Vientiane Times

wednesDAY february 10, 2016

The First National English Language Newspaper

ISSUE 34

That Luang Marsh SEZ condos have wide appeal

Times Reporters

A majority of people buying

condo apartments at That Luang
Marsh Specific Economic
Zone (SEZ) in Vientiane are
Lao or of Lao origin living in
France, officials in charge of
the project have said.
Vice President of the zones
management board Mr Pheng
Inthilath told Vientiane Times
on Tuesday that six of the
seven completed 19-storey
blocks have been sold out.
One businessman from
Guangzhou, China has bought
one building with about 128
apartments aiming to run a
hotel business. But overall
I would say that not many
Chinese nationals have come
to buy our condos, he said.
Buyers can move in to the
first seven condos by December
this year and the rest are slated
for completion in June 2017.
Mr Pheng said a number
of services will open in May
this year including restaurants,
Continued page 3

Vientiane Public Works and

Transport Department publicly
announced yesterday that

That Luang Marsh Specific Economic Zone will open restaurants, a shopping centre and night market in May.

any home or business in the

capital should not undertake
construction over public areas,
particularly along roadsides.
Some construction that

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Cold weather
losses to
farmers
estimated at
25 billion kip
Times Reporters

Vientiane warns against unauthorised construction over roadsides

Times Reporters

4500 kip

Authorized Cargo Agent for:

TG Thai Airways International

Vientiane, Lao PDR. P.O. Box 3145

(opposite French School )
Tel: 313321, 313351, 314524, 315165, 313392 Fax: ( 856-21 ) 314831

Email: laoffimp@laotel.com, laoffair@laotel.com, laoffexp@laopdr.com, laoffexp@laotel.

com, phasavath.somphone@gmail.com, www.laopdr.com, www.lao-freight.com

has encroached on roadsides

was impacting the drainage
system, as soil and sand filled
up drain pipes causing flooding
on routes in Vientiane.
Officials of the department
announced it was prohibited
to fill drains with soil from
home construction, keep sand
and stone piles near roadsides,
install non standard drainage
systems or fill in any public
marsh in Vientiane.
The announcement also
said officials would give
lawbreakers a warning and 15
days to remove sand and stone
piles, illegal structures and
substandard drainage.
Director of Vientiane

Public Works and Transport

Department, Mr Detsongkham
Thammavong told Vientiane
Ti m e s y e s t e r d a y t h a t
Vientianes drainage system
was facing problems because
local communities had filled
soil from their houses over
roads blocking the drainage
system causing many roads to
flood especially in the rainy
season.
Officials now are
surveying target venues
including houses, state and
private offices and other sites
located along main roads
in all Vientianes districts.
Many target venues have
been listed to be issued with a

warning for owners to remove

offending structures or soil,
Mr Detsongkham said.
He explained that anyone
constructing illegal structures or
landfills over public areas would
be forced to remove them.
We expect the campaign
will be successful. Officials
are working hard to resolve
the problem. We would like
to ask for everyones help in
following this announcement
because it will benefit the
public, he said.
Vientiane authorities have
focused on city improvement
with the capital to welcome
important international
conferences this year.

The unusual cold snap which hit

Laos recently over the period
from January 23-30 has now
been calculated by agriculture
and forestry officials to have
cost the nations farmers some
25.1 billion kip.
According to the Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry,
the total number of livestock
which died nationwide
included 1,433 head of cattle,
473 buffaloes, 215 pigs, 69
goats, 18,755 kg of poultry,
1,600 kg of frogs and 467
tonnes of fish.
Meanwhile on the cropping
side of things, some 1,618
hectares of crops such
as rice, coffee, sugarcane,
watermelons, melons,
pineapples, chilli, eggplants,
bananas and some fruit trees
were damaged, according to
official reports.
The Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry said the worst
impacted provinces were
Phongsaly, Luang Namtha,
Bokeo, Luang Prabang,
Huaphan, Xieng Khuang,
Xayaboury and Borikhamxay.
Deputy Minister of
Agriculture and Forestry,
Dr
Bounkhouang
Khambounheuang told
Vientiane Times yesterday that
in response the ministry will
continue to coordinate with
provincial authorities as well
as district and village groups
to collect more detail on the
impacted farming families so
as to provide assistance.
This will be followed
with a warning to each of the
Continued page 2

2 Home news

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Education programme to assist

schoolchildren in need
Times Reporters

A new education programme is

set to improve the quality and
accessibility of basic education
for hundreds of thousands of
schoolchildren in Laos.
Over four years and
beyond, the Basic Education
Quality and Access in Laos
(BEQUAL) programme will
help an estimated 450,000
Lao girls and boys to achieve
literacy, numeracy and other
life skills and give them a
chance of a better future.
Senior officials from the
Ministry of Education and
Sports, Australian Embassy,
international organisations
and concerned sectors met
on Monday to discuss the
implementation of the
BEQUAL programme.
The meeting and technical
w o r k s h o p i n Vi e n t i a n e
introduced key players across
the programme and provided
an overview of BEQUAL
mobilisation activities as well

as confirm future priorities to be

supported by the programme.
Speaking at the seminar,
the ministrys Director General
of Planning Department
Mr Inpanh Xaymountry
said the BEQUAL project
was consistent with overall
government policy and would
strongly contribute to human
resource development as well
as respond to the demands of
socio-economic development
in the country.
The Party and the government
recognised education policy as
very important by placing it at
the centre of human resource
development to achieve the
Millennium Development
Goals by 2015 and move
the country out of the least
developed country status by
2020, Mr Inpanh added.
The programme will also
strengthen the quality of
training at Lao teacher training
colleges and provide basic
infrastructure, including the
construction or rehabilitation

of many schools.
The programme will be
overseen by the Australian
government and the Ministry
of Education and Sports,
seeking to achieve a quality
primary education for all Lao
children, including the most
educationally disadvantaged
- girls, children from ethnic
minority groups and students
with disabilities.
Australia has a long history
and strong track record of
supporting access to basic
education in Laos. It has done
so through bilateral support,
as well as through multilateral
and global partnerships, such
as the Global Partnership for
Education (GPE).
The GPE, established in
2002, is the only multilateral
partnership dedicated to getting
more children in school for a
quality education in the worlds
poorest countries. Laos, which
joined the GPE in 2009, is a
regional board member for the
Asia Pacific.

qualified staff not to be over

40 years of age, according to
the ministry.
The scholar recipients
will leave for Vietnam this
September upon approval from
the ministry. They will study
in numerous universities and
higher education institutes
in Vietnam. The duration
of the programmes will be
three years, including oneyear of Vietnamese language
preparation.
During their stay in
Vietnam, the staff will study
in various fields including
education and sports; art and
humanities; social sciences,
information and print;
business administration and
law; technology, information
and communications;
production and construction;
agriculture-forestry, fisheries
and veterinary science; health
and welfare; and services and
transportation.
Teachers or civil servants
who speak Vietnamese fluently
will receive special priority.
The Deputy Minister
of Education and Sports
Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy
Sengmany, who is in charge
of the programme, told
Vientiane Times yesterday

the scholarships would cover

tuition fees, return airfares and
an annual living allowance,
saying Development of the
skills and abilities of our
people is of great importance
for our progress.
Based on the cooperation,
the two countries have been
organising regular exchange
visits for officials and experts
over the past two decades, and
consider their cooperation as
key to national protection and
development and essential to
nurture their special friendship,
according to the ministry.
B a s e d o n 2 0 11 - 2 0 1 4
figures from the student affairs
section, over 8,000 students
and officials left for Vietnam
to pursue their studies there
and more than 2,000 Lao
students and officials have
graduated from Vietnamese
universities and higher
education institutes, according
to the ministry.
Vietnam provides the most
scholarships for Lao students
and officials to study in that
country. China provides the
second highest number of
scholarships followed by
Thailand, Japan and Australia,
according to a recent report
from the student affairs section.

Vietnam providing scholarships

for Lao civil servants

Phaisythong Chandara

The Vietnamese government

has agreed to provide masters
degree and PhD programme
scholarships for Lao civil
servants to pursue their studies
in Vietnam in 2016-2017.
The programme is part
of increasing cooperation in
education to strengthen the
human resources of Laos and
Vietnam, especially for the
Lao Ministry of Education
and Sports and Vietnamese
Ministry of Education and
Training.
The programme is also
in line with the MoU signed
over past years by the two
countries aiming to further
develop academic and
scientific exchanges between
the ministries through mutual
assistance in the areas
of education, training and
research.
In an official announcement
from the Ministry of Education
and Sports in Laos this week,
the 233 scholarship will be
offered to all Lao civil servants
that have completed bachelor
or masters degrees.
The number of scholarships
available for 2016-2017
academic year is 233 with

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Dr Jeong Hyop Lee (left) and Mr Soumana Choulamany chair the meeting.

Renewable energy workshop talks

up research and investment

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

Renewable energy experts

from Lao and Korean have
met in Vientiane to discuss,
research, public-private
partnerships and investment
projects using the technology
in Laos.
Ye s t e r d a y s m e e t i n g
was attended by Director
General of the Department of
Technology and Innovation
under the Ministry of Science
and Technology, Mr Soumana
Choulamany and Researcher
and Director of the Science and
Technology Policy Institute
(STEPI), Republic of Korea,
Dr Jeong Hyop Lee.
During the meeting
participants exchanged
experiences on renewable
energy research and usage in
countries that have successful
adopted the technology
including the Republic of
Korea.
Mr Soumana said the

workshop was very important

for renewable energy in Laos.
Renewable energy is
a new challenge for Laos
because the country does not
yet understand how to promote
and support the sector such as
solar and wind power plants
for connection to the grid, as
well as hybrid or independent
systems, he said.
However, the government
is now seeking support to study
the development of renewable
e n e r g y i n t h e c o u n t r y.
Particularly publicprivate
partnerships to implement
research and investment
projects in this sector from
2016 to 2020, he added.
Many renewable energy
companies have presented
investment projects to the
government aiming to improve
the conditions of local people
but so far only solar power had
been accepted.
According to the director
general, the government should

increase support for the sector

as part of a clean energy future
because it was sustainable,
economical and available.
Mr Soumana added
that now the Department of
Technology and Innovation
and Ministry of Planning and
Investment were cooperating
with Korea to study waste
power plant projects in
Vientiane, Xayaboury and
Luang Prabang.
According to the Institute
of the Renewable Energy
Promotion Department at
the Ministry of Energy and
Mines, Laos has considerable
potential in terms of wind and
solar energy, particularly in the
central and southern parts of
the country.
Now, Laos has completed
two pre-feasibility studies in
Nong and Xonbouly districts,
Savannakhet province, but has
yet to conduct large scale wind or
solar project studies due to a lack
of regulations or funding support.

Cold weather losses to farmers ... from page 1

provincial agriculture and
forestry departments to direct
their district offices to suggest
to farmers that they need to
enhance their efforts in taking
care of their animals health
during this season, the deputy
minister said.
The provision of
assistance will commence
as soon as the ministry has
completed a project plan
after requesting assistance
from the National Disaster
Management Committee, said
Dr Bounkhouang said.
Regarding the
assistance, we will focus
on those farmers who lost
larger amounts of livestock
and crops and carry on to
those farmers who suffered
medium or smaller impacts,
he explained.
Some farmers borrowed
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money from the bank for

their livestock or crops so the
ministry should propose this
issue to the government so that
it might postpone the interest
payments owed to the banks
in question.
In regards to assistance
for rice farmers, the ministry
will use some of the rice
stockpile for their relief and
plans to supply some rice
varieties and other crop seeds
for planting in the next season,
Dr Bounkhouang said.
The ministry also plans to
supply stock and grass seeds
to livestock farmers depending
on how seriously they were
impacted, he added.
The government recently
approved 50 million kip in
assistance funding for each
impacted province but obviously
much more assistance will
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be required and officials plan

to seek funding from various
domestic and international
organisations as well as other
development partners.
Dr Bounkhouang said
that the number of cattle and
buffaloes which died as the
result of cold weather this year
was still less than in 2011 but
only a few northern provinces
were affected.
More than 11,000 cattle and
buffaloes were killed in 2011
while no detail was recorded
on crop damages.
To a v o i d i m p a c t s o n
liv es tock by u ns eas onal
weather, the ministry has
advised farmers to try to shift
their methods of livestock
breeding from traditional
methods to more modern
methods including vaccination
and animal shelters.

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accessing the website,
please call directly to
Tel: +856-21 336048;
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Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Switzerland supports local

cultural diversity

Japanese experts discuss

integrated river development

Times Reporters

Times Reporters

The Swiss Agency for

Development and Cooperation
(SDC) will continue to provide
funding worth US$250,000
annually to promote Lao
Culture for Lao people after
completing the first phase of
support.
SDC is supporting civil
society organisations in the
culture industry with funding
for training and development
of cultural activities. Since
the launch of the Lao Culture
Challenge Fund (LCCF)
in 2014, Switzerland has
contributed US$500,000 to
the sector in Laos.
During the first cycle of the
LCCF, Switzerland supported
10 different organisations to
strengthen their institutional
capacities through a
partnership with the Lao-India
Entrepreneurship Development
Centre, a department within the
Ministry of Education and
Sports, and the Ethnic & Social
Development Service Co.,
Ltd by providing courses on
organisational development to
cultural project partners.
The LCCF second phase
workshop was held at the Spark
Design Hotel in Vientiane
yesterday to train organisation
members, presided over by SDC
Communication and Culture
Officer Mr Touravanh Hook.
For the current cycle,
course participants will learn

Visiting Japanese experts have

shared Japans good practices
in relation to integrated
river development as well as
discussed current issues on the
comprehensive development
and management of dams in
Laos.
Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA)
recently joined with the
Ministry of Energy and Mines
to organise a seminar on
Integrated River Development
in Vientiane.
Some 30 participants from
the Fisheries Department at
the Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry, Ministry of
Natural Resources and the
Environment, Lao National
Mekong River Commission
Secretariat (LNMC-S),
Electricite du Laos (EDL),
EDL-Generation Public
Company (EDL-Gen), and
Ministry of Energy and Mines
were in attendance.
During the seminar, JICA
experts introduced several

SDC Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook

addresses the LCCF second phase training course workshop
yesterday.

how to improve their business

plans with a focus on accessing
capital for future activities and
organisational costs. All course
modules are built on goals to
achieve sustainability without
reliance on outside funding.
SDC Communication and
Culture Officer Mr Touravanh
Hook said The government
of Switzerland supports the
promotion of cultural activities
in the Lao PDR through the
Lao Culture Challenge Fund.
The fund enables citizens
to increase their role in
society, encourages cultural
expression, and strengthens
cultural identify, both locally
and nationally. Support for
culture also develops social
cohesion within civil society,
and contributes to the richness

and diversity of an already

vibrant local life in the Lao
PDR.
The training course is being
provided to eight organisations
involved in performance and
art, visuals and crafts, books
and publications and audiovisual and interactive media
industries.
The LCCF strives to support
institutions in the cultural and
artistic sector to enable large
populations to take part in
cultural life. The reoccurring
fund is open to organisations,
businesses or groups related
to the creation, production and
diffusion of cultural goods in
Laos. A call for applications
for the third phase of the fund
will be announced at the end
of this year.

Home news

governing laws and acts

designed to promote entire
river development in Japan,
with an emphasis on overall
outcomes and benefits for
multiple stakeholders.
The workshop took
place with an emphasis on
mutual communications and
cooperation among concerned
ministries, agencies and local
authorities.
Concepts and procedures
in relation to multi-purpose
dams were also introduced at
the seminar.
Multi-purpose dams can
be designed to serve multiple
interests at the same time,
including hydropower
generation, irrigation water
supply, drinking water supplies,
industrial water supplies and
flood control.
Multi-purpose dam projects
have been developed in Japan
based on benefit sharing and
cost sharing principles for
the purpose of pursuing the
most reasonable solutions for
various beneficiaries of river
water use as well as utilising

hydropower potential as much

as possible.
The Ministry of Energy
and Mines issued a Policy
on Sustainable Hydropower
Development in the Lao
PDR (PSHD) in 2015 to
be in line with the current
legal and institutional
frameworks and to ensure
effective implementation of
the policy and achievement
of sustainable hydropower
development.
The policy states that
hydropower development
should coordinate with all
stakeholders in the management
and utilisation of water and
water resources for maximum
benefits.
The Ministry of Energy and
Mines and JICA also conducted
a training course on sustainable
hydropower planning to
improve the abilities of energy
officials and provincial energy
and mines departments.
The two week course
stretched over the periods from
January 18 to 22 and January
26 to February 1.

Steel truss bridge structure

unfamiliar to residents
Khonesavanh Latsaphao

Some local residents watching

the Nasak-Khokkhaodor
Bridge being built across the
Mekong River to link the
provinces of Xayaboury and
Vientiane are questioning what
kind of loads it will be able to
carry.
A number of residents
have commented that there
are only four bridge pylons
visible to them, which might
be different to other bridges
they have crossed, but project
managers would like to stress
that maybe those people dont
understand steel truss bridge
construction.
The project manager in
charge of construction, Mr
Bouavieng Champaphan,
told Vientiane Times on
Tuesday that the new NasakKhokkhaodor Bridge is being
built to recognised standards
but maybe some citizens lack
knowledge of the load bearing
characteristics of steel truss
bridges.
People see only four
bridge pylons but under the
water and inside the ground
there are 80 pylons supporting
the bridge structure, Mr
Bouavieng explained.
The new NasakKhokkhaodor Bridge has the
best consulting firms working
on it, including companies
overseeing all technical aspects
and quality control.
The bridge will be
finished in June this year
after construction began in
2012, and it will be able to
carry trucks weighing up to

80 tonnes.
If none of them are trucks,
the bridge can carry 10 vehicles
at a time but their combined
weight must be less than 40
tonnes.
Funding for the bridge has
been provided through grant
aid from the Netherlands of
2.3 million euros (over 20
billion kip).
The bridge itself is made
of iron but the road surface is
made of concrete reinforced
with steel.
At 365 metres, this will
be the longest metal bridge
in Laos. The Thangon Bridge
that crosses the Nam Ngum
River in Vientiane is the second
longest metal bridge, Mr
Bouavieng said.
If well maintained, the
Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge
should last for 100 years.
Vientiane is 204km from
the Nasak-Khokkhaodor
Bridge, which is reached via
Road No. 11.
It connects Nasak village
in Paklai district, Xayaboury
province, to Khokkhador
village in Xanakham district,
Vientiane province, and
is the third bridge linking
Xayaboury with neighbouring

provinces.
The other two are the
bridge spanning the Mekong
River between Thadeua village
in Xayaboury province and
Pakkhone village in Luang
Prabang province, while the
third crosses the Mekong at
Pakbaeng, linking Xayaboury
and Oudomxay provinces.
The Nasak-Khokkhaodor
Bridge will ease tourist travel
from Loei province in Thailand
to Vientiane via Road No. 4 in
Xayaboury province and Road
No. 11 on the left side of the
Mekong River.
National Road No. 11 along
the Mekong also links with
Road No. 13 North at the LaoThai border crossing in Vang
village, Vientiane province.
According to the Ministry
of Public Works and Transport,
Netherlands Development
Assistance (NEDA) helped
with consultancy on the
survey and design of an
additional section of Road
No. 11 from the Namsang
Bridge in Sangthong district,
Vientiane, to the NasakKhokkhaodor Bridge in
Xanakham district, Vientiane
province, over a distance of
about 150 kilometres.

