Regional

Seven-Year-Old Becomes Laos’ Youngest Internationally Rated Chess Player

Seven-year-old Bounthiengtham “Jayson” Sengphachan has already done something no Lao chess player his age has done before. The young player from Vientiane Chess Academy recently became the youngest Lao player to receive an official FIDE Rapid rating, a ranking based on performance in faster-paced chess games, scoring 1503 after a...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

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,...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive...

Lao Police Arrest Two Nationals in Cross-Border Heroin Investigation

Two Lao nationals have been arrested in Laos as part of a growing cross-border...

Divisive Thai Ex-prime Minister Thaksin Returns From Exile as Party Seeks to Form New Government

BANGKOK (AP) — Divisive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand on Tuesday after years of self-imposed exile to face possible criminal penalties on...

Cambodian Parliament Approves Longtime Leader’s Son as Prime Minister as Part of Generational Change

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The son of longtime autocratic Cambodian leader Hun Sen was approved by Parliament on Tuesday as the country’s new...

Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party Joins With Pro-military Parties in Coalition to Form New Government

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s populist Pheu Thai party announced Monday that it plans to form a new government with an 11-party coalition that includes...

Lao Central Bank Issues Statement to Clarify False Foreign Account Claims

The Bank of Lao PDR (BOL) has issued a statement to dismiss false claims circulating online that suggest foreign currency bank account holders may...

Laos, Cambodia Launch Cross-Border QR Code Payment System

The 13th multilateral meeting between the Bank of Laos and the National Bank of Cambodia was held in Vientiane Capital last Friday to discuss...

New Faces in Cambodia’s Parliament as King Welcomes Incoming Lawmakers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s king congratulated the country’s new lawmakers on Monday, urging them in his traditional speech to the National Assembly...