The number of Lao people killed in road accidents is greater than the figure of those killed by bomb attacks in Pakistan, to make a somewhat bloody comparison.
The bomb attacks in Pakistan hit the international headlines daily as innocent lives are lost. Meanwhile here in Laos people are dying every day but their deaths go largely unreported.
In Laos it is not bomb attacks taking lives but traffic accidents. In 2013, 873 people were …..
The Vientiane Police Office has warned that robbery is becoming a more frequent occurrence in Vientiane and there have been several incidences this month.
According to the police some ill-intentioned persons would be prowling the streets looking for easy targets, especially at night, and warned that they could be armed.
“This month we heard of cases where robbers pulled a gun or other weapon on their victims to …..
Five people were killed and many more injured in a spate of road accidents over a seven day period in Vientiane recently.
According to the Chief of the Vientiane Traffic Police Department from December 15-21 there were 40 road accidents in the capital.
The accidents are also getting more serious. Police figures indicate that of the …..
Over recent weeks there has been a sharp increase in reports of police harassment, intimidation and flat-out extortion in the Sukhumvit area, usually between Thong Lor and Asoke. While stories of the Bangkok police engaging in less than exemplary behavior are not new, and no official statistics for ‘on-the-spot fines’ exist, there does seem to be a policy of targeting foreign males in prime tourist areas at the …..
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Cultivation of opium poppy crops in Myanmar and Laos rose again for the eighth consecutive year, nearly tripling the amount harvested in 2006, according to a new report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today.
The Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2014 – Myanmar and Lao PDR found that opium poppy cultivation rose from 63,800 hectares (ha) in 2014 compared to 61,200 ha in 2013.
This means that Myanmar will remain Southeast Asia’s top opium producer – and the world’s second largest after …..
Anne Barker, ABC correspondent, has documented the amazing story of Vientiane Rescue, a team of locals and expats in Vientiane volonteering their time and effort to save countless lives in this beautiful, but poor country.
Apart from the Vientiane Rescue Team, no medical assistance is available in Laos and police who are often the first to reach the accident scene are not trained in first aid.
The volunteers rely entirely on private donations to keep the emergency service running.
We want to help raise money to help this group purchase the Equipment needed to improve their skills and ability to help others. Read more here how you can help save lives.
Three foreign visitors were found dead in Vientiane last week and security officials are currently working to ascertain the cause of their deaths.
Those who died included one man from America and another two British nationals, also male. The two British nationals were reported deceased at a hotel on November 11 while the American was found dead on November 14.
Scientific crime officials then collected evidence from the scene including a small plastic bag of white powder, a hypodermic syringe as well as some …..
A 25-year-old German man was admitted to the ICU after he was allegedly attacked by drunk teenagers in Udon Thani who wanted to imitate the brutal murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao island in September.
Police say the German man was sitting with two Thai friends near a park in Udon Thani’s Muang District in the early morning of 15 November when three Thai teenagers suddenly attacked him with a garden hoe.
The man is now being treated for severe ….
About 90 percent of fatalities arising from road accidents in Laos are among those riding motorbikes, according to traffic police.
The figure is hardly surprising given the lack of protection motorbikes offer their riders in comparison to larger vehicles. Those riding motorbikes are also mostly poor people or students who are less likely to ….
The driver of a truck trailer has been detained by Champassak provincial police after the vehicle overturned and killed a British tourist in Pakxong district on Tuesday.
The truck was carrying a container loaded with timber and was travelling from Xekong province to Pakxe district in Champassak province.
The truck was descending a hill near to a crossroads at …..
A total of 175 people died from road accidents in Vientiane during the 2013-14 fiscal year; a major loss of lives when compared to other causes of premature death.
The fatality rate from road accidents has sparked rising concerns across society that the government needs to come up with stronger and concrete measures to deal with the problem.
According to the report, over 1,470 road accidents took place in Vientiane in the 12 months to September 30 with 175 deaths (of which 38 were …..
Laos has issued a new law prohibiting online criticism of the government and the ruling communist party, according to state media, setting out stiff penalties for netizens and Internet service providers who violate controls.