JICA experts and Lao officials at the seminar.

That Luang Marsh SEZ... from page 1

shopping centre and night
market. The restaurants will
feature a variety of foods
including Japanese, Korean
and Vietnamese dishes.
Our night market will
initially open on Fridays
only and if there is good
demand, we can open it on
other nights. Concerning our
shopping centre, it will sell
goods produced in all countries
including Thailand, China and
Vietnam, he said.
Currently the zone is open
for the general public to cycle
and jog around the 50-hectare
lagoon into which tonnes of
fish have been released.
That Luang Marsh SEZ is
one of the mega projects built in
Laos with investment coming
from Chinese developer, Wan
Feng Shanghai Real Estate
Company.

The developer has decided

to increase its investment
capital from US$1.6 billion
to US$5 billion. So far, over
US$200 million has been spent
on building infrastructure,
facilities and condos at the
zone.
The Chinese developer
is also working to attract
other entrepreneurs to operate
businesses in the zone.
That Luang Marsh
SEZ began construction in
December 2012, covering
an area of 365 hectares. The
government intended to
promote the development of
this project as a model for SEZ
development in Laos aiming to
attract more foreign investment
to the country.
Wan Feng Shanghai Real
Estate Company has said it
expected to spend between

Sub-editor wanted

15 to 20 years working on the

project.
When finished the project
will include a large residential
area, public parks and green
spaces, a lake, roads and
drainage, a sports complex
and a commercial centre.
There will also be five-star
hotels, shopping centres and
entertainment venues.
The government said That
Luang Marsh SEZ would
contribute to further boosting
t h e c o u n t r y s e c o n o m i c
growth and generate job
opportunities for local
people.
The Chinese developer said
it aimed to turn That Luang
Marsh into a liveable town that
has an environmental friendly
atmosphere with various tree
species to be planted in the
zone.

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edit a wide range of articles from business to entertainment. Attention to detail is essential and familiarity with current
affairs in Laos is desirable. Excellent writing skills required. Working hours approx 11am 6pm Mon-Fri plus a weekly
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call: 55607017, 021 336047 or drop your CV off at Vientiane Times on Kamphaengmeuang Road (T4).

4 Home news

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Japanese Ambassador decorates Lao official

Luang Namtha needs over 6 trillion kip to fund

development plan

Times Reporters

The Japanese Embassy has

issued a special decoration to a
Lao official in recognition of his
significant contribution to the
enhancement and promotion
of economic relations and
mutual understanding between
Japan and Laos.
The Ambassadordesignate of Japan to the Lao
PDR Mr Takeshi Hikihara, on
Monday hosted a reception
to celebrate the conferment
of the Order of the Rising
Sun, Gold Rays with Neck
Ribbon, on Mr Bouakham
Sisoulath, Governor of the
Savan-Seno Special Economic
Zone Authority (SEZA).
According to the
decoration, the medal was
awarded in recognition of his
significant contribution to the
enhancement and promotion
of economic relations and
mutual understanding
between Japan and the Lao
PDR.
A t t h e c e r e m o n y,
Ambassador Hikihara
congratulated Mr Bouakham
on the conferring of the
decoration for the role he
has played in various fields,
especially in promoting
investment by Japanese
companies in Laos.
Ambassador Hikihara said
in his remarks, He has made
three major contributions
in particular: his promotion
of investment in SEZA, his
facilitation of joint dialogue
between the Lao and Japanese
private and public sectors, and

News in Brief

Ambassadordesignate
of Japan to
the Lao PDR
Mr Takeshi
Hikihara
(second
right) hands
over a medal
and some
documents to
the Governor
of SavanSeno Special
Economic Zone
Authority Mr
Bouakham
Sisoulath
(third right)
in Vientiane
on Monday
evening.

his overall contribution as a

Japanese alumnus of Laos.
I very much hope that
the encouragement of this
decoration will inspire him to
carry out his important duties
with even greater enthusiasm
and to further contribute to
strengthening the friendship of
cooperation between Japan and
the Lao PDR, Ambassador
Hikihara said.
Mr Bouakham Sisoulath
said that currently there
were 12-13 factories run by
Japanese investors within
the SEZA and most of the

investment centres on the

industrial sector. Currently,
the investment by Japanese
factories is valued at upwards
of over US$ 40 million.
The Japanese investors
in the zone have tended
to increase, especially the
industrial sector and related
companies,Mr Bouakham
said.
Mr Bouakham Sisoulath
was born in Savannakhet
province in 1950. After he
graduated from Utsunomiya
University in Japan with a
bachelor's degree, he worked

as an official in Savannakhet
province for more than 20
years and was appointed
Governor of SEZA in 2006.
He is also a member of the
Japanese Alumni of Laos and
has promoted the relationship
between Japan and Laos
through his involvement in
various exchange programmes.
The reception was
attended by Deputy Minister
of Planning and Investment,
Dr Kikeo Chanthaboury,
M r B o u a k h a m s f a m i l y,
friends, and business people
from Japanese companies.

Luang Namtha province will need over 6 trillion kip to

fulfil its socio-economic development plan for 2016-2020
and achieve 9.5 percent economic growth, the SocioEconomic Newspaper reported recently.
The province plans to implement 410 projects in the
five-year period, with 12 percent of investment relying on
government budget, 15 percent on donations and loans,
over 31 percent from local and foreign private investment,
and over 41 percent from bank credit.

Fire damages Km20 market in Borikhamxay

A fire that occurred on Friday burned down eight stores at

the Km20 market of Khamkeuth district in Borikhamxay
province, though no deaths or injuries were reported.
Losses amounted to more than 533 million kip from the
eight stores, with 164 million kip the biggest single loss
and the smallest loss being 1 million kip.
Police are investigating the case in order to determine
the cause of the fire, Khuamsangob Newspaper reported
recently.

Xekong transport services surpass 92,000

passengers

More than 92,000 passengers have used the two passenger

stations in Xekong province in the past year, after their
construction was completed, Pasaxon Newspaper reported
recently. The province has 68 public transport vehicles:
18 buses and 50 pick-up taxis, carrying local and foreign
passengers on the routes between the province and
Champassak, Saravan , Savannakhet and Vientiane.
Head of the transport sector said they cooperated with
traffic police to promote road safety and install road signs
on Road 73.

Vientiane rebuilds Thin-Soy stupa

Vientiane authorities decided to rebuild the 400 year old

Thin-Soy stupa in Pakngum village, Pakngum district,
Vientiane Mai Newspaper reported recently.
Authorities inspected the stupa last week and are preparing
a project that aims to restore its original figure.
The restoration project will be undertaken in three steps.
The first step will be to stop the stupa from leaning, second
will be cleaning, and the third step will involve technical
consultation with the Ministry of Information, Culture and
Tourism to ensure the restoration is completed correctly.

Vientiane Times

Savannakhet provincial Deputy Governor, Mr Thonekeo Phouttakayalath (right) received

medical equipment including oxygen apparatus and other essential items, valued at US$20,000
from, MMG LXML Sepon Director Mr Saman Aneka (left) on Monday in the province. The
additional equipment will enhance the hospital's capacity to respond to emergencies, particularly
road accident trauma. The event was witnessed by Deputy Director of Savannakhet provincial
Hospital, Dr Bounnak Koulavongsa along with employees from LXML, Savannakhet Provincial
Office, and Savannakhet Hospital.

Members from trainee organisations attend the second phase training course workshop of the Lao
Culture Challenge Fund at the Spark Design Hotel in Vientiane yesterday. The workshop aimed
to assist cultural organisations with business skills and was presided over by Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook.

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Photo news

Minister of Information,
Culture and Tourism
Prof. Dr Bosengkham
Vongdara (left) receives
a donation of 300,000
Baht (69 million kip)
from Toyota Motor
Thailand Company
Limiteds Deputy Head
of Operating Office for
the Mekong Division Mr
Kumphol Akameteepan
(right) during the recent
charity football match
between Lao Premiere
League All-stars and
Buriram United from
Thailand. The money
will contribute to the
construction of new
accommodation for
rural school children in
May district, Phongsaly
province.

(From left) Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel Assistant General Manager Mrs Jena Kwan, Vice
President of Lao Journalists Association Mr Somsanouk Mixay, Chinese Restaurant Executive
Chef Mr Jiantu Liang, the hotels Director of Sales and Marketing Mr Ryoji Suganuma, Marketing
Manager Mrs Anumainthavong and Acting Editor in Chief of Pasaxon Daily Newspaper Mr
Douangchit Savatbounmy, attend a special Chinese New Year dinner at the hotel in Vientiane on
Tuesday night.

--Photo Khamphan

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Region

In brief from Asia

S News Network
No deal yet on
Russian tanks, govt
says

Bangkok (The Nation) -The Defence Ministry says

it has not decided if it will
buy T-90 and T-14 tanks
from Russia.
Ministry spokesman
Major-General Kongcheep
Tantrawa-nich said
Prawit and Deputy Prime
Minister Somkid Jatusripitak would visit Russia
ahead |of Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha's visit
in March, but there was
no plan to discuss the
purchase of Russian tanks
during the visit. However,
he said the Army needed
to procure new tanks
and there were several
countries, including Russia,
proposing to sell their
products. Army spokesman
Colonel Winthai Suvaree
said an Army committee
was working on the
specifications of suitable
tanks, which would be
procured to replace ageing
ones, but it had not yet
made a decision.

Traffic building up on
major roads
MALAYSIA (The Star)
-- The post Chinese New
Year traffic has already
started building up, with
crawls of up to 10km on
some major roads.
Star Traffic team head
Priscilla Patrick said the
traffic Tuesday was mainly
made up of those who are
not celebrating Chinese
New Year but had travelled
out of the city on holiday.
These are those who had
taken the weekend off and
travelling back to start
work tomorrow. As for
those who are celebrating,
we feel that most of them
are going to take the rest of
the week off and start their
visiting from today, she
said adding that it was the
possible cause for crawls
heading up north.

Court told
Rathupaswela
ground water not
of recommended
standard

SRI LANKA (The

Island) -- The Central
Environmental Authority
on Monday informed
the Court of Appeal
that the ground water at
Rathupaswela, Gampaha
was not within the
recommended PH range.
The Wenigross factory was
removed from its earlier
location about two years
ago in response to a Writ
Application filed by the
centre for Environmental
Justice and the Jala
Surakeema Sangamaya of
Siyana Korala, Gampaha.
The complaint says
Wenigross factory released
untreated effluents which
caused ground water
pollution.
Deputy Solicitor General
Arjuna Obeysekera
appeared for the
respondent, the Central
Environmental Authority.

Dengue fever cases drastically increase in North Jakarta

INDONESIA (The Jakarta
Post, ANN) -- Dengue fever
cases in North Jakarta have
drastically increased in the
first week of February and
hospitals in the municipality
have started to be flooded with
dengue fever patients.
An official has guaranteed,
however, that most city-owned
hospitals still had vacant beds
ready to accept new patients.
In January, there were
82 recorded cases of dengue
fever. Since early February,
52 new dengue fever cases
have been reported, said
Muhammad Helmi, the head
of North Jakartas health
office, in Jakarta on Monday.
Altogether, the number
of dengue fever patients has
reached 134, Helmi said as
reported by beritajakarta.com.
Helmi stressed that the
government in cooperation
with various stakeholders

Many patients, mostly dengue fever patients, wait for treatment in the emergency service waiting room
at the Cengareng city-owned hospital (RSUD Cengkareng) in West Jakarta.
--Photo JP

was intensifying its effort to

curb the spread of dengue
fever by carrying out fogging
activities in residential areas
and eliminating mosquito

Government to set targets

to fight heavy drinking
JAPAN (The Yomiuri Shimbun,
ANN) -- The government will
introduce numerical targets in
a bid to reduce the number of
excessive drinkers, according
to the draft of a plan to deal
with alcohol-related health
problems.
The draft plan says the
government will establish at
least one medical institution
specializing in alcoholism, or
a consultation center for the
disease, per prefecture. It will
also introduce numerical targets
to lower the rate of excessive
drinkers, who are highly likely
to develop lifestyle-related
diseases.
According to the draft plan,
the government aims to reduce
the percentage of excessive
drinkers among male adults to
13 percent by fiscal 2020, from
15.8 percent in 2014. It also
seeks to lower the percentage
among female adults to 6.4
percent by the same fiscal year
from 8.8 percent in 2014.
The yardstick for excessive
drinking is at least two go
(one go equals 180 milliliters)

of sake for men every day, and

one go or more daily of sake for
women, according to the draft.
The government plans to
endorse the basic plan at a
Cabinet meeting in May. It
will also urge each prefectural
government to formulate
original plans based on the
particular situation in its area.
The government aims
to promote the spread of
knowledge about the risks
of drinking. For example,
excessive drinking can
increase the risk of high blood
pressure, diabetes and cancer,
and women tend to become
alcoholics more quickly than
their male counterparts.
As one measure to
deal with alcoholism, the
government plans to establish
within five years local mental
health and welfare centers, and
local public health centers,
as consultation bases where
people with alcohol-related
problems and their family
members can easily seek
advice at an early stage of the
disease.

Fiji receives US$8.8m worth

of weapons from Russia
SUVA (Xinhua) -- Fiji has
received guns and ammunition
worth around US$8.8 million
from Russia, a senior Fijian
government official confirmed
Tuesday.
While responding to a
question from a government
MP at the parliament, Minister
of Defense Timoci Natuva
said the guns and ammunition
shipped to Fiji recently and
received by the Republic of
Fiji Military Forces are part
of a memorandum signed by
the Fijian and the Russian
governments in 2013.
The weapons are expected
to strengthen capabilities
of Fijian troops on UN
peacekeeping duties, sources
said.

Meanwhile, around 20
Russian soldiers, believed to be
weapon experts, arrived in Fiji
on Tuesday under tight security,
according to local magazine
Island Business.
The Russian soldiers landed
at Fijis Nadi International
Airport onboard a commercial
airliner and were whisked
through the VIP channels
normally used by diplomats
and dignitaries, said the report,
adding that after meeting Fijian
military officials, the Russian
soldiers were driven away in
waiting transport.
With the Look North
policy in effect, Fiji has been
expanding ties with nontraditional partners all over
the world.

nests so that the mosquitoes

could not lay their eggs.
Meanwhile, Jakarta City
Health Agency head Koesmedi
Prihatmo said on Tuesday that

there were still 445 vacant

beds in several city-owned
hospitals (RSUD) across the
capital as of Monday, 4:30 pm.
Koesmedi said that the

hospitals that still had vacant

beds included RSUD Pasar
Minggu, South Jakarta, RSUD
Pasar Rebo in East Jakarta,
RSUD Budi Asih in East
Jakarta, RSUD Tarakan in West
Jakarta and many other smaller
hospitals at the district level.
Hospital management
can transfer dengue fever
patients to other hospitals if
their hospitals no longer have
vacant beds, though many
patients prefer to be treated at
a hospital near to their house.
At RSUD Cengkareng in
West Jakarta, for example, all
beds are occupied, but many
new patients still prefer to be
treated in the hospital corridors
rather than be relocated to
another hospital.
Although there are still
vacant beds at other hospitals,
many patients at RSUD
Cengkareng do not want to be
relocated, he said.

Search for life continues at Taiwan

complex toppled by quake
TAINAN, Taiwan (AP) -Rescuers using cranes, dogs and
electronic devices searched for
survivors Tuesday in a high-rise
apartment complex in southern
Taiwan that was toppled three
days earlier by a powerful
earthquake.
The death toll in Saturdays
disaster stood at 40, while 320
people had been rescued, the
Tainan city government said on
its official website.
More than 100 people are
believed to still be under the
debris following the tragedy that
struck during the most important
family holiday in the Chinese
calendar - the Lunar New Year.
All but two of the casualties
in the quake were recorded
in the collapse of Tainans
Weiguan Golden Dragon
17-story complex. Although the
shallow 6.4-magnitude quake
was potentially devastating,
few buildings were damaged
as a result of strict construction
standards in force on an island
that is frequently struck by
quakes.
Most of those who survived
were rescued in the hours
immediately after the quake,
in which the building collapsed
onto itself before toppling.
Ko Ching-chung said he had
propped himself against a wall to
avoid falling onto his girlfriend
after the quake hit just before 4
am. But after 20 hours, he could
no longer hold on and collapsed

onto her.
She would have soon not
been able to breath. I said to her
I had to lay on top of her and
she said to me its OK, Ko told
reporters at the hospital where
he was recovering.
Five survivors were believed
to have been pulled out on
Sunday, and at least four on
Monday. One of them, Tsao Weiling, called out Here I am as
rescuers dug through to find her.
She was found under the
body of her husband, who had
shielded her from a collapsed
beam, the government-run
Central News Agency reported.
Tsaos husband and 2-year-son
were found dead, and five other
members of the family remained
unaccounted for, it said.
Teams also rescued a
42-year-old man on Monday,
and, later, an 8-year-old girl, who
had been trapped for more than
61 hours.
Mayor Lai Ching-Te told
reporters he briefly exchanged
words with the girl, Lin Su-chin.
She is awake, but
looks dehydrated, lost some
temperature but shes awake
and her blood pressure is OK,
he said. I asked her if theres
anything wrong with her body.
She shook her head.
Shortly afterward, rescue
workers also pulled out a
2 8 - y e a r- o l d Vi e t n a m e s e
woman, identified as Chen
Mei-jih, who had been trapped

on what was the buildings fifth

floor.
Family members of
the missing flooded into the
information center in search
of their loved ones or to wait
anxiously.
Tensions rose as some
relatives, losing patience,
demanded to speak to rescue
workers directly to get the latest
information.
A couple sitting in a small
room where officials release
information said they had heard
no news about their daughter-inlaw and two young grandsons.
Does that mean we are here
to wait for bodies? grandfather
Liu Meng-hsun cried out angrily.
Earthquakes rattle Taiwan
frequently. Most are minor and
cause little or no damage, though
a magnitude-7.6 quake in central
Taiwan in 1999 killed more than
2,300 people.
The spectacular fall of the
high-rise, built in 1989, raised
questions about whether its
construction had been shoddy.
The government says it
will investigate whether the
developer cut corners.
The extended Lunar New
Year holiday officially started
Monday, but celebrations were
subdued and both President
Ma Ying-jeou and Presidentelect Tsai Ing-wen canceled
the traditional handing out
of envelopes of cash in their
hometowns.

As night falls, emergency rescue workers continue to search the rubble of a collapsed building complex
in Tainan, Taiwan.
--Photo AP

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016 Region

Dont harass innocent Muslims, Bukhari tells Modi

INDIA (The Statesman, ANN)
-- Prominent Muslim leader
Syed Ahmed Bukhari on
Monday met Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and said
innocent Muslims must not be
harassed in the name of fighting
the Islamic State terror group.
Security agencies must
be more transparent while
detaining terror suspects,
the Shahi Imam of the 17thcentury Jama Masjid here told
Modi during their half-hour
meeting at the prime ministers
residence.
I urged the prime minister
that while detaining people for
terrorist activities or suspected
links with the Islamic State,
special care must be taken
to ensure that the lives of
innocent Muslim youth and
their families are not ruined,

Bukhari told IANS.

