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...

Laos to Prioritize Human Rights Engagement During ASEAN Chairmanship

Laos is poised to take an active role in addressing human rights issues within the ASEAN community during its tenure as chair of the...

Sri Lanka in Laos: 16 Years of Building Bridges in Tourism, Religion, and Tech

Damith Aluge, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Laos Union, has spent the last 16 years in Laos, pioneering projects in tourism, Buddhism, and...

Thai Prosecutors Say Former Prime Minister Thaksin Is Being Investigated for Royal Defamation

State prosecutors in Thailand said Tuesday they have revived an investigation into whether former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra almost nine years ago violated the...

President Welcomes Four New Ambassadors to Laos

Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith extended a warm welcome to four newly appointed ambassadors in a diplomatic ceremony on 5 February in Vientiane. The president welcomed...

Debt-Stricken Sri Lanka Signs a Free Trade Pact With Thailand

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Debt-stricken Sri Lanka signed a trade pact with Thailand on 3 January in a bid to boost trade and...

Out of Options, Rohingya Are Fleeing Myanmar, Bangladesh by Boat Despite Soaring Death Toll

SYDNEY (AP) — Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. And though they know...