The 28-point decree makes Laos the latest Southeast Asian country to implement tough new laws governing use of the Internet.
Under the decree, which will take effect on Oct. 1, netizens will face criminal charges for publishing ….
Officials promised the public last week that they would stop the bad behaviour of some teenagers in Vientiane, who are riding motorcycles in groups and causing trouble at night.
The Chief of the Commando Security of Vientiane Capital said they were receiving complaints from government officials, as well as local residents and were working hard to stop the bad behaviour of the youngsters as the problem was still occurring in several parts of Vientiane.
“A group of teenagers recently raced their motorcycles in front of the Lao National Assembly at That Luang area during the daytime, seemingly not concerned that our office is located in ….
Officials from the Vientiane Fire Fighting Department cautioned yesterday that all vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles, should install fire extinguishers to be prepared for possible emergencies.
The announcement comes after a bus caught fire in Borikhamxay province last Saturday. Local traffic official Captain Saenxay Bousayakham said the bus was a private bus from the southern terminal bus station in Vientiane heading to ……
Over the last few months a new anti-social trend in Laos can be observed, with many videos being posted on social media: student brawls ! These videos show a group of young people beating up another person, using brutal force, often leaving the victims seriously injured.
The latest video showing students of the Vientiane Secondary School physically assaulting a fellow student has gone viral on ….
Huge volumes of water being discharged from a hydropower dam on the Mekong River in southern China’s Yunnan province have placed the country’s downstream neighbors on high alert amid concerns over possible flash floods.
Officials in Laos, Thailand and Cambodian are closely monitoring levels of the Southeast Asian artery after being informed by Beijing that the 1,750-megawatt Jinghong dam will drain water from its ….
Residents in Vientiane are suspecting their fellow residents may be the culprits in the spate of thefts of manhole covers which they believe are being sold to scrap metal dealers.
Others believe that scrap metal buyers who ride motorcycle-driven carts round the city seeking people’s unwanted bits of metal, could be the problem.
So far, nobody can say for sure who is responsible as no theft has actually been observed. Last week a cover on the road in Sokpaluang village in Sisattanak district was stolen, but no one ….
Last Tuesday during early morning hours our Expat client were woken up by a noise. Checking out the source, the husband surprised an intruder in his home. The criminal managed to escape after fogging the Expat with pepper spray.
The Expat couple lives inside a “secured” compound which includes five houses at Dongpamai Village.
With the police arriving on scene, it became clear that the intruders entered several houses and took valuables like wallets, phones and laptops with them. In the house next-door the burglars enter one of the bedrooms where the female tenant was ……
With many Expats traveling from Laos to Bangkok by train, this latest news raises new concerns about the safety on Thai trains:
Passengers on a southbound train were reportedly robbed in their sleep just metres away from the lady-only car installed in the wake of a deadly rape on the same rail route last month.
According to Pol.Col. Witset Ketpan, deputy commander of Thai Railway Police, nine passengers said they lost their phones and cash in the theft. 30 passengers were in the car at the time, adding that the perpetrator managed to remove …..
Thieves breaking vehicle windows to steal property inside is becoming a major problem with police currently investigating numerous incidents, according to a district official last week.
An investigating official from Chanthabouly police office told press on Friday they were following up several reported incidents regarding groups of criminals targeting people’s cars and trucks by breaking vehicle windows for the valuables inside them.
A victim from Sisavath village said she was only recently …..
Traffic officials have urged motorists to slow down after a horrible road accident in Savannakhet last weekend which killed two people instantly and left three others seriously injured.
The fatal crash happened on Road No. 13 South in Kaenghaed village, Xaybouly district, Savannakhet province on July 21.
An official said this was the first time such a horrible accident had occurred in the area. He reported that one of the vehicles was travelling at a very high speed and the driver lost control.
“The SUV hit with great force head-on, killing the SUV’s driver and a Vigo passenger instantly and leaving three …..
Amphetamine drug use and trafficking is widespread in Laos, with many cases involving authorities such as the police.
