Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times
 thursday february 14, 2013
The First National English Language Newspaper
ISSUE 038
ASEM Summit cars up for sale
Inside
Laos hosts regional
course on school
health, nutrition
page 2
Australia backs rice
cultivation in Laos
page 16
Times Reporters
The government is selling off
the luxury cars it purchased for
use by dignitaries attending the
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
Summit, which took place in
Vientiane in November.
Director General of
the Ministry of Finance’s
State Asset Department, Mr
Chanthanorm Phithasone, signed
an announcement yesterday on
the sale of 40 Mercedes Benz
Class 350 cars, 65 Mercedes
Benz E Class 350 cars, and 62
Toyota Camry 2.5 litre cars to
the public. All of the cars were
manufactured in 2012.
The government also
announced the sale of 15 used
Benz S Class 350 cars, which
were manufactured in 2004.
Officials decided to sell the
vehicles after serious discussion
over the best use of these cars,
which were purchased with
public tax money.
The government had
originally planned to keep the
cars for use by officials but
realised it was unacceptable
to use luxury vehicles while
urging civil servants and
members of the public not
to engage in conspicuous
c o n s u m p t i o n and to use
government money frugally.
All of the cars are now
page B
Times Reporters
Get hot news in Lao and
English from Vientiane Times
on your mobile phone via LTC,
ETL and Unitel networks.
Subscribe now!
For LTC Subscribers
Just send ‘R’ to 1135 for
news in English
For Unitel Subscribers Just send
‘ON’ to 929 for news in
English
‘ON L’ to 929 for news in Lao
For ETL subscribers type
‘ON’ and send to 2246
For more information phone
020 5607017
Office: 216364 or 217593
Police officers in the northern
province of Luang Namtha
confiscated a large quantity of
amphetamines at the river port
of Xiengkok on February 9, one
of the bigger seizures in the area.
According to a report from
provincial police, they seized
995 packs of amphetamines
containing an estimated
199,000 tablets, enough to
cause significant harm to a large
number of people.
Unfortunately the smugglers
were able to flee and avoid
apprehension, the police
reported.
Deputy Head of the Drug
Control and Supervision
Division of the provincial
Police Headquarters, Caption
Khonsavang Vilavang, told the
Vientiane Times yesterday the
street value of the drugs seized
has yet to be estimated but is
considerable.
He said the officers launched
a covert operation on the night
Notice
Vientiane Times wishes to inform our valued
customers that all payments should be made
through our bank accounts at BCEL.
Forestry
cover target
could be out
of reach
Times Reporters
The cars are available for inspection at the Government Office compound in Vientiane.
available for inspection at the
Government Office compound
in Vientiane. The prices range
from US$35,000 to US$119,000
depending on the model and year
of manufacture.
Price details can be obtained
at the State Asset Department.
Finance officials responsible for
the sale of the cars said prices
were fixed and could not be
bargained down. The cars were
much cheaper than comparable
models on sale in Vientiane
showrooms, they added.
Parties interested in buying
one of the cars are required
to fill in an application form,
which are also available at the
department.
The government spent
about 240 billion kip on the
ASEM Summit. Forty percent
of this amount, or 96 billion
kip, went towards the purchase
of vehicles.
Th e g o v er n men t als o
purchased a large number of
police cars, motorbikes and
minivans for the event.
Riverside drug bust in Luang Namtha
Khammuan trade
fair aims to drive
commercial growth
4500 kip
www.vientianetimes.la
of February 9 after receiving a
report from a concerned citizen
that a shipment of amphetamines
would pass through the port
in the Xiengkok area of Long
district.
“After being informed, we
closely followed the targets
and took action against them,”
Caption Khonsavang said.
“We are still investigating the
incident and searching for the
smugglers.”
Officers are still unable to
identify the source of the drugs
and where they were produced,
saying that an investigation is
still underway.
Most of the drugs smuggled
into the province in the past
were reported to have been
produced in the Golden Triangle
area where the borders of Laos,
Myanmar and Thailand meet.
The triangle area is notorious
for drug smuggling and
production as well as opium
poppy cultivation.
The February 9 crackdown
took place as the Lao National
Commission for Drug Control
and Supervision (LNCDC)
was ending its three-day annual
meeting in Vientiane yesterday.
Drug smuggling and
opium poppy cultivation are
increasingly pressing issues in
Laos, with widespread drug
abuse threatening social and
economic development and
the wellbeing of the younger
generation.
A report from the LNCDC
showed that 55,000 people in
Laos are at risk of becoming
drug addicts as the country is
increasingly being used as a
drug transit route, and domestic
opium poppy cultivation is on
the rise again.
Some 80 percent of drug
users in Laos take amphetamines,
while 20 percent use opium,
heroin, cannabis and other
substances, according to the
LNCDC.
“Despite the efforts made by
our officials to combat the drug
trade, there has been no impact
on the activities of drug dealers
in the country,” LNCDC Acting
Chairman Mr Kou Chansina said
at the meeting. A United Nations
aerial survey and Chinese
satellite pictures last year showed
that about 5,000 hectares of land
in Laos was used to cultivate
opium poppies, representing 3
percent of the global total area
under cultivation.
The LNDC report says
25 percent of the total global
area under poppy cultivation
is producing a potential 690
tonnes of opium, while Laos is
producing a potential 41 tonnes.
Laos was officially declared
to be opium free in 2006, but
the clandestine cultivation of
poppies continues in the north,
and is increasing by 20 to 30
percent every year.
From 2006 to 2012,
Southeast Asia has seen opium
poppy cultivation doubling.
Global opium production is
estimated to be about 7,000
tonnes in total, which is refined
and processed before being
shipped around the world.
Announcement
Registration: type ON and send to 2246
(US$) A/c 010 11 0100 397 809001
Interested people should contact: 021 217593
or (kip) A/c 010 11 0000 397 809001
Mobile: 020 55607017; 02028102625
Continued page 2
ÍçÖéÅèÈ Öà× ÍçÖéÀàÌÁíÌųÃ
LAO FREIGHT FORWARDER CO., LTD
Good news for ETL mobile phone subscribers
Vientiane Times and Enterprise Telecommunications
Lao (ETL) is now providing hot news in English
produced by Vientiane Times on mobile phones
through the ETL network.
The government will face
challenges in achieving forest
cover of 65 percent by 2015 as
targeted while certain segments
of society fail to understand
the need for the sustainable
management of resources.
Forested areas would
be significantly larger if
everyone acted responsibly in
protecting forests and realised
the importance of trees, the
Deputy Director General of
the Forestry Department, Mr
Khamphay Manivong, told
Vientiane Times on Tuesday.
