24 C
Vientiane
Sunday, November 2, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 4344

EDL Opens Call Centre for Public Feedback

Electricite Du Laos (EDL) has opened a larger call centre with the phone number 1199 so that consumers can make complaints or recommendations regarding the company’s operations.

According to a notice issued by EDL, the call centre was previously operational but could only accept one call. As of December 1 the service has been extended and the centre can now receive 10 calls simultaneously.

EDL encourages the public to comment on matters such as billing errors, fires, the service provided by officials, and any other issues.

Services have improved after a large number of complaints were lodged in May and June about mistakes in electricity bills.

In a similar move, last month the government also provided a telephone hotline number (1516) so that members of the public could make suggestions regarding government performance.

In a notice to announce the hotline, the Prime Minister’s Office said it was provided on the advice of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

Observers welcomed the move, but said it was equally important to ensure that the issues people raised are taken seriously and addressed in a timely and efficient manner.

Several state bodies currently operate hotlines, encouraging citizens to voice their concerns and seek explanations and solutions from the relevant bodies.

A few years ago, the National Assembly launched its own hotline (156), which operates during ordinary sessions twice a year.

The hotline has received upwards of 1,000 calls during debate sessions, following which the Assembly invites the agencies responsible to clarify the issues raised by callers.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Sommad Pholsena, said his ministry is also setting up a hotline (1514), which will be operational soon so that people can directly raise concerns relating to the operations of the ministry.

Ms Khemmani, from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, also said in June that the ministry had opened a hotline (1510) to enable members of the public to inform them about trade-related issues.

Since June, at least 62 calls have been made informing the ministry about problems ranging from the sale of out-of-date foods, unreasonably high electricity bills, public transport scams, and internet problems.

In addition, the Ministry of Public Security opened a hotline (1191) in August as part of the Police Command Centre Project. It enables callers to inform police about crimes and other social issues, thereby easing the process of investigation and more efficiently addressing security issues.

People who want to report an emergency or are in need of assistance from the police can call the hotline free of charge.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

PFHA Assesses Health Activities

A project aiming to improve health service quality for local people in Laos’ northern provinces was one of the achievements highlighted at a meeting of the Promotion of Family Health Association (PFHA).

The health initiative known as the Safe Motherhood project has been targeting the provinces of Luang Namtha, Bokeo, Oudomxay and Vientiane promoting nutrition for newborns, distributing information on reproductive health to youth while giving communities better access to health services.

Chair of the PFHA, Dr Chansy Phimphachanh noted the achievements in Vientiane on Thursday at the annual PFHA meeting to review its activities.

Although maternal, newborn and child death rates across Laos have continued to decline she said we need to promote to mothers and children how they can gain access to more health services at hospitals and dispensaries.

Many poor women living in remote areas of these provinces can’t access health services because they don’t have enough money to pay for a hospital visit and still lack knowledge on healthcare for their children.

She also noted that providing individuals with family planning services not only dramatically cut infant and maternal deaths, but also improved the health of mothers and children.

Complications around pregnancy remain the greatest killer of girls and women in the developing world, including Laos, she added.

She explained that sexual reproductive health and rights along with family planning were key pillars for reducing maternal mortality and improving mother and child health in target provinces.

According to the PFHA, the association is part of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which has had presence in Laos since 2004.

Their vision is to provide Lao people with innovative and up-to-date reproductive health information and quality services for a healthy society, contributing towards lifting Laos out of least developed country status.

Their work is based in 4 four key strategies: promoting family health for those in the remote areas of the country, empowering individuals through awareness-raising on reproductive health knowledge, information and services, supporting health service providers at the local level to have adequate knowledge, information and skills and work in collaboration with government authorities, relevant stakeholders, and other civil society organisations.

According to the Lao Social Indicator Survey 2016, the mortality rate of infants was 86 per 1,000 live births. The mortality rate of mothers was 200 for 100,000 births.

Source: Vientiane Times

Khammuan Clamps Down on Sale of Substandard Goods

Authorities in Khammuan province are carrying out strict checks to remove substandard goods from market stalls and shops in a bid to put an end to a chronic problem.

Local authorities found various substandard and out-of-date products in Khounkham and Bualapha districts and disposed of these goods, which included food items, soft drinks, cosmetics and chainsaws worth over 31 million kip.

Khounkham district officials said they visited 127 stalls during their search for illegally imported goods.

They confiscated 15 chainsaws and machinery spare parts from four shops worth more than 14 million kip, with most of the businesses owned by Chinese and Vietnamese nationals.

Officials also found 44 out-of-date products on sale at 68 stalls worth more than 13 million kip, which included soft drinks, cooking ingredients, and cosmetics.

The authorities warned the vendors and recorded their names. They were told that if they continued to import products illegally they would be charged in accordance with the law.

Bualapha district officials also reported that they found substandard goods and confiscated items including food, soft drinks, and children’s products.

Authorities in other provinces are also on the lookout for substandard goods, especially New Year gift baskets.

The Food and Drug Department under the Ministry of Health has warned the public to be careful when buying gift baskets because some of the items they contain may be imitation or past their sell-by date. This may not be obvious because they will be mixed in with other items.