Dont spare those who
have actually indulging in
terror activities, but there is no
point detaining people on the
basis of mere suspicious social
media activity.
Instead, if a youngster
appears to be getting attracted
to the IS through his social
media activity, he should be
counselled and not just put
behind bars, he added.
He said a large number of
Muslim youth were languishing
in jails on terrorism charges.
The prime minister assured
to look into the matter and said
he will not let injustice done to
anybody. He liked my proposal
on lectures in universities and
colleges to sensitise youngsters
on the evils of terrorism, the
Shahi Imam said.

Bukhari also took up the

issue of the minority character
of the Aligarh Muslim
University and the Jamia Millia
Islamia.
He told Modi that the
governments stand in the
Supreme Court on their
minority character had created
grave concern among the
Muslims.
We urged the prime
minister that the government
should review its stand. He
promised to consider the issues,
and said his government wont
take any step that may put
communal harmony at stake,
Bukhari said.
Bukhari said he would lead
a delegation to meet the prime
minister on the Jamia and AMU
issue after the budget session of
parliament.

Robot bus to be trialled on Australian roads

SYDNEY (Xinhua) -- A
French-made robot bus is set to
be trialled in an Australian state
as part of wider preparations
into the use of autonomous
vehicles on local roads.
A French-made driverless
electric shuttle bus will carry
15 passengers at speeds up to
45 km per hour in the Western
Australia state capital Perth
using three-dimensional
sensing technology that allows
the bus to avoid obstacles and
detect and read road signs.
We s t e r n A u s t r a l i a s
Transport Minister Dean
Nalder on Tuesday said the
trial would help test the
concept of automated vehicles
on the states roads, however
having driverless public
transport options are some
way away.
It is a trial, and at the end
of the day trials have ups and
downs. There will be things
that dont work that well learn
from, but its all about learning
so were better prepared for the

future, Nalder said.

Royal Automobile Club
(RAC) of Western Australia
chief executive Terry Agnew
said the staged trial, which
is being conducted by RAC,
would help lawmakers
understand the legislative and
practical challenges posed by
autonomous vehicles.
Not only are we thinking
about regulation and how it
might work operationally,
but importantly we can start
understanding the human
f a c t o r o f h o w We s t e r n
Australians will embrace
and use this innovative
technology, Agnew said.
The development of self
driving technology has become
the latest battleground in the
technology market with global
automotive manufacturers
snapping up software experts
in the race to develop a selfdriving car for the consumer
market.
U. Secretary of
Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n A n t h o n y

Foxx, on the sidelines of

the Frankfurt Auto Show
in September last year, said
he expected driverless cars
to be widespread operation
throughout the world within
10 years.
High-end electric
automotive manufacturer
Tesla has taken the realisation
of that expectation a step
further by releasing a software
upgrade for the Model S fourdoor saloons autopilot system
that was released in October.
The upgrade allows its cars
to automatically change lanes
by the touch of the indicator,
managing speed and even
hit the breaks, though its not
recommended for use in urban
areas.
However many of
t h e w o r l d s a u t o m o t i v e
manufacturers are catching
up, with suggestions they will
have roadworthy autonomous
cars before 2020. Mercedes,
Audi and Google all have
working prototypes.

Rioters throw bricks at police in Mong Kok district of Hong Kong.

--Photo AP

Hong Kong activists, police

clash over holiday food stalls
HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong
Kongs Lunar New Year
celebration descended into
chaotic scenes as protesters and
police, who fired warning shots
into the air, clashed over a street
market selling fish balls and
other local holiday delicacies,
leaving dozens injured and
arrested.
The violence is the worst
in Hong Kong since prodemocracy protests rocked the
city in 2014, leaving a growing
trust gap between the public
and authorities.
Activists angered over
authorities attempts to crack
down on the food hawkers
in a crowded Kowloon
neighbourhood held running
battles with police into the early
morning hours of Tuesday.
Protesters pelted officers

with bottles and pieces of trash.

Some threw garbage cans,
plastic safety barriers and wood
from shipping pallets at them.
They also set fires on the street.
H o n g K o n g s C h i e f
Executive Leung Chunying told reporters a mob
had attacked police officers
and journalists, and said
the perpetrators would be
prosecuted.
Police cars and public
property were damaged,
fires started and bricks and
other objects thrown at police
officers, including those
already injured and lying on
the ground, Leung said.
I believe the public can see
for themselves from TV news
reports the seriousness of the
situation. The (Hong Kong)
government strongly condemns

such violent acts. The police

will apprehend the mobs and
bring them to justice, Leung
said.
Officials said they were
investigating whether the
violence had been organised
in advance.
At one point, a protester
tried to tackle a traffic police
officer from behind before
both sides rush in to the melee
in the middle of a busy street,
according to footage shown by
local news channel Cable TV.
Moments later, another officer
appeared to fire two warning
shots into the air.
Hong Kong police said in
a statement that the protesters
had ignored their warnings to
get off the street and shoved
officers, who responded with
batons and pepper spray.

Bangladesh seizes nearly 3,000 kg gold in 3 yrs

DHAKA (Xinhua) -Bangladesh law enforcers in
the past three years seized gold
weighing nearly 3,000 kg, said
a minister on Monday.
Gold, gold bars and
gold jewellery weighing
784.17 kg were seized in
2015, 1,539.628 kg in 2014
and 620.41 kg in 2013,
Bangladeshi Finance Minister

AMA Muhith said replying to

a scripted question in the
parliament on Monday.
He informed the house
that the seized gold has been
deposited to the central bank
of Bangladesh.
In the recent months,
almost every day Bangladesh
law enforcers seized gold, gold
bars and gold jewellery which

were being smuggled into the

country through airports.
Sources said organised
gangs of local smugglers
having link with their foreign
sidekicks are increasingly
using Bangladesh as a route
for the illegal transportation
of gold, foreign currencies,
contraband drug and
medicines.

WHO, UNAIDS collaborate in AIDS programmes in Myanmar

YANGON (Xinhua) -- The
World Health Organisation
and UNAIDS has called for
strong collaboration between
national Tuberculosis and AIDS
programmes in Myanmar aimed
at strengthening the mechanisms
for delivering integrated TB
and HIV services, according
to a press release of WHO and
UNAIDS on Tuesday.
In an in-depth review of

the current status of TB and

HIV in Myanmar by WHO and
UNAIDS, both organisations
also stressed to reduce the
burden of TB in HIV-infected
individuals, said the release.
Myanmar has made
impressive progress in the
fight against HIV and TB,
successfully halting and
reversing the spread of the
diseases in line with the 2015

Millennium Development
Goals, according to the review.
Myanmar Ministry of
Health is stepping up efforts to
tackle the combined epidemic
of HIV and TB in the country.
Meanwhile, co-infection of
TB and HIV was responsible
for around 4,100 deaths in
Myanmar in 2014 out of the
estimated 32,000 deaths for all
TB forms.

Vientiane Times on CD-ROM

Issues of Vientiane Times from 1994 to February 2016 have been
recorded on CD-ROM. Now available at Vientiane Times office.
Phonpapao Village, Unit 32, Sisattanak district,Vientiane. P.O.
Box: 5723, Tel: (856-21) 336042, 336048, 216364.
Fax: (856-21) 336041. Email: editor@vientianetimes.la

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

World

UN agency proposes greenhouse gas

emissions rules for planes

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 painted with the airlines new tail logo and livery takes off above
an Alaska plane with the old livery.
--Photo AP

Iran president honours nuclear

team for historic deal

TEHRAN (Xinhua) -President Hassan Rouhani

awarded the Iranian nuclear
negotiating team on Monday
with medals of honor for
clinching an historic deal with
world powers in July last year.
He awarded the first
class medals of Merit and
Courage to Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Head
of Atomic Energy Organisation

of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, and

to Defense Minister Hossein
Dehqan. Today is the day
to express gratitude to the
devoted chiefs who defended
the (rights of) nation in the
international arena, Rouhani
said in the awarding ceremony.
The deal, reached on July
14 last year between Iran and
five permanent members of
theUnited Nations Security

C o u n c i l p l u s G e r m a n y,
or P5+1, ended a decadelong dispute over Tehrans
controversial nuclear program.
The agreement resulted
in the lifting of international
and Western nuclear-related
economic and financial
sanctions on Iran in exchange
for wide-scale limitation on
the countrys nuclear activities
for specific period of time.

Turkey, Germany agree to end Russia-backed attacks on Syria

ANKARA (Xinhua) -- Turkey
and Germany agreed to
launch a diplomatic initiative
for ending Russian backed
military operations in Aleppo
of Syria, the Turkish Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said on Monday.
Turkey and Germany
would launch diplomatic
initiative together for
compliance of every side to
2254 resolution of United
Nations Security Council,
in a bid to end Russian and
other forces attacks, on
Aleppo, the Turkish prime
minister said in a joint press
conference with his visiting
German counterpart Angela
Merkel.
Inhumane attacks on
Aleppo should end, said
Davutoglu, accusing Russia
and other forces of supporting
Syrian regime of being
insincere.
Russia has caused civilian
deaths. There is a tragedy in
Aleppo, he added.

There are some 30,000

Syrians waiting near Turkish
border fleeing the Russianbacked air strikes, according
to Davutoglu.
Merkel, for her part,
said thousands of people
are exposed to Russian
bombardment.
She recalled that Russia
earlier agreed on UN Security
Councils resolution of 2452,
saying all parties pledged
to end any attacks against
civilians.
Turkey and Germany
also agreed on an action plan
which aims to support Syrian
refugees fleeing civil war in
their homeland, also prevent
illegal crossings of them in
Turkish-European border.
The two countries
would call on NATO to get
involved in efforts against
human trafficking with use
of the Alliances observation
capabilities in Aegean Sea, the
Turkish prime minister said.
They would discuss the

issue in the next meeting of

NATO, Merkel stated.
Syrian army has
reportedly become only 13
km from Turkish borders on
Sunday, following military
operations supported with
Russian airstrikes against
militant groups in the northern
countryside of the northern
province of Aleppo.
The Syrian armys widescale offensive in Aleppo aims
at cutting the rebels supply
lines from Turkey and separate
the northern countryside of
Aleppo from its city to further
isolate the rebels, as a step to
retake Aleppo, Syrias largest
city.
The military forces
campaign in Aleppo is taking
place with the backing of the
Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah
group and heavy Russian
air cover, both key elements
behind the sweeping advance
of the Syrian army against the
Turkey-backed militants in
Aleppo.

2015 sets record for most shark attacks

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Experts say 2015 saw a recordsetting 98 unprovoked shark
attacks worldwide, including
30 in Florida alone.
The Florida Museum of
Natural History released the
numbers Monday. Scientists
say the previous record was
88 attacks in 2000.
International Shark Attack
File curator George Burgess
says attacks are expected to
continue to increase as human
populations grow and shark
populations recover.
Of the six fatalities last
y e a r, t w o h a p p e n e d o ff
the Indian Ocean island of
Reunion; the others occurred
off Australia, Egypt, New
Caledonia and the United
States.

The US led the world with

59 attacks, including those in
Florida, eight in each of the
Carolinas and seven in Hawaii.
California and Texas each had

two attacks, and New York and

Mississippi each had one.
Australia and South Africa
followed the US with 18 and 8
attacks, respectively.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A UN
panel on Monday proposed
long-sought greenhouse
gas emissions standards for
airliners and cargo planes,
drawing praise from the White
House and criticism from
environmentalists who said
they would be too weak to
actually slow global warming.
The International Civil
Aviation Organisation said
the agreement reached by
the agencys environmental
panel requires that new aircraft
designs meet the standards
beginning in 2020, and that
designs already in production
comply by 2023. There is
also a cutoff date of 2028 for
the manufacture of planes
that dont comply with the
standards. The standard must
still be adopted by the agencys
36-nation governing council,
but substantive changes arent
expected.
The standards would be the
first ever to impose binding
energy efficiency and carbon
dioxide reduction targets for
the aviation sector. When fully
implemented, the standards
are expected to reduce carbon
emissions by more than 650
million tons between 2020 and
2040, equivalent to removing
over 140 million cars from the
road for a year, according to
the White House.
The standards would
require an average 4 percent
reduction in fuel consumption
during the cruise phase of
flight starting in 2028 when
compared with planes
delivered in 2015. However,
planes burn the most fuel
during takeoffs and landings,
while cruising at high altitudes
is already the most fuelefficient period.
The agreement is the first
of two important opportunities
this year to reduce carbon
emissions from aviation. The
second opportunity will come
later this year when ICAO
tries to reach an agreement on
a market-based approach
that would use economic
incentives to further reduce
aviation carbon emissions.
Todays agreement is
an important signal that the
international community is
well-positioned to rise to the

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 painted with the airlines new

tail logo and livery takes off above an Alaska plane with the old
livery.
--Photo AP

challenge of implementing a
global market-based approach
to reduce aviation emissions,
the White House said in a
statement.
The standards announced
Monday dont set the bar
high enough, said Dan
Rutherford, aviation direction
of the International Council
on Clean Transportation, since
they require reductions of
only about a third of what is
expected to be technically
possible with the more fuelefficient planes that will be in
production when the standard
takes effect.
The newest Boeing and
Airbus designs already meet
the proposed efficiency
standards, due to demands for
fuel savings from the airlines,
environmentalists said. In the
meantime, the manufacturers
get to continue selling older,
less efficient designs for
years to come. Airliners in
use now are exempt from
thenew standards altogether,
meaning even dirtier planes
can continue to fly.
Boeing called the
agreement real progress
beyond industry steps already
taken to reduce aviation
emissions. ICAO council
president Olumuyiwa Benard
Aliu said the agencys goal
is ultimately to ensure that
when the next generation of
aircraft types enters service,
there will be guaranteed
reductions in international
carbon emissions.
Environmentalists also
complained that ICAO has

been working on international

standards for 18 years and is
now proposing to give aircraft
manufacturers another dozen
years to comply.
These dangerously
weak recommendations put
the Obama administration
under enormous pressure to
take greater action, said Vera
Pardee, a Centre for Biological
Diversity attorney who has
sued the US government over
aviation emissions.
Last June, the Obama
administration proposed
regulating aircraft emissions,
saying they are a threat to
human health because they
contain pollutants that help
cause global warming. But a
final US decision on adoption
of international standards is
likely to be left to the next
presidential administration.
EPA officials said at the time
that the earliest the agency is
likely to propose adoption of
ICAO standards would be in
2017.
Boeing is the United States
largest exporter as measured in
dollar value. The company
vies with Airbus for the title of
worlds largest aircraft maker.
Aviation accounts for about
5 percent of global greenhouse
emissions, according to
environmentalists. ICAO says
its actually less than 2 percent.
But that share is expected
to grow as aviation grows.
We also recognise that the
projected doubling of global
passengers and flights by 2030
must be managed responsibly
and sustainably, said Aliu.

Greece promises to set up hot spots on time

ATHENS (Xinhua) -- Greek
government said on Monday
all five hot spots, centers
where migrants are registered,
will be ready on Greek islands
before February 15, a deadline
it agreed with European partners
in autumn 2015.
Meanwhile, it also
announced two relocation
centers on the mainland will be
ready by the deadline, despite
protests from local communities.
The country will fulfill
the commitments, Defense
Minister Panos Kammenos told
a press briefing in Athens on
Monday.
He added the government
was open to dialogue, but
there was no time for lengthy
discussions, as people are dying
in the Aegean Sea and survivors
need aid with no more delays.
According to the government,
all the hot spots are temporary
structures.
Kammenos statement was
made as construction work in old
military camps was underway

and hundreds of protesters were

on the streets of Kos island, as
well as the Piraeus suburb of
Keratsini and a district in the
northern city of Thessaloniki,
where the two relocation centers
will be set up.
In most cases, municipal
authorities and residents protest
that the plan went ahead without
prior consultation with local
communities.
Cabinet ministers have
dismissed the reactions as
xenophobic outbreaks by
a minority of locals. Among
protesters at Keratsini on
Monday were ultra-Right
Golden Dawn party MPs and
members, but in several cases
demonstrators have rejected any
affiliation with the party.
The government has also
accused critics of undermining
the establishment of the
registration centers for financial
reasons.
Kammenos has openly
talked about the flourishing of
a black market on the islands in

recent months.
A minority of locals exploits
the needy refugees, overcharging
products and services, as long as
the assistance from the state
mechanism is insufficient, he
said. Only one hot spot is
running so far on Lesvos island.
A total of 960,000 refugees
entered Greece via Turkey on
their way to other European
countries since early 2015,
according to the latest official
data.
The cost of supporting
the incoming refugees and
migrants over the past two
years and a half reached 2.7
billion euros(US$3.02 billion)
for Greece, said Kammenos.
As the flow of refugees
continues unabated this year
despite bad weather in winter
time, Greece requests more
help from European partners
and neighbouring countries to
face the challenge, as the debt
laden country is threatened with
an expulsion from the Schengen
passport free travel zone.

Vientiane Times

Business

Read more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Chinese New Year sales

down slightly
Times Reporters

The rapid growth and advancing socio-economic development in Champassak province is obviously
attractive to both domestic and foreign investors in the province.

Champassak sees
investment spike in
recent months
Times Reporters

hampassak province
has approved a total
of eight investment
projects for both domestic
and foreign investors worth a
combined total of some 4,500
billion kip (US$562 million)
over the first three months of
the year, according to a recent
report.
The summary of the first
quarters report highlighted
the significant achievements
and outlines its plan for the
second quarter and the whole
years plan.
In the first quarter, two
domestic investment projects
have been approved by the
provinces Planning and
Investment Department, worth
a total of 57 billion kip.
In addition to that, a total of
six foreign investment projects
valued at more than US$557
million (over 4,457 billion
kip) have also been given the
go ahead.
So far, the funds for
investment projects processed
through the banking system
amount to US$870,000

(almost 7 billion kip) while a

total of US$710,000 (about 5.7
billion kip) has changed hands
in cash transactions, and about
US$160,000 has been spent on
materials (1.3 billion kip).
The report also noted that
the banks also loaned a total
of 141 billion kip or about 25
percent of the yearly plan, of
which 42 percent of the loans
went to the agriculture and
forestry sector, 20 percent
went to the industrial sector
while the small industry and
handicrafts sector received
some 5 percent of loans.
In the second quarter
o f t h i s f i s c a l y e a r, t h e
province will carry out
the implementation of
investment projects worth a
total of 1,941 billion kip.
These investment projects
will include government funds
of 66.4 billion kip, funds
from Official Development
Assistance (ODA) of about
381.1 billion kip and funds
from domestic and foreign
investment projects worth over
1,352 billion kip.
In addition, a total of 93
projects worth over 66.46

billion kip will be carried out

utilising both domestic and
foreign investment funds.
Champassak province
has an obvious potential for
investment projects as local
authorities in the province
have recently granted approval
for the establishment of the
Pakxe-Japan SME Specific
Economic Zone in the province
last year.
The establishment of
this specific economic
zone is aiming to facilitate
development and attract more
foreign direct investment,
especially that of companies
and enterprises from Japan.
The zone is also expected
to boost local employment
prospects as well as attract
workers from the outlying
districts of Champassak
province while a focus will
be placed on preserving the
environment.
As a result, the province
is also set to promote
more domestic and foreign
investment projects in different
fields including the agriculture,
tourism and industrial sectors
in the years ahead.