Many people believe the
target figure for forest cover
could be achieved were it
not for the large number of
individuals and businesses who
have no concern for the future
and continue to cut down trees
at an alarming rate, despite
new regulations to encourage
reforestation, according to the
forestry authorities.
Some local authorities lack
effective measures to regulate
forested areas, while some are
in cahoots with unscrupulous
businessmen and engage in
illegal logging.
Forest cover currently
stands at almost 50 percent
or about 17 million hectares,
including reforested areas
and plantations, said Mr
Khamphay.
Forested areas have
increased since 2002 after
the government took steps to
raise awareness of the issue
among the younger generation.
Officials are working to
persuade every organisation
of the importance of forests and
green areas and are requiring
every development project
to undertake environmental
protection activities.
Mr Khamphay said that if
the forestry sector is unable to
gain the cooperation of other
agencies, and public apathy
and poor management persist,
the 65 percent target figure may
not be achieved.
Over the last decades of
the twentieth century, the loss
of forest land in Laos rapidly
increased due to various landuse practices, such as shifting
cultivation, commercial
- Offers transport, forwarding and packing of
all kinds of outgoing and incoming goods by
overland, river, air and sea.
-Worldwide Courier Express Service
Please contact us at:
Authorized Cargo Agent for:
Km 3 Thadeua Road,
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.laofreight.com
2
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Home news
Laos hosts regional course
on school health, nutrition
Bounfaeng Phaymanivong
School health and nutrition
experts and officials from
regional governments and
NGOs, especially the 10
Asean countries, are meeting
in Vientiane to strengthen their
partnerships in school-based
health.
The eight-day training
course emphasises health
and nutrition management in
schools and the importance of
controlling diseases such as
parasitic infections. It also aims
to raise the skill levels of the staff
involved with regard to school
health and nutrition activities.
Deputy Minister of Health
Dr Inlavanh Keobounphanh
said the ministry focuses
on disease prevention and
treatment as well as health
promotion, and has been
working with the Ministry of
Education and Sports to run
disease prevention campaigns
in schools since 2002.
“The ministry has developed
a framework to tackle parasitic
infections by focusing on
children of school age. They
need to be healthy and to have
sharp brains so they can develop
educationally,” she said.
“It’s commonly said that
healthy children will achieve
Mr Lytou Bouapao
delivers a speech at the start of
the training course in Vientiane.
good results in their studies and
are more likely to succeed,”
Dr Inlavanh told the meeting
participants.
She noted that the world
faces plenty of challenges with
many diseases and infections
threatening child health,
including malaria, parasites,
tuberculosis and diarrhoea.
“Many children eat nonnutritious foods, which causes
them to grow slowly. Many are
shorter than they should be and
are underweight. These are some
of the reasons why a growing
number of children drop out of
school,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Education
and Sports Mr Lytou Bouapao
said the ministry has strategic
plans in place to encourage
everyone to complete at least
secondary school education
between now and 2020.
“We are currently cooperating
with the Ministry of Health, our
development partners and nongovernment organisations in
health promotion in schools, and
have achieved quite impressive
results over the past years,” he
said.
Mr Lytou said several
challenges are hindering health
promotion, especially the fact
that children aged 6-14 are likely
to have soil-transmitted parasite
worms in their intestines.
“In general, the number
of people with worms
nationwide is considerable.
The situation in the northern
provinces is more serious
because people follow
traditional practices which
can compromise their health
and there are inadequate
medical services,” he added.
The Asian Centre of
International Parasite Control at
Mahidol University in Thailand,
the Japan Consortium for
Global School Health Research,
and the Partnership for Child
Development are all contributing
to the success of school health
programmes.
Forestry cover target could... from page 1
logging, commercial
agriculture, and tree plantations.
In 1982 forest cover was
11.6 million hectares or about
49 percent of the total land
area. In 1992 it was 11.1 million
hectares or 47 percent of the
land area, and by 2002 the
forested area had dropped
further to 9.8 million hectares
or 41.5 percent of the total.
This shows there was a
rapid decrease in forest cover
between 1992 and 2002 of
1.3 million hectares or about
5.5 percent, while from 1982
to 1992 the forested area lost
was 468,900 hectares or about
2 percent.
The area of dry dipterocarp
forest increased from 1.2
million hectares in 1982 to 1.3
million hectares in 2002 largely
due to unsustainable harvesting
and commercial logging.
The government has directed
ministries and other bodies to
postpone the granting of land
concessions for new industrial
tree plantations including
rubber and eucalyptus, and will
evaluate existing plantations in
terms of their relative benefit.
In the past, the granting
of land concessions by local
authorities without detailed
surveys being carried out
enabled some investors to
secretly encroach into National
Protected Areas and people’s
farmland.
Laos will be able to receive
more income from carbon credit
if forests can be developed more
sustainably in the future.
Lao Press in Foreign Languages
Vientiane Times
Established 1994, Volume 18
Tel: (856-21)216364, fax: (856-21)216365
tai.vttwebmaster@gmail.com
Supervisor:
Savankhone Razmountry
Editor-in-Chief:
Thongsavath Chansombath
Deputy Editor-in-Chief and
Managing Editor:
Thonglor Duangsavanh
Tel: 021 216364
lorlor55599@yahoo.com
Deputy Editor-in-Chief and News
Editor:
Phonekeo Vorakhoun
Mobile: 55599207
phonekeo@hotmail.com
News Deputy Editor:
Sisay Vilaysack
Mobile:55615716
vilaysacksisay@hotmail.com
Features Editor:
Phon Thikeo
Mobile:55624351
phonethikeo28@yahoo.com
Business Editor:
Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Tel: 217593, 020 55689209
Graphic Designer/IT:
Malaythong Phayanouvong
Tel: 217593, 020 55729209
Copy Sub-editor:
Elizabeth Winch
Tel: 217593
Finance Manager:
Oudom Souvannasinh
Tel: 252630
Marketing Manager:
Phoutthasack Inthakoummane
Mobile: 020 55599209
sale.adv@gmail.com
If you have a problem accessing the website,
please call directly to
Tel: +856-21 251617; 252629;
Email: tai.vttwebmaster@gmail.com
Higher standards mulled for
hydropower industry
Phaisythong Chandara
High level officials from
the energy and mines sector
met yesterday to discuss
improving technical
standards in the hydropower
industry.
A major goal of the meeting
was to ensure that the use
of natural resources in the
power sector is both safe and
sustainable, especially in
terms of ensuring minimal
environmental impacts.
Participants listened to a
presentation on the electricity
development framework, and
amendments to the law on
electricity in 2011, as well as the
standards and rules governing
the sector.