In the run up to every New Year holiday, health officials visit markets in Vientiane and the provinces to look for expired goods tucked into gift baskets, in the interests of consumer safety.

The Consumer Protection Law aims to protect the life, health, property and rights of consumers, which includes people affected by poor quality or illegal goods and services such as food, medicine, cosmetics, and healthcare. The law also covers disagreements between consumers and suppliers.

The Consumer Protection Law stipulates the measures to be taken against violators. Authorities will issue violators with a warning on the first offence but will fine them if they repeat the misdemeanor.

Source: Vientiane Times

Prime Minister Visits Sakura Park in Viengxay

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith recently visited the Lao-Japan Friendship Sakura Park in Viengxay district, Huaphan province, to tour the park planted with Sakura or cherry blossom trees.

Viengxay district officials told Vientiane Times that the experts have maintained the Sakura trees well and expected they will begin blooming during the next couple of months (January-February 2017).

Each year, around 20,000 people from provinces around the country as well as locals in Huaphan province have visited the Lao-Japan Friendship Sakura Park.

District officials plan to develop the park to be an official tourist site in the near future and attract even more local and foreign tourists to the area, which is the first Sakura Park in Laos. Thus, they plan to develop essential infrastructure facilities to cater to the tourists.

Sakura Park was officially opened in February 2015, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Lao-Japan diplomatic relations. Approximately 300 Sakura seedlings have been presented by Japanese friendship associations and NGOs, including Asian Development with Disabled Persons (ADDP) and the Saitama-Laos Friendship Association, as a token of friendship between the two countries.

Nurturing Sakura trees requires expert knowledge, technical skill and experience. With this in mind, Huaphan province invited Japanese NGO, ADDP to extend their skills and knowledge to local people.

In response to the request, the ADDP established their branch in Viengxay district and are teaching local disabled people how to take care of Sakura trees as a part of vocational training project.

The ADDP staff and trainees are not only nurturing the Sakura trees but also making and selling Sakura cookies, which could be a specialty souvenir for the tourists.

Source: Vientiane Times

Expired Food Products Often Found in Khammuan

Fairs and events organised in Khammuan province often see the sale of not only legitimate products and foods but also expired goods, which are subject to seizure by officials.

The relevant provincial authorities regularly find expired goods at fairs and events, including its annual Phathat Sikhottabong Stupa festival.

A relevant provincial authority official, Mr Phonsavanh Phommany told Vientiane Times on Thursday that the main reason is because traders and buyers don’t care to examine the expiration dates on many goods.

“If they had read it, they would not have bought products which were expired,” he said.

Most expired food products are usually beverages imported from Thailand and Vietnam.

The Phathat Sikhottabong Stupa festival will take place in Thakhek district from January 9-11, so the relevant authorities need to start checking many shops at the festival in order to help consumers avoid buying expired goods.

Many products, handicrafts and foods will be on sale during the three-day festival that will attract thousands of people, including many from other provinces and also foreign visitors.

Provincial authorities held a meeting recently in preparation for the festival to make sure it creates a lasting impression on visitors.

The golden-tipped Sikhottabong Stupa is 29 m high. It is one of Laos’ most sacred sites and is located 6km south of the town of Thakaek on the banks of the Mekong.

It was originally built by the Sikhottabong Empire to keep relics of the Lord Buddha around the 6th century, at the same time as the That Ing Hang Stupa in Savannakhet province and That Phanom in Thailand.

The province has about 18 hotels, four resorts and more than 69 guesthouses.

Khammuan province has 198 officially designated tourist sites; 139 of them are scenic, 30 are of cultural interest, and 29 are of historical interest.

More sites to visit are the caves, namely Tha Falang, Kong Lor cave, Xebangfai cave, Tham Heup cave, Nam Don Resurgence (Khoun Nam Don), Tham Phi Seua cave (Tiger Spirit cave/Butterfly cave), Tham Pha Chan cave (Sandalwood Buddha cave), Tham Pha Nya Inn cave, Tham Nang Aen cave (Sitting and Flirting cave), Xieng Liab cave, and Buddha cave.

Also of interest are the Kamphaeng Yark (The Giant Wall) and the old part of Thakhaek town.

Source: Vientiane Times

Project Extends Assistance to Cut Emissions from Deforestation

The Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation project is providing support for Luang Namtha and Xayaboury provinces to help reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) next year.

This information was revealed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH during a meeting held recently in Huaphan province to present and discuss the provincial REDD+ Action Plan (PRAP), which has been designed to guide the implementation of policies, actions and measures.

The meeting’s aim was to outline the PRAP development process which has been agreed upon during the first consultations in mid-2016 and present the outcomes of the two rounds of district consultations.

As a pilot province, Huaphan is also the first province in Laos to develop a PRAP and five other provinces under the Emission Reductions Programme will follow the approach applied in Huaphan, said GIZ.

The Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation project is working in Huaphan as one of its pilot provinces. The project supports the Lao government in its REDD readiness process at the national and sub-national levels.

