Disasters and emergency response

The Lao government has announced that the country  basically completed the preparation of resources to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in the context that the number of infections is increasing in the Southeast Asian nation. With nearly 500 new infections reported in the country since April 20, the Lao government ...

Human trials for Vietnam’s second homemade Covid-19 vaccine could be completed a month ahead of schedule for commercial production to begin in the fourth quarter. The progress of testing the Covivac vaccine on humans is being speeded up, but all the steps will guarantee safety and ...

Party committees at all levels have been told to give guidance and command the fight against Covid-19 as if it were a war situation, to counter the surge in infections. The Secretariat of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party on April 25 issued an order asking all ...

Laos has confirmed 65 new cases of Covid-19 following testing of over 1,292 people. The National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced today that the country had confirmed a total of 65 new cases. Dr. Phonepadith Xangsayarath, Director of the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), Ministry ...

The Ministry of Education and Sports has issued a notice ordering the closure of schools following an outbreak of Covid-19 in Vientiane Capital. The notice states that all public and private educational facilities from preschools through to universities will be closed across Vientiane Capital following a ...

Charities and human rights campaigners have expressed alarm at a decision by the Home Office to charter its first ever deportation flight to Vietnam. The Guardian has learned that the flight is due to take off on Wednesday, though it is unclear why the government has decided ...

Through disasters, a fellowship was struck. Ormboon Thipsuna remembers the date well, Aug 12, 2008, when a deluge of water from the Mekong swept through her hometown of Nong Khai and seven riparian northeastern provinces. Considering the rainfall was rather small and the Mekong’s gradual ...

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has instructed authorities in charge to continue with the vaccination of target groups and to offer the vaccine to all other citizens, so that the target could be reached or even exceeded. The premier made the call in a statement issued on ...

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long warned the risk of a new Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam was “very high” amid a significant surge in community transmissions from neighboring countries. Long told an online meeting Friday the southwest border with Cambodia and southwestern provinces of the country, better ...

Chinese dams on the Mekong River have begun releasing water during the river’s normal dry season, causing trouble for wildlife, farmers and fishermen in Laos, sources in the Southeast Asian country told RFA. “The Mekong River water level is up 12 centimeters [4.7 inches] from yesterday,” ...