The participants also
learned about policies for the
development of hydropower
and promoting the use of
r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y, a n d
encouraging entrepreneurs
to implement projects more
efficiently by adhering to
the rules, laws and technical
standards.
Speaking at the meeting,
Deputy Minister of Energy
and Mines Mr Khammany
Inthirath asked for all
participants, especially
project developers and
business operators, to adhere
to technical standards during
construction.
“Discussions on the issue
must be clear in order to follow
the new draft of the electricity
Mr Khammany Inthirath addresses the meeting.
law relating to hydropower
plants of less than 15MW in
capacity. We must keep in mind
the Sam Sang (the Three Builds)
as this constitutes a pillarsbased approach, which means
that in addition to the national
level, the provinces, districts
and villages are receiving even
greater attention in terms of
people-centred development,”
he said.
Laos has made significant
progress in its development
and has become one of the
10 fastest growing economies
in the world, he noted, in part
because the government has
a sound strategy for the use
of natural resources in energy
generation and mining.
Laos has 22 hydroelectric
dams in operation, generating
3,226.9MW of energy and
another 27 plants under
construction, which will have
a total capacity of 5,613.8MW.
By 2016, Laos is expected
to have 47 dams in the planning
stage, which will provide
7,554.7MW of hydropower,
according to a report from the
Ministry of Energy and Mines.
T h e e n e rg y p r o d u c e d
should provide more
households with access to
electricity, which is currently
only available to 80 percent
of the population.
The government hopes new
hydro plants will boost this
figure to 85 percent by 2015 and
90 percent by 2020.
It is actively pursuing
renewable energy as a major
export commodity to help the
nation move off the UN’s list of
least developed countries.
Vientiane women benefit from life skills project
Phaisythong Chandara
Some 4,624 females aged
14-32 from poor families in
Vientiane and the provinces of
Luang Prabang, Xieng Khuang
and Huaphan are now better
informed after attending the
Legal Awareness and Life Skills
for Women project which began
last June.
This information was
announced at the project’s sixmonth review meeting which
was held yesterday in Vientiane.
Vientiane Women’s Union
Vice President Ms Liankham
Philaphanh, Programme
Coordinator for CARE
International in Laos Ms Nadine
Hoekman and other officials
were also present.
The meeting was cosponsored by the Vientiane
Women’s Union and CARE
International in Laos.
The project was supported
by AusAID under the AusAIDNGO Cooperation Programme,
aimed at providing assistance,
better information, vocational
training, education and advice
on reproductive health to
disadvantaged groups, with
a focus on women working
in restaurants, nightclubs and
factories.
Another major objective
was to promote the social and
legal empowerment of working
women, through reducing their
vulnerability to rights abuses,
with a focus on exploitation and
violence.
The project will use the
dual strategies of supporting
the empowerment of the target
women alongside capacity
building for government officials
responsible for achieving this
goal.
One major objective of the
programme is to raise awareness
of the problem of violence
against women, which requires
the participation of the general
public.
The project operates in
places where there are large
numbers of women, such as
entertainment venues and beer
shops, hotels, guesthouses,
rented accommodation and
factories.
Speaking at the meeting, the
Deputy Head of the Vientiane
Administration Office, Mr
Bounta Saengdavong, said the
project targets women with
limited skills who have moved
to Vientiane to earn money for
themselves and their families,
who may be drawn into the
illegal activity of prostitution.
These groups have been
identified as service women in
beer shops, female employees
in hotels and guesthouses
who live in low cost rental
accommodation, and women
who work in factories.
Women from these groups
are all identified as service
women who participate in
commercial sex either as their
principle job or as a supplement
to other work.
When participating in
these illegal activities they are
particularly vulnerable to rights
abuses and violence. The project
will work to develop clearer
profiles of these target groups
and improve understanding of
the factors influencing their
vulnerability.
This information can also
be used to counter stigma and
discriminatory attitudes. District
authorities said that about
2,000 women in Chanthabouly
district and 1,500-3,000 women
in Sikhottabong district are
vulnerable, according to a report
from the sector concerned.
The project complements
and builds on the work of the
government and international
agencies currently working
on related issues such as
the implementation of the
Law on the Protection and
Development of Women, antitrafficking interventions, and the
National Plan of Action against
the commercial and sexual
exploitation of children.
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Home news
3
Australian foreign minister to visit Laos
Australian Foreign Minister Mr Bob Carr will lead a delegation on a visit to Laos from
February 17-20 in response to an invitation from his Lao counterpart Dr Thongloun Sisoulith,
according to a press release from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Laos learns lessons from Japan on road
damage prevention
Phetsamone Chandala
Mr Sompong Soulivanh (left) and Mr Phillip Hazelton exchange documents after signing an agreement in
Vientiane.
Australian agency to help
regulate use of asbestos in Laos
Times Reporters
Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA
(Australian People for Health,
Education and Development
Abroad) will help Laos to
manage the use of asbestos in
industrial processing to reduce
the impact on people’s health.
An agreement for a data
collection survey on the impact
of asbestos was signed yesterday
in Vientiane between the
Mekong Regional Manager of
Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA,
Mr Phillip Hazelton, and the
Deputy Director of the Industry
and Handicraft Department, Mr
Sompong Soulivanh.
This assistance represents the
start of cooperation to regulate
the use of asbestos in Laos in
line with international principles.
The project will first focus
on collecting information to
raise awareness about the use
of asbestos among business
operators, and formulate
regulations. The next phase
will create a strategy as a tool
for implementation, said Mr
Somphong.
The first phase will run until
June, and Mr Somphong said he
believed more funding would be
forthcoming for the next stage.
Asbestos has been used in a
wide range of manufactured
goods, mostly in building
materials (roofing shingles,
ceiling and floor tiles,
paper products, and cement
Weather forecast
Clarification
The article headlined “Repairs to Road No. 13 North on a
roll” published in issue 037 on February 13 contains incorrect
information. The fourth paragraph states “These sections were
repaired previously using a US$3 million grant from the World
Bank, but the upgrade was of poor quality, so further repair
work was needed.”
We wish to point out that the sections previously upgraded
with World Bank financing are not in need of repair. The
Vientiane Times apologises for the misinformation.
products), friction products
(automobile clutch, brake,
and transmission parts), heatresistant fabrics, packaging,
gaskets, and coatings.
The mineral has been used
around the world for more than
2,000 years but its use grew
significantly in the 19th century
as industry expanded.
Today, scientists believe
that asbestos represents a severe
danger to human health. It affects
the respiratory system and lungs
and leads to lung cancer, Mr
Somphong said.
