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Regional Transport Infrastructure Remains Challenged

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Despite limited funding, Laos has been doing its best to develop and improve most of the regional transport infrastructure that passes through the country.

This was the message delivered by Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Dr Santisouk Simmalavong, when speaking at the third session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Transport Conference in Moscow, Russia, recently.

However, we are now facing many challenges such as balancing the construction of new roads against the maintenance of existing ones on a tight budget, he said.

One of the government’s goals in upgrading its road network is to encourage the participation of the private sector in the form of Public-Private Partnerships in developing the logistics and transport sector.

Another objective is to upgrade prioritised Asean Highways (AH) in Laos to at least Class III of Asean standards. There are now eight Asean Highways in Laos, with a total length of 2,860 km. Of these, only two roads meet Class III standards: AH3 (Road No. 3) and AH16 (Road No. 9).

The government would also like to include a disaster resilience factor in the construction of new roads, taking into account global warming and climate change.

Dr Santisouk also referred to some of the development initiatives suggested under the theme of Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community, as follows.

ASEAN recalls the importance of individual and collective efforts to achieve the twin goals of implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, and of realising the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and its Blueprints, to help ensure that no one is left behind.

ASEAN recognises the importance of dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and the UN in moving forward work to enhance complementarities between the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, as reflected in the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action 2016-2020.

The ministers looked forward to further developing concrete activities with the UN, including UNESCAP and other relevant UN agencies, on the basis of mutual benefit.

In addition, ASEAN underscored the importance of sharing experiences and best practices of the ASEAN Community and noted with appreciation the readiness of UNESCAP to work with ASEAN and ASEAN Member States, and the international community, in the area of sustainable development and community-building, including through the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.

On behalf of Laos as the sole landlocked and least developed country in both ASEAN and the GMS region, Dr Santisouk said he wanted to share some of Laos’ experiences and policies on transport and logistics that had been adopted and implemented in recent years.

The government has set a policy to transform the country from being landlocked to land-linked by providing transit transport services for subregional and regional connectivity and integration.

Laos is a party to UNESCAP’s Intergovernmental Agreement on Asian Highways, Trans-Asian Railways and Dry Ports.

Source: Vientiane Times

Army Stationed to Remove UXO for Laos-China Railway

Laos-China Railway Uxo Clearance

Soldiers from the Lao People’s Army have been deployed to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) along the route earmarked for the Laos-China railway so that construction of the track can begin.

An official ceremony to launch the deployment of the UXO clearance teams took place on Wednesday at the Ministry of National Defence.

Minister of National Defence, Lieutenant General Chansamone Chanyalath, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong, and other officials attended the ceremony.

The UXO dropped during the Indochina war remains a contaminant in provinces across Laos including along the planned railway, which will connect Vientiane with the Chinese border.

The deployment ceremony came after an official ceremony was held last month in Luang Prabang province to launch the construction of the US$5.8 billion railway.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff Department, Brigadier General Khamlieng Outhakaisone, who is head of the committee in charge of UXO clearance, told ceremony participants that six clearance units have been assigned to clear UXO in six segments of the 417km rail track. UXO detectors, vehicles and other equipment have been prepared to carry out the work.

Speaking at the ceremony, Lieutenant General Chansamone called for the soldiers to work their hardest to fulfill the tasks they are assigned to ensure the safety of the project and enable construction to be completed in line with the set time frame.

It will take five years to complete the project, meaning that the railway is set to be fully complete by the end of 2021 following the launch of construction last month.

Six Chinese contractors are carrying out construction in the six segments along the entire track, which comprises 167 bridges with a total length of 61.81km, 75 tunnels with a combined length of 197.83km, and 32 stations including 21 stations where two trains can pass.

Ground works have begun for the construction of the rail track that will run through the provinces of Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang and Vientiane, linking to the nation’s capital.

In Luang Namtha alone, more than 1,000 Lao and Chinese workers have been stationed and are carrying out work there, according to provincial authorities in charge of project coordination.

Some 70 percent of the project’s total investment cost is financed by China, while Laos will be responsible for the remainder.

The trains are designed to travel at a speed of 160km per hour in mountainous areas and 200km per hour in flat land areas, while freight trains will be limited to 120km an hour.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Vehicle Sales in Laos to be made in Kip Only

vehicle sales in laos

Vehicle sales in Laos are to be made strictly in kip this year in a bid to promote the national currency, according to Governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR, Somphao Phaysith.

Until now, vehicle sales in Laos have typically been made in foreign currency, which is in breach of the law, Mr Somphao went on.

Payments in foreign currency will not be completely prohibited, however new regulations will require vehicle purchases in foreign currency to be made via a bank transfer.

Meanwhile, car dealers remain reluctant to comply with the announcement, and say the regulations have caused a number of difficulties.

One major setback is that customers tend to be concerned about the risks of carrying large amounts of kip when making a vehicle purchase in cash, usually 500 million kip or more.

Another issue faced by dealers is their use of foreign currency when importing vehicles and parts, whereby they are unable to predict fluctuation in exchange rates, and some dealers have called on the government to keep exchange rates stable.

Governor Somphao said that the Bank of the Lao PDR will undertake routine checks to ensure that dealers are accepting kip for vehicle purchases.

The Bank of the Lao PDR has already implemented measures for controlling currency exchange by instituting limits on the purchase of foreign currency, and the bank is making headway in promoting awareness of the importance of using the local currency, Lao kip, among the population.