Vendors at markets across

Vientiane last week witnessed
a slight decrease in sales for
the Chinese and Vietnamese
New Year compared to the
same period last year.
A pork vendor at Khuadin
market pointed out that sales
had decreased from 50-60
kilos to 30-40 kilos this year
during the three day lead up
(February 5-7) to the Lunar
New Year.
Clothing vendors
likewise reported slower
sales, especially for red
traditional suits popular with
Vietnamese and Chinese
people.
Vendors put the slight
decrease down to economic
conditions and some prices
were higher than last year.
H o w e v e r, s a l e s o f
New Year staples such as
vegetables, rice, candles, and
incense sticks had increased
slightly as their prices were
the same as last year.
An official at Khuadin
market said prices had
remained the same even
though it was a special
occasion for Vietnamese
and Chinese.
Meanwhile, a Lao

Some products on sale at ITECC Mall for the Lunar New Year.

Airlines planning and

marketing official said flights
to Kunming, Quangzhou,
Chengdu and Jinghong in
China were fully booked
last week.
Last year, Lao Airlines
opened direct flights to
the four Chinese cities
making it easier for Chinese
businesspeople in Laos
to make the traditional
pilgrimage back home to
celebrate with their families.
He explained that with

the new flights Chinese New

Year business was up and
from February 11-14, flights
returning to Vientiane from
Chinese cities were fully
booked.
An official at the Southern
Bus Station said buses to
Vietnam cities had sold out
every day before Vietnamese
N e w Ye a r a n d s t a t i o n
authorities had scheduled
additional buses to meet
passenger demand when
necessary.

Toyota suspends production at

all domestic factories
TOKYO (Xinhua) -- Toyota
Motor Corp. said Monday
that its had halted production
at all of its domestic factories
owing to a shortage of steel
in the wake of an explosion
last month at a steel plant
in central Japan, where the
company is headquartered.
Local media reported that
the Aichi Prefecture-based
automaker will suspend
production lines at all 16 of
its factories here staring on
Monday, with the suspension
likely to continue through
Saturday.
T h e w o r l d s t o p
automaker said it expects
operations to resume as
normal on February 15.
According to local
reports, the production halt
will affect up to 80,000

vehicles, based on the

automakers daily production
levels of 13,000 vehicles.
On January 8, an
e x p l o s i o n a t To y o t a s
affiliate Aichi Steel Corp.
in the Tokai region of the
prefecture knocked out a
furnace essential to the No.2
Bar Mill Shop of the Chita
Plants steel production. The
explosion has impacted the
automakers ability to source
steel for its production lines,
it said.
Aichi Steel Corp. has said
production at its plant would
not resume until March 29.
The production halt is
expected to deal a significant
blow to Toyota who last week
announced record profits for
the April-December period
last year.

The maker of the popular

Prius hybrid and Corolla
sedans said its profits had
leapt 9.2 percent on year to
1.89 trillion yen (US$16.12
billion) as brisk sales in
its North American market
helped widen its margins.
It also said its operating
profit jumped 9 percent to
2.31 trillion yen on sales of
21.43 trillion yen, climbing
6.5 percent compared to the
same period a year earlier
and marking a new record
for the manufacturer.
Based on the figures,
Toyota upwardly revised its
net profit projection for the
business year ending March
31, by 4.4 percent compared
to last year, from initial
estimates of 2.25 trillion yen,
to 2.27 trillion yen.

Exchange rates as of February 9, 2016

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

Foreign Currencies

Buying

Selling

US Dollar 50-100

8,112

8,152

Thai Baht

229.14

230.85

Euro 50-500

9,074

9,120

10 Business

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

In brief
Frances central
bank sees 0.4
percent growth in
economy in Q1

PARIS (Xinhua) -France, Europes second

biggest economy, should
post an economic growth
of 0.4 percent in the first
three months of the year,
French central bank,
Banque de France (BdF)
said on Monday.
The Bank of France said
its monthly business
climate survey in January
showed accelerated
industrial business and
improved deliveries
thanks to dynamic
automobile, chemicals,
electrical equipment
and food processing
industries.
The capacity utilisation
rate was almost stable
at 78 percent, it added
in its first quarterly
growth estimate.Based
on business leaders
sentiment, BdF expected
industry to slow in short
term.

World stocks down on Chinese tourists expected to

growth jitters, Japan become most powerful buyers
dives 5.4 percent
(AP) -- Global markets
sank on Tuesday, led by a
5.4 percent slide in Tokyo,
as renewed jitters about the
global economy set off a wave
of selling in banking stocks.
Equity markets have been
in a slump so far this year
after a lackluster 2015. Several
factors have kept investors
in a selling mood, including
falling crude oil prices,
waning growth in China and
increased risk of recession
in other major economies if
market volatility takes a toll
on business confidence and
investment.

the financial markets, he said

in a market commentary.
The prospect of Federal
Reserve rate increases after
several years of ultra-easy
monetary policy had also
unnerved markets. But the
prospect of hikes in the near
term has faded because of the
market turmoil.
In Asia, Japans Nikkei
225 dived 5.4 percent to close
at 16,085.44 and Australias
S&P/ASX 200 fell 2.9 percent
to 4,832.10. Markets also fell
in Southeast Asia. China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan and South
Korea were closed for Lunar

Indias GDP grows

7.3 percent in Q3
of FY 2015-16
NEW DELHI (Xinhua)
-- Indias gross domestic
product (GDP) grew by
7.3 percent in the third
quarter of the 2015-16
fiscal year, according to
official data on Monday.
This was short of the
7.7 percent expansion
in the previous quarter.
The Central Statistics
Office put growth rate of
the 2015-16 fiscal year,
which ends March this
year, at 7.6 percent.
As per the official data
released by the Central
Statistics Office, the
growth was pulled down
by lower production in
agriculture, forestry and
fishing, electricity, gas
and water supply and
other utility services,
financial, real estate and
professional services.

Spains industrial
production rises by
3.2 percent in 2015
MADRID (Xinhua)
-- Spains industrial
production rose by 3.2
percent on average
in 2015, according to
the Index of Industrial
Production (IPI)
published on Monday
by Spains Statistical
Office.
The country industrial
production grew for the
second year in a row in
2015 following a 1.5
percent rise in 2014,
when it recorded the
first growth since the
financial crisis in 2007.
In 2015, production of
consumer goods grew
by 1.3 percent, with
production of durable
consumer goods and
production of nondurable consumer goods
rising by 3.2 percent and
1.2 percent, respectively.

Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic stock board showing

Japans Nikkei 225 (left) at a securities firm in Tokyo.

L o s s e s o n Tu e s d a y
were less severe in Europe
than Asia. In early trading,
Frances CAC 40 was down
0.7 percent at 4,038.41 and
Germanys DAX fell 0.5
percent to 8,933.11. Britains
FTSE 100 eased 0.1 percent
to 5,638.21.
Futures augured more
downside on Wall Street.
Dow futures were down 0.5
percent at 15,915.00. S&P 500
futures dropped 0.5 percent to
1,843.90.
There is a genuine
concern that stress in asset
markets will start affecting
real economics, said Chris
Weston, chief market strategist
at IG in Melbourne, Australia.
This period of sustained
volatility and deterioration in
credit will impact businesses
and one has to be concerned
about how many households
are feeling this drawdown in

New Year holidays.

Banking stocks were
hammered by concerns that
profits w i l l s u ff e r f r o m
another downturn in the
global economy. National
Australia Bank dropped
4.8 percent in Sydney and
Mizuho Financial slid 6.2
percent in Tokyo.
Benchmark US oil was
up 73 cents at US$30.42 a
barrel in electronic trading
on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. The contract fell
US$1.20, or 3.9 percent, to
close at US$29.69 a barrel in
New York on Monday. Brent
crude was 53 cents higher at
US$33.42 in London. The
contract dropped US$1.18,
or 3.5 percent, to close at
US$32.88 a barrel in London.
The euro rose to
US$1.1177 from US$1.1186
on Monday. The dollar fell to
115.37 yen from 115.58 yen.

Ukraines auto production

drops again in January after
2 months of growth
KIEV (Xinhua) -- Ukraines vehicle production plunged 17
percent year-on-year in January, marking the first month of
decline since October 2015, official data showed on Monday.
Last month, Ukrainian carmakers produced only 293 vehicles
compared with 1,852 units in the month before and 1,167
vehicles in November 2015, according to a report, published
by the Ukravtoprom Analysis Group.
Only one-third of automotive plants functioning in Ukraine
have manufactured vehicles in January, the report said.
According to it, the countrys commercial vehicle production
fell by 41.3 percent in January from the same month a year
before to 64 units and that of buses dropped by 73.7 percent
to 5 units. In the same time, the passenger car output remained
unchanged at 224 units.
Ukraines vehicles production has been declining since 2012
as a result of economic slowdown, poor consumer purchasing
power and curtailing loan programs for car purchases.
In December 2015, the auto production had increased threefold from the same month a year earlier after surging 95.5
percent in November, raising the hopes that the industry started
recovering from the crisis.

BEIJING (China Daily, ANN)

-- Chinas outbound tourists
are expected to spend at least
10,000 yuan (US$1,590)
percapita during the February
7-22 Spring Festival holiday
season of 2016, which will
once againmake them the
most powerful group of
buyers around the world
this winter.
Ctrip -- a major online
travel agency in China -anticipated that the total
number of visitsconducted
by Chinese tourist overseas
would reach a high of 6
million during the busy
holidayseason.
Thats perfectly good
news for places which are
high on the list of Chinese
tourists favoritewinter
destinations, with the
Top Ten including Seoul,
Bangkok, Phuket Island,
Singapore,Hong Kong of
China etc, according to Ctrip.
They and others, which
also want a share, have
prepared with standard
Chinese speakingshopping
guides, hot drinking water
services and discounts
for holders of Chinese
passportsor Unionpay cards.
The break of the first
seven days of the Spring
Festival for most Chinese
in the holidayseason,
traditionally a period of
time for family reunions,
now sees a new fashion of
peoplespending time and

Chinese tourists ask a sales assistant for directions at a Lotte

department store in central Seoul, SouthKorea.

money overseas.
Global retailers have
found that the enormous
purchasing power of Chinese
shoppers maystem from
needs behind every single
customer, who buy for their
families and friends asmany
brands have wide pricing
discrepancies in different
countries.
Li Fu, a Shanghai girl,
who spent around 20,000
yuan (US$3,180) in her trip
to Japan, stuffed 30kg of
cosmetics, watches and small
appliances into her luggage
back to China. Many of
myfamily members and
friends heard my plan to
travel and asked me to buy
goods for themoverseas,
she said.
According to Japans
tourism agency, Chinese

tourists visits to Japan

topped 4.3 million inthe
first 10 months of 2015 and
their per capita consumption
increased to US$2,490 in
2015 fromUS$1,878 in 2014.
Chen Xi, a young business
woman from Beijing, rushed
to Ginza after landing at
TokyosHaneda International
Airport on Thursday, joining
in numerous Chinese tourists
shuttlingbetween department
stores and specialty shops in
the well-known commercial
zone.
Although a majority of
Chinese visitors in Japan
spent their money mainly
in shopping, anincreasing
number are becoming
keener than others to spend
more time in self-guided
toursexperiencing the
archipelago country.

Workers barely get pay hike in 2015

TOKYO (ANN, The Yomiuri
Shimbun) -- The nations
workers barely got a pay rise
in 2015, with a 0.1 percent
increase in cash earnings
slower than the 0.4 percent
bump in 2014.
Total wages havent risen
more than 1 percent since
1997 and they fell for the
past four years once inflation
is accounted for, the Health,
Labor and Welfare Ministry
said on Monday.
Higher wages are
considered crucial to generate
growth and consumption and
for the Bank of Japans efforts
to spur inflation. Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe has repeatedly
called for companies to boost
pay, and the central banks
Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has
said that the level of increase is
somewhat slow considering
the nations low unemployment
and companies profits.

The pace of wage gains

has been very slow when you
think about how much labor
shortage there is, said Hisashi
Yamada, chief economist at
the Japan Research Institute
in Tokyo. The BOJs latest
move was to support wage
gains by boosting stocks and
weakening the currency, but
Yamada wasnt sure how much
impact that will have.
Weak pay increases are
feeding through to poor
consumption, with domestic
consumption shrinking 0.6
percent in the final three
months of last year from the
previous quarter, according
to the median estimate of 19
economists. That would be the
second contraction last year
after falling in the April-June
period.
The economy contracted
an annualised 0.8 percent
in the period, according to

forecasts ahead of data due

next week.
Wages need to rise at a 3
percent annual pace to achieve
stable 2 percent inflation,
BOJ board member Yutaka
Harada said last year. Such
wage gains would reflect a 2
percent increase in the cost
of living and a 1 percent gain
in labor productivity, he said.
Harada voted for the banks
most recent stimulus, when it
introduced negative rates in
January.
The Japanese Trade Union
Confederation, known as
Rengo, is seeking an increase
of about 2 percent in monthly
base wages for the fiscal year
starting in April 2016, after
falling short in 2015 in a push
for gains of at least that
amount. Finance Minister
Taro Aso had said that unions
should seek a 3 or 4 percent
pay hike.

Olive oil scandal hits Italys

agriculture sector
ROME (Xinhua) -- Italys agriculture sector suffered another blow last week when police seized
thousands of kilograms of green olives tainted by a toxic substance.
Reports on the size of the bust vary: media reports say the figure could be as high as 85,000
tonnes of olives, though Gianni Cantele, president of the Apulia chapter of agricultural industry
group Coldiretti said the accurate figure is around 10,000 kg.
About 40 percent of Italys olive production comes from the Apulia region in southern Italy,
which produced at least some of the tainted fruit in the latest case.
Even if the lower figure is accurate, it is the latest public relations problem for a sector that
in recent years has already weathered image problems tied to multiple cases of counterfeit or
contaminated wine, bogus olive oil, and unsafe mozzarella cheese.
High-end food products are among Italys most important economic sector, one of the few
parts of the economy that has proved resilient during Italys long economic malaise.
Key observers say that while no single scandal could hurt such a large sector, over time,
repeated scandals can have an impact on public opinion.

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Lao stock market report

Business 11

Asean Economic Community

Trade Summary
Laos stock index ended lower by 0.17 percent or 2 points to close at 1,168.07 points on
Tuesday, weighed on sharply by the losses incurred by the banking stock of 150 kip to close
at 4,550 kip, as many foreign investors sold-off in mid-morning trade, with the bourse hitting
its lowest level in over four years. Energy and others sectors were flat, EDL-Gen saw only
200 shares matched and closed at 5,900 kip. LWPC, PTL and SVN closed quietly at 7,000
2,650 and 3,400 respectively.
Daily Turnover by Investor Types (LAKm)

An exhibitor briefs a visitor during the launch of the National ICT White Paper and ICT Manpower
Masterplan for Brunei Darussalam, at the Ministry of Communication on February 4, 2016.

Last 7 days Trading Information

BCEL-KT Securities Company Limited Email: Broker@bcel-kt.com

Vacancy Announcement
For Locally Recruited Staff
The World Bank is one of the worlds largest sources of funding for the developing world. Its primary focus
is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. It uses its financial resources, its staff, and
extensive experience to help developing countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, enhance
environmental and social sustainability, and improve their quality of life. The World Bank continues to
strengthen its Vientiane Office as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the development vision of
Lao PDR. The World Bank invites applications from qualified individuals for the following locally Recruited
Staff positions to join the Lao PDR Country Team in Vientiane.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT (JOB NUMBER: 160159)
Key Responsibilities
The Program Assistant will:
i. Provide quality administrative support to task teams in preparing World Bank documents; formatting
and editing reports, aide-memoires, letters and memos prepared by the Task Team Leaders according
to the Bank guidelines; log incoming mail, file in the Banks electronic filing system and distribute to
the task teams; and dispatch outgoing letters in a timely manner;
ii. Provide logistical support for missions, seminars and workshops; follow up on requests from
Washington team members and correspond with them appropriately;
iii. Maintain project and other records in accordance with system in the work unit; ensure smooth flow
of information among other program assistants in the office;
iv. Provide back-up support to other program assistants as required by the work program, especially
during peak periods; and
v. Other ad hoc duties as assigned from time to time arising from business needs of the office.
Selection Criteria:
i. Bachelor degree with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience or High School Certificate/Diploma
with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience;
ii. Dedicated team player with excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize assignments.
Willingness to learn about the teams work, to be able to take on additional responsibility and respond
to queries from external agencies. Able to handle multiple tasks with critical deadlines under minimum
supervision;
iii. Ability to draft routine correspondence and edit materials using proper grammar, punctuation and
style;
iv. Advanced skills and experience in Microsoft software packages (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint)
and Internet;
v. Effective organizational, communication, inter-personal, problem-solving skills, and ability to produce
high quality work under tight deadlines;
vi. Ability to foresee needs of the team and respond in a pro-active manner;
vii. Ability to pass relevant Bank Group tests in place at time of recruitment (e.g. English language,
computer applications, etc.) as required; and
viii. Prior work experience in an international environment is an advantage
ix. Fluent in written and spoken English and Lao language.
Details (vacancy #160159) are available in the World Bank Jobs website: www.worldbank.org/jobs. All
applications must be submitted through this website. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving
diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities
are equally encouraged to apply. Closing date is February 11, 2016
(Only shortlisted candidates will be notified)

Achieving cost
effective data analytics
BRUNEI (The Brunei Times,
ANN) -- Brunei can achieve
cost effectiveness in data
analytics for the government
sector and adopt examples
from neighbouring Singapore
when setting up data hubs, the
National ICT White Paper for
2016-2020 stated.
The paper, which was
recently released, said that
despite no large investments
being made in data analytics
by the government, there is an
opportunity for the country to
create a centralised government
data platform which would
operate as a shared facility.
The facility allows
government to be cost effective
in its approach to data analytics
which can then be used by the
private sector.
The paper said that data
analytics is a costly endeavour
that is both labour and resource
intensive.
It is a tool that has matured
and made itself even more
useful in the coming future due
to the increasing huge volume,
speed and variety of big data
generated and collected by
government agencies and
private enterprises, the paper
said.
It added that the launch of
the E-Government National
Centres open data initiative
( w w w. d a t a . g o v. b n ) i n

December 2014 which saw

over 300 data sets contributed
by the Department of
Economic Planning and
Development, Ministry of
Education, Ministry of Health
and the Ministry of Industry
and Primary Resources as a
commendable effort.
The next logical step from
this is to crowd-source and
allow controlled publishing
of data by both the public
and commercial sector, said
the paper.
It said that the move
is c o n s i d e r ed l o g ic al as
data provided by the large
contributors are useful in
real-time and reflects the
changing patterns and needs.
It is also necessary to
establish affordable means
and schemes for adoption of
data by the private sector.
The paper said that this
could be achieved through
partitioning part of the
proposed common facility
which makes it a viable and
cost-reducing business model
for the government.
When it comes to data
use, the paper suggested
for Brunei to use data
that is reliable, creates
a wider perspective upon
consolidation, commercially
valuable and creates insights
not known before.