Researchers are now finding
new materials to replace asbestos
and many countries have stopped
using it altogether.
However, if a country stops
using asbestos in industrial
processing, cooperation from
neighbouring countries is
required so that contamination
from this harmful mineral does
not cross borders.
Laos uses asbestos in the
manufacture of roofing tiles, with
the material mostly imported
from Russia and Kazakstan since
2002, Mr Somphong said.
Laos imports a kind of
asbestos called Chrysotile,
buying about 5,300 tonnes
annually for supply to 13
factories. APHEDA is the
Humanitarian Aid Agency
of the Australian Council of
Trade Unions. It was founded
in 1984 and has been working
in Laos since 2001.
The agency focuses on decent
work conditions, occupational
health and safety, vocational
training for women through the
Lao Women’s Union, trade union
capacity building, and teacher
training.
T h e Wo r l d H e a l t h
Organisation estimates that
107,000 people globally die
globally from asbestos-related
diseases, said Mr Hazelton.
About 54 countries have
banned asbestos. China’s
Hong Kong will ban it
this year, Taiwan will ban
roofing sheets containing the
mineral from this month, and
Thailand and Malaysia are
considering banning asbestos.
Oman banned asbestos in
2001, Egypt and Honduras in
2004, Jordan in 2005, and South
Africa in 2008.
Laos is studying road damage
prevention technology from
Japan after the country’s roads
have suffered in recent years
due to weather extremes, notably
flooding, heat and landslides.
Deputy Minister of
Public Works and Transport,
Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong,
said yesterday at a seminar
in Vientiane that Laos is rich
in natural resources and that
economic development has been
growing at a continuous and
steady space.
But Laos is one of the more
vulnerable countries in the region
in terms of natural disasters and
has suffered extensive damage
recently.
In 2011, the country was
severely impacted by flooding
caused by typhoons Haima and
Nock-ten. More than 400,000
people were affected and 42
people were killed.
There was substantial
damage to infrastructure
in important sectors such as
agriculture, public works,
transport, education, health,
tourism, trade and industry, all
of which amounted to more than
1.764 trillion kip, or US$220
million.
However, in recent years
various international arterial
roads such as the Asia highway
and the GMS economic corridor
have been built through Laos.
These road networks contribute
to an efficient supply chain not
Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong (left) speaks at the seminar.
only in Indochina, but in other
Asian countries including Japan.
Laos is located in the centre
of the main road network in
Indochina, and is expected to play
an important role in this region,
but 80 percent of the country
is mountainous. This means
that hillsides and embankments
collapse and landslides occur
frequently, especially in the rainy
season.
Such incidents have affected
the country’s economy, not to
mention the tragic loss of life.
For instance, in August 2011
many large scale slope failures
occurred along Road No.13
North, which links Vientiane
to Luang Prabang province.
These severely hampered
logistics and tourism and made
life difficult for local residents.
The cost of infrastructure
recovery resulting from such
disasters is huge, and hampers
the country’s socio-economic
development and poverty
eradication.
In the future it would seem
likely that, as a result of climate
change, such incidents may
happen more frequently and
more extensively. Therefore,
steps must be taken now to
prevent further damage
by utilising appropriate and
effective technology.
The seminar enabled
participants to learn about the
use of Japanese technology in
this field and to deepen mutual
understanding and cooperation
between Japan and Laos.
The seminar was hosted by
the Japanese Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and
Tourism and was attended and
supported by the JICA Laos
Office.
The Japanese Ministry’s
Road Bureau Deputy Director
General, Mr Isamu Bito, also
attended the talk.
in opium poppy cultivation,
the meeting suggested building
more understanding among
target groups about government
policy and regulations. The
dangers of drugs are a major
issue and alternative job
creation strategies need to be
put in place.
The meeting participants
praised the decision taken by
the leaders of Khammuan,
Attapeu, Xieng Khuang and
Saravan provinces to use their
own budgets to set up drug
treatment and rehabilitation
centres.
“This reflects their concern
and humanity towards the
young people who fall victim to
drugs, by treating them so they
can live a normal life again,” the
participants observed.
Rehabilitation centres
should continue to take
responsibility for treating and
rehabilitating serious drug
addicts, it was noted, while
the suggested treatment for
people at risk of addiction is
the supervision and support of
their families.
Regarding some
rehabilitation centres that
provide poor services, meeting
participants recommended
that local authorities improve
their administration and
management, and provide them
with the necessary medical
equipment in order to gain the
trust of parents so they allow
their children to be treated there.
The meeting participants
highly valued the achievements
made by the police and customs
officials in using legal measures
to combat drug trafficking over
the past year, while encouraging
them to continue in this task.
For border liaison offices
to be effective, the meeting
participants suggested that the
LNDC and drug suppression
police department appoint
their officials to oversee the
offices’ activities, and collect
information as a reference for
improvement.
Meeting participants
included officials from the
LNDC at the provincial level,
and representatives from
various ministries and related
sectors at the central and local
levels.
They also discussed the
role of drug research centres,
the establishment of provincial
drug prevention funds and their
activities, and the improvement
of LNDC offices.
Drug control officials voice concern over
growing narcotics trade
Times Reporters
Drug control officials are
concerned about the rise
in opium production, drug
trafficking and drug abuse in the
country, which is increasingly
becoming a transit route for
illicit trade.
Officials highlighted the
fact in the minutes of the threeday annual meeting on drug
control and supervision for
2012 which ended yesterday.
Acting chairman of the
Lao National Commission for
Drug Control and Supervision
(LNDC) Mr Kou Chansina
chaired the meeting.
“The meeting is concerned
about the rise in opium poppy
cultivation in some of the
country’s northern provinces
over the past year, while the
use of amphetamines and other
narcotic drugs, the trafficking
and transit of narcotic drugs and
precursor chemicals through the
country is also on the rise,” the
minutes noted.
Drug control and supervision
officials at all levels were asked
to double their efforts and be
extra vigilant in combating and
preventing trafficking.
To prevent further increases
4 Home news
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
City electricians need to show
a bit more spark
Khonesavanh Latsaphao
People walking along
Setthathirath Road want
Vientiane’s electricians to
properly insulate the electrical
wires that power the street
lights, as some of them are
currently hanging out of the
poles and putting people in
danger.
One instance brought to
the attention of this reporter
yesterday morning was the
street light outside the offices of
the Vientiane Mai newspaper,
which has live wires hanging
out. To make matters worse the
insulation tape protecting them
is deteriorating.
This footpath is used by
thousands of locals and foreign
visitors every day on their
way to the numerous shops
and restaurants in the area.
