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Govt Extends Condolences Over Terrorism in Germany, Turkey

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Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on Tuesday sent a message to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany to extend the government’s condolences over the tragic event that occurred in Berlin, Germany on Monday.

We have learned with deep sorrow about the tragedy that occurred at the Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, Germany on December 19, which killed many victims and injured others. We strongly condemn such acts of terror perpetrated against Germany, Mr Thongloun said in the massage.

Prime Minister Thongloun, representing the Lao government and people, and on his own behalf, expressed his deep condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Germany as well as the bereaved families affected by the barbaric act.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith yesterday also sent a message to his Russian counterpart to extend condolences over the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Mr Andrei Karlov.

I have learned with the deepest sadness of the barbaric assassination of His Excellency Ambassador Andrei Karlov on December 19, 2016, while attending the opening of a photo exhibition in Ankara, Mr Saleumxay said in the message.

In the message, he noted the government’s strong condemnation of such terrorist acts against Russian diplomats, which he said was no doubt, aimed at undermining the good Russian-Turkish relations.

On behalf of the Lao government and people, and on my own behalf, I would like to convey our profound condolences and sympathy through Your Excellency to the Russian government and people as well as the bereaved family, the minister added in the message.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Lao Government to Forgo Luxury Vehicles

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Laotian Times
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Luxury Vehicles in Laos
Luxury Vehicles Laos

The Party and Government have agreed to forgo luxury vehicles in a new bid to curb excessive spending and promote frugality. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith made the announcement during a two-day meeting on the socio-economic development plan and the budget for 2017.

The Prime Minister raised the issue of frivolous luxury vehicles when addressing central and local departments, singling out leaders driving Mercedez-Benz and BMW brand vehicles. He said that these vehicles would be reclaimed, and sold through a bidding process.

His reasons for the tough stance included the high cost of fuel and maintenance for such vehicles, which are not economical, saying that the value of one Mercedez-Benz was equal to three Toyota vehicles. He then added that he would start with the President’s car, and would of course be pleased to hand his own luxury vehicle back to the state as well.

Top ranking officials and retired leaders make up eleven BMW 7 Series cars, and five Mercedez-Benz (S350 and E350) vehicles. The remainder of the government fleet includes 30 Mercedez-Benz, which were initially purchased for state affairs.

Many leaders currently hold more than one vehicle, and a reduction of surplus vehicles will be considered as well.

New Decree to Govern Use Of Luxury Vehicles

Prime Ministerial Decree No. 81 on the use of state vehicles is now being amended and brought in line with the new push to curb spending, and will likely prohibit the use of luxury vehicles altogether.

Under the amended decree, Politburo members will be entitled to drive a Toyota Camry 3.0, ministers a Camry 2.5, and deputy ministers will be entitled to a Camry 2.0, while other vehicles such as SUVs and pick-up trucks may be provided to leaders as appropriate.

The new decree is expected to clarify regulations on vehicle allocation for civil servants and leading officials, and will outline which vehicles are to be reclaimed upon retirement.

Switzerland Gives Further Boost to Poverty Reduction Fund

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Switzerland has agreed to contribute US$18 million to help Laos reduce poverty and achieve the targets set in the National Socio-Economic Plan.

A grant agreement for the funding was signed recently by the Director of Cooperation for the Mekong Region of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Mr Tim Enderlin, and Deputy Minister of Finance, Ms Thipphakone Chanthavongsa.

The grant assistance was provided through the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) Phase 3 (2017-2020) and will be used to improve access to basic services for the country’s poorest communities, according to the SDC.

It is envisaged that the overall goal of the Poverty Reduction Fund will be achieved through inclusive community level and local development processes with an emphasis on ensuring sustainability.

The main objectives of the Fund are to improve the delivery of public services at the village level in remote upland areas, including providing access to health and education facilities, along with safe and reliable water for consumption and irrigation.

Other objectives are to strengthen citizen engagement in local development and encourage the adoption of responsive and accountable participatory planning, financing and implementation approaches for service delivery.

