The World Toilet Association and South Korea’s city of Suwon have joined hands and installed a new toilet in Wat Sisaket in Vientiane.
The new toilet, dubbed “Suwon Toilet,” is a 27-square meter block equipped with cubicles for both male and female visitors as well as the disabled.
Wat Sisaket sees about 540 visitors on average per day, but toilet facilities are often cited as being the least satisfying party of any visit.
The association said it hopes this new toilet sets an example for future facilities development in the country.
The association is an international organization dedicated to protecting lives through the improvement of sanitation via toilets. The Inaugural General Assembly held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2007, hosted participants from 66 countries, including government officials in the fields of sanitation and public health, representatives from NGOs and other international organizations, and industry experts.
It began to support the construction of public toilets in nine African and Asian countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Mongolia, Cambodia and Laos between 2008 and 2009.
The association has built public restrooms in 35 locations in 16 countries by this year. Suwon Toilet in Vientiane is the 35th one.
This year, starting with Mongolia, it has set up public toilets in Laos and is also supporting construction in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Wat Sisaket and other tourist sites around the capital are now also providing free wi-fi for tourists.
The Laotian Times brings our readers a round-up of some of the most shared topics this past week, based on reach and engagement on Facebook. From tanks shooting real live ammunition and people shooting darts to thieves of undergarments and jackfruits, this is a brief list of the types of content that are commonly shared on Lao social media.
Lamvong 99
In honor of President Kaysone’s 99th birthday anniversary, senior members of the Lao government gathered together in celebratory fashion in a traditional lamvong dance that caught the admiration of social media users throughout the country.
A mysterious German man walked into PT 88 Shop, a shoe store in Paktaang, hoping to trade cigarettes for pants. The staff members of the establishment took pity on him and pooled together their money to buy him a new pair of shoes. The owner of the store gave the man a new shirt and pants. Noticing that the man was visibly shaking from possible dehydration, the staff gave him water to drink, which was happily received. Appreciative and humbled, the man offered in exchange what appeared to be his only possession, several packs of cigarettes. The offer was kindly refused and the pack of cigarettes was handed back to the man.
On December 16, Luang Prabang Rescue 1625 reported that a house fire had killed three people in Muang Nga Village. The victims included Sisopha, 37, an uncle to Minlapha, 20, and Anousone, 17. All three perished in the house fire. The red cross organization will transfer the remains of the deceased to a nearby temple, Vat Thaohai. The causes of the fire are currently unknown. View more pictures here.
Facebook users showed their love and amusement for a post displaying the aesthetic beauty and charm of Khmu culture and dress. The pictures were taken at a sports ceremony at the National University of Laos (Dongdok).
Lao people love to wax nostalgic about the old days, but they were stunned by these old photos taken of people and temples in the ancient capital of Luang Prabang.
What better way to keep warm in the uncommonly cold weather? One school in Houaphanh led their kids outside and performed a typical Lao line dance called the Paslop.
A festival in Laos would not be complete without a game of darts. But this one Hmong festival goer went on a shooting streak as he successfully popped half of the balloons in the entire booth, causing the owner to stop him to allow other people to have a turn. The admin of Tholakhong playfully recommended that the man be placed in the national team for archery and shooting games.
If You Want Something Done Right, You Gotta Do It Yourself
Residents in Pakaading (Borlikhamxay) pooled their financial resources and labor to help pave the road leading to Phonchaleun Temple, highlighting the best of the spirit of social welfare and community voluntarism.
This video clip of Lao and Russian soldiers holding “Laros 2019” whereby they used tanks and other battle equipment in forest, swamp and mountainous terrain, while practicing joint operations techniques in the jungle, went sensationally viral.
In this strange CCTV clip, a masked man on a motorbike casually stops at an unidentified location and proceeds to steal a range of clothing items hanging on a drying rack. The man took a special interest in carefully selecting undergarments for theft.
If undergarments were not strange enough, how about jackfruit? On December 18 around midnight, a band of thieves stole some large jackfruit in Luang Prabang. The thieves were humorously nicknamed “Jon Haixo” which means “High Society Criminals” for their use of a large getaway vehicle and the stealing of a luxury fruit.