Acting Minister of Public Security Brigadier General Somkeo Silavong responded to questions raised by the National Assembly (NA) members.
Mr Somkeo said it was hard to address the drug problems in Laos as many drug dealers hired authorities to facilitate their business. They did not only hire police but also …
Two young women from New Zealand narrowly escaped spending three months in a Thai prison after they were found in possession of counterfeit American dollars.
Casey Hanson, 21, and her friend Megan Taylor, 24, said the group withdrew US$1000 (NZ$1135) at Vientiane International Airport in Laos on June 30 and US$300 of that was changed into kip, the local currency. The group spent seven days in the country before travelling to Bangkok where Hanson and Taylor exchanged US$100 into Thai baht before heading to a mall to exchange a further US$500. At the mall, red flags were raised about the authenticity of ….
Internet users who use social media such as Facebook to circulate false information or any use targeting to disrupt social order or undermine security could have their accounts blocked, a minister has said.
The technical officials are working in an attempt to block false information and some accounts that target to tarnish the reputation of individuals, disrupt social order, and tarnish the image of the country and the government.
Facebook has rapidly become popular among users worldwide and in Laos. The number of Lao Facebook users has more than doubled from ….
A young Lao man, 21 from Vientiane was shot dead in front of the Friendship Hospital yesterday while getting into a pickup truck.
Deputy Chief of the Interrogative and Investigative section of Vientiane Police Office, Major Amai Luangpakdy said the young man was shot in the back of his head while getting into a pickup truck after drinking a can of beer at a noodle shop in front of the hospital. “The incident occurred at ….
A massive quantity of drugs went up in smoke at That Luang esplanade to mark the 27th Anniversary of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, with Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong among those in attendance.
Senior government officials, United Nations representatives and personnel from international organisations were also present on the occasion, with the confiscated drugs estimated to be worth around US$17.5 million (about 135 billion kip).
The illicit drugs to go up in smoke on the day included over 3.8 million amphetamine tablets, 238.5kg of heroin, 47.8kg of ……
Schools in Vientiane have tightened security after rumours have spread suggesting human organ traffickers are active in Laos.
The rumour – heavily circulated through social media, notably Facebook – suggested a group of organ traffickers has been kidnapping children and young adults to trade their organs.
An official from the Ministry of Public Security told Vientiane Times yesterday the ministry has not received any reports of kidnapping for human organ trafficking.
“We can’t say right now if the rumour has grounds or is groundless. We are requesting guidance about further ….
A leading Lao bank has warned its e-banking customers to be aware of identity and password theft which has occurred recently to several customers.
Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL) made the announcement to warn customers using i-Banking and e-Banking to be aware of someone stealing their private information such as user identity and password.
The bank noted that recently criminals have been attempting to steal user and password information of BCEL i-Banking and E-Banking customers by using ……
Luang Prabang police authorities plan to tighten village security after going through the ordeal of the first ever hostage taking in the city, following a drug fuelled incident last Thursday.
Officials told the press yesterday that the incident presented a bad image for the heritage city and popular travel destination so they have tightened security in order to maintain peace and order in society.
“Most of the police were also shocked by the incident after we reported about it. However we have learnt some valuable lessons and are now beefing up security to ensure …
Earthquakes have become a concern of Lao people with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport drafting a new building code for construction projects to ensure they meet required safety standards.
The 6.3 magnitude quake that struck northern Thailand early last month and killed one person while injuring several others there, however, created fear amongst the local people living along the Lao border with Thailand despite there having been no serious ….
Vientiane Police Office issued a new warning to members of the public last Friday to be aware of gangsters breaking and entering to steal their valuables after a spate of incidents last month.
The office’s interrogative and investigative section reported that the problem of breaking and entering seems to be increasing in Vientiane, with 16 reported burglaries in May alone.
Gangs of thieves are targeting homes and businesses when nobody is around, especially those known to ….
Update 28th May: Our readers report that the situation at the Vientiane / Nongkai crossing is back to normal
Lao residents and Expats living in Laos with vehicles who intend to travel to Thailand will not be able to cross with ease as restrictions have been placed on all border checkpoints after the Thai military staged a coup to seize power and maintain peace and order on May 22.
