Le 1 Janvier 2002

• Laos Carelessness: Terrible scourge of road accidents in 2001 (Laos NA or backup)--In 2001, Vientiane municipality recorded a total of 2,115 cases, resulting in 212 deaths, 2000 injuries and over 300 vehicles being damaged. The cost was over three million kip. Last year there were 221 cases.
• Japan plans free trade with ASEAN (Associated Newspapers)--THE Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will propose establishing a comprehensive economic alliance, including a free-trade agreement, with Southeast Asian nations during his visit to the region in January.
• AFTA to come into force without much fanfare (Jakarta Post)--The ASEAN Free Trade Area, more widely known as AFTA, will come into force Tuesday without much fanfare, and with most people across the country unaware of the significance of the event.
• China says drug addiction up, fueling crime, spread of AIDS (AP/San Francisco Gate or backup)--China will cooperate more closely with Myanmar and Laos -- neighboring countries in the drug-producing "Golden Triangle." He said they would cooperate on drug seizures and in introducing crops to substitute for opium

Le 2 Janvier 2002

• Thai-Lao border trade expected to grow (Bangkok Post)--Trade volumes on the Thai-Lao border in the Northeast are expected to grow further this year, a senior central bank official said... Last year's border trade volumes were registered at 18.6 billion baht, a rise of 7.7% compared
• Laos: GDP reaches 6.4% in 2001, but trade deficit also up (Laos NA or backup)--The average annual per capita income of the Lao people also increased to 2.8 million kip or US$ 327, growing by 13% on 2000. In addition, the national export value for 2001 was US$ 325 million, an increase of 1%
• Hmong-American: Names capture Olmsted County baby's heritage (AP/Star Tribune)--Phenzong Anthony Moua was born at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday at Olmsted Medical Center. His parents decided on the Hmong first name & English middle name as a way to honor their native Laos & their new life in America
• Have you heard? Conference for Hmong students, parents (Charlotte Observer)--Hmong students and their parents are invited to the Hmong Youth and Education Conference 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Newton-Conover Civic and Performance Place, 60 W. Sixth St., Newton.
• America: Judge brought a positive attitude and energy to the bench (Star Tribune)--Cohen also has taken it upon himself to forge ties with St. Paul's Hmong community, attending countless meetings with Hmong elders to discuss points of friction between state laws and Hmong cultural traditions
• Asians wary of monetary union (International Herald Tribune)--Although Southeast Asia has moved further toward economic integration than any other part of Asia, it is wary of adopting a full currency union like the one introduced in Europe this week, officials say.

Le 3 Janvier 2002

• Laos says 2001 GDP up 6.4 pct yr/yr, below target (Reuters/AOL)--Communist Laos recorded 6.4% economic growth in 2001, slightly below its target of 7%... KPL said GDP growth in 2001 was fuelled by a 10 percent rise in industrial production production, 7% growth in the services sector
• Basin's main artery key to growth (Yomiuri Shimbun or backup) --EWEC is a transport infrastructure development project. It includes the improvement of National Road Route 9 running from Savannakhet in Laos to the Da Nang deep-sea port in Vietnam and the construction of a bridge over
• River of dreams for S.E. Asia (Yomiuri Shimbun or backup) --The Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia at 4,400 kilometers, is the spearhead of the rejuvenation of an entire region. From its source on the towering Tibetan Plateau, it meanders through China, Myanmar, Laos
• Electronic Commerce: Technology gap hinders ASEAN (Bangkok Post or backup) --The study shows that Singapore is the most advanced ASEAN member in development of electronic commerce... But the newest members, Cambodia, Laos, Burma & Vietnam, are in the early stages of e-commerce
• Lao-American: CU graduate understands the price of freedom more than most (Central Kentuckey News-Journal)--CC graduate Boon Vongsurith understands better than most. Growing up in a poor family of seven in his native Laos, Vongsurith dreamed of an education and a better life. The odds were against him, but "God was always
• Laos: One hundred road accidents tarnish New Year celebrations (Laos NA or backup) --100 road accidents in Vientiane municipality, resulting in six deaths and 101 injuries occurred over the period from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day 2002... 45 accidents occurred from December 30 to January 1.

