The Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) organized an event to celebrate its 20th Anniversary of operations in Vientiane last Saturday. It had been exactly twenty years since the plant had commenced commercial operations on the 31st of March, 1998.
Phishing Site Claims to be BCEL One in April Fools Prank
Online scammers have just gotten trickier and this time they were after the sensitive financial data of state bank BCEL’s faithful customers, and launching it on April Fool’s Day.
In a nefarious plan to steal BCEL clients’ data, scammers created the website www.bcel.ml, as a way to lure customers to input their login names and passwords, for which they would normally do on the desktop browser version of its popular online service, BCEL One. The scammers deviously promised to enter the user into a lucky draw with further promises of more prizes.
Due to having started as a social media post that quickly went viral, it is impossible to determine the original post and identity of the perpetrators.
Once this was suspected of being a phishing scam, the fake web owners placed an April Fools sign up on the now deactivated site after an unknown number of users had already used it.
While there is a possibility that this was a legitimate April Fools prank, it is strongly recommended that all users of BCEL One change their passwords immediately to avoid possible compromising of their financial accounts.
The authentic URL of BCEL One’s service is https://www.bcel.com.la:8083/index.php.
Source: Tonamcha News
Reducing Single-Use Plastic Bottle Consumption in Luang Prabang
It is estimated that more than 100 million disposable plastic water bottles are consumed by travellers every year in Laos. Most of them are not recycled. In many areas of the country, where waste management systems are not available yet, people burn their waste. Open burning of plastic waste is a major source of air pollution and releases toxic gases that can cause serious health problems such as cancer, impotence and asthma.
The tourism industry in Luang Prabang is leading a campaign to reduce single-use plastic water bottles. Many hotels and tour operators, restaurant and cafes, museums and other businesses in the town center offer safe drinking water refill stations. Both visitors and residents can easily refill their bottles at their premises for free, or pay less than buying a new plastic water bottle. This campaign is led by the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism of Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang Travel Agents Association and Luang Prabang Hotels and Restaurants Association and is supported by Luang Prabang – Handle With Care Project which is co-funded by the European Union as part of the EU SWITCH ASIA II Programme and implemented by GIZ.
Moreover, a handful of businesses in Luang Prabang have initiated their own plastic bottle boycott with the Refill Not Landfill initiative. Their objective is simple: give tourists the opportunity to help eliminate plastic bottle waste in the UNESCO Heritage City.
“I asked a few businesses if they wanted to pool resources to buy non-plastic reusable bottles to do our bit in reducing plastic bottle waste in Luang Prabang, and also to help make guests aware,” said Paul Burnett, General Manager of the Sanakeo Boutique Hotel & Spa.
The Refill Not Landfill group purchased light gauge stainless steel bottles, which the individual businesses offer to their guests and customers.
Burnett said the Refill not Landfill initiative complements Luang Prabang’s ongoing reusable bottle efforts by targeting tourists.
“Tourists can refill their bottles at some 30 stations around the city,” he said, “And, they go home with a lovely souvenir of their time in Luang Prabang.”
Source: We Are Lao & Champa Meuanglao Magazine
The UK’s Heathfield International School Brings New Standards to Laos
The United Kingdom’s Heathfield International School has recently arrived, making Vientiane the home of its second branch in Asia (the first being in Bangkok), bringing new standards to Laos.
Champa Meuanglao Launches “My Favorite Place” Photo Competition
Champa Meuanglao Magazine, together with Lao Airlines, is calling on photographers of all backgrounds and experience levels to enter their best single images of their favorite place in Laos for a chance to win free flights with Lao Airlines.
In line with the Visit Laos Year 2018 initiative, Champa Meuanglao magazine has launched the My Favorite Place photo competition with the hope of inspiring local and foreign photographers, both amateur and professional, to visit the beautiful country of Laos and submit a photo of their favorite place.
Submissions are to be judged by a panel including professional photographers, members of the Champa Meuanglao editorial team, and representative of Lao Airlines.
Entries for the My Favorite Place photo competition are open from 1 April to 31 May, 2018.
Winning photographs will be displayed over a two-page spread titled “My Favorite Place” in upcoming issues of Champa Meuanglao magazine, the official inflight magazine of Lao Airlines, and an exhibition of winning entries will be held at Kualao Restaurant, in Vientiane Capital.
Prizes include flights to Hanoi, Chiang Mai, and Luang Prabang.
For more information, contestants are advised to visit www.champameuanglao.com/myfavoriteplace or contact Champa Meuanglao magazine on +856 20 55731717.
Five-Day Lao New Year Holiday Dates Announced
The government of Laos has announced that two extra days will be included as holidays in addition to the official three days of holidays for Lao New Year (Pi Mai) this year.
According to a notice issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, April 17 and 18 have been declared official public holidays in lieu of the two days of Pi Mai which fall on a weekend (April 14 and 15).
This means that the Lao New Year holiday will be celebrated over five days, from April 14 to April 18.
The announcement urged members of the public to ensure safe and modest new year celebrations, while preserving Lao customs and traditions.
It also called upon various ministries and government departments to ensure that sufficient food and other goods would be available to the public for consumption during this time. Prices are also to be strictly monitored, ensuring that merchants do not raise prices to take advantage of consumers during the holiday period.
Safety was also a prime concern in the announcement, which assigned the Ministry of INformation, Culture and Tourism to raise awareness of traffic regulations and road safety.
The Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao, is one of the most important festivals in the Lao calendar. It is a time for cleansing and renewal, and also for celebration and togetherness.
Along with the traditional ritual of visiting temples to pour fragrant water over Buddha statues, towns and cities across the country come alive with street parties and water celebrations.
Source: Lao Post
Photo: Champa Meuanglao Magazine
Chinese Development of Khonephapheng Area to Transform Champasack Province
Plans for a massive Chinese development project around the famed Khonephapheng waterfall in Champasack Province are moving forward, as talks between provincial authorities and a Chinese investment firm continue.
The results of a study on the potential of a Khonephapheng Special Economic Zone (SEZ), as it will be known, were presented to the Ministry of Planning and Investment in January this year. The company which undertook the study, Guandong Yellow River Industrial Group, has said it would invest US$ 10 billion into the project.
The company says they will construct hotels and restaurants, a shopping center, and other peripheral tourism businesses.
Plans presented to the government included a building constructed in the shape of the khaen, a famed Lao mouth organ that has been listed by UNESCO as part of world heritage.
Another plan showed a building constructed to mimic a tip khao, or sticky rice container, which is another iconic piece of Lao cultural hertitage.
The project has been approved by provincial authorities, who are interested in the project, and who said they would allocate over 7,000 hectares of land for the company.
Local authorities believe the project will help to improve the livelihoods of local people, and would boost tourism in the region. Villagers displaced by the project would need to be relocated, however, and would be provided with new residences and employment, which could be provided by the project.
The first phase of the project, which would run from 2018 to 2025, would see installation of infrastructure including roads, water systems and drainage. The second phase would include an airport to facilitate the expected number of tourists and business people.
The findings of the study and the project proposal have yet to be presented to the National Assembly, who will have the final say on its approval.
Source: Vientiane Times Lao Post
Thongkhankham Market Opens in Vientiane
The new modern commercial complex known as Thongkhankham Market in Vientiane has officially opened to the public since it had begun construction in 2015.