Lao people who carry border passes are currently restricted from using them to enter Thailand.
Thai military officials have advised residents to use a passport and only go into Thailand if …..
President Choummaly Sayasone, Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and other high-ranking officials laid wreaths yesterday to pay their respects to the leaders who passed away from the plane crash on Saturday (May, 17).
According to the Ministry of National Defence, the Lao airforce AN-74TK-300 aircraft carrying 17 people on a special flight from Vientiane crashed near Xieng Khuang airport on Saturday morning (around 7am local time). There are three survivors and 14 deceased.
Prominent leaders were aboard the plan and were on their way to
A Laotian air force plane with at least 14 people on board crashed on Saturday, a defense ministry source said, and a witness at the site said the defense minister was among the dead.
“A Laos air force plane has crashed on its way to Xiang Khouang province in the north of the country. The mayor of Vientiane, the defense minister of Laos and his wife were on board,” the official told Reuters by telephone.
Also killed were the governor of ….
The UK Foreign Office has warned travellers of a rise in violent bag snatching and muggings in Laos, a country known for its traditional values and sleepy atmosphere
The idea that tourists are increasingly becoming the targets of crime is perturbing but coincides with a growing interest in visiting the landlocked country.
“Petty crime, including bag snatching, occurs frequently and is becoming increasingly violent, especially in tourist areas….
The number of thieves breaking and entering into houses and local businesses spiked during the month of April when many people were away for New Year holidays, according to a Vientiane Police Office report.
Deputy Chief of the Interrogative and Investigative Section of the office, Major Am-ay Luangpakdy said there were around 10 cases of breaking and entering reported, with thieves especially targeting houses and businesses with safes stored inside.
“They work in groups and usually have a well-thought out …..
At Tuesday’s media briefing, the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Mr Hiem Phommachanh, clarified the issue regarding the fire emergency number 1191 after callers complained that their calls were not picked up.
He said the emergency number 1191 was out of use as officials in charge have replaced the four-digit emergency number with the following six-digit numbers:
Vientiane traffic police reported more than 30 road accidents in Vientiane last week, including six fatalities. Among the latest accidents involves a sport car which crashed into an electricity pole and tree at the Setthathirath Road in Xiengngeun village, Vientiane in the early morning of April 27.
The 21-year old driver sustained critical wounds and later died in hospital. The passenger also …..
The number of vehicles in Vientiane continues to rise, intensifying congestion on roads in the capital despite the expansion of the road network in the capital.
In 2013, the number of registered vehicles reached 66,500, an increase of more than 5,300 vehicles compared to the year 2012.
Government officials attributed the rising number of vehicles to several factors, including the country’s …..
Laos and China have confirmed they will push forward with the Lao-Chinese railway project while the two countries are still looking for an effective method of cooperation that serves their mutual interest.
The Lao and Chinese governments have come up with a plan to build the 421km railway, which would link Vientiane to the Laos-China border in the coming years.
The Lao side also suggested that China should expand its investment in hydro and lignite power plants as well as provide loans for irrigation development in the central provinces in order to ensure ….
Explosions were rocking Lao capital Vientiane’s biggest marketplace, Thong Khan Kham after a fire started at approximately 7:40 p.m. yesterday.
One shopkeeper, who operates a curtain shop on the street outside Thong Khan Kham told Xinhua that the fire broke out from a corner of the marketplace before spreading quickly around 7:40 p.m. The shopkeeper believed that not many people were injured in the blaze as the market closed just over an hour earlier at 6:30 p.m.
The fire has knocked out power for surrounding areas and locals were evacuating the ….
Like many girls in Laos, where almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, Vahn* was desperate to earn money for her family. This made her a prime target for sex traffickers.
As an uneducated 15-year old, Vahn said she was convinced by her stepsister to work at a farm in central Thailand. But she ended up at a Thai brothel, where she was forced to have sex with a client who paid to take her virginity.