A car scammer has been caught by authorities in Attapeu and reveals how he was able to trick people by “selling a car” online to multiple unsuspecting individuals. The perpetrator confessed that he had promised to buy a car for 200,000 baht (approximately USD $6500) and resold it a marked up price of 350,000. He would advertise the car on Facebook and would take a deposit from several people, abscond with the cash, and would never pay the original car owner.
A mother and daughter perished instantly after their motorcycle collided with a ten-wheeler in Mai Village, Sikhottabong District. The incident happened last Friday at around 5pm.
Thailand has decided to uphold a sentence of life imprisonment for Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha, charged with smuggling 1.2 million methamphetamine pills, locally known as ya ba, into the country in 2016.
The Thai Court of Appeal found that Mr. Xaysana had arranged for the drugs to be smuggled from Laos and for a vehicle with a false compartment in the roof to conceal them.
Bangkok Post quoted the court ruling as saying that Mr. Xaysna must serve his term in Thailand since the smuggling attempt was aimed there, although it happened outside the country.
The court also dismissed Mr. Xaysana’s appeal that Thai authorities had misunderstood him, possibly due to a wrong translation between the Thai and Lao languages.
Mr. Xaysana has been linked to several of Thailand’s rich and high-profile but has consistently denied being a major player in the regional narcotics trade.
According to the indictment filed in April, Mr. Xaysana and six other then-alleged accomplices conspired in September 2016 to smuggle 1.2 million speed pills into Thailand from Laos through the Nong Khai border checkpoint.
At that time, it was speculated that members of the drug ring were going to transfer the pills to other members in Mr. Xaysana’s network in southern Thailand, who were then going to attempt to smuggle them into Malaysia.
Police arrested several members of the network who were identified to be in possession of the drugs in October 2016.
Lao national baseball team is to visit Vietnam between December 26 and 29 for a friendly match with local teams.
The Lao team will participate in a match with Vietnam National University and Korean International School in Hanoi on December 27 and 28, respectively.
Laos is currently hosting its first professional baseball league that lasts until January 11 at Sapphavisa Stadium in the Lao capital Vientiane.
A total of six teams will participate, including Lao J Brothers, National University of Laos Miracle and four more from secondary schools in the capital.
Laos saw its first baseball team formed in 2013 and participated in the 2018 Asian Games, the first time that the country dispatched its baseball team to an international match.
The team is currently led by Kwon Young-jin, a former coach and supervisor at South Korea’s Daegu High School baseball team.
The country formed a government-backed baseball federation in 2018 and began in April this year to build its first baseball stadium in Vientiane.
It is also currently constructing the country’s first baseball stadium, which is expected to be completed this month.
South Korea’s financial group DGB Group will support KRW 300 million (USD 256,200) for the construction of the stadium, with land and other necessary support provided by the Lao government.
The country began construction in April this year, recently completing soil flattening. The constructor is currently laying artificial turf.
The Lao Baseball Federation also plans to hold an international baseball league to celebrate the opening of the stadium by inviting teams from a total of five Southeast Asian countries.
A nationwide manhunt in Thailand has come to a close as authorities managed to arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang, dubbed the “Jack the Ripper” of Thailand, after he had been identified by an eyewitness who had boarded the same train. Pumpuang is suspected of murdering a 51-year-old woman in Khon Khaen last Sunday.
The alleged fifty-five-year-old serial killer was spotted on train No. 234 at Khok Kruat Station in Muang Distract bound for Bangkok, according to an article from the Bangkok Post. A mark over his left eyebrow had caused a worried university student to recognize the Pumpuang, whose face had been plastered all over television and posters, to alert the authorities. He was arrested by police at Pak Chong Station hours after the student confirmed that it was indeed the suspect.
Thai authorities arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang. Photo credit: Royal Thai Police
Earlier, a witness claimed to have seen a man fitting Pumpuang’s description disguised as a monk in Udon Thani. Authorities had surmised that the suspect might have planned to flee to adjacent Nong Khai in an ultimate attempt to cross into Laos.
Immigration and security officials at the Lao-Thai border were on high alert, checking both motor vehicles and pedestrians, as they searched for Pumpuang. Since Tuesday, all vehicles heading to Laos had been scrutinized for signs of the alleged criminal at all border checkpoints. The Nongkhai Immigration Department had put posters with the suspect’s pictures in bulletin boards around the border areas. Undercover Thai detectives had been deployed to search areas within the vicinity.
