Le 1 Mars 2002

• Laos: International narcotics control strategy report (U.S. Department of State) --Laos was the world’s second largest producer of illicit opium, although its production lagged well behind Burma’s. For the 2001 growing season, the United States estimated Laos’ potential production at 210 metric tons
• Oxiana says IFC to fund Laos gold mine (Reuters/Yahoo! Asia or backup or here) --Oxiana Resources Ltd said on Friday the International Finance Corporation had approved a US$30 million debt financing package for the development of a gold mine in Laos... IFC, part of the World Bank, will take equity in
• Lao rural training center wins U.N. award (Xinhua NA/Northern LT or UNESCAP) --The Vientiane-based PDTC was picked out by a jury of regional experts in HRD and poverty reduction, according to an ESCAP announcement. The ESCAP HRD award, which is worth US$ 30,000, is designed to praise those
• Laos: Economic issues high on monthly cabinet meeting agenda (Laos NA or backup)
  In the first half of the 2001-2002 period, 38 projects for foreign investment worth US$ 412.56 million were approved. The projects have US$ 70.612 million in registered investment & create employment for 1,400 local people
• Foreign investors continue pouring money into Laos (Vietnam News Agency) --Laos has received more foreign investment with 38 projects worth US$ 413.5 million being licensed over the past five months from last October.  The country received in the meantime foreign aid worth US$ 164.46 million
• International Monetary Fund approves additional US$ 5.6 million credit for Laos (Vietnam NA) --International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a further disbursement of US$ 5.6 million for Laos at its Executive Board's 1st review of Laos' performance of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) held in Vientiane. 
• ASEAN U-17s Soccer C'ship: Malaysia go down to Laos in sudden-death shootout (The Star) --Laos sneaked into the final of the AFF Under-17 tournament by the narrowest of margins when they beat Malaysia 7-6 on sudden-death penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw at the MPPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya last night.
• Int'l expert meeting on floods warning system for Mekong River ends (Xinhua NA/Northern LT)--At the meeting, convened by MRC, over 70 international & Mekong Basin flood experts recommended on how the four countries in the Lower Mekong Basin, namely, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand & Vietnam, can develop the best

Le 2 Mars 2002

• America: Dr. Wagy to give slide presentation on People of Laos (Texarkana Gazette or backup) --Dr.Tom Wagy, Texas A&M University-Texarkana history professor, will give a slide presentation on The People of Laos at 2 p.m. Sunday in Room 108 of the Akin Building. Dr. Wagy teaches Asia in the 20th Century at
• ASEAN U-17s Soccer C'ship: Fleet-footed Myanmar all set to lift Under-17 title, [but they have to beat Laos] (The Star) --Fancied Myanmar are set to lift the inaugural Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) Under-17 championship title hands down when they face Laos in the final at the MPPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya at 7.45pm tonight.
• America: A funeral, at last -- Orange County relatives find little consolation at graveside (Orange County Register) --Other relatives grimly accepted the U.S. Army's official view that Crone, 21, was killed when a helicopter he was flying in exploded over Laos. Accepting his death or not, a brother and three sisters from Orange County stood
• Epidemic control: Meat from Britain ditched (Bangkok Post) --More than 70 tonnes of frozen chicken & pork meat imported from England without meeting quarantine requirements was destroyed in the Chiang Saen district... The meat, which was destined for Laos, was seized on Feb 15

Le 3 Mars 2002

• Malaysia finish fourth as Myanmar emerge triumphant [by beating Laos 4-1] (The Star)
  Myanmar emerged as the champions, beating Laos 4-1 in the final. Myanmar were undoubtedly the superior side in the 10-team competition. In the Group A matches, besides the thumping win over Malaysia, they also