The project is designed to increase participation within communities, in particular among women and people belonging to certain ethnic groups, in local development processes. It operates in 1,820 villages in 43 districts of Huaphan, Xieng Khuang, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly, Savannakhet, Xekong, Attapeu and Saravan provinces where the incidence of poverty is high.

Each village selected for PRF assistance will receive a financial contribution of between US$35,000-50,000 a year to support their community development priorities.

The Fund will also continue to develop the capacity of local authorities to plan, implement and monitor local development processes in partnership with the local population.

Since 2002, the PRF, with the support of the World Bank, has established itself as the Lao government’s main vehicle to reduce rural poverty and provide public infrastructure in rural areas through participatory processes.

The PRF is currently the largest community-driven development project in Laos with a total amount of about US$80 million, co-financed by the World Bank, Australia (DFAT), Switzerland (SDC), and the government of Laos.

Since 2008, Switzerland has contributed a total of about US$25 million to the budget of the Poverty Reduction Fund.

This contribution has allowed the Fund to expand its activities to new districts, to enhance its work to help the poorest people, and to promote the value of strong community participation in local development processes at the community and local and national levels.

By renewing Switzerland’s support, the PRF can expect to obtain meaningful development results on a large scale, to contribute to the scaling up of the Fund’s approaches into local government operations and ultimately support Laos’ effort to graduate from Least Developed Country status.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Laos, China Cooperate on Media Development

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The Lao and Chinese governments have agreed to further cooperate on media development to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China Radio International, broadcast in Laos on FM 93Mhz.

The two countries have agreed to partner in various projects including the Lao National Digital Radio and Television Network Project based on Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB).

The project is scheduled to gain pace from 2017-2019 based on the success of a trial that revealed good coverage and operation of a DTMB-based digital television network in Vientiane and the provinces of Savannakhet, Champassak and Luang Prabang.

The digitisation of radio and television will enable most people in Laos to listen to digital radio programmes and watch digitally transmitted television programmes. The project will speed up the development of the national DTMB wireless digital network and information provision, improve the management and operation of the network, increase audience ratings and enhance the quality of digital television programmes.

Representatives of Laos and China yesterday signed an agreement on several Laos-China media projects, during an event in Vientiane to mark the 10th anniversary of China Radio International.

A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee, Mr Liu Qibao; Laos’ Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara; and Head of the Propaganda and Training Board of the Party Central Committee, Prof. Dr Kikeo Khaikhamphithoun attended the ceremony.

The Lao National Digital Radio and Television Network Project agreement was inked by Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mr Savankhone Razmountry and Deputy Director of the Yunnan Radio and Television Station Mr Yulei.

Under the agreement, Yunnan digital media is entrusted by Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to build a national broadcast system with television coverage in all 18 provinces. This will enable state-run television stations to enhance the capacity of independent programme production.

China Radio International began broadcasting in Laos in 2006 and has since introduced a radio channel and various forms of print and online media.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

BCEL-KT: Trade Summary (Dec 21, 2016)

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Trade summary

Lao stock index went down 2.38% or 24.54 points to 1,050.20 points on Wednesday, after closing unchanged for 2-day. As EDL-Gen decreased by 150 kip to finish at 4,950 kip, with trading volume of total 11,900 shares matched, while others were not matched. Market trading turnover worth around 59 million kip.

 

Market closing day

We would like to notify its market closing days on the occasion of ending the year 2016 and the beginning of the year 2017 as follow:

– 28 – 30 December 2016: Last 3 Business Days
– 02 January 2017: Compensate for New Year’s Day

LSX will resume to normal operation on 03-Jan-2017

VangVieng Music Festival 2 Sets Out To Make Entertainment History

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Laotian Times
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Those unlucky people who missed the Vangvieng Music Fest organized by Samart Event Organizer last week will get the chance to attend the Vangvieng Music Festival 2 hosted by Lao Bangfai and Lao Pride Records this weekend.

