Lao morning news for December 20

Mediation helping manage Laos’ legal case backlog problem
Law courts in many Asian countries are overburdened. A perfect storm of factors including rapid economic growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and the withering away of traditional governance systems has caused the number of criminal and civil cases to soar. Courts are often ill-equipped to cope with the increasing pressure.
— AEC News Today

Vietnamese-funded projects contribute to Laos’ socio-economic growth
Vietnamese-funded projects have contributed to Laos’ socio-economic development and human resources improvement in particular, Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Boualien Silipanya has affirmed.
— Vietnam+

Japan grants 107 billion kip for education improvement
The Japanese government and people have provided grant aid for the Project for Improving Secondary School Environment in the central and southern provinces of Laos, to develop education and improve the secondary school environment.
— Vientiane Times

Lao garment factory lacked skilled labor
The garment and textile industry in Laos is facing many problems and obstacles as a result of a lack of skilled workers and a need to increase the cost of construction of garment workers, a garment factory official in Vientiane said.
— Radio Free Asia

Tourism planners eye potential of Mekong as visitor attraction
Government officials and partners will continue cooperation to improve the quality of tourism products on the Mekong River in Laos.
— Vientiane Times

Job Fair 2018 Draws Thousands Of Jobseekers
Job Fair 2018, the fourth of its kind, was held at Thongkhankham Mall, Vientiane Capital from Dec 14-16 drawing almost 4,000 jobseekers and employers.
— KPL

Brunei film screened in Pause Festival in Laos
LOCAL filmmaker, Abdul Zainidi recently attended the Pause Festival, a celebration of the arts cinema and culture in Luang Prabang, Laos and screened one of his best work Anggur in Pockland.
— Borneo Bulletin

Women will be paid the same as men … in about 200 years
The global pay gap between men and women will take 202 years to close, because it is so vast and the pace of change so slow, according to the World Economic Forum.
— South China Morning Post

The Power To Choose The Number, Timing And Spacing Of Children Can Boost Economic And Social Development
New global report, the State of World Population 2018, flagship report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was released in the Lao PDR today in a joint press conference held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and UNFPA Lao PDR in Vientiane.
— KPL

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation brings hope, prosperity to less-developed countries
Against verdant croplands, the Hadkhae village in northern Laos has quite a modern look: brand new apartment buildings standing alongside broad roads leading to public facilities including a newly-built school, a hospital, a market, and a bridge over the river.
— Global Times

PM urges Xekong officials to ramp up efforts against poverty
Local authorities must do more to alleviate poverty by teaching people about ways to earn a living, run a small business and invest their money so they have a better quality of life.
— Vientiane Times

People from Xayaburi have no stable jobs
People affected by the Xayaboury Dam project in Xayaboury province, all 15 villages, demanded that the Lao government allocate a stable occupation to the household, as one person affected by the Xayabouri Dam said to the EEZ.
— Radio Free Asia

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh pays official visit to Laos
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue close coordination with its Lao counterpart to consolidate and tighten the Vietnam-Laos special relations for benefits of their people, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.
— Nhan Dan Online

Russia begins deliveries of upgraded T-72B1 MBTs to Laos
Russia has begun deliveries of upgraded T-72B1 main battle tanks (MBTs) to the Lao People’s Armed Forces (LPAF), an LPAF source told Jane’s on 19 December.
— Janes

Hundreds Of Students Granted SCG Scholarships
The SCG (Siam Cement Group) Trading Company Limited has granted 310 scholarships worth more than 540 million kip to secondary school and university students of low income families in rural areas of Laos this academic year.
— KPL

Feature photo UN Women Asia and the Pacific

This week’s Lao morning news feature photo acknowledges International Migrants Day, December 18.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Lao morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Lao PDR news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.