The paper advocated for

government agency to lead
data collection which is backed
by a policy that is able to verify
and validate data resulting in a
reliable set of data.
Once several sets of related
data are consolidated, a data
hub is then formed followed
by the generation of a wider
perspective of the data. The
hub should cover elements
from names, addresses,
business registration numbers
to geospatial data from nonsensitive structures such as
sensors and related metadata.
Using Singapore as an
example, the paper said that
the island state had been
establishing data hubs since
1994 to support e-services
across government agencies.
Despite the initial pains
of unifying data for people,
companies and land, the
Singapore bit the bullet and
pushed through to see that data
hubs are properly set up and
maintained.
These hubs have been the
bedrock for Singapores wholeof-government e-services
which enhances productivity
and integrity.
Thus, Brunei can similarly
follow suit and reap the same
benefits with relative ease due
to its smaller data volume,
said the paper.

ADB sees more inclusive business

prospects in Philippine
PHILIPPINE (Philippine
Daily Inquirer, ANN) -- The
number and value of so-called
inclusive businesses in the
Philippines where investors can
pour money into are expected
to expand by 10 times in the
next 10 years, according to
the Asian Development Bank
(ADB).
The Manila-based
multilateral lender defines
inclusive businesses as those
that provide innovative
solutions to create relevant
goods and services for the
low-income segment of society
and are the direct contribution

of the private sector to make

growth more inclusive.
The ADB said more
investments in inclusive
businesses would result in less
poverty as well as better living
standards for the poor.
At present, the inclusive
business market in the country
is still small.
An ADB study on the
inclusive business market in
the Philippines showed that
the country has about one
million small and medium
enterprises, about 600 large
companies, and 20,000 social
enterprises, cooperatives and

nongovernment organisations,
but [there were] only about
100 inclusive business models,
15 of which are investable,
it noted.
The ADB nonetheless sees
a jump in inclusive business
opportunities here, especially
in the agribusiness, education,
health and housing sectors.
ADB estimates that the
number of investable inclusive
business deals in the Philippines
will rise from five in 2015 to
up to a total of 50 in 2025.
Investment size is estimated to
expand from US$94 million
toUS$940 million, it said.

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Post title:
Location:

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Burapha Agroforestry Co., Ltd is a Swedish/Lao plantation and wood products
manufacturing company, with it's own sawmill, processing facilities and plantations.
We are committed to managing and developing our business in a sustainable manner.
Balancing our economic, environmental and social responsibilities is necessary for
sustainable business and beneficial to all stakeholders.
We are looking for Lao Nationals or Expatriates to join our Company.
Sales Manager
Location: Vientiane Head Office
Candidate profile:
We are looking for a high-performing Sales Manager to increase our revenue growth
targets in both export and Lao markets. We expect you to be service minded and
professional in contact with our customers and you will also be responsible for finding
new markets and customers.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design and implement a strategic business plan that expands companys
customer base
- Build and promote strong, long-lasting customer relationships by partnering
with them and understanding their needs
- Present sales, revenue and expenses reports and realistic forecasts to the
management team
Qualifications/Experience:
- Bachelor or Master degree in business administration or a related field
- Successful previous experience as a sales representative or sales manager
- Ability to communicate, present and influence
- Proven ability to drive the sales process from plan to close
- Strong business sense and industry expertise
- Evaluate customers needs and build productive long lasting relationships
- Fluent in English and Lao
- Good computer skills
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Location: Vientiane Head Office
Candidate profile:
We are looking for a high-performing Deputy CFO to asssit our CFO and Finance
team of 8 people.
The Deputy will help improving accounting accuracy and key process controls.
He/she will be involved in the teams projects, including move to a new accounting
software and to online banking, review of asset registers, update of internal policies
and trainings. He/she will be part of a fast growing company, and can expect rapid
career advancement accordingly.
Key Responsibilities:
- Responsible for financial report submissions to Lao tax authorities
- Oversee account reconciliations
(Balance sheet accounts, SSO, salary tax, VAT)
- Review and approval of day to day payments,
- Review of accounting entries
- Conduct random audits of past entries and payments sent from the field
Qualifications/Experience:
- Bachelor or Master degree in Finance / accounting, or related qualification
- Completion of Lao CPA course is preferable
- Successful previous experience in accounting
- Ability to work independently and take initiative
- Ability to communicate with and influence others
- Advanced computer skills (Microsoft Excel)
- Native speaker or fluent in lao, working knowledge of English
Receptionist / Secretary
Location: Vientiane Head Office
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform clerical function by preparing correspondence, translating
documents, receiving visitors and answering or directing inquiries.
- Word processing.
- Audio and copy typing.
- Letter writing.
- Creating and maintaining filing systems.
- Scheduling and attending meetings, creating agendas and taking minutes.
- Ordering and maintaining stationery and equipment;
- Maintain and update websites
- Arranging travel and accommodation for staff or customers and other external
contacts
- Liaises between department of the company
Qualifications/Experience:
- At least 1 year experience in administrative or secretarial job
- Fluent in English and Lao
- Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, Power point, Outlook)

Interested candidates should send CV, proof of qualifications and a cover letter to: hr@
buraphawood.com
Tel: 021 451 841 -2. 46 Kaysone Phomvihane Road, Ban Phonesaath, Xaysettha District,
Vientiane Capital.
Any questions concerning Sales Manager position will be answered by Industry Manager,
Mrs. Anna Forsen
Tel: 020 9865 2891, E-mail: anna.forsen@buraphawood.com,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer position will be answered by CFO, Mr. Hugues Ameline.
Tel: 020 761 499 57
E-mail: hugues.ameline@buraphawood.com,

Closing date: 19-02-2016

National Individual Procurement Expert

Department of Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Background:
The Department of Irrigation (DOI), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), which
has received financing from Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic to support of the expansion
and upgrading of Nabong-Khoksa Irrigation Project (EUNKIP).
Duties and responsibilities:
Finalize the detailed terms of reference for each assignment (a) by using guidelines
for the use of consultants (first edition 1995), and (b) through consultative meetings
with relevant agencies of the government to determine the detailed requirements to
properly carry out the assignment;
Develop detailed cost estimates for the assignment that is acceptable to both Kuwait
Fund and the National Project Management Office (NPMO);
Develop the evaluation criteria to be used (a) in determining firms to be short-listed
for a subject assignment, and (b) when assessing technical and financial proposals
submitted by short-listed firms;
Prepare the draft request for proposal (RFP) to be used for the consultancy recruitment,
including the data sheet, using updated templates available in the Kuwait Fund website;
and
Translate all required outputs to the English language, whenever necessary.
Qualifications:
At least an undergraduate degree in civil or agricultural engineering or a related discipline.
The national procurement expert will have tertiary qualifications from an established and
recognized institution and will be fluent in the English language.
Experience:
At least 10 years experience in designing, constructing and operating productive
rural infrastructure in Lao PDR. The expert will have demonstrated knowledge and
understanding of Kuwait Fund procurement procedures and rural infrastructure
engineering; preferably experience with the project implementation of Kuwait Fund
financed projects
- Duration of initial contract: One year (renewable)
- Application deadline:19/02/2016
- Please submit an application letter with CV to Planning& Cooperation Division,
Department of Irrigation.
- Anou Village, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane Capital.Tel& Fax: 021 264871
- For more detail of TOR please contact to:
Mr. PasonexayInsisiengmay, Director of Planning & Cooperation Division.020 22484141;
E-mail: ipasonexay@live.com
Mr. KhamphonBounnavong, Tel: 020 54631589, E-mail: phon.uns@gmail.com
Governments Office
Environment Protection Fund
Second Lao Environment and Social Project
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
For Individual National Consultant
Position:Environmental and Social Management Plan Consultant
Duration of the assignment: 30 days over a period of two months
WMPA intends to submit an application for a sub-project to the Environment Protection Fund
(EPF). EPF is the implementing agency for the World Banks (WB) Lao Environment and
Social Project Phase II (LENS2) Project with a core objective of building government capacity
for protected areas management.
WMPA seeks an experienced Consultant to developing an Environmental and Social
Management Plan (ESMP) that is compliant with the LENS2 ESMF and CEF. The EMSPs
purpose is to review the environmental and social impacts of the proposed WMPA subproject and design a plan to ensure the net impacts of the sub-project are positive for both the
environment and communities of the Nakai Nam Theun NPA.
The consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures so called Individual
Consultant in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection
and Employment of Consultants by Bank Borrowers, dated January 2011.
The Consultant will carry out the following duties:
1. Review the livelihood and environmental planning documents for the NT2 watershed
(SEMFOP, PICAD, Results Framework) and relevant LENS2 documents (CEF).
2. Organize consultations withWMPA staff, communities (including enclave and peripheral
impact communities), and concerned stakeholders (e.g. District and provincial governments)
for inputs into ESMP.
3. Write the Environment and Social Management Plan (ESMP) under the direction of the
WMPA and submit to the WMPA the final version for EPF approval.
4. Assist the Sub-Project Preparation Consultant and WMPA Management as requested with
inputs on issues relevant to the ESMP.
Expected outputs
WMPA Sub-Project ESMP has been submitted and cleared by the WMPA Board of Directors,
EPF and WB.
Qualifications and Experience
At least a Bachelor degree, preferably in a field related to social sciences, anthropology,
community natural resource management, or protected area management.
Minimum 5 years of working experience, including minimum 2 years of working experience
in preparing social safeguard documents and/or rural community development initiatives.
Prepared at least 1 EMSP for a World Bank project and has familiarity with World Bank
safeguard policies.
Excellent computer skills (MS Office) and Internet.
Strong analytical and writing skills in Lao and English.
Interested individual Consultant may download Term of Reference from Environment
Protection Fund Website: http://www.laoepf.org.la. Expression of Interest must be submitted
to the address below no later than February 29th, 2016.Only short-listed candidate will be
contacted for an interview
Attention:Dr. ChanthavyVongkhamheng, Sub-project Preparation Coordinator
Email: cvongkhamheng@gmail.com

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Wednesday February 10, 2016

Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity
========== 000 ==========

1. The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic has received a loan from the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) toward the cost of the Greater Mekong Subregion
East-West Economic Corridor Agriculture Infrastructure Sector Project
(AISP), and it intends to apply part of the proceeds of Loan ADB-L3024LAO (SF) to payments under the procurement of VapyNeua Irrigation
Improvement and Access Road Rehabilitation.
2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Irrigation now
invites sealed bids from eligible and qualified bidders for the Improvement
of the VapyNeua Irrigation and Rehabilitation of Access Road. The
construction work is to be completed within eighteen (18) months from the
date of notification of contract award.
3. National Competitive Bidding(NCB) will be conducted in accordance with
ADBs Single-Stage: One-Envelope procedure and the Decree of Government
Procurement of Goods, Works, Maintenance and Services date 9 January
2004 and Implementing Rules and Regulations, Ministry of Finance No. 0063/
MOF, 12 March 2004 as well as the amendment No.0861/MOF dated 05 May
2009. The NCB is open to all Bidders from eligible countries as described in
the Bidding Document.
4. Only eligible Bidders with the following key qualificationsshould participate in
this bidding:
The Bidders average annual construction turnover should be equal or more
than US$ 1.7 million, calculated as total certified payments received for
contracts in progress or completed, within the last 3 years (2012, 2013 and
2014).
The Bidder should have participated in at least two contracts that have been
successfully or substantially completed within the last 5 years (2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, and 2014) and that are similar to the proposed works, each with
at least equal to or more than US$ 1 million.
The Bidder should have a cash flow requirement of $284,000.
For more details please refer to the bidding document.
5. To obtain further information and inspect the bidding document, Bidders should
contact:
Mr. Saylom CHANSOUK, National Project Coordinator
National Project Management Office (NPMO)
Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Agriculture
Infrastructure Sector Project
Department of Irrigation (DOI)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Second Floor NPMO Office Building Behind DOI Office, Chaoanou Rd.,
Chathaboury District
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel./Fax:021261513
E-mail: saylomch@hotmail.com; with copy to: paul.souvannakhily@
gmail.com
From 8:30 to 11:00 and 13:30 to 16:00 hours, Monday through Friday from
11January 2016 to 9 February 2016.
6. To purchase the bidding documents in English, eligible Bidders should
write to the address above requesting the bidding documents for AISP2016/CW-NCB-001/NPMO: Improvement of VapyNeua Irrigation and
Rehabilitation of Access Road.
pay a non-refundable fee of USD 100(One Hundred US Dollars) by cash or
by cashiers check drawn on a Bank operating in Lao PDR.
The Bidding Documents will be collected in person or sent by courier when
requested by the Bidder, upon confirmation of payment of an additional USD
50 for courier fee. No liability will be accepted for lost or late delivery.
7. Deliver your bid
to the address above
on or before 10 February 2016 9:00 am
together with a Bid Security as described in the Bidding Document
Bids will be opened immediately after the deadline for bid submission in the
presence of Bidders representatives and the project's beneficiaries who choose
to attend.

Invitation of Expression of Interest

L3198: Northern Smallholder Livestock Commercialization Project
Loan Implementation Consultants Recruitment
Position Duration of assignments
(i) Loan Implementation Consultants
63 months
The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has received a Loan from the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) (US$21 million) and from International Fund for Agriculture
Development (IFAD) (US$5 million Loan and US$5 million Grant)towards the cost of the
Northern Smallholder Livestock Commercialization Project (the Project). The Government of
Lao PDR will contribute US$0.5 million. The total project cost is US$31.5 million. The Project
aims to increase annual incomes of smallholder livestock producers in four target provinces
(LouangPrabang, LouangNamtha, Xiengkhouang and Houaphan) by (i) Strengthening
capacities of smallholders and other Livestock Value Chain actors; (ii) Strengthening Livestock
Value Chain infrastructure; (iii) Improving capacity to access credit; and (iv) Enhancing
project management. The Project was approved on 24 November 2014 and will be closed
on 31 December 2021.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) now invites expressions of interest from
experienced consulting firms of ADB member countries for the provision of consulting services
to assist in the implementation of the Project as aLoan Implementation Consultants.
Recruitment of Loan Implementation Consultants will be conducted in accordance with
ADB Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2013, as amended from time to time)following
QCBS procedure with a standard quality to cost ratio of 90:10. Full Technical Proposal will
be invited from short-listed firms.
Further information, Terms of Reference can be obtained from: http://cms-csrn.adb.org or at
the address given below up on request during working hours from 9:00 to 16:00 hrs (Monday
through Friday except public holidays).
Dr. SomphanhChanphengxay
Director General, Department of Livestock and Fisheries
Ban Sithanneua, Sikhodtabong district, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Email: csomphan@yahoo.com
Mr. KhamtanhKhamdeng
Director of the Project Management Division,
Department Planning and Cooperation
Patouxay Square, Ban Naxay, SaysethaDistrict
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel: 856-21-415359, Fax: 856-21-451715
Email: ktanh04@yahoo.com
Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically through ADBs Consultant
Management System on or before 29 February 2016.

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

19

Health & Lifestyle

If you cant meditate, you

can always litigate

Sangthong Phensrisai.

THAILAND (The Nation,

ANN) -- Technically speaking,
Buddhist monks really
shouldnt be suing people in
court.
Several British newspapers
have nevertheless scented
enough Buddhism (and
monkishness) in the story to
be covering the hearings in
Scotland.
Santhong, born in Thailand
and now living in Edinburgh,
is suing Anong Yukitan, born
in Thailand and now living
in London, because she was
driving a bunch of monks from
her city to Santhongs city on
Christmas Eve 2012 and had
a crash.
Anong admits being liable
for losing control of the car but
doesnt think she should have to
pay Santhong 250,000 pounds
(Bt12.9 million). Santhong

thinks she does because now

he cant sit down to do sitting
meditation anymore. And that
means he cant teach people to
do sitting meditation anymore,
so hes losing income.
The small matter of the
three monks riding in the back
seat being killed seems to have
no bearing on their dispute.
Nor does the 25 years Santhong
spent as a monk, during which
he patently failed to learn the
wisdom of non-attachment.
Santhong - who shed the
robes to further his academic
studies - says he was asleep at
the time of the crash and just
kept on sleeping until he woke
up in hospital with various
fractures and head injuries.
He says the accident
disrupted his PhD studies and
- since hes unable to sit, stand
or walk for long and cant bend

or lift heavy items - hes lost

earnings as a translator and
interpreter and for work in
the prison service. He taught
meditation to prisoners. He was
used to sitting for up to three
hours at a time.
Somewhere the Buddha is
wincing along with him, but for
other reasons.
Royal baby adds to GNH
Bhutans queen - Gyaltsuen
Jetsun Pema - gave birth to
a son on Friday, presumably
much to the delight of her
husband, King Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck, whos
so much admired in Thailand.
And the infant boy has already
contributed to the countrys
famed Gross National
Happiness index in more
ways than one.
Presumably the queen
chose to do so with the aid
of an epidural injection and
presumably she appreciated the
painless method because now
epidurals are being offered to
all expectant mums in Bhutan
for free. We say presumably
a lot because the Bhutan
newspaper Kuensel is unclear
on the details, presumably out
of deference to the monarchy.
What is clear is that two
doctors and two nurses from
Bhutan are now in Bangkok
being trained to administer
epidural labour analgesia,
which relieves pain during
delivery. Basically its a
shot in the lower spine that
deadens the nerves long
enough for baby to slip out
without infuriating the mum
right off the bat.
Thimphu National
Referral Hospital medical
superintendent Dr Gosar Pemba
says the epidural analgesia is a
gift from Queen Jetsun Pema,
according to Kuensel, and its
introduction in the country may
coincide with the birth of the
royal couples firstborn.
Epidural analgesia isnt
actually new to Bhutan,
but until now its only been
administered on request and
in cases where childbirth was
proving unusually difficult.

Announcement
The book 40 Years of the Lao PDR in two languages - Lao and English
- is now available at the Vientiane Times office.
The book consists of 213 pages and is divided into three parts: Laos
in Brief; Achievements in National Protection and Development; and
Vision of the Lao PDR.
Information on all sectors of national socio-economic development,
national protection and foreign policy as well as international
cooperation of the Lao PDR are included in the book.
The video DVD and CD of the 40 Years of the Lao PDR are also available
here.
In addition, the media directory book consisting of the history,
telephone numbers, emails and website addresses of all Lao media
organisations published in the Lao PDR is also available here. These
books would make interesting gifts for your friends. For more
information call: 021 336042-8.

RI strives to tackle double

burden of malnutrition

A young mom looks after her malnourished baby. Indonesia is witnessing a growing number of
malnutrition cases. According to the 2013 Basic Health Research, the prevalence of underweight
children under five years of age in Indonesia stands at 19.6 percent, up from 17.9 percent in 2010 and
18.4 percent in 2007.