Laos, Cambodia to open New Border Crossing

laos-cambodia-border-crossing

A new international border crossing between Laos and Cambodia is set to open next week.

The border crossing will connect Champasack Province in Laos with and Stung Treng Province, Cambodia.

The crossing, officially named the Nong Nokkhiane – Trapeang Kriel Border Checkpoint, is being established to help facilitate trade and tourism between the two nations.

A statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads, “both leaders, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, will preside over the inauguration ceremony of the international border checkpoint between Cambodia and Lao PDR to take place on 10 January.”

The statement went on to say that at the conclusion of the ceremony, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his accompanying officials will be invited to visit the Don Sahong hydropower installation in Champasack Province.

Total investment in Laos by Cambodia is said to be valued at approximately US $84 million.

BCEL-KT: Trade Summary (Jan 5, 2017)

Trade Summary

LSX kept its upward movement, adding 40.71 points to the market index to finish at 1,142.56 points, while BCEL touched the ceiling price again on Thursday, closing at 6,600 kip. The banking stock saw 32,800 shares of trading volume, translating to about 202 million kip. On the other hand, EDL-Gen also picked up 200 kip to close at 5,700 kip, with 25,600 shares traded. As to LWPC, PTL and SVN, they all stayed unchanged at 5,900 kip, 2,450 kip and 2,700 kip respectively with no trading.

Laos-Vietnam Oil Pipeline Project Expected to Go Ahead

laos-vietnam-oil-pipeline

The Laos-Vietnam oil pipeline project is an ambitious plan to import diesel and petrol fuels to Laos from Vietnam by way of a 306km pipeline.

The project will involve construction of two pipelines, as well as pumping stations and warehouses. A bonded warehouse in Hon La Harbor, Vietnam, will store some 500,000 cubic meters of fuels, according to Tuoi Tre News.  Khammouane Province is also to host a smaller oil warehouse in Thakhek.

Hon La and Thakhek were chosen for transportation of oil via the proposed pipeline due to the relatively short distance between Vietnam’s Quang Binh Province and Laos.

A refinery will be constructed in Laos which can process unrefined fuel imported through the pipeline. This is said to reduce costs as the global price of crude oil is currently quite low.

The governments of both Laos and Vietnam have fully supported the project, and a feasibility study should be complete next month.

Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Khammany Inthilath, has stated that there are numerous investors who have expressed interest in the US$ 500 million project, which was originally to be solely an investment by Lao Petro Company. It is expected that the Lao State Fuel Company will join the venture.

New National Library of Laos Construction Complete

National Library of Laos

A handover ceremony for the newly constructed National Library of Laos was held on 29 December 2016 between the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and Chitchareune Construction.

Construction of the new national library began in 2013, and was expected to be complete by mid-2015. Due to delays, it has only now been finished.

Aside from the library itself, the complex includes a conference room, working rooms, research room, and reading rooms. The building is fully equipped with CCTV, fire alarms, and internet infrastructure.

The new National Library of Laos is located behind the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, in Sivilay Village, Vientiane Capital.

 

The Fate of the Original National Library of Laos Building

original-national-library-of-laos
The iconic original site of the National Library of Laos

Both the original national library building and the Lao national museum are slated for redevelopment, according to a 2013 article by the Vientiane Times.  The article goes on to say that the buildings which house the existing library and museum are no longer adequate to store the expanding collections they contain, so the ministry proposed that new premises be built in a more suitable location.

Under the terms of an agreement with developer Chitchareune Construction, the ministry will give the existing downtown library to the contractor for redevelopment purposes.

The original National Library of Laos was established in 1956. The library resources were first stored inside part of another ministry, before being moved to the library’s independent location on Setthathirath Road.

One of the library’s most famous achievements was creating the Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts, in collaboration with the Berlin State Library.

 

 

Vientiane Capital Expects 11 Percent Economic Growth

vientiane-capital-economic-growth

Authorities of Vientiane Capital are hoping to see economic growth of 11 percent this year, with an expected GDP increase of 41.6 trillion kip.

The annual average per capita income for residents of Vientiane Capital is also expected to reach US$5,000.

Industry is expected to grow by 47 percent of GDP, while agriculture and forestry is said to grow by 7 percent.

Vientiane Capital hopes to produce rice for domestic consumption and export on over 76,000 hectares of land, with a yield of 355,800 tonnes.

Vegetables and other crops are also being promoted, and are to be grown on over 11,200 hectares of land. This will yield 115,500 tonnes of produce.

To grow the beef industry, Vientiane will also focus on commercial cattle farming and will expand the number of farms.

The services sector is also targeted for growth representing 36 percent of GDP, according to figures provided by the Vientiane Department of Planning and Investment.

In order to achieve the economic growth target, Vientiane Capital must invest 14.9 trillion kip into socio-economic development, with 103 billion kip coming from the state budget.

 

The target set for goods destined for export is 18 percent of total production, and the city will try to develop commercial industry by attracting more investors.

The capital’s electricity network is another major focus for municipal authorities, with expansion of the network to reach new villages as well as priority development areas in order to promote commerce and tourism.

Alongside this, Vientiane Capital will expand its water supply operations, accelerate poverty eradication, and improve education.

Education will be improved by an increasing in the number of children enrolled from kindergarten to secondary school.

Last year, Vientiane Capital’s economy grew by 10.92 percent, a reduction of 0.8 percent, while GDP reached 37.4 trillion kip, with an average of almost US$4,784 per capita.