader Wraps First ASEAN Visit in Laos, Signs Mekong Dam Study

Myanmar's recently elected President, Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in the 2021 military...

How Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra Went From Prime Minister to Fugitive Abroad, Back Home Again

BANGKOK (AP) — Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire former prime minister of Thailand, made a dramatic return home after more than a decade of self-imposed exile. He was detained in...

Laos, Thailand to Implement Permanent Border Checkpoint, Boost Trade Cooperation

Update; Laos and Thailand have joined forces to elevate a temporary border trade checkpoint to a permanent facility, aiming to bolster trade relations between the...

Former Thai PM Thaksin is Released on Parole After Serving 6 Months in Hospital

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole early Sunday, 18 February from a Bangkok hospital, where he spent six months serving time...

Laos, Japan Join Forces to Boost Coffee Production

The Japanese government joined various partners to launch a project aimed at empowering coffee farmers in two districts of Luang Prabang Province on 15...

UK Continues Decades-long Support for UXO Clearance in Khammouane Province

On 14 February, the United Kingdom pledged to donate over USD 1.65 million to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a British organization for landmine...

Indonesian Voters Chooses New President in One of the World Largest Elections

Indonesian voters were choosing a new president Wednesday as the world’s third-largest democracy aspires to become a global economic powerhouse a quarter-century after shaking off a...