Several newspapers have their
offices on this street and the
area is frequented by officials,
journalists, bank staff and
members of the public.
As it stands, they are all at
risk of accidental electrocution
at any time, especially if it starts
to rain. Some people using
the footpath told Vientiane
Times on Wednesday they had
noticed that the electrical tape
was torn on Tuesday evening,
and it’s lucky that no one has
been injured or killed by an
electrical short.
Local man Mr Ting, who
usually buys lunch at the Nam
Phou fountain, said that when
he noticed the live wire hanging
News in Brief
Education standards improve in Luang Prabang
Education in many districts in Luang Prabang has made significant progress both
quantitatively and qualitatively, according to a report from a provincial education and
sports department official.
Teachers in primary and secondary schools have received training and the province has
obtained support from the government and overseas donors to improve its education
standards.
More schools have been built, paving the way for an increase in the number of students
and teachers, as well as overall growth in education around the province.
An announcement that Phoukhoun district had become illiteracy-free was considered to
be the most outstanding achievement in education in the 2011-2012 academic year.
However, even though numerous secondary school teachers have been trained, there is
still a large gap in educational development between urban and rural areas, the official
reported.
Currently, the number of classrooms in kindergartens stands at over 400, and
accommodate more than 9,400 children. The number of primary school classrooms
totals more than 2,280, containing about 70,000 children. Secondary schools have 769
classrooms accommodating over 38,000 students.
New river bridge to be built in Saravan
A lamppost on Setthathirath Road outside the Vientiane Mai newspaper
offices, with the wiring hanging out.
out of the pole he called the
Vientiane electrical authority
who said they would fix it
instantly.
He advised other people
using the path to call the relevant
officials on their office phone
no: 212808 if it isn’t repaired
as promised.
People should call
Vi e n t i a n e ’s e l e c t r i c i a n s
whenever they see wiring which
is damaged or broken, Mr Ting
said, but don’t lie to them, he
cautioned, otherwise they will
get angry.
Some other people
commented that electricians
should never leave wiring
hanging out of poles even if it
is properly insulated, because
there is still the risk that someone
could get hurt.
The rainy season will
arrive in the next few months,
and if the wires on street
lights are not placed back
inside the poles, people run
the risk of being electrocuted,
they said.
The electricity could easily
conduct through puddles of
water on the ground, meaning
people wouldn’t even have to
brush up against the poles to be
hurt or killed.
The construction of a bridge across the Xedone River in Taopoun village in Saravan
district, Saravan province, will soon begin and is set for completion in 2017.
A contract for the project was signed by provincial Public Works and Transport
Department Director Mr Saengdalith Kittiyasack and Heuangsong Construction
Company Director Mr Khammuan Payasan.
The concrete bridge will be 163 metres long and 10 metres wide and will have a
footpath and railings. The bridge is expected to cost 37.9 billion kip, which the
contractor will pay up front and the government will pay back later.
The bridge will facilitate transport, trade and business for the people of Taopoun,
Nongboua and Pa-ai villages.
Saravan spurs villages along development path
Saravan provincial authorities plan to encourage all villages to work towards model
cultural village status and become drug-free communities within the next three years.
To achieve these goals, provincial authorities will improve public health services,
education, agriculture and overall socio-economic development, a local media report
said.
This year local authorities will hold a workshop on natural disaster management, after
many areas of the province were affected by flooding and unseasonal dry weather in
recent years, which resulted in loss of life and damage to crops.
So far, more than 1,000 families in the province have been declared as cultural models.
CARE International in Lao P.D.R
Short Term Consultant
CARE International in Lao PDR is seeking applications for a consultant to carry out a
Linking UXO clearance to livelihood activities - lessons learned: Consultancy
with CARE International in Lao PDR as follows:
Project Background
CARE Laos is operating in Laos since 1992 and is line managed through CARE Australia. CARE works
wherever there is a need and wherever we can assist. We abhor discrimination on the grounds of race,
gender, age and political or religious beliefs. CARE currently works in 5 offices across Laos PDR.
Duties
The key purpose is to document lessons learned for integration of livelihoods and UXO clearance from
CARE, LANGOCA partners, UXO clearance partners, government offices (e.g. the NRA – National
Regulatory Board). This includes a document review; stakeholder identification, brief field visits to
stakeholders in Khammoun and Sekong provinces; field visits - to meet with relevant agencies linking
UXO clearance to livelihoods; meetings with relevant government and agency departments in Vientiane;
documentation; presentation of findings to relevant partners in Vientiane.
Roles and responsibilities
In consultation with CARE staff, the consultant is responsible for:
• Refining the research methodology
• Implementing the agreed methodology
• Analysing data /information achieved
• Documenting /reporting in English
• Presenting the results to stakeholders in Vientiane
7. Selection criteria
Experience
At least 3 years experience in development and/or humanitarian response programming, with a focus on SE Asia preferable.
Demonstrated research and reporting skills
Experiences linked to Lao UXO issue desirable (could be indirect e.g. doing research related to an area where UXO contamination was an influencing factor).
Qualification
Relevant post graduate qualifications
Technical skills
Research, survey (e.g. PRA), stakeholder interviews (ranging from field level to
national level stakeholders), report writing, presentation
Language
Excellent written and spoken English language skills.
Experience in Lao PDR and Lao language skills are desirable
References
A minimum of two referee contacts who have managed the proposed consultant
previously Expected Outputs: Report on the findings of the research; Presentation of findings to relevant partners in Vientiane
Timeframe:. 13 days starting on 10th March. (Final report 19th April)
How to apply: Please request the full TOR from: CARE-LAO Head office in Vientiane, CARE Laos,
PO Box 4328, 329/25 Sibounheuang Road, Ban Sibounheuang, Vientiane, Tel: 021 217727 ext 124 Or
e-mail to request: info@carelaos.org Deadline for application submissions is COB 26th February 2012
Position: Business Development Manager (Assistant Manager)
Job Description
The Business Development Manager will be responsible for account
coordination and relation of NTT clients and partners in Lao PDR (including
marketing, selling, delivery, and support).
Role / Responsibility
- Act as market and business intelligence by performing detailed analysis
and explanation of account management, sales report, market trend
and situation, and budgeting.
- Support sales activity i.e. vendor sourcing, recommending, and justifying
the solutions and pricing.
- Monitor the execution of customer order and service delivery.
- Manage long term relationship with our clients and partners
- Execute the activities directed by NTT H/Q
- Be responsible to make over 100 % revenue contribution of the
Company's target.
Qualifications
- Male/Female with Lao nationality
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or Engineering.