Vahn’s story is not unique. Laos, a landlocked, communist state with one of the worst poverty rates in Southeast Asia, is a prime source for Thailand’s flourishing sex trafficking rings. Around 90 percent of Lao trafficking victims are transported to ….
Some 257 cases involving the illegal trading of timber were discovered in 2013, topping the year’s list of fraud or economic-related cases, according to economic police.The police officers in charge of economic affairs registered 559 cases in total over the past year, an increase of 311 or 61.22 percent compared to 2012.
Of the cases found, illegal trading of wood represented the largest number followed by 134 cases involving fraud over citizens’ assets and 53 cases related to embezzling state and citizens’ assets, among other …..
Five well known nightclubs in Vientiane have been ordered to shut down temporarily, while 10 others are being closely watched after authorities discovered that their operations are in breach of the relevant regulations.
Vientiane Information, Culture and Tourism Department issued an order recently to punish the offending entertainment venues for their infringement of the regulations concerned and impose order on the entertainment industry.
Of the five, four entertainment venues were ordered to shut down for a three month period from February 1 to May 1, as punishment for the breaches.
The four venues are …..
The heads of provincial police from across the country pinpointed Laos’ drug abuse epidemic as a major social problem at their annual meeting yesterday, coming together in an attempt to address the issue.
“Drugs have become a serious problem in our country adding to the crimes occurring in Laos, so we should find a way to fight against this issue in the near future. This meeting will firstly focus on this social problem in Laos,” Department Director General, Brigadier General Police Sisavath Keomalavong said.
According to the department’s records, there were 1,319 reported drug-related offences committed nationwide in 2013 and police arrested 1,971 people including …..
Last Thursday afternoon a thief was apprehended by local residents after snatching a bag from female cyclists in Phonsinuan village, Vientiane (near Thai Consulate and Pizza Company 2).
Two man on a motorbike snatched a bag from two female cyclists, insuring one of the vicitms by knocking her off the bicycle. During the theft the driver lost control over his vehicle and crashed himself. While his accomplice escaped, several onlookers managed to detain the driver, a 21-year-old man. On Facebook clips can be seen showing …..
Travellers to Bangkok being urged to avoid rally sites, stock up on cash, food and water. Many countries have advised their nationals to stay away from demonstration sites on Monday and ensure that they have enough cash on them, a fully-charged communication device as well as enough food and water to last a while. They have also been advised not to wear red or yellow.
“Participating or showing support in any form to any of the parties is strongly discouraged,” the Philippines Embassy in Bangkok said on its website. Meanwhile, the United States Embassy has warned its citizens to be careful, because although mass rallies have been generally peaceful over the past few months, there have still …..
This is the third of a series of articles designed to help you improve the security in and around your home. In previous articles we have outlined 13 principles for the prevention of theft and break-ins. In this article we will look at the safest steps to take in the unlikely event that you encounter an intruder in your home.
It is important to know that thieves are trying to avoid detection and do not want to come face-to-face with you, but there may come a time that you arrive home or wake up to the presence of an intruder. It is hard to know how you will react in such an unfortunate situation, but the following guidelines will put you on the path to the best possible outcome in a difficult situation:
Some young Lao women are reportedly being sold as brides in China, while about 72 per cent of trafficked children are girls under 18, according to a recent joint report by the government and the United Nations.
Laos is primarily a source country for victims of trafficking and, to a much lesser extent, a transit and destination country. The government investigated 49 cases and convicted 37 offenders in 2012, compared with 20 cases investigated and 33 convictions in 2010.
The details show that most of the cases involve children and young people who are often migrant workers seeking …..
Search teams on Thursday recovered the flight data recorders of a Lao Airlines plane that plunged into the Mekong River in bad weather killing all 49 people on board, officials said.
The black boxes, which include both voice and data recordings, were found early Thursday as part of efforts to recover parts of the stricken craft from the river’s fast-flowing waters, according to Yakua Lopankao, director general of Laos’ Department of Civil Aviation.