Le 4 Mars 2002

• Laos: Human Rights Report, March 4, 2002 (U.S. Department of State)--Prisoners are abused & tortured, & prison conditions generally are extremely harsh & life threatening. Police used arbitrary arrest, detention, & surveillance. Lengthy pretrial detention & incommunicado detention
• Thai Fincl Cos to loan THB3B to Laos hydro-power project (Dow Jones/Yahoo! Asia or backup) --Six Thai financial institutions, led by Bangkok Bank PCL (H.BBK) and Siam Commercial Bank PCL (H.SBK), will lend 3 billion baht (US$1=THB43.678) to the operator of a hydro power project in Laos, a banking industry source
• Laos: New cement factory to open in Saravan province (Laos NA or backup)
  The Lao Govt recently gave the green light to Chinese investors to build the third Chinese-run cement factory in Saravan province... The new factory is 100% foreign invested & will use a US$ 30 million budget for its construction
• Vietnam, Laos enhance co-op for security (Vietnam NA) --Minister of Public Security Le Minh Huong and Lao Interior Minister Asang Laoly signed a number of documents on implementation of a cooperation
  agreement between the two ministries in 2002.
• Viet Party General Secretary welcomes Lao Interior Minister (Vietnam NA)--Manh praised the achievements obtained by the Lao people under the leadership of the Lao PRP in their national renewal, and improving people's life. He said he believed that the Lao fraternal people would gain more
• Waste dumps in Southeast Asia called threat to children's health (AP/The Star)
  Children picking through heaps of garbage are a common sight in poorer nations in the region, and dumps in Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam were called some of the most hazardous by participants at an international conference

Le 5 Mars 2002

• Mining gold in Laos where bombs once rained (New York Times or NY Times/AOL) --The earth here is suffused with metal — millions of ounces of gold, millions of tons of copper and thousands of pounds of very old, very live American bombs left over from the Vietnam War. "You factor it into everything you
• Unofficial results of Lao general election announced (Kyodo NS/AOL) --Lao authorities announced Tuesday unofficial results of the Feb. 24 general election for the country's 109-seat National Assembly after the end of vote counting... Four candidates including a deputy governor of Xieng Khuang
• Laos: Japan funds two primary schools in Sayabouly (Laos NA or backup) --Govt of Japan has agreed to provide a grant aid package...The construction of a primary school in Thana village, Sayabouly district will cost US$ 46,069 and US$ 46,403 will be used for the construction of a primary school in
• Laos: Narcotics Report, March 1, 2002 (U.S. Department of State) --Laos was the world’s second largest producer of illicit opium, although its production lagged well behind Burma’s. For the 2001 growing season, the U.S. estimated Laos’ potential production at 210 metric tons

Le 6 Mars 2002

• Laos: U.S. Embassy takes drugs issues to southern provinces (Laos NA or backup) --A U.S. Embassy delegation headed by First Secretary and Director of Narcotics Affairs Angela Dickey visited the southern provinces of Champassak, Savannakhet, Khammuan and Bolikhamsay.
• Lethal temptation of unexploded bombs in Laos (BBC News)--in video
• Teens need literacy lessons, too (USA Today/Yahoo! Asia) --These juniors and seniors, who come from Vietnam, China, Mexico, Laos and other countries, also are learning to read and comprehend difficult science texts written in English, a language that is not their native tongue.
• Myanmar protests over dead workers in Thailand (Reuters/Yahoo! Asia) --Several bodies carried Myanmar identification cards for entering Thailand via Mae Sot on the Thai-Myanmar border on March 2. Thailand is seen as a haven for poor labourers from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China
• Laos: Human Rights Report, March 4, 2002 (U.S. Department of State) --Prisoners are abused & tortured, & prison conditions generally are extremely harsh & life threatening. Police used arbitrary arrest, detention, & surveillance. Lengthy pretrial detention & incommunicado detention
• Laos: Narcotics Report, March 1, 2002 (U.S. Department of State) or our abbreviated version --Laos was the world’s second largest producer of illicit opium, although its production lagged well behind Burma’s. For the 2001 growing season, the U.S. estimated Laos’ potential production at 210 metric tons

Le 7 Mars 2002

• Laos: American over-simplication and European silence (Transnational Radical Party) --In the section on Laos in the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World published by the U.S. Department of State, there is a detailed analysis of the various forms of repression of the freedom of peaceful assembly
• Laos: Australian Immigration Minister pledges support for clamp-down on illegals (Laos NA or backup) --The Australian Govt has announced that it will help Laos to counter incidents of human trafficking and illegal immigration. The assistance will include the provision of training for Lao immigration officers both on the job
• Viet and Lao parties promote ideological and cultural co-op (Vietnam NA) --Lao delegation was led by Osakan Thamatheva, head of Propaganda Dept. The two sides informed each other of the socio-economic devt. in their respective countries, exchanged views on regional & international issues
• China, ASEAN officials to begin free trade talks April 1 (AP/Yahoo! or backup) --Senior officials from China and Southeast Asia will meet next month to map out the formation of the world's biggest free trade area... Long Yong Tu, China's trade negotiator, said the delegations will meet for four days starting
• Philippines benefiting most from ASEAN free trade zone: official (AFP/Yahoo! Asia or backup) --The Philippines, where firms are pleading for greater protection from regional competition, has benefited the most under a Southeast Asian free trade plan, ASEAN secretary general Rodolfo Severino said.