Elly Burhaini Faizal

INDONESIA (The Jakarta

Post, ANN) --The double
burden of malnutrition, which
comprises under-nutrition and
over-nutrition, has become one
of key development challenges
faced by Indonesia. Undernutrition in children usually
occurs during their first 1,000
days of life, beginning from
pregnancy until their second
birthday. This is a critical
period of brain development in
children because any failure in
this stage cannot be corrected.
Under-nourished children
will suffer physical growth
disorders and metabolism
problems. Once children live in
a condition with easier access
to nutritious foods during their
adulthood, they will be very
susceptible to obesity because
of their inability to properly
digest the nutritional elements
of food such as carbohydrates,
proteins and fats. This will
make them prone to noninfectious diseases such as
diabetes and heart disease.
As it leads to illness,
disability and even death, the
double burden of malnutrition
has become a crucial problem
in Indonesia, and one that
demands a greater degree of
attention.
Malnutrition remains a
serious challenge for Indonesia
despite ongoing efforts to
tackle nutrition-related
problems. According to the
2013 Basic Health Research
(Riskesdas) released by the
Health Ministry, the prevalence
of underweight children under
five years of age in Indonesia
stands at 19.6 percent, up from
17.9 percent in 2010 and 18.4
percent in 2007. With such
a figure, the research report
concludes that undernourished
children under the age of five
remains a major public health
concern in Indonesia.
The 2013 Riskesdas further
reveals that the prevalence
of fat children aged under
five years of age stands at
11.9 percent, down by 2.1
percent from 14 percent in
2010. Nationally, however, the
percentage of fat children aged
between 5-12 years stands at
18.8 percent, which is quite

high.
While under-nutrition
has not yet been completely
tackled, Indonesia is facing a
growing problem of obesity,
said Soekirman, a professor
of nutrition from the Bogor
Institute of Agriculture (IPB)
in Bogor, West Java, recently
in an interview.
Soekirman said Indonesias
improved incomes, which led
people to a wider access of
food, had triggered a higher
consumption of foodstuffs
that were high in fats and
carbohydrates. There has
been a higher consumption
of processed food as well,
especially among people in
urban areas. A lack of physical
exercises and a sedentary
lifestyle, in which children go
to schools by private vehicle or
public transportation instead of
by walking, have worsened the
situation.
What our country has to
deal with now is much more
complicated. Over-nutrition,
which emerges simultaneously
with under-nutrition, is an
old problem that is not yet
completely resolved, the
expert on nutrition said.
Soekirman said many
government policies were
not precise enough to address
nutrition-related problems.
The problem of underweight
children is often perceived
as merely a food problem,
although wasting can also be
a sign of infection, he said.
The nutritionist further said
that it was unfortunate to see
that in Indonesia, malnutrition
was still perceived as a problem
in the health sector. In fact,
according to the 2014 Global
Nutrition Report, the health
sector contributed only 30
percent to the overall effort
conducted by stakeholders
from all developmental sectors,
including clean water and
sanitation, he added.
As long as people live
with poor access to safe water,
nutrition problems will easily
occur, said Soekirman.
Combating all forms of
malnutrition is one of 17 goals
(SDGs) to be achieved in the
post 2015 development agenda,
adopted last year during the
UN Sustainable Development

Summit in New York, the US,

from Sept. 25 to 27.
I n d o n e s i a n Wo m e n s
Coalition for Justice and
Democracy (KPI) general
secretary Dian Kartikasari said
unlike MDGs, civil societies
had participated actively in
identifying key issues countries
must highlight in the post 2015
development agenda.
We do hope that the
government has a policy
framework on how best to
implement SDGs. The most
important thing is to ensure
that both government and
local administrations can
include SDGs in national and
regional development planning
documents, said Dian in an
interview.
She said there should
be a mechanism to monitor
the government work plan,
including on how it involved
local administrations in the
implementation of SDGs.
Among serious problems
that have hampered the
implementation of MDGs was
local administrations poor
capacity in integrating the
global development agenda
into their mid-term regional
development plans, said
Dian, adding the government
also needed to help local
administrations to involve civil
society groups in implementing
SDGs from the very beginning.
International NGO Forum
on Indonesian Development
executive director Sugeng
Bahagijo said there should be
non-state efforts to accelerate
Indonesias progress toward
achieving its SDG targets.
The involvement of citizens
and civil society groups could
ensure that the post-2015
development agenda would put
forward inclusive economic
growth, social protections and
environment sustainability, all
important for Indonesia today
and into the future, he said.
There is one key
word needed in the
implementation of SDGs,
and that is accountability. It
is accountability, including
in the implementation of
public participation, which
will bring pressure on the
government to work to achieve
the SDG targets, said Sugeng.

20

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Lifestyle

Artisans promote Lao silk through

designer handbags

Some samples of table cloths on display for sale at Lao-ITECC.

Xayxana Leukai

rranging her silk

bags to create a
good-looking
booth is one of
the marketing strategies of Ms
Anousone Keobounma when it
comes to attracting customers
to visit her shop.
At about 9am, Ms
Anousone, the owner of
Anousone Handicrafts, starts
hanging her small silk bags
above her head at the booth
where she is displaying her
wares at the Lao Trade Union
Fair from January 23 to
February 3.
This is the first time for her
to bring her handmade products
to show at a big event since the
product was recognised as a
One District One Product
(ODOP) of Chanthabouly
district several months ago.
More than 100 silken
bags of different types and
colours are on show to attract
customers to visit her booth.
ODOP definitely creates
confidence for my customers
and for me, said the 36-yearold.
Before receiving the
ODOP certificate, officials
from the Ministry of Industry
and Commerce have closely
monitored the process of her
production on at least four
occasions.
In addition to observing
the processing steps, the
ministry also notes where the
raw materials to produce the
handbags are coming from.
The raw materials for
producing her handbags
come from Xamneua district,
Huaphan province.
The patterns of silk that
she orders vary according to
market demand. In addition,
she also offers handbags made

out of bamboo for customers to

choose from.
Actually, before beginning
the business 10 years ago, Ms
Anousone traded in Lao skirts
or sinhs, where she gained
most of her knowledge on silk.
Whilst making the sinhs
she observed that there was
a lot of waste silk from the
manufacturing process.
As she loved the charm of
Lao silk as part of her life, she
did not want to throw these
waste materials away, so Ms
Anousone sought ways to put
the waste silk to use by making
bags as new products for her
business back in 2009.
At that time, she produced
only a small amount of bags to
test the market demand. She
was amazed to see that the
bags she was producing were
exactly what her customers
wanted to match their sinhs
and traditional dresses.
Orders from her customers
began to increase day by day.
Currently, she employs five
staff who produce more than
100 bags each day under
the orders of her customers.
She estimates that her silk
handbag products enjoy an
80 percent market share
throughout the country.
S o f a r, m a k i n g s i l k
handbags has become one of
her main products and they
have been certified in relation
to standard by the Ministry of
Industry and Commerce.
The cost of her silk
handbags ranges from 150,000
kip to 1 million kip, depending
on the pattern and quality of
silk weaving. If the bags are
made with Mai-mon silk and
the kachae pattern, they are
more expensive.
In order to sell her handbags
on regional and international
markets, Ms Anousone wants

the involved government

bodies to assist her in terms of
marketing.
Of course, I may have
experience selling products in
Laos. But my experience in
terms of selling outside Laos
or export procedures is zero,
she said.
Many business people,
including Ms Anousone expect
that the Asean Economic
Community which opened
at the end of last year could
open more opportunities for
local producers to expand their
markets overseas.
However, she explained
that the investment required
for export business is high.
Currently, she pays around 30
million kip per month for her
entire business.
This includes the salaries
of her employees who are paid
more than one million kip per
month.
For people who love Lao
silk but miss out on purchasing
Ms Anousones products at
Lao-ITECC, they are advised
to buy them at her shop
at Phonsavang Market,
Chanthabouly district, near
Mittaphab Hospital.
At the shop, in addition
to selling silk bags, Ms
Anousone also sells sinhs,
pillows, sashes and table
clothes. All of these products
are made with Xamneua silk.
Her main customers are
Lao people and tourists who
visit Laos and buy them
as souvenirs for friends
when they return to their
own countries. All of these
products are self-designed.
New designs according
to market demand are
always a good thing to do
for sustaining any kind of
business, Ms Anousone
advised.

Ms Anousone Keobounma (right) sells a silk handbag to a customer at the Lao Trade Union Fair at
Lao-ITECC last week.

Various
kinds of
bags and
sashes on
show at her
sales booth
at LaoITECC.

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Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

21

Opinion

Streetwise

What are you concerned about in the national

five-year socio-economic development plan?
The government recently presented the 8th national five-year socio-economic development plan
for 2016-2020, which sets annual gross domestic product growth at not lower than 7.5 percent.
Vientiane Times asked some members of the public on their thoughts as well as their concerns.
Times Reporters

Mr Phokham
Keobounheuang, an
elder of Nonghai village,
Hadxaifong district: I
absolutely agree with this
plan. The socio-economic
situation in our country has
been improving rapidly for

a long time already and this

current plan might make it
become faster again. As we
can see, every sector has been
much improved compared to
before because of the wise
leadership of the government
since 1975. I have heard that
the current action plan of
the government should drive
Laos out of Least Developed
Country status by 2020. But
I think, besides the rapid
growth of the socio-economy
over these five years, the
government should also
pay attention to preventing
and controlling rises in the
cost of living and inflation
because many people are
concerned about this. They

are afraid that there might be

more stresses, high costs of
living and inflation to come
with the rapid growth, which
could in fact see their living
conditions worse than before
if the government doesnt
have good systems to prevent
these problems.
Mr Lamthoun Luanglath,
a resident of Houaxieng
village, Xaythany district:
I think we dont produce
enough domestic consumer
products and lose a lot of
profits by importing large
amounts of goods each year.
The imports also cause the
prices of products to be more
expensive because the price
rates depend on the producer
country. This is a big problem

that we have faced for a

long time. Besides the rapid
growth of the economy, the
price of products might be
more expensive if we still
continue to import most of
our consumer products in
the next five years. Instead
of worrying purely about

economic growth numbers,

the government should also
encourage and support local
people to produce more
marketable products and
improve their standard so we
have more domestic products.
That way we wont need to
import as much if we can
produce things ourselves
already. Having various
domestic products will ensure
more benefits stay with
Lao people regarding both
domestic trading and exports.
Also, if we have various
items of domestic products,
local people will have more
choices to shop inside the
country and can help to
support local operators.
Mr Nhon Boutdala, an
employee in Chanthabouly
district: I think the country
is more modernised and
civilised year by year
because of ongoing socioeconomic growth. Now
everything is changing for
the better and many residents
enjoy their modern living
conditions. In general, the
economy is growing well
but individually it is not
because of differences in the
development gap. There are
some things that people are
still concerned about such as
balancing the development
of each family because
some families are rich and
some are poor. The large
development gap is a big
problem for poorer families
during the rapid growth of the
economy. The government
should match the difference

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by paying attention to
poverty reduction and helping

I think many people are

worried about promoting
domestic products. Now our
country has more domestic
products than before so the
government should hold
more activities to promote
our products among society
because some people dont
like to use our products
because we have less choice
and some products are not
yet up to standard. However
all people agree with the
plan set out in this five year
socio-economic plan. This
is a big and important plan
for our country especially
for development; all people
should take part in carrying
out this important plan for
socio-economic development
by actively cooperating with

those poorer families by

providing them with more job
opportunities and low interest
loans.
Mr Joy Phaovongsa,
a resident of Donkoy
village, Xaysettha district:

the authorities in all steps

of the development process.
Of course, this plan might
not progress smoothly and
achieve its goals if all sectors
and residents dont work
together cooperatively.

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22 Opinion

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Getting money from

errant motorists
might not be so easy
Editorial Desk

he Vientiane authorities
are not likely to be able
to gouge gigantic sums
of money from the pockets
of motorists who violate a
new city ban on the use of
pavements, sidewalks or
roadsides where parking is
prohibited.
Motorists in Vientiane are
supposed to face a ten-fold fine
if they violate the new city ban.
The new city ban came into
being last week, stipulating
that pavements and roads can
no longer be used by vehicles
as it is blocking the passage of
moving traffic and pedestrians.
The ban was brought in
to try and ease traffic chaos
and create more room for
pedestrians, who are currently
forced to climb over vehicles
or walk on the roads to avoid
parked vehicles. Also, the
ban was stipulated in the
Resolution of Vientiane
Authorities in regards to the
Vientiane cleaning action plan
and project until 2020 which
was approved late last year.
According to the
resolution, motorbikes which
were previously liable to be
fined 30,000 kip, with the
ten-fold fine, will now have
to pay 300,000 kip. Threewheeled vehicles which were
previously fined 50,000 kip
shall be liable for a fine of
500,000 kip while cars, pickup trucks, jeeps and vans
which could be fined 70,000
kip shall now have to pay
700,000 kip.
Four-wheeled passenger
buses which were fined
100,000 kip can now be liable
for a fine of 1 million kip while
six-wheeled heavy trucks
which were liable for fine of
150,000 kip will now have to
pay 1.5 million kip. Trucks
with 10 or more wheels which
could be fined 200,000 kip will
now have to pay 2 million kip.
Creating a new city ban
would seem like a good idea to
make Vientiane a nicer place to
live in for Vientiane residents
and visiting foreign tourists as
well as addressing traffic jams
and social order in society.

In fact it is a good idea but

will only be effective when
other pre-conditions are in
place. Such a ban should be
implemented and come into
effect in the longer term - it
would work well in 2020 if
by that time the Vientiane
authorities have built car parks
in suitable places for motorists
to park their vehicles.
The fact that Vientiane
authorities have a long term

If the
authorities
have enough
car parks for
motorists to
park and they
dont come to
use them then
the authorities
have every
justification in
issuing a large
fine to them.
vision to deal with the traffic
chaos in Vientiane is better
than having no answers when
it comes to the increasing
number of vehicles in the
capital of Laos, which looks
set to continue to grow.
Vientiane authorities
should first assess the results of
the implementation of several
measures and rules that the
authorities have issued several
times previously in relation to
fining motorists and people
who park vehicles and sell
food and drink where parking
is prohibited, particularly
sidewalks and where the kerb
and channeling is painted red
and white.
Several measures and rules
in fact were not implemented
very well and achieved limited
results because a large number
of motorists still park their
vehicles on sidewalks and
roadsides which are painted

red and white, which are

regarded as prohibited areas
at present.
This indicates that
either they (motorists
and traders) didnt fear or
respect the regulations and
their enforcement or the
management of the concerned
authorities was poor in terms
of addressing the traffic chaos.
Having regulations and
measures would be good tool
for the concerned bodies to
address the issues but the
measures and rules must
be suitable with the real
conditions of Vientiane.
If the authorities have
enough car parks for motorists
to park and they dont come to
use them then the authorities
have every justification in
issuing a large fine to them.
However in cases where
car parks are not available for
motorists and the authorities try
to use measures to force them
to park far away it is unlikely
to prove very effective.
Over 800,000 people live
in Vientiane while there are
more than 740,000 vehicles.
If all 740,000 vehicles are
used in a day then obviously
there is going to nowhere near
as much car parking space
available as what would be
required to accommodate that
vehicle fleet.
Many people obviously
have different ideas as it is
evident that large numbers of
motorists park their vehicles in
prohibited areas. This is either
because there is not enough
car parking or the fees are too
high.
The new city ban is
unlikely to achieve much in
the way of results if there are
not enough car parks available
for motorists to park. Perhaps
the relevant bodies should set
a pilot project in some areas,
where car parking is already
available for motorists to park.
Setthathirath and Fa Ngum
Roads might be suitable for
such a pilot project as there is
already car parking available
along Fa Ngum Road.
--If you would like to share
your thoughts, please contact
phonethikeo28@yahoo.com

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What
Whatthe
theLao
Laopapers
paperssay
say

Lao peoples sympathies

should be preserved
Translated by Times Reporters

Although the living conditions of people have changed Lao people still have
sympathy and help each other all the time so this is a good culture that must be
preserved.
Since the past until now, Lao people have always treated each other as if relatives
so people in the same village and district love each other and help each other
when people have problems such as asking others to help out on their farms.
In addition, people receive a warm welcome when they come from another village
to visit. Some older people still remember the days when they could travel to
the northern or southern provinces without having to carry rice and water along
the way because people would always offer them something to eat and drink.
They remember that they would just inform the head of the village and ask to
reside with some of the families so they could share something to eat and find
somewhere to sleep.
Besides this, each village has traditionally built huts to welcome all guests who
come to visit, which shows that Lao people have wide sympathy, are hospitable,
generous, and show solidarity and love for each other.
Since the country was liberated until now Lao people still preserve the same
good traditions and living conditions relating to solidarity and treating each
other as if they are relatives.
Country people will still welcome people when outsiders arrive for work or private
reasons while friends who have been living abroad or in other places will still greet
each other as long-lost friends. Some friends even cry when they see each other again.
--Lao Phatthana Daily, February 8

Police working hard to solve

modified motorbike problem
Many youths in Borikhamxay province still drive modified motorbikes and disturb
the rest of society so officials must work harder to solve this problem in order to
preserve the peace.
Recently, Borikhan district police in Borikhamxay province organised to detain a
group of youths who drove modified motorbikes and disturbed other people at night.
After an investigation, some of them admitted that they were also involved in drug
use and trafficking so police organised to educate them and punish them according
to the law.
Beside this, police urged youths who used drugs to attend rehabilitation for treatment
to become good children of their parents and good members of society.
Police also urged parents to educate their children not to use drugs or drive modified
motorbikes and disturb other people in society.
If everyone works together society will soon enjoy peace and be drug free!
--Khuamsangob, February 9

High dowries dont

dictate happiness
Some people are preparing to get married but this is often a problem for the grooms
parents because these days dowries can be very expensive as can the costs of organising
a wedding party.
In this reporters opinion, the dowry should depend on the agreement of both sides,
including the groom and the brides parents; it is not necessary to make the dowry
too expensive and organise massive parties because this will be a big headache for
the grooms parents.
It may be no problem for rich people to offer high dowries because this may suit
with their position but the fact that they do also causes problems for people on lower
incomes who want to get married as others want to follow suit.
This reporter thought that a high dowry is not a thing to decide on the goodness of
the groom because some couples spend huge amounts of money organising weddings
only to divorce a short time later and have to pay more money again.
By contrast some couples do not organise big wedding parties and invite only the
relatives of both sides and elders to tie the baci strings but still manage to stay together
for a long time.
Some people dont even bother getting married at all but still manage to stay together
so this shows that money is not everything in deciding happiness and peoples love
for each other depends on many things.
Couples who really love each other can live together happily forever.
--Vientiane Mai Daily, February 5

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

23

Arts & Leisure

Respected national performing Khonka Lafun selects new

artist passes away
artists for Lao Lanexang

Sisouphan Amphonephong

Lao entertainment last week lost

respected national performing
artist Mr Khamphou Thavivan
well known for his outstanding
work in promoting traditional
folksongs and inspiring
younger singers.
Mr Khamphou, who was
officially recognised as a
national performing artist in
2005, died last week at his
home in Veunkham village,
Xaythany district, aged 74.
Throughout his career,
Mr Khamphou created many
songs for Lao music with most
people familiar with the hits
Mia Chaidee, Yak Mee Khonhak,
Siengsang Chark Phor, Pouchan
kub Saosaphay, 6:30, Koulab
Meuangphia , Chao-Fa-ngum
among other tracks.
Such has been the
popularity of his songs that
many other Lao artists have
covered his tracks over the
years bringing his music to new
generations.
His tracks and music
video stories have also proven
popular through social media
more recently.
Director General of the
Department of Performing Arts
of the Ministry of Information,
Culture and Tourism, Mr
Khamphuang Inthavongsy said,
Mr Khamphou created almost
300 tracks that added colour to
Lao culture, especially in the

Sisouphan Amphonephong

The late Mr Khamphou Thavivan appearing in one of his many

music videos.

field of traditional folksongs.