“It has not yet been decided where to send them to be examined, it is up to the air accident investigation committee,” he said of the operation, which has been assisted by experts from …..
Read here the official press announcements of Lao Airlines related to the flight QV301:
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Lao authorities have clarified foreign media reports which stated that the black box recorders had been recovered from the Lao Airlines plane that crashed in Champassak province last week.
Recovery teams from Laos and France had detected a signal from the black box recorders but had not yet been able to locate them. “We can detect a signal but we cannot pinpoint the location of the black boxes,” an official said, adding that the signal was quite strong and indicated the direction of the source of transmission. “But this doesn’t mean we have retrieved …..
A few clicks of the mouse, and your webcam is activated and ready to be used. But have you considered the possibility that someone else could be watching you through your own webcam? The thought of this probably sends chills down your spine, and it should, as this is very real- and extremely creepy.
Hackers utilize a type of software called remote access tool (RAT) that allows them to remotely access a computer as if they were physically there. Though RATs were designed for legal purposes, like allowing a technician to remotely access a user’s computer to troubleshoot problems without having to physically be there, hackers exploit this to …..
In the last article we introduced the first five principles for do-it-yourself prevention of theft and break-ins at home specifically for urban capitals, tourist areas and special economic areas. In this article we recommend more useful techniques that you can use to avoid unwanted events in and around your property.
6. Dogs and Pets: are the best signallers of unusual events. Even untrained dogs signal naturally when seeing, hearing and smelling someone or something unusual…… 7. Homemade Alarms: Having a tinker in your own home to develop basic alarms is an inexpensive way to increase ….
A part of the Lao Airlines plane that crashed into the Mekong River last week was retrieved on Tuesday, but the black box from the ill-fated aircraft has still not been found.
Lao divers and rescue workers hauled the 10-metre part of the stricken ATR 72-600 from the bottom of the river at 3.30pm and painted the airline logo and plane number in black.
The plane, which was found about 400 metres from the crash site, was transported by ….
Lao authorities and Lao Airlines officials are putting every effort into the recovery operation after flight QV301 went down in Champassak province on Wednesday afternoon, retrieving the bodies of the victims and the wreckage of the plane from the Mekong River.
Flight QV301 departed Vientiane for Pakxe at 2:45pm on Wednesday and crashed just over an hour later while approaching Pakxe airport for landing, after running into bad weather in the wake of Tropical Storm Nari.
All 49 passengers and crew on board are believed to have died after the plane plunged into the Mekong River near Phaling village in Phonthong district, in what is thought to have been a high impact crash…..
A Lao Airlines plane from Vientiane crashed just before landing at Pakse airport on Wednesday, killing all 49 people onboard.
The ART twin-turbo plane flight QV301 crashed into the Mekong River as it was coming in to land at the airport in Champassak province in southern Laos due to bad weather. The plane left Wattay airport in Vientiane at 2.45pm and crashed at 4pm, officials said.
According to The Nation, a well-informed source said the aviation control tower at Pakse Airport recommended the pilots not land at the airport because of ….
Laos ranks top out of the 10 Asean countries for alcohol beverage/beer consumption, with an average of 7 litres consumed per person per year, according to a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The survey also found that Lao women drink more alcohol than women in other Indochina countries.
Laos has many ethnic groups and each has its own traditions and culture but alcohol plays an important role throughout Lao society, the survey found.
Unsurprisingly the survey found that the high consumption of alcohol is a frequent cause of ….
These are boom times in the Golden Triangle, long notorious as Southeast Asia’s drug production capital. For the farmers in the remote hills around the town of Muang Long in northwestern Laos that means only one thing: increased demand for opium, their most profitable crop.
“Prices are going up. At the moment, it’s 10 to 12 million kip (HK$10,000 to HK$12,000) for a kilo. Last year, it was eight to nine million kip,” said Ber Ko, a local man who describes himself as a “transporter of goods”.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) believes China – including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan – now consumes 70 per cent of all the heroin used in the East Asia and Pacific region. Such is the desire for the drug in China that the Golden Triangle can no longer produce enough to satisfy the ……
Vientiane Police Office is in discussions with Vientiane Police Headquarters and the Ministry of Public Security to replace or repair more than 50 broken closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around the city.