The PRAP in Huaphan province is aligned to the provincial 8th Socio-Economic Development Plan and designed to achieve emission reductions to serve the emission reductions programme under the Carbon Fund, the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department official said.

PRAPs can be seen as a tool to design and guide the implementation of REDD activities at provincial and local levels. They will be developed in six provinces that have been selected for the country´s Emission Reductions Programme under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Carbon Fund.

Laos was accepted into the FCPF Carbon Fund in late 2015 and must now prepare an Emission Reductions Programme Document, which must be submitted to the Carbon Fund by early 2018, added GIZ.

The PRAPs can be seen as a building block providing concrete plans which together will serve as the foundation for Laos’ Emission Reductions Programme in order to receive REDD performance-based payments.

PRAPs are developed using a participatory process based on consultations with broad stakeholders from different key sectors (e.g. agriculture, forestry, planning and investment, energy and mining etc.) These actors should have a sense of ownership to the PRAP and support not only its planning process but also take responsibility for future implementation.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is providing policy advice and capacity development measures to support the creation of a national and provincial REDD framework, as well as REDD planning processes. It is testing local-level mitigation, and is also developing pro-poor REDD mechanisms and sustainable financing models.

GIZ is cooperating closely with the financial component of the project, which is funded by the German Government through the KfW Development Bank.

Source: Vientiane Times

SDGs’ Message Dispersed in Luang Prabang

About 500 officials, lecturers and students at Souphanouvong University in Luang Prabang province gained insight about the implementation of the nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) this week.

The information on SDGs was presented in Luang Prabang on Monday by speakers from international agencies along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Attendees heard how the government is pursuing the national development policy and has mainstreamed the SDGs into its 8th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016-2020), the Development Strategy 2025 and Vision 2030.

Some 193 leaders from United Nations (UN) member countries, including former Lao President Chommaly Sayasone attended the historic UN summit in New York on September 25, 2015 for the adoption of the international development agenda under the theme “Change Our World”.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development involves 17 SDGs that cover three dimensions – economic, social and environmental.

In addition to the 17 SDGs, the Lao government has adopted its national SDG 18: “Lives Safe from UXO”. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon launched this SDGI8 on September 7 this year in Vientiane.

The targets of this particular SDG are to ensure that by 2030 residual UXO activities are undertaken and all known UXO contamination in high priority areas and all villages defined as ‘poor’ are cleared; that annual casualties from UXO accidents are eliminated to the extent possible; and that all identified UXO survivors and victims have their needs met.

PM Thongloun is head of the national committee for the SDGs implementation.

The 8th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016-2020) aims to implement the resolutions of the 10th Party Congress, which was adopted by the National Assembly in April this year.

The government will focus on the achievement of the goals in its 8th Five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan, Development Strategy 2025 and Vision 2030, which include green growth and sustainable development, maintaining steady economic growth, achieving constant reductions of poverty and graduating from the least developed country status, among others.

Source: Vientiane Times

Foreign Aid on the Decline

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has called for central and local departments to do more to pursue the development agenda and strive for greater self-reliance as foreign aid to Laos declines.

The premier gave the advice at a two-day meeting held last week to instruct officials on the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and budget for 2017.

The trend in the reduction of foreign aid over the coming years is the result of Laos enjoying greater development and donors moving their assistance to other, poorer countries.

“We shouldn’t expect much [from the assistance]. We should try to be self-sufficient,” Mr Thongloun told the meeting.

He made the comment as Laos approaches the 2020 deadline for graduation from Least Developed Country status.

An official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment in charge of Official Development Assistance (ODA) said it is a common trend globally that foreign aid provided to a country decreases when that country achieves a certain level of development and self-reliance.

However, the official, who asked not to be named, said that even if foreign aid declined this did not mean Laos would suffer financially because the country expected to obtain more loans.

“Growing development means a country has a growing capacity to repay debt, so it could expect to secure more loans,” he said.

The official added that though the number of grants might decrease, ODA, which comprises both grants and loans, could increase in the form of loans.

In the 2015-16 fiscal year, Laos received more than 6,462 billion kip in ODA, of which almost 2,000 billion kip was given as grants and the rest as loans.

Despite the expected decline in foreign grants, in 2017 the government anticipates it will receive more ODA worth 8,629 billion kip, which will represent 23.73 percent of total expenditure planned for 2017.

In light of the decreasing availability of grants, Mr Thongloun stressed the need for state departments to work harder to attract foreign investment as a source of finance.

To achieve this, he told central and local authorities attending the meeting to enhance the investment climate by simplifying and expediting the investment proposal process in a transparent manner.

“Mechanisms must be quick, timely and transparent. It [the investment proposal] must be passed through only a single window,” he told the meeting, adding that the current process was too slow and not transparent.

In addition, the premier told the meeting to ensure the macro-economy remained stable along with the inflation rate. The price of goods sold in markets should also be regulated to prevent fluctuation, he added, noting that these were important factors in attracting investment.

Central and local departments were asked to incorporate the 2017 Socio-Economic Development Plan into their work plan and programmes based on local potential.

Source: Vientiane Times