Mr Khamphuang explained
that even though Mr Khamphou
was gone the outstanding works
he created would not disappear.
They would continue to be a
source of inspiration for a new
generation of performers to
study. This included improving
young artists song composing
skills and knowledge.
Officials from the
performing art departments
will continue to support his
family members who want
to follow in their fathers
footsteps, he said.
One of his fans Mr Sopha
Thirakon said Mr Khamphous
songs especially Chout-Neung,
Mia Chaidee and Yak Mee

Khonhuk struck a chord with

everyday people and went right
to their heart.
Even though he has passed
away I will continue to follow
and listen to his songs through
social media, he said.
Mr Sopha expressed his
condolences to Mr Khamphous
family.
Mr Khamphous funeral
ceremony was held on Sunday
at Veunkham Temple in
Xaythany district, attended
by officials from the Ministry
of Information, Culture and
Tourism, Lao artists and fans.
Lao celebrities attending the
ceremony included Bounkham
Sitthideth, Mekkhala, Buratino
and Sombath Keokhamdy.

Season 2 of the Khonka

Lafun singing and dancing
contest has announced 12
contestants in four categories
as winners of the contest final
round held last Friday at the
Sea Games Village at the
National University of Laos.
Some 19 (NUOL) students
battled it out to have the judges
recognise their performance
among the finalists, auditioning
modern songs, folksongs, Lam
and Lao dance on the stage
in front of the judges and the
audience.
The judges then selected
the three best contestants of
each category to become new
members of Lao Lanexang
Entertainment, who will go on
to feaure for the entertainment
conglomerate at future events.
The contest is a cooperative
effort between Lao Famous
United (LFU), Lao Lanexang
Entertainment and the NUOL,
with the three organisations
supplying the judging
committee.
LFU President Mr
Bounmany Phommasanh said
through this project they would
select the most outstanding

contestants in the various

categories, who will go on to
bigger and better things in the
future.
The project attracted more
than 200 people from all walks
of life to the recent audition
round. Then the project
shortlisted 37 people before
selecting only 19 people for
the final round and whittling
that number down to 12.
The judge selected only the
three best performers in the
modern song category, three
best folksong contestants, three
best Lam contestants, and three
performers for Lao dance.
Mr Bounmany said the
winners from each category
would have a chance to become
involved with Lao Lanexang
Entertainment and further their
entertainment career.
Throughout the second
projects season 2, the Best
Song Composer Artist of Lao
Traditional Songs, recipient
at the Lao Music Awards 2012
and Best Song Composer
Artist of Folksongs at the
Lao Music Awards 2013 Mr
Phiewphone Phomixay joined
the contest as one of the judges
to select this years eventual
winners.

The project this year

represented the biggest
entertainment based contest
that the NUOL has been
involved with as performers
and the audience alike have
been getting swept up in the
atmosphere.
The performances from
artists of Lao Lanexang
included both folksongs and
modern songs such as A-ot
Sainamyan, Duangchan
Pakaisaeng, and Sonan from
the Jacket band, who all
excelled on stage during the
event.
Sonan, a new comer artist
for Lao Lanexang said he was
happy to join and showcase
his singing on the stage as his
introduction to officials and the
audience.
He and members of the
Jacket band were invited by the
television programme Music
Boom to appear and talk about
his songs and music style. This
programme will go to air on
February14, and Sonan urged
fans to keep following the
channel for further updates.
The fashion show on the
stage for the final round of the
singing contest was also one of
the highlights for the audience.

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 94 countries,

as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.
Since 2009, the Oxfam confederation has accelerated its harmonisation process working
towards one voice and one programme in a single management structure.
Oxfam has a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, and works to deliver the country strategy
that focuses on sustainable livelihoods, humanitarian assistance, governance and civil society,
and gender and diversity.
Oxfam is currently looking for a: Trans-boundary agribusiness and responsible land
governance Programme Coordinator
Overall Responsibilities
The Programme Officer provides leadership, strategic steer and ensures program development,
as well as operational management to a part of the Oxfam programme focusing on
Sustainable Development and Responsible Investment in the region. The P Officer supports
the operationalization of the Trans boundary Responsible Business in the region within its
specific area of responsibility and coordinate with other programme managers to ensure
Oxfam delivers its strategy.
Required qualifications
Master degree in development economics, Agriculture, business related or development
studies and/or at least 5 years experience in senior strategic level roles in development
sector, preferably working on sustainable livelihoods, food security, land rights and economic
and social rights of rural poor.
Competence in Programme Cycle Management, Result Based Management and MEL
systems, both for structural development programmes and humanitarian assistance.
Excellent understanding and proven experience of financial management, budgeting, and
budgetary control systems.
Good and broad analytical skills and ability to translate analysis into concrete and effective
programme strategies.
Competence in distance team coordination : demonstrable evidence of managing sizeable
resources people, budgets, material; including evidence of demanding high standards of
performance and accountability while being fair in dealing with people and demonstrating
through role modeling.
Competence in programme development, including for back donors.
Competence in capacity-building and organizational or institutional development of local
organizations.
We offer
A competitive, fair and comprehensive pay and benefits package that is justifiable to our donors
More information and application procedure:
For further information, please refer to the website: www.directoryofngos.org and go to Directory
News/Job Openings.
Are you interested in this position? Send your application in writing, including a motivation
letter and curriculum vitae to sth@oxfamsol.be no later than 14 February 2016.
We promote diversity and practice equity
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for a personal interview

A contestant of Khonka Lafun sings Song Meu

Nang Sangfun for the audience.

A-ot Sainamyan performs on stage.

Pint-sized painters carry on art tradition

VIETNAM (Vietnam News, ANN) -- With
Tet approaching, more than 400 children
are learning about traditional Vietnamese
paintings and raising money for charity.
Dinh Thi Bang Linh was careful not to err
while colouring a picture of a girl holding a
duck, which is a traditional painting of Vietnam.
Together with more than 400 children
in the city, Linh, from the Doan Thi Diem
Secondary School in Hanoi, seemed interested
in the activities she participated in for the
Joining Children in Discovering Tet Traditional
Paintings project that recently took place at the
Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
I have been taught the basics of traditional
paintings of Vietnam, like the history of Dong
Ho paintings. The project helped me understand
more about the paintings and their meaning
thanks to its various activities such as making
paintings myself or making New Year cards
and lucky money envelops, she excitedly says.
The project has followed the success of
a similar project which took place last Midautumn festival, titled Joining Children in
Getting Creative With Vietnamese Traditional
Masks and Enjoying Mid-autumn Festival.
It is a joint production of various arts clubs
in the city like Green Art, Rainbow Art, Vungs
Friend Club, Creative Colour, cliptretho.com
and of art collectors such as Nguyen Thu Hoa.

Right from its first day, when it called for

registrations, the project surprisingly received
much attention from numerous children and
parents who wished to participate in the event.
I learned about the project via Facebook. My
children are learning painting at the Childrens
Palace, so I think this project is a very interesting
event to encourage them to learn not only about
painting, but also Vietnams traditional arts,
Do Giang Huong says. She had her two children
join the project.
According to art critic Trang Thanh Hien, a
representative of the organisers, the biggest aim
of the project is to create a playground or an
arts space that is dedicated to traditional values.
The high registration proves the
attractiveness of traditional values in modern
society. Not only have the parents had their
children join the project, but they have also
created arts group to appeal for participation.
We organisers feel very happy because our
message and purpose have been shared and
widely spread, Hien says.
Tet (Lunar New Year) paintings used to
be an indispensable decoration for every
Vietnamese family in the old days. Pictures
of Pigs Family, Flock of Chickens or
The Wedding of the Mouse could be found
with any family whenever the festive season
approached.

24

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Classified
AB Apartment
RentsBuy Co., Ltd is a leading professional real estate
company offering;house, land, apartment, office,
warehouse, business for rent /for sale and
property valuation throughout Lao PDR.
Dongpainar Rd., Ban Phontan, Saysetta
District,Sisattanak, Vientiane
Office mobile: 021 262319/20, 020 23333347,
77600059
www.RentsBuy.com email: rentsbuy@gmail.com

Serviced Apartment Fully

furnished
Ban Sibounheuang,
Chanthaboury Dist.
Mob: +856-20-55512828
Phone: (+856-21) 222565
Fax: 263253
Email: abapart@gmail.com
www.abapartment.com

HOTEL LAO

SERVICED APARTMENTS

*Value *Comfort *Service

In the heart of Vientiane
Ideal for business or tourist
43/7 Hengboun Road,Vientiane
Tel: (856 21) 219280-1, Fax: (856 21) 219282
Email: hotellao.vientiane@gmail.com

Spacious & tastefully decorated

Fully furnished 1 & 2 bedroom
Air-conditioning, Cable TV, Swimming pool,
Garden, Housekeeping, Laundry
MP: 020 55505840, 020 55023782
Email: lao.heritage@gmail.com

Vientiane Times

Villa Vangvieng
Riverside
Is seeking to recruit new employees
for its resort
There are current vacancies for:
2 receptionists
2 accounting staff
- Accounting staff should have at
least two years of experience in the
field.
- Receptionist should be conversant in
English while French and Chinese
skills would be an additional
advantage.
Villa Vangvieng Riverside is located at
Viengkeo Village, Vangvieng District,
Vientiane Province.
Interested candidates should contract:
Tel: +856(0) 2351 1460 and +856(0)
2351 188
Email: info@villavangvieng.com
Website: villavangvieng.com

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Classified 25

APARTMENT FOR RENT

In the centre of Vientiane
Fully furnished 1 bedroom, Living
room, Kitchen, Housekeeping,
Laundry, Cable TV and Wi-Fi
Call: 020 55505840, 020 77495533
Email: lao.heritage@gmail.com
Vacancy Notice

The World Health Organization has a vacancy for the position of:

VPS

Car rental service

We have many types of cars for rent new

model and old, sedan & 4 wheel such as:
MG.TOYOTA. NISSAN. KIA. HYUNDAI,

SMALL AND MIDDLE SEDAN FOR CITY

AGL assurances Allianz Group

Short term 1-7days & long 1-12 months
Self drive or with driver
Provide vehicle for Project & Private
Affordable price and best service
Office B. Thonkang, R. sokpalaung 15/279
For English call Mr. Chanh anytime
Tel: 020 55599900. 55593013,
office: 030 9800630
Email: vpscarrental@yahoo.com
www.vpscarrental.com

MONNEE. CAR RENTAL SERVICE

- We have many types of cars for rent new

model and old,seden and 4 wheel
Such as: KIA. HYUDAI. TOYOTA
SMALLAND MIDDLE SEDAN FOR CITY
- AGL assurances
- We are service short term and long term
- Short term1-7days and long term 1-12 months
- self drive or with driver
Can rent in Vientiane, another province in Laos.
Contract can be signed in any place based on
customers conveniences
Telephone : 020:55553736, 0305194506.
020 55202717

National Project Coordinator (DHIS2) Re-advertised

(Special Service Agreement Full time position for 2 years)
This position will be responsible for the project management of the activities within the Global Fund HSS
grant for the development and rollout of the DHIS2.The position will work closely with the WHO TA, and the
Project Director, and the Chief of the Division of Statistics to ensure success of the project.The position will
also support the capacity development of the Division of Statistics staff in operating and using the DHIS2 system
The specific duties are to:
Support management team of the National Health Information System Core Team in the planning,
implementation, and advocacy of the DHIS2 project and all activities assigned to the Division of Statistics.
Ensure implementing units adhere to the work plan activities, timelines, and budget and those programmatic
and financial reports are submitted on time to the Project Management Unit of the HSS Grant.
Assist in advising the programs and implementing units on strategies to be put in place to facilitate resultsbased implementation of the DHIS2 rollout.
Liaise with relevant representatives of sub/sub-sub-recipients, implementers, technical agencies and others
to facilitate the implementation of DHIS2 work plans and activities in support of DHIS2 implementation
and the delivery of results that meet or exceed performance framework targets.
Monitor deliverables to the Global Fund for the Health Information and DHIS2 component are submitted
on time.
Assist in assessing needs of sub-recipients and implementing units in the rollout of DHIS2 and reinforcing
capacities for effective programme implementation.
Ensure timely submission of financial and activity reports by National Health Information System Core
Team/ Division of Statistics well as adequate financial management of allocated resources for the HIMS
Module of the HSS grant.
Provide management and coordination support to the National Health Information System Core Team/
Division of Statistics.
Review all financial and accounting transactions and periodic reports for the HMIS module relating to
Global Fund funds for submission to the HSS PMU.
In consultation with PR and the PMU Project Coordinator, Senior Administration Officer, determine
procurement specifications and initiate the timely procurement of assets, consumables, and equipment
for the HMIS module.
Ensure accurate recording and monthly accounting reporting of financial activities with respect to Global
Fund HMIS module as a SSR, in compliance with the Global Fund grant agreement provisions, laws of Lao
PDR, and contemporary accounting practices.
Ensure with the modules financial reconciliations are consistent with the module work plan and budget.
Assist with the internal and annual external audit process and ensure timely completion and submission
as per the performance framework.
Oversee timely preparation of reports for the Sub-Recipient PMU and coordinate with Local Fund Agent
where required.
Oversee communication flow of correspondences (letters/memos/e-mails/faxes/etc.) in relation to the
DHIS2 Project.
Ensure scheduled staff assessment is undertaken.
Support resource mobilisation and partnership building for future proofing the National Health Information
System.
Assist in developing partnerships with implementing programmes and agencies.
Communicate and facilitate knowledge building and sharing.
Organize trainings for operational and project staff of the Division of Statistics, sub-recipients, and implementing
units/ programmes.
Knowledge & skills:
Broad knowledge in health information systems programme, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
in health information systems, particularly DHIS2.
Strong knowledge of statistical software packages (Stata, SPSS etc.).
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds
and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.
Education:

Essential: Bachelor of Computer Science, or Public Health, or Health Information Management.
Experience:

Essential: 5 Years Project Management or Coordination Experience; Experience in Health Information

Desirable: Knowledge of Health Systems at the country level and Knowledge of the Lao PDR Health Sector.
Language: Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English and local language
Other skills: Proficiency in standard MS Office applications.
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit application letter and curriculum vitae in English
language with a subject National Project Coordinator (DHIS2), SSA to the below address by 17
February 2016.

The World Health Organization

125 Saphanthong Road, Unit: 5

Ban Saphanthongtai, P.O. Box 343

Vientiane, Lao P.D.R.

Tel: (856-21)353902-04;

Fax: (856-21)353905;

Email: who.lao@wpro.who.int

26

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Whats On
Shadow Car Boot Sale 2

Art gallery exhibition

Enjoy the Shadow Car Boot Sale 2 featuring

a fair, street fashion show, dance
competition, live music show, and classic car
show.
When: February 12-13, from 4pm-10pm
Where: Vientiane Centre, Khouvieng Road.

AFC Cup 2016

Lao Premier League Champions
2015 Lao Toyota FC will clash with
top side Bengaluru JSW from India
in the first big match of AFC Cup
2016.
When: February 24, 6pm
Where: Lao National Stadium Km16
Other upcoming AFC Cup matches:
March 9 AYEYAWADY UNITED
from Myanmar VS Lao Toyota FC
March 16 JOHOR DARUL TAZIM from Malaysia VS Lao Toyota FC
April 13 Lao Toyota FC VS JOHOR DARUL TAZIM from Malaysia
April 27 JSW BENGALURU FC from India VS Lao Toyota FC
May 11 Lao Toyota FC VS AYEYAWADY UNITED from Myanmar

Wow Fashion Week 2016.

Dont miss the capitals
major fashion event,
Vientiane Wow Fashion
Week 2016 in March
featuring more than
twenty talented Lao and
Thai designers.
Where: New ITECC Mall,
7th floor.
When: March 11-12.
More information contact: 021 265 853.

First International Half

Marathon in Vientiane
Social enterprise Events for Good (EFG) will host the first
international half marathon in Laos to mark International Womens
Day. EFG invites participants to join either the 21km, 10km, or 5km
runs. The event will start and finish at the That Luang stupa. Every
participant who crosses the finish line within the allotted time will
receive a medal and certificate. Trophies and cash prizes will be
provided to the top 5 male and top 5 female runners of the half
marathon and quarter marathon. A Health and Fitness Expo will also
be held before and during the event. Check Facebook event page for
further details.
When: Sunday, March 6, 2016; 5am 8am.
Health and Fitness Expo Time: Friday, March 4, 10am7pm and
Saturday, March 5; 10am7pm.
Media event organisers should contact Vanpheng Southichak or
Thouni Seneyakone about sponsorship opportunities. Ask about
customised sponsorship packages, including on-site display
opportunities, guidebook advertisements, and in-kind donations.
Vanpheng Southichak Managing Director +856 (0) 20 5588 8688
vanpheng@gmail.com
Thouni Seneyakone Operations Manager +856 (0) 20 - 9144 8858
seneyakone@gmail.com

Actors and actresses wanted

Kheo Heng (KH) company is inviting good-looking young people to
apply for two male and two female lead roles in the romantic comedy
film Hong Ham Tao. Female applicants should be 18-26 years old
and males should be aged 20-28
When: Applications until February 28
Where: Contact through Facebook at Inbox only, www.facebook.com/
phoumsana.sirivongsa
or Search in facebook: Jear Pacific

The Vientiane Times welcomes notices from

members of the public for announcement on
this page. Any events or functions open to
the general public are suitable for publishing.
Contact: editor@vientianetimes.la

Vat Phou Champassak Festival

Champassak province will celebrate the 15th anniversary of Vat Phou
and its associated ancient settlements being listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
When: February 20, 21, 22
Where: Vat Phou, Champassak province

Free Polio Immunisation

The Expanded Programme of Immunisation under the Ministry
of Health will provide a third round of free vaccines against polio
for about 2.4 million children nationwide. The vaccines will be
administered to all those aged 15 years or less.
When: February 21-29
Where: Hospital and healthcare centres nationwide. For more
information, please contact 021 312 352

That Phonh Festival in

Savannakhet
Savannakhet province will host the
annual Phathat Phonh Festival this
month. The stupa was built in the 16th
century and is regarded as one of the
holiest stupas in the country.
Activities: Religious ceremonies and a
trade fair.
Where: Xayphouthong district.
When: February 19-22.

Buddha image consecration

Devotees are invited to attend
a Buddha image consecration
ceremony.
Where: Temple of Thongkhankham
village, Chanthabouly district.
When: Friday February 12, at 7pm.
For more information call: 030 548
4635; 020 5652 5396.

