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...

Myanmar Expels Timor-Leste’s Representative Over War Crimes Case

AFP - Myanmar's junta on 15 February announced the ejection of East Timor's top representative in the country, after a rights group said Dili...

Japan Commits USD 2.7 Million to Strengthen Mekong Water Monitoring

Japan has pledged up to JPY 424 million (over USD 2.7 million) to improve water quality monitoring and management in the Lower Mekong Basin,...

Man Arrested in Thailand for Smuggling Rhino Horn Hidden in Meat Bound for Laos

AFP - Thai authorities arrested a man for allegedly smuggling more than 11 kilograms of rhino horns inside wrapped meat, in a case officials...

Authorities Intensify Crackdown on Illegal Opium Poppy Cultivation in Northern Laos

Lao authorities have stepped up enforcement against illegal opium poppy cultivation in northern Laos, destroying more than 13 hectares of illicit crops in early...

Laos Arrests Nearly 2,800 Suspects in Golden Triangle Zone Since 2023, Officials Say

Nearly 2,800 suspects from 27 nationalities have been arrested in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in Bokeo Province for telecommunications fraud and...

Thailand Votes After Three Prime Ministers in Two Years

AFP - Thais vote Sunday, 8 February, in an election pitting the popular reformists who won last time against the conservative who ended up...