Regional

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 a declaration of accession in Vientiane on 15 September during the treaty’s Third Review Conference. Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed the Declaration of Accession, and handed to Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister...

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...

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...

‘Sheer Terror’: Passengers Describe Turbulence-Hit Flight That Put 20 in Intensive Care

BANGKOK (AP) — Passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight that descended sharply after hitting severe turbulence described the “sheer terror” of the aircraft shuddering, loose...

Vietnam’s Top Security Official to Lam Confirmed as President

BANGKOK (AP) — Vietnam’s top security official To Lam was confirmed Wednesday as the nation’s new president. Lam was confirmed by Vietnam’s National Assembly after...

North Korea’s World Cup Qualifiers Moved from Pyongyang to Laos

North Korea's World Cup qualifying matches against Syria and Myanmar have been relocated from Pyongyang, North Korea, to Vientiane, Laos. This decision marks the...

Pro-cannabis Advocates in Thailand Rally Ahead of the Government’s Plan to Recriminalize the Plant

NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — Dozens of pro-cannabis advocates gathered Thursday, 16 May, at the health ministry on the outskirts of the Thai capital, Bangkok,...

Record Surge in Individuals Crossing Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Early 2024

In the initial months of 2024, a total of 85,871 people crossed the Third Thai-lao Friendship Bridge, which links Khammouane Province, Laos, and Nakhon...

Thai Prime Minister Promises Investigation After Activist Died in Detention

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s prime minister on Wednesday, 15 May, offered his condolences to the family of a young activist who died in detention...