- 5-7 Year experience in field of sales, marketing, business development,
and engineering. Background experiences in IT, system integrator, and
telecom industry will be advantage.
- Good command and communications in Japanese, English and Thai.
- Strong analytical skills and strategic planning.
- Strong and well discipline, initiative, self-motivated, high responsibility,
and can work under minimum supervision and independent.
Contact
- Company name: NTT Communications (Thailand) Co., Ltd [Vientiane
Representative Office]
- Office address: 4 th Floor, Alounmai Tower, 23 Singha Road, Nongborn
Village,
Saysettha District, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
- Telephone: (856)21-455-082 (Vientiane office) , (66)22-36-7227
Mail : vte-all@ntt.co.th
How to apply: send resume by email (vte-all@ntt.co.th)
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Minister of
Science and
Technology Prof.
Dr Boviengkham
Vongdara (right)
presents a gift
to the Rector
of Savannakhet
University,
Associate Professor
Dr Bounnhong
Keorodom during
a working visit
to the university
recently. The two
men briefed each
other on their goals
and discussed
possible areas
of cooperation
between the
ministry and the
university.
Popular singer from Indee Records Tee Oudalai and friends gather on February 10 to provide food
and sweets for visually impaired children at the Ophthalmology Centre in Thongpong village,
Sikhottabong district, sharing their love and providing entertainment to mark Valentine’s Day.
The singer urged members of the public to also share a bit of their love with these people to
encourage them and bring them some happiness.
Photo news
Senior Lao officials yesterday stand with guest lecturers and trainees at the 2nd Annual Training
Course on School Health and Nutrition in Southeast Asia. More than 40 delegates from 10 nations
are attending the eight-day training course.
The people of Ilay village in Naxaithong district yesterday cook food at the village pillar for
the guardian spirits of their village. They believe this will protect them from bad luck and bring
fortune, especially when offered on this day in the lunar calendar.
--Photo Bounthan
Vientiane Times Reader Survey
Vacancy Announcement
Receptionist
Oji Lao Plantation Forest co., Ltd (LPFL) is a Lao Joint Venture company, and is
expanding, establishing hardwood tree plantations in Bolikhamsai and Khammouane
Provinces.
A full-time vacancy has arisen for a Lao National with knowledge of Administrative
positioning to join our hard working team, based in LPFL Head Vientiane Office.
Tasks will include:
 Greets visitors and inquires as to their business at the company, directing them
to appropriate personnel.
 Dealing with in-coming and out-going communication (telephone, letter, fax)
 Checking incoming utility bills and delivered to financial section
 Car, hotel and air ticket arrangements for company expert staffs and guests
 Maintenance filing systems;
 Keeps records of staff leave and reports this information to administration
periodically.
 Inventories store room and order suppliers.
 Assist the Administration and HR works.
 Dealing with Insurance Company for insurance claim issue.
 Managing the efficient day-to-day operation of the Vientiane Office.
 Other relevant tasks as and when required.
Skills/Knowledge required:
 Formal qualification in office or business administration; Bachelor degree of
further training is advantage
 Competent computer skills including proficiency in Word, Excel and Power Point;
 Fluent in both oral and written English or Japanese is advantage
 Good personality and willing to work in team
Suitably qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.
Please send your CV and a covering letter to:
Oji Lao Plantation Forest Co., Ltd
Attention: Ms Niphavanh KEOVILAY,
Sisattanak District, Vientiane PO BOX 8832
Tel: 021-353511-4; Fax: 021-452260, Email: niphavanh@lpfl.la.
Closing date for applications is 25th of February 2013. We regret that only candidates
selected for interview will be contacted.
5
‘Now is the winter of our discontent…’
Please help us make a ‘glorious summer’ by letting us have
your comments and suggestions. The Vientiane Times is your
newspaper so here is your chance to improve it.
We would like to know what you like and/or don’t like about the
newspaper. So we need your response to the following:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. Do you read the newspaper for its international news, Lao news or
for another reason, and if so what?
Apart from the headlines on the front page, what do you read first?
Which sections would you like to see expanded or reduced?
Are there any new sections you would like to see?
Are you satisfied with our existing page size or would you prefer a larger
broadsheet format?
Please tell us if our use of English is to your liking, acceptable or
unsatisfactory.
What are you most interested in with respect to world news, entertainment
and sports?
Have you any comments on the following services: Website and
online news; cell phone SMS news; newspaper delivery; advertising;
subscriptions.
The Editorial Committee is grateful for your support. To thank you for
helping us by responding to this survey we will give you a Vientiane Times
bag and calendar.
Please send your comments to our office at the corner of Pangkham
and Setthathirath Roads, or by post to Vientiane Times, P.O. Box 5723,
Vientiane. Or call us on 021-216364 or fax 021-216365.
Or email: lorlor55599@yahoo.com.
This questionnaire is also available on our website www.vientianetimes.la.
6
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Region
Indonesia appeals nuclear
powers to back regional
nuke-free zone
J A K A RTA ( X i n h u a ) - Indonesian Foreign Minister
Marty Natalegawa called
on nuclear-weapon states
to formally accede to the
Protocol of the Southeast
Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty as
a concrete step to maintain
Southeast Asia free of nuclear
arsenals on Tuesday.
The SEANWFZ treaty
signed in 1995 in Bangkok
commits the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN)’s 10 member states
“not to develop, manufacture
or otherwise acquire, possess
or have control over atomic
weapons,” and it prohibits
the storage and transfer of
such armaments in ASEAN
states.
ASEAN’s Brunei ratified
the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
at the beginning of this
year, leaving Myanmar and
Thailand the only two yet to
ratify CTBT.
The SEANWFZ treaty
includes a protocol under
which the five declared
nuclear-weapon states, namely
China, the United States,
France, Russia and the United
Kingdom undertake to respect
the Treaty and rule out the use
of nuclear weapons to attack
or pressure treaty member
nations.
“Since the signing of the
Treaty, ASEAN has engaged
nuclear- weapon states in
negotiations toward their
accession to the Treaty’ s
Protocol,” Minister Marty said
when delivering his opening
address at a regional seminar
on maintaining a Southeast
Asia region free of nuclear
weapons.
Marty said after a 10-year
impasse, the negotiations of
the revised Protocol were
concluded in 2011 during
Indonesia’s tenure as chair of
ASEAN.
The negotiations between
the ASEAN and the nuclearweapon states on the protocol
have been ongoing since May
2001. However, none of the
nuclear-weapon states have
formally signed this protocol.
“The reservations or
declarations to the Protocol of
the SEANWFZ Treaty should
not become a constraint that
would hamper the achievement
of the signing of the Protocol
of SEANWFZ Treaty by all
nuclear-weapon states,” Marty
said.