Puppet exhibition
This exhibition showcases a range
of puppet making and visual images
created by the Director of the Object
Theatre Kabong Lao, Mr Leuthmany
Insisiengmay.
When: Open daily until March 3
Where: i:Cat gallery, Simeuang
village, Setthathirath Road, Vientiane
Gallery open: 3.30pm-8pm Mon to Fri;
12 noon-6pm Sat & Sun
Call 020 7783 9674

Sikhottabong Stupa Festival

Khammuan residents will celebrate the annual Sikhottabong Stupa
Festival in honour of the revered religious structure, when locally-made
products will be on sale.
When: February 20-22
Where: Khammuan province

Global citizenship programme

Japanese organisation GiFT, in collaboration with Green Discovery and
FM 90.0 Mhz, is inviting university students aged 18-24 to apply for the
Diversity Voyage in Laos programme, a 6 day event with Japanese
students. Expenses will be paid by the programme.
When: From February 20-25.
Where: Contact Bounheng (programme coordinator) on 020 55400099.
Or visit the following link:
http://www.laoyouth-radio.com/2016/01/diversity-voyage-2016.html

Keomingmeuang Art
Gallery is presenting an
exhibition featuring more
than 200 pieces of art.
Where: Nongbuathongneua village, unit 22/209,
Nongbuathong Road,
Sikhottabong district,
Vientiane.
When: Open every day from 8am-5pm

Vipassana Meditation Course

We are happy to announce a 10 day residential Vipassana meditation
course as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba
Khin in Vientiane. The participants will learn the basics and practice
sufficiently to experience its beneficial results. In keeping with the
spirit of the tradition, the course is offered free.
When: March 9- 20.
For more information please send email : vipassana.laos@gmail.com
Or visit: www.dhamma.org

JPop Cover Dance Competition

The Laobangfai Academy is calling on young people to enter the JPop
cover dance competition.
When and where: Auditions will be held on February 6, at the Lao Music
and Dance School
The final round will take place on February 20, at the National Culture Hall
The winner will be awarded a visit to Japan, paid for by the Japanese
Embassy to Laos.
For more information call: 020 5229 5456

Vientiane Trial 2016

Come along and enjoy the
Vientiane Trial 2016, when
the capitals old quarter will be
transformed into a pedestrian zone
with night time illuminations, and art
and handicraft events.
Where: Chao Anou Street to
Francois Ngin Street.
When: February 26-28, open from
5-9pm each night.

Elephant Festival
This years Elephant
Festival will feature 67
elephants taking part
in activities including a
beauty contest, bathing
and baci ceremony. There
will also be a large and
vibrant street fair.
When: February 15-21
Where: Xayaboury district,
Xayaboury province

Toyota Painting Contest

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest 2016 is open to children, with the
theme Toyota in My Dream
The painting contest is divided into three age groups: Under 8; Ages
8-11; and Ages 12-15.
When: Submit your painting anytime from December 16 February
15, 2016
Where: For details, contact Toyota company offices nationwide
on: 021 453801-2, 041 260882-4, 071 214111, 031 251400 or any
Education and Sports Department.

Warm for Winter appeal

The Lao Red Cross asks everyone to help people living in northern
Laos keep warm this winter. Please donate clean blankets, warm
clothing, towels, shoes, gloves and socks to our Warm for Winter
Appeal 2015.
Where: Lao Red Cross
When: Normal working hours
For more information: 021 253 014, Facebook/LaoRedCrossSociety
Thank you so much for your generosity!

Vientiane Times

Wednesday February 10, 2016

Sports 27

Vietnamese athletes busy

African nations wont
preparing for international events support Salman in FIFA vote

Walker Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc is excited training for the upcoming
tournament.
--Photo VNS

HANOI (VNS) -- Many

people are heading home to
unite with their families after
a hard working year. Other
are making final preparations
to decorate their homes to
celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Many athletes, however, have
no such planned celebrations.
Indeed, these athletes do not
enjoy Tet, as they continue
their intensive training before
upcoming tournaments.
For instance, this is the sixth
year in a row that swimmer
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien must
celebrate the new year far from
her home.
Vien is with her coach,

Dang Anh Tuan, in the US as

she trains for this summers
Olympic Games in Brazil.
She recalled that in earlier
years she felt homesick, but
now it is easier to be far from
home.
The Vietnam athlete said in
2015, which was her first Tet in
the US, she was 15. Vien was
allowed to call her parents on
new years eve, but could not
speak and burst into tears.
I am not at home for
another Tet, but its ok.
Everything I do is for my best
results and for the nations
glory. It will be my pride,
said Vien.

Like Vien, runners Quach

Thi Lan and her older brother
Quach Cong Lich are also in
the US, training hard for a berth
at the Rio de Janeiro games.
It is my first Tet without
my parents. I called my mom.
She and my father are not happy,
because both of their children
are not coming home. But it
is ok because of our duty,
said Lich, who is competing
for an Olympic ticket from
the Asian Indoor Athletics
Championships in Qatar later
this year.
Also, walker Nguyen Thi
Thanh Phuc is currently in
China. Phuc is the favourite
track-and-field athlete to win
at the coming Asian Walking
Championships in Japan this
March.
Her coaches have said if
Phuc maintains her progress, she
could reach her target.
I am more excited about
the Olympics than Tet, which
happens every year, said Phuc.
It might be my last chance
to compete in an Olympics, so
I have a special feeling and am
waiting for the competition,
she added.
Also, the national futsal team
is in Uzbekistan to train for the
Asian Championship. Their first
match will be on February 10, the
third day of the new year. And
if they win, they will remain
in Tashkent until February 21.

JOB OPPORTUNITY
(National and International)
Forest Coordinator,WWF-Laos
(RAFT 3 Project Manager)
As part of its FY16-20 Strategic Plan, WWF Laos is implementing a comprehensive forest
management and conservation programme in its Priority Landscapes and Priority Sites,
aligned with the WWF International Networks Forest Practice. This includes protecting high
conservation value forest, reducing illegal timber flows, ensuring sustainable production of
key commodities that impact biodiversity, and increasing FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
certified forest area.
RAFT, which stands for Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade, is a partnership between The
Nature Conservancy (TNC), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), The Center
for People and Forests (RECOFTC), Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF), TFT (The Forest Trust),
TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network and WWFs Forest Practice. Since its beginning
in 2007, RAFT has been building the capacity of countries, businesses and communities in
Asia Pacific to practice legal and sustainable forest management and trade, with a focus on
timber legality verification and the application of sustainable forest management practices,
including practices that reduce carbon emissions. RAFT phase 3 in Laos starts in the early
months of 2016 for duration of 3 years.
WWF-Laos is looking for an experienced candidate to fill the position of Forest
Coordinator, WWF-Laos (RAFT 3 Project Manager).
The RAFT3 Project Manager is responsible for the implementation of the RAFT 3 project (direct
project implementation, including responsibilities for technical, financial and administrative
aspects of the project) and is also the WWF-Laos Forest Coordinator, responsible for supervising
and providing support to all forest-related staff in the Country Office, in alignment with WWF
Forest Practice (forestry technical assistance). The RAFT Project Manager will also receive
and coordinate guidance from the WWF GMP Forest Hub and the WWF International Forest
Practice staff who are engaging in RAFT 3 regional activities.
Location: Vientiane, Lao PDR
Key requirements:
Bachelors degree in either forestry, conservation, natural resources management, or in
other relevant fields;
Qualification in Project Management is preferred;
5 years of practical experience in managing forestry-related projects in either INGOs or
the United Nations or bilateral development agencies or private companies;
Experience of working with Government officials, local communities and donor
representatives;
Experience in conducting studies and coordinating research activities;
Proven communication and coordination skills, in multi-lateral context, in written and spoken
English and local language.
Team-worker and able to motivate and work with multi-cultural teams.
Adheres to WWFs values, which are: Passionate & Optimistic, Challenging & Inspiring,
Credible & Accountable, Persevering& Delivering Results.
The detailed job description is posted athttp://www.wwflaos.org/about/work_with_us/.Interested
candidates should apply by sending a covering letter and CV, with mention of theposition
applied for, to: jobs.laos@wwfgreatermekong.org
Closing date:26thFebruary 2016
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted
WWF-Laos does not charge or accept a fee at any stage of the recruitment process
We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce

MONROVIA, Liberia (AP)

-- At least 26 African countries
will defy their continental
confederation and not vote for
Sheikh Salman of Bahrain in
the FIFA presidential election,
the out spoken head of the
Liberia soccer federation said
on Monday.
Musa Bility, who himself
failed an integrity check to
stand in the Feb. 26 election,
said he had spoken to
representatives of nearly half
of Confederation of African
Football members.
Let me tell you they
wont back Salman, Bility told
The Associated Press.
Liberia Football
Association President Bility
also said he had sent a letter
to the head of FIFAs election
committee demanding he
step down over a conflict
of interest. Domenico Scala
should resign because he has
the same Swiss nationality as
one of the candidates, UEFA
secretary general Gianni
Infantino, Bility said.
None of the admitted
candidates has raised this matter
to date, which makes it evident
that Mr. Scalas impartiality is
not put in question by any of
them, FIFA ad-hoc election
committee spokesman Andreas
Bantel said.
O n F r i d a y, S h e i k h
Salman, the Asian Football
Confederation president, was
publicly endorsed in the FIFA
election by CAF, apparently
a major boost to his chances.
CAF urged its 54 member
countries to vote for the
Bahraini royal.
Africa, with the largest
number of voting members
out of the continental
confederations, is set to be
a significant battleground in

the vote.
But Bilitys comments
followed assertions by some
of Salmans rival candidates
that an endorsement by
CAFs executive committee
does not translate into
widespread support among
the confederations member
countries.
As a nation we have the
right (to vote for who we
want), Bility said on Monday.
Our rights are not tied with
the rights of the executive
committee of CAF.
B i l i t y s a s s o c i a t i o n
announced in the hours after
CAFs public show of support
for Sheikh Salman that it would
instead be voting for Prince Ali
of Jordan. Prince Ali said Egypt
had also promised him its vote,
while South Sudan declared its
support for Infantino.
There are five candidates
in the running to succeed Sepp
Blatter. Salman, Infantino, Ali,
former FIFA official Jerome
Champagne of France and
South African businessman
Tokyo Sexwale. Salman and
Infantino appear to be the
strongest contenders.
Also on Monday, six
Central European federations
confirmed their support for
Infantino.
Austria, Czech Republic,
H u n g a r y, L i e c h t e n s t e i n ,
Poland, and Slovakia will
vote for the UEFA secretary
general, according to Austria
federation president Leo
Windtner.
Our candidate is Gianni
Infantino. Thats obvious.
We discussed it extensively
t o d a y, W i n d t n e r s a i d
following an annual meeting
of the six federations.
Windtner called on all
European federations to back

Infantino in the five-candidate

race.
Fact is that in the past
UEFA has not always acted
as a unity, has acted without a
clear strategy, Windtner said.
So it will be necessary to
act together toward the FIFA
congress as there are some very
respectable other candidates
from other confederations.
In January, UEFA gave
strong but not total support for
its secretary generals quest.
Infantino can count on a big
majority of the 53 European
federations for FIFA votes,
having served as their top
administrator since 2009.
However, Malta has said it
will vote for Prince Ali, who got
votes from across Europe when
he lost to Blatter 133-73 in
May, and other UEFA members
have publicly expressed doubts
about Infantino.
The six federations have
not yet discussed which
candidate would be their
second preference if Infantino
didnt make it beyond the first
round of voting.
A two-thirds majority of
eligible voters is required to
win in the first round, and a
simple majority will clinch
the presidency in subsequent
rounds.
Hungary federation
president Sandor Csanyi, a
UEFA executive committee
member, said he was sure that
during the first round Gianni
will be among the ones who
got the most votes so Gianni
will be in the second round.
The Central European
federations started their
annual meetings in 2012 to
exchange ideas on national and
international issues in football,
and strengthen their joint voice
in UEFA matters.

Its now or never for Leicester in

this odds-defying season
LONDON (AP) -- The wealth
of elite clubs and financial
restrictions on upstarts were
thought to be locking in the
established order in English
s o c c e r a n d s uppressing
ambition.
Just gatecrashing the Premier
Leagues top-four to gain access
to Champions League riches
seemed an impossible feat for
aspirational sides.
But a kaleidoscope has
shaken the worlds richest
football competition in a season,
defying not only the bookmakers
but logic as well.
After 25 games it still seems
unfathomable to have to delve
into the lower reaches of the
standings to find Chelsea in 13th
place from where the defending
champions are struggling to rise.
But it is the continued
presence of Leicester at the
summit to be cherished.
With predictable leaders in
Spain, Germany and France,
Leicester is reinforcing the
Premier Leagues status as
the worlds most engrossing
and competitive domestic
competition.
Leicester responds to each
prediction that its bubble will

Leicester Citys Robert Huth (centre left) facing away from camera,
celebrates with teammate Jamie Vardy after scoring during the
English Premier League match against Manchester City and
Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England,
Saturday.
--Photo AP

burst by producing results like

Saturday: Stunning Manchester
City 3-1 and sending the 2012
and 2014 champions sliding
to fourth.
Leicester winning the top
flight for the first time in May
would be the greatest title
triumph in English football
history. The Foxes started the
season as 5,000-1 title nohopers but are now 7-4 favorites
with some bookmakers.

Its either this year or

never, manager Claudio
Ranieri has told his players.
Adding to the state of
flux in England is Tottenham
occupying second place five
points behind Leicester - its
highest position at this stage of
the season for 31 years. Unlike
Leicester, the north London
club has been champion of
England, though only in 1951
and 1961.

Wednesday
February 10, 2016
28

Vientiane Times

Sports

LFIL score bronze in

Shanghai basketball
Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

he basketball coach
of Lyce Franais
International du Laos
(LFIL) in Vientiane
said they would use the
schools recent bronze medal
success in Shanghai, China to
further inspire young players.
The local high school
returned recently from the
Basketball Asia Cup for
French schools in the AsiaPacific region from January
28- 31 after finishing third.
LFIL Coach Ms Luangkhot
Beatrice told Vientiane Times
by telephone on Friday
that even though they only
managed third they were
happy considering it was
their first international
competition and the players
still lacked experience.
Basketball was one
of over 100 sports at the
games in China with 8
teams from 6 schools (Hong
Kong, Beijing, Shanghai,
S i n g a p o r e , To k y o , a n d
Vientiane) taking part over
3 days, the coach confirmed .
The schools basketball
team comprised 14 athletes
plus trainers giving young
people aged 14-15 the
opportunity to defend the
school colors and also to
promote team spirit and the
values of sport, she said.
It strengthened cultural
exchange between Lao

Vientiane muaylao fighters

cant wrest prize money
from officials
Sangkhomsay
Bubphanouvong

The schools medal and trophy.

students and players from

different countries and regions
in Asia, and also contributes
to promoting basketball, Ms
Luangkhot explained.
Everybody developed
their talent, potential and
ability to handle pressure in
this competition. So Im happy
that we came third, she added.
The team had been in
training for many months in
Vientiane before travelling

to China in readiness for

their opening match in the
basketball tournament.
The team gained new
skilful players as well as some
experience competing in the
secondary league last year.
Ms Luangkhot Beatrice
also explained the high school
had experienced athletes who
have competed at annual
Vientiane and Asean secondary
level track and field events.

The team returns with bronze medals.

Vientiane muaylao fighters

are currently still waiting
to receive their cash prizes
from Vientiane Administration
Office, which is not doing
much to inspire the martial
artists.
The prize money remains
outstanding after the muaylao
team won three medals at
the 10th National Games in
Oudomxay province way back
in December 2014, well over
a year ago.
Vientiane muaylao teams
trainer and Khuanchaysikhot
training camp head Mr
Kampanath Kounlavong
said according to Vientiane
Administrations Offices plan,
it was supposed to present the
cash prizes to the medalists
soon after they returned from
the 10th National Games in
Oudomxay province.
Mr Kampanath said the
citys muaylao fighters are
now either undecided or have
declared they will be unable to
represent Vientiane to compete
in the 11th National Games in
Xieng Khuang province at the
end of 2017.
Most of them appear
very unlikely to represent
the capital if the Vientiane
Administrations Office has
still not awarded the cash
prizes they fought for and won
at the previous national games
in Oudomxay.
Currently, the police
training camp has expressed
its interest in supporting
Khuanchaysikhot training
camps fighters to represent the
Ministry of Public Security for
the 11th games.
Of course, a big incentive
for Vientianes fighters to side
with law enforcement is that
the Ministry of Public Security
actually handed over the prize
money to its medal winning
athletes after the 2014 games.
Mr Kampanath was
confident that it is not only
the police team that will be
in the running to attract the
services of the medal-winning
Vientiane athletes but also the
muaylao teams of various other
provinces.

Mr Kampanath Kounlavong poses at Khuanchaysikhot training

camp in Vientiane. (File photo Phoonsab)

Khuanchaysikhot training
camp is among the most
favoured clubs in Vientiane
and attracts a number of very
talented martial artists, many
of whom compete against high
level fighters from Thailand
in friendly competitions each
year.
Furthermore, the
Khuanchaysikhot training camp
also boasts the best female
professional boxer of Laos Ms
Mina Kounlavong in the 55kg
division, who at 16 years old
is the first Lao WBC champion
for the Asian division.
Mina won a gold medal in
the womens 51kg muaylao
event at the 10th games in
Oudomxay and in the future
she will continue to vie in
the muaylao event at the
11th games in Xieng Khuang
province but Mina has yet to
decide who she will be boxing
for.
Currently, she is among
those who didnt receive her

cash prize from Vientiane

Administration Office
Other medalists and sports
trainers in Vientiane are also
still waiting for their cash
prizes after enjoying success
in Oudomxay.
Silver medalist in the
womens 2,000 metres middle
distance running event Ms
Kongkeo Sengdalavong said
she didnt get her cash prize
either and doesnt know when
she will.
She said before traveling to
the 10th games, the Vientiane
Administrations Office
promised successful athletes 5
million kip for gold, 3 million
kip for silver and 1 million
kip for bronze medals at the
games.
Ms Kongkeo was of the
opinion that many medal
winning athletes are not
interested in representing
Vientiane city anymore as its
officials are so reluctant to
reward their success.

American star Evie Stevens to attempt world hour record

(AP) -- Olympic cyclist
Evelyn Stevens will attempt
to break the world hour record
later this month at the recently
renovated velodrome at the
US Olympic training center in
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The distance traveled in
an hour is one of the most
hallowed challenges in cycling.
But only in the past couple
of years - since the sports
governing body, the UCI,
modernised and simplified

rules for an attempt - has

the record received renewed
interest from some of the
worlds best riders.
While attempting to break
the hour record is exciting for
me and my career, Im also
proud to help shine a light
on womens cycling, said
Stevens, who will make her
attempt on Feb. 22.
The current record of
46.882 kilometres was set by
Australias Bridie ODonnell

in Adelaide on Jan. 22. She

broke the mark of 46.273
set by American rider Molly
Shaffer Van Houweling last
September.
The previous womens
record, set by Dutchwoman
Leontien Van Moorsel, had
stood since 2003.
We are thrilled that Evie
is attempting to break this
very prestigious record here
in the United States, said
USA Cycling chief executive

Derek Boucchard-Hall, who

spearheaded the effort to add
a dome at the training center to
provide American cyclists with
a year-round facility. Having
one of our top American
athletes chase history under
our new Olympic training
centre velodome will be very
special.
Riders have been chasing
the hour record for decades.
But over time they began
to use such extreme bikes

that the UCI adopted rules in

2000 to curtail the technology,
creating in essence two
different records: the hour
record or athletes record,
in which riders were required
to use traditional bikes, and
the absolute record, which
had fewer limits on equipment.
The rule change was made
the records so convoluted
that few were willing to
attempt it. So in 2014, the
UCI backtracked and created

the unified record, allowing

riders to once again use modern
track bikes with disc wheels
and aerodynamic frames.
More than half a dozen
riders have taken a shot at the
mens record, including former
Tour de France champion
B r a d l e y Wi g g i n s , w h o
established a new benchmark
of 54.526 kilometres last June.
Now, Stevens will try to do
the same thing on the womens
side.