Government
National government
Groups urge Kerry to demand government reforms
Five rights groups on 24 January called for United States Secretary of State John Kerry to use a visit to Phnom Penh this week to demand the Cambodian government stop persecuting political opponents and rights, environmental and trade union activists. Keep reading ...
In rare visit to tiny Laos, Kerry seeks closer relations
Secretary of State John F. Kerry arrived on 24 January in Laos, where the United States is helping the government clear a countryside still littered with unexploded ordnance dating to the Vietnam War. Kerry’s one-day stop for talks with senior officials marks a rare diplomatic visit. He ...
USDP majority parliament passes trimmed budget for next government
Parliament has passed the K23.62 trillion (US$18.28 billion) budget for the 2016-17 financial year starting in March. In effect, this means that defeated members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party government have bequeathed spending patterns and constraints to the incoming government elected last November. Review committees ...
HRW slams ASEAN invites to US summit
Human Rights Watch has called on US President Barack Obama to make sure that human rights are at the top of the agenda when the US leader hosts the heads of ASEAN at a summit in California next month. Keep reading ...
Secretary of State Kerry visit to Laos confirmed
US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay an official visit to Laos on 24 January with a view to strengthening links between Vientiane and Washington, the local Foreign Ministry confirmed. Keep reading ...
Laos hosts first ASEAN-Russia meeting
The First Meeting of the ASEAN-Russia Eminent Persons Group (AREPG) is taking place in Vientiane to review and further enhance relations between ASEAN and Russia. Keep reading ...
Laos moves towards industrialisation
Laos is now moving towards industrialisation and modernisation after experiencing a slight increase in the share that the industrial and service sectors represent in the overall economic structure. In contrast, the agriculture and forestry sector has declined significantly in the past decade as a result of ...
Vietnam asks China to remove drilling rig
Vietnam has asked China to cease drilling for oil and promptly pull its Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig out of the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on 19 January. Keep reading ...
Thai princess to visit Cambodia
Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit Cambodia next month to boost bilateral education ties between the kingdoms, a topic she has worked on since her first visit in 1992. Keep reading ...
Lao tax collectors pay to play
In Laos, where corruption seems like a part of daily life, the locals say tax collectors often stand out as they can be seen driving some of the flashiest cars and living in some of the biggest houses. In this landlocked Asian country with an authoritarian ...