Le 4 Mars 2002

Le 4 Mars 2002

Le 11 Mars 2002

• In its water, Laos sees power to cut poverty (International Herald Tribune) --Sisavang says he dreams of a better future if a group of international investors & the Laotian govt go ahead with a plan to build a big hydroelectric power project near where he lives, at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.
• Chinese State Councilor meets Lao guests (Xinhua NA/Northern Light Tech)--Chinese State Councilor Luo Gan met in Beijing Monday with the visiting President of the People's Supreme Court of Laos, Khammy Sayavong, and his entourage. Luo said China attaches great importance to exchanges
• Aviation helps develop sub-regional tourism (Vietnam NA)--The civil aviation services from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia & Myanmar have worked out a long-term cooperation plan up to 2009, promoting links among the four countries as a springboard for regional tourist development.
• ASEAN finance ministers to meet in Myanmar April 6-7 (Vietnam NA) --Member countries of the ASEAN will provide financial services, including insurance, auditing and accounting services... The meeting will review the implementation of the Hanoi Plan of Action passed at the 1998 ASEAN

Le 12 Mars 2002

• Luang Prabang, Laos: Locals lose out as tourism booms (Asia Times) --Walking down Phothisarat street in the center of the old town of Luang Prabang is an odd experience. Every second person is a tourist and every second building a restaurant, shop, bakery or guest house, interspaced with
• Laos: wives of public servants found to be drug dealers (Laos NA or backup) --The Vientiane municipality Police Department recently announced that it had discovered that many wives of state employees, including police and soldiers, were involved in drug trafficking. The police department said that
• Laos: Teachers quit in Bolikhamsay (Laos NA or backup) --Many teachers have resigned from their jobs at schools in Bolikhamsay province due to hard living conditions, low pay & lack of teaching equipment, says the provincial Education Service. Officials say that
• Laos drugs fight threatened by lack of funding (BBC News)-- In Video...-- 
• Healthy communication -- Translators for patients who don't speak English often are in short supply (Anchorage Daily News)--Chong Vang moved his family to Anchorage because he thought the change in environment might help his wife's diabetes. When the family arrived from California five months ago, Vang and his wife, Ia Vue, went to
• Energy: Nepo upbeat about Mekong co-op (Bangkok Post) --Thailand had made bilateral electricity deals with Burma, Cambodia, Laos and China, said Piyasvasti Amranand, Nepo's secretary-general. Thailand is a major buyer while Burma, Laos and China export power generated by
• All not well in the ASEAN camp (Asia Times)--In 2002, the ASEAN will face some of their greatest challenges yet - not only shoring up their recoveries from a lingering economic downturn, but proving to the international community that the pledges they made years ago
• ASEAN private sector nixes new WTO round (Sun Star)--THE ASEAN private sector has rejected a new round of WTO negotiations that will open discussion on subjects not related to trade. In a paper distributed during the Asia Economic Summit in Kuala Lumpur last week

• Australian story: On their honour -- It's a saga with the ingredients of an international thriller (Australian BC) --Kerry & Kay Danes returned to Australia last year after ten harrowing months in an Asian jail. Kerry Danes was on extended leave from the Army when he took a job in Laos running a security company.
• America: 'A Saint on Earth' -- Laotian family mourns slain priest who rescued them (Newsday or backup) --Bullets riddled the Mekong River as Phengsy Phanithavong clung to the back of a tiny canoe that held her three daughters and drifted to freedom. They were fleeing their native Laos in 1978 for Thailand, where they spent
• Laos: More American MIAs to be sent home (Laos NA or here) --Laos handed over the remains and personal effects of Americans missing in action in Laos during the Indochina war to the U.S. Embassy at a ceremony held at Wattay Airport... FM Phongsavath Boupha presented the remains to
• Sweden gives US$ 900,000 in non-refundable aid to Laos (Vietnam NA or backup)--The Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) will grant a non-refundable aid worth US$ 900,000 to Laos' education service fund in Vientiane. The aid will be used in training doctors in justice, making
• Laos: ASEAN health ministers meet against "diseases of the rich" (Xinhua NA/Northern LT or backup) --Public health ministers of 10 members of the ASEAN meet Thursday in the Lao capital of Vientiane, starting a three-day discussion on how to prevent their population from the "diseases of the rich", the state-owned radio here

Le 4 Mars 2002

Le 4 Mars 2002

Le 4 Mars 2002