The office recently reported a number of cameras were broken in areas across Vientiane; cameras normally used to help in investigations on crime and road accidents.Vientiane Police Officer said 51 cameras were down due to technical problems, high temperatures in control rooms and cables damaged in fires….
With rapid economic development in the region, even Lao PDR is not exempt from a rise in petty theft and robberies. Often it seems that thieves are a step ahead of the law and of protection technology. Expatriates and Lao citizens are equal targets of crime, but expatriates often lack a local network and permanent presence within their homes. In this and future articles we will explore what the average household in Vientiane can do to improve their security.
The following is a summary of advice from the findings of …..
Laos will no longer grant new concessions for casinos in special economic zones on its soil. It will also overhaul plans for such areas so they have a clear focus and right direction for economic development, Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said in an interview recently.
“Casinos in special economic zones such as the one in Boten (in the north) have made no good contribution to development and even affected relations between China and Laos, so we don’t want them anymore,” Somsavat said.
The idea to end casino concessions in special economic zones came with a plan to review….
A 13-year-old boy was killed and five other boys wounded in northern Laos after a cluster bomb exploded as they were trying to open it with a knife.
The boys, aged 5 to 13, had been foraging for bamboo shoots in Huaykhae village of Luang Prabang province over the weekend when they found the unexploded ordnance (UXO).
During the Vietnam War, more than 2.5 million short tons of U.S. munitions were dropped on Laos – more than were dropped on Germany and Japan combined during World War II. Per capita, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world…..
The number of crimes in Vientiane continues to rise despite police efforts to crack down on the criminals, according to a weekly report from Vientiane Police Headquarters on Wednesday.
From July 17-23, a total of 54 criminal cases were recorded in the capital, six more cases compared to the previous week, with robbery among the major crimes this week.
Some of the more brazen crimes recorded by police included: The robbery of ……
A Thai police gunboat prowls the waters of the Mekong River searching for the drug gangs that haunt this territory deep in the Golden Triangle, an age-old smuggling route — with a new scourge.
At one time this frontier region, where the remote edges of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, was awash with heroin, flooding over the border from the then world’s biggest opium producer Myanmar.
Times have changed and now the drug of choice is methamphetamine often in the form of “yaba” — Thai for “crazy medicine” — bound for the streets and clubs of Asia. “It is very difficult …..
Vientiane Police Office has warned government departments and private businesses to be more wary of office security during the rainy season after a recent spate of thefts.
Vientiane Police Chief said the wet weather sometimes meant security guards spent less time inspecting premises at night, which has led to the theft of valuables from offices becoming a major problem. “Thieves will take the opportunity when ….
Your email account is not accepting your password. Your friends are asking how you got stranded in London and whether you got the money they wired. Your mother wants to know why you are sending out emails with nothing in it, but a link. Surprise, your email has been hacked.
Okay, so you are hacked. Now what? The first step is to regain control. If you are locked……
If you are concerned about your safety because you are in an international hotspot, you might want to think about the best ways to keep yourself from harm. It’s nice to think that most of the people you will meet will be friendly and well-mannered, but unfortunately there are some parts of the world where it doesn’t work this way – and being different (or noticeably foreign) could make you a target for crime.
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Officials have quashed rumours that driving licences are being issued for sale by officials in the Vientiane Vehicle and Driving Management Division (VVDMD) – the body in charge of issuing licences in the capital.
The statement comes following public allegations that licences could be bought and sold on the black market, and were made by officials involved in the regular issuing process.
VVDMD rejected the allegation. He said it was impossible for such an irregularity to occur. “The application procedures to obtain a …
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) covering 158 countries, Thailand is the worst in Southeast Asia and the fifth worst in all Asia. The top four countries in the list are all from Asia – Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India – where terrorist incidents were “heavily concentrated”.
Thailand ranks top among the Southeast Asian countries, followed by the Philippines (No 10), Indonesia (29), Myanmar (33), ………