Sri Lanka wants to maintain
good ties with EU
COLOMBO (Xinhua) -- The
Sri Lankan government said
on Wednesday it still wants
to maintain good ties with the
European Union (EU) even as
the EU is expected to back a
resolution against the island
nation at the UN Human
Rights Council (UNHRC)
sessions in Geneva later this
month.
The Sri Lankan External
Affairs Ministry quoting
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to
Belgium P.M. Amza, said that
as sovereign nation states,
Europe and Sri Lanka may take
different paths to achieve the
same goals of good governance,
social justice, equity and
stability but the resolve to
strengthen the existing relations
and move forward remains
undiminished.
“Sri Lanka’s relations with
the Europe is closely linked to
over 400 years of European
presence in Sri Lanka. The
vibrant cultural, social,
educational and livelihood
affiliations that exists even
to date, speaks volumes,” the
ambassador said.
As a measure to force
Sri Lanka to expedite the
implementation of the pledges
given on reconciliation, the
United States will sponsor a
procedural resolution against
Sri Lanka at the upcoming
UNHRC Sessions in Geneva
later this month.
While recognising that Sri
Lanka had made some progress
since the adoption of the USsponsored resolution by the
UN in March 2012, the United
States said it believes more
needed to be done.
Despite the Sri Lankan
government remaining firm
that it will not welcome the
resolution and will deal with
it accordingly, the procedural
resolution is expected to be
backed by some countries
including the United Kingdom.
Philippine president inks
anti-trafficking law
MANILA (Xinhua) -Philippine President Benigno
S. Aquino III has approved the
“Expanded Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act of 2012,” a senior
official said Wednesday.
Presidential Spokesman
Edwin Lacierda hoped the
passage of the law will remove
the Philippines from the US
watch list.
“This (human trafficking)
is a concern and a priority
Vacancy Announcement (Re-Advertised)
Field Communication Specialist, IMIS No. 71955 Level: (NO-C)
Luang-Namtha Province
of our president and this
measure will be enforced by the
different agencies especially the
Department of Justice as well as
our police agencies,” he said.
In the State Department’s
Trafficking in Persons Report
2012, the Philippines was
placed under Tier 2, which
means the government did
not fully comply with the
Trafficking Victims Protection
Act’s minimum standards,
but was making significant
efforts to bring the country
into compliance with those
standards.
Aquino signed the new law
or Republic Act No. 10364 on
Feb. 6 this year.
The law provides for stiffer
penalties against those who
would violate it and required
the development of a protective
and rehabilitative programs for
trafficked persons.
In brief from Asia
News Network
Security beefed up in
Chiang Mai
THAILAND (The Nation)
-- Security has been
strengthened in Chiang
Mai following warnings of
a planned terrorist attack
against the US Consulate,
Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra said on Tuesday.
“The United States has not
requested extra measures
but Thailand will take every
precaution,” she said.
Deputy Prime Minister
Chalerm Yoobamrung
said he instructed
Provincial Police Region 5
commissioner Lt-General
Suthep Detraksa to ensure
security and monitor for any
suspicious activity since last
Wednesday.
Myanmar in
negotiation with S.
Korea to send workers
MYANMAR (Eleven
Media) -- Myanmar is
negotiating with South
Korea about sending
female workers under the
Employment Permit System
(EPS). Once finalized
the Ministry of Labor,
Employment and Social
Security will pen agreement
and send the female workers
during fifth time recruitment,
Thet Naing Oo, Deputy
Director General of the
Ministry said.
Vacancy Announcement (Re-Advertised)
Sr. Supply Assistant, IMIS No. 2176 Level: (GS-7)
UNICEF Vientiane, Lao-PDR
UNICEF is a UN organization mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet
their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In Lao PDR, UNICEF is working with its partners to
support the Government to realize children’s rights on survival, development, protection and participation.
UNICEF is a UN organization mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet
their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In Lao PDR, UNICEF is working with its partners to
support the Government to realize children’s rights on survival, development, protection and participation.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vientiane, Lao PDR, requires an experienced and qualified Lao National to fill the
position of Field Communication Specialist, IMIS No. 71955 at (NO-C) level to be based in Luang-Namtha Province.
Duties and responsibilities:
Under the supervision of the (P-4) Chief of Communication, the incumbent will be accountable for the development, design, planning
and implementation of the communication strategy for the sub-office., The incumbent may be assigned the primary, shared, or
contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vientiane, Lao PDR, requires an experienced and qualified Lao National to fill the
position of Sr. Supply Assistant, IMIS No. 2176 at (GS-7) level to be based in our office in Vientiane, Lao-PDR.
1). Qualitative M&E approaches piloted and ‘voices’ of children, families and duty bearers captured for advocacy and to
deepen understanding of social change in communities:
- Support the development of qualitative M&E methods to complement conventional indicators and traditional M&E methods.
These methods should track longitudinal change, interrelationships between stakeholders, changes in power structures within
local communities, identify cases of positive deviance and unintended change. Methodologies to explore include: most significant
change, focused case studies and stories, community monitoring –video youth reporters.
- Analyze and use the results to develop advocacy and communication materials in consultation with the Communication team
and the Social Policy team in Vientiane.
2). Strengthened convergence between government, partners and UNICEF monitoring frameworks with a focus on equity:
- Strengthen government’s capacity to collect, analyze and use disaggregated data from field monitoring visits, reports, surveys
to influence key local planning and budget processes.
- Together with the Health Officer (field), monitor the cross cutting programme component results for programme convergence
on Early Childhood Care and Development with a focus on gender, age, poverty rating, ethnicity. Support analysis of results and
identify actions to improve programme implementation and share with the Social Policy Specialist (field) to support reporting
at monthly Programme Coordination Committee meetings.
3). Collaboration between service providers (schools, health centres), line departments, local government officials and
communities to identify, address and monitor the bottlenecks in service delivery strengthened:
- Identify and support forums for analysis and use of data to identify families and children not accessing key social services or
vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, violence, neglect or discrimination. Support analysis of data and development of local action
plans and monitoring processes.
- Identify and document the stories of inspiring local leaders and support peer-to-peer learning processes.
4). Local planning processes influenced by strengthened collaboration among multi sectoral stakeholders at village, kumban,
district and province level:
- With the Social Policy Specialist (field), strengthen the capacity of multi sectoral stakeholders in the use of data to develop
strategic local plans that address equity and social inclusion.
5). Promotion of Key Family Practices:
- Support the convergence of UNICEF supported C4D activities and advocate for inclusion of activities to promote key family
practices in government plans at all levels.