Pumpuang was originally given the death penalty for the serial murder of five people, but this was later reduced to life in prison. His life sentence started in 2005 and he was released earlier this year for good behavior.
Newly appointed Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, met with Trip.com Group CEO Ms. Jane Sun last Friday for discussion on ways the website may assist tourism in Laos.
World heritage sites such as Luang Prabang, Wat Phu, and the Plain of Jars illustrate the charm of Laos and demonstrate the importance of tourism to the national economy.
The Lao tourism sector has formalized arrangements with a growing number of foreign travel companies, and the nation now includes 15 international tourism ports. Meanwhile, tourism infrastructure is being upgraded, and online visa systems have made the entrance to Laos faster and more convenient.
During their talks, Ms. Jane Sun suggested that strengthening of resources and information between Laos and China, with an emphasis on sustainable and eco-tourism, would be mutually beneficial.
“The Chinese market is crucial to Lao tourism, and we welcome Trip.com Group to grow its presence in our local tourism industry,” said Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun, according to a report by Trip.com Group.
The Vientiane Times reported yesterday that more than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos this year, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jane Sun said she hopes to strengthen cooperation with Laos in the development of new products and the promotion of tourism.
The global visa service center of Trip.com Group has already formed an exclusive strategic partnership with Laos after the opening of a visa “green channel,” which will allow tourists from China to enjoy a streamlined visa application process.
Trip.com Group says that their statistics indicate visa applications to Laos via their website platform have risen by 80 percent compared to last year.
Trip.com Group and the Lao government intend to formalize a strategic agreement in the near future to make both countries more prominent international tourist destinations.
South Korea and Laos have joined hands to develop the sport of Taekwondo in both countries.
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. It has been an Olympic sport since 2000.
South Korea’s Seogwipo Taekwondo Federation and the Lao National Taekwondo Federation agreed on a partnership on December 14 seeking future cooperation and exchanges of talent.
The partnership came after Seogwipo Taekwondo Federation dispatched a total of nine middle school Taekwondo participants to Vientiane between December 11 and 15 for a friendly match with their Lao counterparts upon invitation by the Lao National Taekwondo Federation. The two parties also participated in joint training exercises.
Laos first introduced the Korean martial art in March 2017. But the country made a historic debut not long after the inception of it.
Laos’s Pha Manyvong reached quarterfinals in the 2017 World Taekwondo Asian Para Taekwondo Open in Chuncheon, South Korea. It was the first time for Lao Taekwondo practitioners to compete in the international match.
At that time, the 20-year-old from Vang Vieng defeated Kazakhstan’s Zhumagali Yerzhanov in the last 16 of the under 61kg K42 (13-1), before losing in the quarter-final to Iran’s world No.1 Saeid Sadeghianpour.
Laos’s Luang Prabang ranks 11th in a list of top 20 places to travel in 2020, published by Architectural Digest.
Architectural Digest publishes its list of top travel destinations every year. To be included in the list, a travel destination must be appealing to architecture and design lovers, according to the digest.
Luang Prabang ranked 11th on the list and was described as “relatively under the radar,” but is to celebrate 25 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020. The Architectural Digest website continues:
A compelling blend of French colonial and traditional Buddhist architecture makes the town worth visiting, especially for anyone interested in learning about Buddhist culture and traditional Laotian crafts like weaving. The new Avani+ Luang Prabang, which opened last year in former French officer quarters, is the perfect base from which to explore. It’s located in the heart of town, just steps from the night market and in easy walking distance to Mount Phousi, beautiful Buddhist temples, charming restaurants, and the Mekong River.
Topping the list was Lille, France, thanks to its long list of cultural events and interesting architecture, with the country of Japan taking second place in line with the nation’s hosting of the upcoming Olympic Games. Dessau, Germany, took third place in the list of top 20 places to travel thanks to the Bauhaus Museum Dessau.
Bangkok, capital city of Thailand, the only other Southeast Asian city in the list, ranked 16th, thanks to its promotion of the arts, well-designed shopping malls, and ranking as the world’s most visited city in 2019.