Taking place on December 23-24 at the Lom Cave in Vangvieng, everyone will get the chance to say goodbye to 2016 with a huge bang.

The festival features live bands and DJs from Laos and abroad.

Lao Bangfai Prime Association representative, Anousa Phothisan, said the festival will host Lao bands such as Leprosy, L.O.G., Neung Super One, and Thai bands such as Slot Machine and Tattoo Colour. Other acts include DJs and bands from beyond the Southeast Asian region.

Tickets are on sale for 70,000 kip at branches of Amazon Café and True Coffee.

Anousa said his team will provide an all new lighting system and special effects display on stage to max out the party atmosphere.

He expects the audience to exceed last year’s numbers and said he was confident the festival would be a boon for tourists visiting the area.

Other exciting entertainment activities provided by Lao Bangfai and Lao Pride Records are also on the schedule to make this festival an unforgettable one.

Major sponsors include Lao Brewery Company (Beerlao), Spy Wine Cooler, and other media partners.

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Source: Vientiane Times

Prime Minister Sisoulith Halts Vientiane Water Price Increase

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Laotian Times
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After a vocal public backlash against the planned fee increase of water announced by the Vientiane Water Supply Company, the Prime Minister’s Office has issued an order to stop the price increase that had been set for the beginning of 2017.

PM Takes Concerns of People Seriously

The PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) has taken the concerns of the people into serious consideration and has requested that the price hike be temporarily halted until a time deemed more appropriate. The order was issued to the Vientiane Administration Office, which subsequently relayed the directive to the Water Supply Company of Vientiane.

Money Needed for Supply Infrastructure

While many local residents are praising the fee suspension, a number of experts are of the opinion that the increase may perhaps be justified to reinvest in supply infrastructure.

Cooperation Project to Update Lao Land Management

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Land management across the country will become faster and more transparent after the Lao Land Management System and Modernisation Project Cooperation between Laos and China was approved.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the project was signed in Vientiane last week between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Land Management Department’s Director General, Mr Vongduan Vongsiharath, and Shanghai Huace Navigation Technology Ltd (CHC Navigation) CEO, Mr George Zhao.

Witnessing the signing were UniqTek Company Managing Director Mr Chandavong Southitham, Financial Department Director General Mr Siphandone Sihavong and Planning and Cooperation Department Director General Mr Xaynakhone Inthavong, along with participating ministry officials and company representatives.

The main project objective is to improve land management in Laos using the latest technology and equipment, and to prepare the project’s basic infrastructure for implementation.

It would also enhance human resource development, permanent land management stations or Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) and other cooperation for project development, Mr Vongduan said.

The MoU will be current for one year then a project proposal will be put to the government for consideration.

The overall cooperation project will run for five years when the government approves its implementation, he explained.

CHC was fortunate to have the opportunity to make a contribution to Laos’ development and construction, and to share the benefits of that development, Mr Zhao said.

CHC is a leading company that researches and manufactures high-quality GPS/Beidou receiver systems. Altogether we have 10 product lines and 153 application solutions. We will pass on our extensive experience, first-class technology, plus excellent support and service to our partners, he said.

CHC will also be a bridge between Laos and China as we would like to seek and supply more resources from China, including financing and capital, Mr Zhao said.

The project is a good start and we could have more projects to undertake together and more opportunities to closely cooperate with each other in the future, he added.

The project would help improve land management systems so they’ll be up to date, faster and increase transparency for the public and government in order to contribute to socio-economic development, Mr Chandavong said.

The UniqTek Company had cooperated with the Land Management Department for two years in equipment supply, training, technical assistance and closely followed land surveying in the field, he said.

After the department trialled equipment supplied by the company, it showed that it was faster and more effective.

He strong believed the MoU would offer new equipment and better cooperation in land management assisting the issuing of land titles along with infrastructure development, technical training and human resource development through experience exchange between Laos and China.

On the same occasion, UniqTek Company handed over CORS equipment and computer servers worth 219 million kip to the Land Management Department.

Source: Vientiane Times

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