Regional

More Lao Citizens Live Abroad as Foreign Population Nearly Doubles

The number of foreign nationals living in Laos has nearly doubled over the past decade, led by a sharp increase in Chinese residents, even as hundreds of thousands of Lao citizens live abroad. Laos recorded 79,827 foreign residents in its 2025 census, up from 45,538 in 2015. The census also...

Lao Migrant Workers Send Home USD 500 Million in First Seven Months of 2026

Lao migrant workers sent an estimated USD 500.7 million back to Laos during the...

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signing...

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...

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...

Singapore Airlines Offers Compensation to Passengers on Flight That Hit Extreme Turbulence

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore Airlines said Tuesday it has offered compensation to passengers of a flight that hit extreme turbulence last month,...

Thailand’s Progressive Move Forward Party Braces for Court Case That Might Dissolve It

BANGKOK (AP) — The former leader of Thailand’s progressive opposition Move Forward party vowed on Sunday, 9 June, to keep fighting as the party...

Thailand Interested in Building Sixth Friendship Bridge to Laos

Thailand has confirmed its intention to build a sixth friendship bridge connecting the country to Laos over the Mekong River. This bridge would link...

Laos, Singapore, Cambodia Unite to Facilitate Cross-Border Electricity Trade

Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos have formed a working group to push cross-border electricity trade, inching closer to the ASEAN Power Grid vision.  On 3 June,...

East, Southeast Asia Had Record Methamphetamine Seizures Last Year. Profits Remain in Billions

BANGKOK (AP) — East and Southeast Asia are awash in record amounts of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, the U.N. Office on Drugs and...

Thai Court Sentences Opposition Lawmaker to Two Years in Prison for Defaming Monarchy

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court on Monday sentenced a lawmaker from a progressive opposition party to two years in prison after finding her...