Le 4 Janvier 2002

• Laos: Meet the CIA's greatest killer (Stuff magazine) --In 1961, Tony Poe & fellow agent Jack Shirley... were sent to the mountains of northern Laos to lend their talents to Operation Momentum.  The plan?  Organize thousands of primitive Laotian mountain tribesmen who are getting
• Luang Prabang: Sittin' on the Mekong (Kyodo NS/AOL) --There is no better place to watch the world go by now than in a spot that during Redding's heyday was perhaps as dangerous as any in the world -- the bank of the Mekong River just across the road from Luang Prabang's Koizumi to seek deeper economic ties with ASEAN members (Kyodo NS/AOL) --Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will appeal for the members of the ASEAN to build a comprehensive economic partnership with Japan during his five-nation trip starting next Wednesday, government sources said Friday. 

Le 5 Janvier 2002

• Easier access to baht loans for business -- Rule eased to boost role in five nations (Bangkok Post or backup) --Financial institutions can now lend baht to non-residents of Thailand for business purposes in 5 neighboring countries. The relaxation of a restriction by the Bank of Thailand applies to loans for business purposes in...

Le 6 Janvier 2002

• America: Mien return to roots for New Year -- The annual festival helps them preserve a traditional culture besieged by modernity (Sacramento Bee)
  He didn't want to live in limbo in a refugee camp in Thailand. He faced execution if he returned to his homeland in Laos, where he had helped the U.S. military fight the communists. So America it was. In 1976, Chao, now
• Koizumi to use ASEAN trip to strengthen Japan's influence in Asia (AFP/Yahoo! Singapore)
  Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will use a trip to southeast Asian nations this week to try to strengthen Tokyo's economic and political influence in the region in the face of China's growing clout. Koizumi will visit
• RI accuses neighbors of unfair trading (Jakarta Post or FT)
  On Friday, a mere four days after the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Indonesian govt accused three of its member nations of unfairly blocking the import of a number of Indonesian products.

Le 7 Janvier 2002

• Laos: Ministry says industry & handicrafts to boost GDP from 22% to 23% in 2002 (Laos NA or backup)
  As far as electricity is concerned, the country had a total installed capacity of 644 MW and generated 3.49 billion KW/h last year, a fall of 4.9 per cent if compared to the 1999-2000 period. The shortfall was blamed on the lower
• America -- Good politics: praising public safety workers (Pioneer Planet)
  Yang was 10 years old when he first met Straka, then a member of the Minnesota State Patrol and an albeit reluctant volunteer to newly formed Boy Scout Troop 94. The predominantly Hmong unit, based out of the housing
• Philippines to send delegation to ASEAN Tourism Forum (Asia Pulse/Yahoo! Singapore)
  The annual gathering of the ASEAN Travel Industry will involve all the tourism industry of the 10 member nations of ASEAN, among which are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar

Le 8 Janvier 2002

• Lecturer to face 'assault' charge (The Nation) --Pipat had confessed to the killing,...and police had submitted a complete investigative report on the case. Pipat initially fled to Laos, but returned and surrendered himself to police on October 2. He was later released on bail.

Le 9 Janvier 2002

• Golden Triangle: Rise in opium crops expected -- As Afghan war led to sharp drop in supply (Bangkok Post or backup) --Last year, only 8.4 million pills were seized nationally while the supply of heroin increased. Gen Pallop said it was believed a total of 61 speed pill factories had been set up across the border with 39 in Burma, 19 in Laos
• Massive public rally against drugs in Luang Prabang (Laos NA or backup)--Over 20,000 people converged on the football stadium in Luang Prabang to express their opposition to drug trade & abuse. Speaking at the rally, Luang Prabang Governor Chansy Phosikham pointed to the effects of drugs
• Burma and Laos: Lands beyond time (Zegrahm Expeditions) --18-day tour from Bangkok to Burma and Laos -- Cruise to Luang Prabang, once home to the royal family, filled with temples, markets and silversmiths -- View tribal villages and Buddhist caves of Pak Ou along the Mekong River
• ADB reorganization will benefit members through stronger country focus (Asian Devt. Bank) --Highlights of the reorganization are: Five regional departments - East and Central Asia, Mekong, Pacific, South Asia, and Southeast Asia - will replace the former broad division between East and West. Having more departments
• EGAT to buy power from Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos (Reuters/Yahoo! Singapore) --The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will sign a 25-year deal this month to buy $200 million a year of power from a planned dam in Laos, one of the dam's joint-venture partners said on Wednesday. 
• Thai Elec Generating to invest $100M in Laos power project (Dow Jones/Yahoo! Singapore or backup) --Thailand's Electricity Generating PCL (H.EGA) plans to invest around $100 million in the Nam Theun II hydropower generating project in Laos, the company's Managing Director Sitthiporn Ratanopas said Wednesday. 
• Lao-Thai: Power deal to be signed on Jan 17 (The Nation or backup) --The EGAT will finalise the controversial Nam Theun 2 dam project in Laos by signing a power-purchasing agreement with the project's owners next week. The initial agreement will be signed by Egat's governor

