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...

Cambodian Opposition Party Officials Arrested for Allegedly Encouraging Casting of Spoiled Ballots

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Two senior members of the only major functioning opposition party in Cambodia have been arrested for allegedly teaching voters...

Reformist Thai Party, Thwarted From Forming New Government, Seeks Law Change to Limit Senate’s Power

BANGKOK (AP) — The political party that captured first place in Thailand’s general election two months ago — only to see the country’s unelected...

High Times in Thailand: New Weed Laws Draw Tourists From Across Asia

BANGKOK (AP) — A Japanese tourist reaches into a baggie of cannabis he’s just bought in a central Bangkok weed shop, pulling out a...

EU Rejects Myanmar’s Diplomatic Role and Says It Still Doesn’t Recognize Generals

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The European Union’s top diplomat on Thursday expressed opposition to Myanmar’s upcoming role as the overseer of relations between the...

Thailand’s Move Forward Party Leader Pita Falls Short in Parliamentary Vote for Prime Minister

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of the progressive Thai political party that outpaced its rivals to a surprise first-place finish in May’s general election...

Thailand’s Parliament Set to Choose Prime Minister, but it Might Not Be Election Winner

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai lawmakers are gathering Thursday to select a new prime minister, a process whose outcome is far from certain even though the...