Lao Morning News For May 17

Troops from Laos and Cambodia in Cross-Border Standoff over Road Construction
Soldiers from Cambodia and Laos have been locked in a standoff across their shared border since February, in a spat that has seen troops on the ground accuse each other of incursions while the leaders of the two countries dismiss reports of friction.
– RFA

China-Laos railway construction progressing well: Lao officials
Construction of the Laos-China railway is gathering steam with many tunnels being bored despite rainfall, Lao state-run media Vientiane Times on Tuesday quoted officials as saying.
– Ecns

NTP to Supply Fuel for Laos-China Railway Project
The Nationwide Trading Petroleum Public Company (NTP) has agreed to supply 14.4 million litres of fuel to the Laos-China Railway Construction Project in the section between Phonhong district, Vientiane province to Vientiane Capital.
– Lao News Agency

Vehicle owners to pay higher road tax in August
The Ministry of Finance will start to issue 2017 road tax stickers in August, but vehicle owners will be paying more this year.
– Vientiane Times

Private investment needed to drive growth: economists
Economists have cautioned that cutting spending could impact Laos’ economic growth, so the government needs to further create favourable conditions to strengthen the private sector.
– Vientiane Times

Xi Jinping Calls for Deeper Cooperation with Laos
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for deepening cooperation with Laos and creating a better future for bilateral ties by taking the opportunity of jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.
– Lao News Agency

Vietnam urges Laos to rethink Mekong River dams
Vietnam wants Lao to reconsider the Pak Beng hydropower project as its environmental impacts to the Mekong Delta will strike Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos badly.
– The Nation

One more year may be needed to complete civil code
One more year may be needed for the further development of Laos’ civil code while the drafting sub-committee must make a concerted effort to reach their target.
– Vientiane Times

Dak Lak Expects to Export 17,000 Tonnes of Processed Rubber
The Vietnamese Dak Lak Rubber Company expects to export over 17,000 tonnes of processed rubber, with projected earnings of about 176 billion kip (US$ 21,476 million).
– Lao News Agency

Three Lao Workers Handed Lengthy Jail Terms for Slamming Government Online
Three Lao workers arrested last year for criticizing their government on Facebook while working in Thailand have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, one of the workers’ relatives said Tuesday, drawing condemnation from rights groups and calls for their immediate release.
– RFA

WFP Links School Meals Programme to Local Agricultural Production with US Support
U.S. Ambassador to Lao PDR Rena Bitter on May 10 visited two schools in Sekong Province supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the U.S. government.
– Lao News Agency

Vientiane Reports 171 Dengue Fever Cases
Some 171 dengue fever cases, including 69 female victims, have been reported in Vientiane Capital so far this year. No deaths have been reported.
– Lao News Agency

Feature photo Mario Micklisch
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Lao Morning News For May 17 added by John Le Fevre on May 17, 2017
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John Le Fevre

Thailand editor at AEC News Today

John is an Australian national with more than 40 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer, and copy editor.

He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.

He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.

In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.

Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.