Pi Mai Lao has come to be a top favorite holiday among Lao residents and tourists. Every mid-April for about 3-4 days, most of the country willingly shuts down (government staff are off and most private businesses close operations) as people prepare to perform their religious obligations and for a massive nationwide water festival.

But as the merry making atmosphere permeates across society, so too does an ominous cloud of tragedy.

According to the Department of Traffic Police (Ministry of Public Security), a total of 29 people were killed in road accidents nationwide during the Pi Mai period from April 14-16.

The Department said on Tuesday that this year’s Pi Mai celebration witnessed 207 road accidents occurring nationwide and leaving 385 people injured.

“Most of the road accidents during Pi Mai were caused by drunk driving and the violation of traffic rules,” said Lt. General Khamsone Sidavong, Deputy Director of the Department of Traffic Police.

Luang Prabang recorded the highest number of deaths with 8 people killed in road accidents during Pi Mai followed by 6 in Vientiane and 5 in Khammouane.

This year witnessed an increase in the number of people killed in road accidents as it rose by 7 or over 30% year on year, according to Lt General Sidavong.

Source: KPL

A celebratory procession along the major avenues of the capital city of Laos was organized to celebrate the recognition of Lao khaen music as UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Taking part in the celebration were Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdara, representatives of relevant state bodies and residents of the capital.

The official khaen procession began at Jao Fagnum Park, and proceeded to the Presidential Palace, then Patuxay Monument before making a quick stop for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.  parade continued its way along Kaysone Phomvihane Avenue. Capital residents stood on the roadsides showering the parade with prideful cheers and support.

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The procession then made its way to Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial where there a wreath was also placed and Khaen music showcased. The parade then headed to the National Cultural Hall. The history of Khaen was read aloud and a series of Khaen shows performed at the hall in the evening of the same day.

Khaen music was inscribed as the world intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO on Dec 2017 by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The khaen music of the Lao people is played with a mouth organ that resembles panpipes but made with bamboo tubes of varying lengths, each with a metal reed, according to UNESCO.

The player blows into the instrument through an air chamber and the sound produced depends on the size of the tube.

Khaen music is popular in all regions of Laos due to its harmonic richness. It is usually an incremental part of village festivals and it is customary for people listening to it to become active participants in the songs and dances, rather than merely spectators.

Khaen music is an integral part of Lao life that promotes family and social cohesion. Thanks to the use of bamboo, the practice is also linked to natural agriculture and healthy lifestyles. Families play an important role in transmitting the art and khaen player associations exist in many local communities where young people can learn the art.

To maintain the practice in spite of lifestyle changes, several local communities, associations and groups have commenced various initiatives to consolidate and promote it through formal and non-formal education.

In 2005, the Association of Khaen Arts was established and various festivals are organized to promote and enhance the art.

Source: KPL

Photo Credit: Support Prime Minister Thongloun Facebook Page

At the 3^rd MRC Summit held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 4th of April, prime ministers of the four member countries Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam affirmed their resolve to push Mekong cooperation in order to utilise development opportunities and overcome challenges.

With the theme “’Enhancing Joint Efforts and Partnerships towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mekong River Basin,” the summit also saw the participation of the Minister of Water Resources of China and the Minister of Environment of Myanmar, the two dialogue countries of the MRC, and representatives from other development partners.

The summit reviewed cooperation within the commission and the implementation of commitments made at the second summit in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City in 2014, while identifying priority areas in the next periods.

They agreed to apply the set of procedures of the commission on the sustainable, reasonable and equal use of water resources and other resources of the Mekong River.

They shared the view that the MRC should promote its role in orienting cooperation and setting forth specific measures in order to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the region.

It is necessary to enhance cooperation with mechanisms in and outside the region such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Mekong-Lancang cooperation, the Greater Mekong Sub-Region cooperation and other international river basin management organizations, while encouraging public involvement in these efforts, the summit heard.

The delegates approved the Siem Reap Declaration which acknowledges achievements recorded by the commission, points to opportunities and challenges for the Mekong River Basin and affirms the importance of Mekong cooperation as well as the acceleration of the implementation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement.

The document also outlines priority activities of the commission for the next four years and long-term orientations for cooperation within the commission.

The Mekong Committee was established in 1956, under the auspices of the United Nations to coordinate aid and manage resources in the river basin.

In 1995, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed an Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River and set up the MRC, replacing the Mekong Committee.

The MRC holds its summit every four years, starting from 2010. The first MRC summit was held in Hua Hin, Thailand in 2010 and the second one took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2014.