Le 10 Janvier 2002

• Communist government is closing Christian churches in Laos (N/A)Acrobat Reader Format --The Communist govt of Laos continues to crack down on Christians... The last reported incident happened in October 2001 when the Savannakhet authorities closed down three open churches in the Songkhone district.
• Vientiane suffers water shortages (Laos NA or backup)--Current water supplies are unable to meet the requirements of Vientiane municipality residents. Water can only be supplied to 67% of households, according to Daophet Bouapha, Lao Water Supply State Enterprise
• 3 Indochinese countries to hold 2nd unofficial summit (Kyodo NS/AOL) --Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia will hold a 2nd unofficial meeting of their prime ministers in Ho Chi Minh City later this month... In the meeting starting on Jan. 26, the 3 countries will likely discuss co-op on regional development
• Japan sorting out future relations with ASEAN (Xinhua NA) --Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made several proposals on Wednesday seeking better relations with members of the ASEAN, his spokesman said. During his hour-long meeting with Philippine Gloria Arroyo
• Plan to have a ranking system for ASEAN football (The Star)--The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) plan to introduce a ranking system for their 10 affiliates to facilitate selection of teams for major tournaments, among them the Asian Games in Pusan in September.

• Australian leaders celebrate 50 years of Lao-Australian relations, [but Lao govt is lukewarm] (Laos NA or From VT) --On the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Laos and Australia, President Khamtay Siphandone received a message of congratulations from Governor General of Australia Peter Hollingworth.
• Tour to Vang Vieng (Muang Lao magazine)--In the past, Vang Vieng which is located 156 km from the capital of Vientiane along road No. 13 north, road section between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, was called Muong Xong. Vang Vieng is surrounded with a magnificent view of mountains
• Eyewitness: Golden Triangle opium fields (BBC News) --The authorities in Thailand say drug lords in the so-called Golden Triangle - the border area of Thailand, Burma and Laos - are working hard for the dubious distinction of becoming the world's leading producers of heroin.
• Upper Mekong River countries hold anti-drug meeting (Xinhua NA/Northern LT) --Countries of the upper Mekong River region, including Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, are holding an joint meeting in northern Thailand in order to seek more co-op against the common threat of drugs, a local media
• Drug suppression: North still vulnerable (Bangkok Post) --Stricter measures are needed against drug smugglers in the North, even with closer co-op across the border... The drug production would decline as relations between Thailand and Burma, China and Laos improved.

• Friendship Bridge in name only -- Bridge linking Thailand, Laos divides, rather than unites, people of two nations (The Nation) --The Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge has yet to live up to its name. Instead it has became a political tool that continues to divide the people on both sides of the Mekong River, who are ethnically, linguistically and culturally linked
• Hmong-American: Hands-on high (Education Week) --Youa, a dark-eyed 17-year-old, still recalls fleeing persecution & fighting in her native Laos, more than a decade ago. Youa & her family seized their chance to escape the Communist country , slipping across the border to Thailand & literally running for their lives. “I remember this Thai guy was like an officer or something
• Drug suppression: Mekong study gets backing -- Waterway becomes key trafficking route (Bangkok Post or backup)--Burma & Laos are optimistic about plans by Thailand & China to study the geography of the Mekong river since the waterway has become a popular drug trafficking route. Anti-drugs chiefs in both countries said drug