Qualifications and experience:
• Advanced University degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, social/behavioural sciences, (Sociology,
Anthropology, Psychology, Health Education) or a related field.(Or an undergraduate degree plus at least 12 years of demonstrated
professional experience in the field of communication or social/behavioural sciences ).
• Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in social/behavioural sciences, communication,
journalism, and in the development, planning and management of social development programmes, with practical experience in
the adaptation and application of communication planning processes to community programmes. Experience in using participatory
interview techniques.
• Field work experience.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency situations.
• Fluency in English and Lao is required.
• Translation skills/experience an asset.
• Ability to monitor progress of programme implementation.
* Please note that applicants who have previously applied for this position do not need to re-apply.
To apply for this post, please prepare an application letter stating your expression of interest and qualifications. Send these together
with a completed Personal History Form (available from UNICEF) to:
Human Resource Unit
UNICEF, P.O. Box 1080, Vientiane, Lao PDR
or email to: laohrrecruitment@unicef.org
Tel: 856 (21) 315200-04
Applications should be in a sealed envelope and marked “CONFIDENTIAL”.
Closing date for receiving applications is: 15th February 2013
UNICEF is a non-smoking working environment. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only-Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.
Duties and responsibilities:
Under the general supervision of the Supply Officer, prepares requests for proposals and purchase orders for all kinds of goods and
services, obtains quotations from local vendors, monitors status of financing and maintains financial records of purchase orders.
Major duties and key end-results:
• Draft bid invitations and/or request for price quotations. Obtain quotations and bids from local suppliers, and prepare spreadsheets
for analysis of offers/bids.
• Once decision on supplier is taken, raise LPOs for supervisor’s signature; ensure distribution of signed purchase order documents
to all required offices, and follow up their status.
• Prepare necessary documents and proceed to customs clearance of UNICEF supplies and equipment including personal effects
of international staff.
• Coordination with government counterparts regarding procurement through government such as during bid preparation, attendance
at bid opening, contract signing, monitoring and record filing.
• Monitoring Procurement Services such as update electronic monitoring file, participation during inspection when goods arrive,
record filing for all relevant document.
• Coordinate meeting of the CRC on Purchase Contracts, by scheduling the meeting, and by preparing and distributing files
containing the cases to be presented.
• Transmit relevant documentation for customs clearance of programme supplies and equipment to government counterparts;
assist programme staff to obtain duly signed Government Receipts as soon as clearance complete.
• When required, assist in the market survey; compile lists of local sources of procurement; maintain procurement supply and
vendor reference library.
• Liaise with government counterparts and monitor, weekly, the status of supplies and equipment at government warehouses;
provide systematic reporting to programme staff.
• Maintain manual and automated procurement files and records; provides purchase information to receiving and inventory staff.
• Draft routine correspondence, telegrams and reports from oral instruction, previous correspondence or other available information
sources in accordance with standard office procedures.
Qualifications and experience:
• Completion of secondary education supplemented by courses in Business Administration or equivalent. Vocational training
degree in purchasing methods and/or accounting and/or in warehouse management. A Bachelor degree is an asset.
• Minimum seven years of progressively responsible clerical or administrative work.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of a wide range of administrative and supply policies and procedures.
• Proven negotiating skills
• Experience with computer database for the maintenance of procurement records.
• Fluency in English and Lao is required.
• Knowledge of additional language and/or French is an asset.
• Proven analytical skills.
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously in an international multicultural environment.
* Please note that applicants who have previously applied for this position do not need to re-apply.
To apply for this post, please prepare an application letter stating your expression of interest and qualifications. Send these together
with a completed Personal History Form (available from UNICEF) to:
Human Resource Unit
UNICEF, P.O. Box 1080, Vientiane, Lao PDR
or email to: laohrrecruitment@unicef.org
Tel: 856 (21) 315200-04
Applications should be in a sealed envelope and marked “CONFIDENTIAL”.
Closing date for receiving applications is: 15th February 2013
UNICEF is a non-smoking working environment. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only-Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
7
World
Russia grounds four SSJ-100
jets due to design problems
MOSCOW (Xinhua) -- Russia
temporarily suspended flights
of its newest commercial
aircraft citing designing
problems, the planes’ producer
Sukhoi said Tuesday.
Sukhoi suspended the use
of some of its SSJ-100 planes
after Russian aviation safety
watchdog Rosaviatsia ordered
the flagship airline Aeroflot
to ground four jets of the
same type and suspended their
certificates.
Currently Aeroflot has 10
SSJ-100 planes in its fleet and
plans to order 179 more.
The regular flights of all
four grounded planes could
be resumed by the end of
this month, Sukhoi said in a
statement.
“The aircraft are currently
being fixed in accordance with
previously issued servicing
bulletin. The first two aircraft
will resume flights by the end
of this week and the others
by the end of the month,” the
designing bureau said.
Sukhoi is liable to
compensate Aeroflot the losses
for each day of the planes’
downtime. According to Sukhoi,
the “design deficiencies”
occurred in the aircraft’ leak
warning system, landing gear
and the wing slats.
SSJ-100 is a regional jet
with seating capacities of 75
or 95. It is the first commercial
plane designed in Russia since
the fall of the Soviet Union.
The plane has experienced
accidents and problems after
its first commercial flight in
2011. On May 9, 2012 one of
the type crashed in Indonesia
during a demonstration flight,
killing all 45 people aboard.
On June 18, 2012 a SSJ-100
aborted a flight from Moscow to
Copenhagen due to unspecified
technical problems.
Official says Afghanistan ready
to take over security force
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)
-- The Afghan government on
Wednesday welcomed President
Barack Obama’s decision to
bring home half of the 66,000
American troops in Afghanistan
within the next year, saying
Afghan forces are ready to take
responsibility for the country’s
security.
President Hamid Karzai has
been pressing for a faster pace
in the withdrawal of foreign
combat troops from Afghanistan
and agreed with Obama last
month to accelerate the handover
of security responsibilities to his
country’s newly trained security
forces to this spring - instead
of late summer as originally
planned.
“We are ready to fill the
vacuum and we are ready to take
full responsibility for security
in 2013,” Defense Ministry
spokesman Mohammad Zahir
Azimi told The Associated
Press.
Many Afghans, however,
worry that a quick drawdown
will destabilize a country that
is still fighting a war with
insurgents more than 11 years
after the American invasion.
They also fear that the nearly
352,000 strong Afghan army
and police forces are not ready to
take the lead for security.
Although the drawdown
was widely expected, the
SELECTION OF CONSULTANTS BY THE WORLD BANK
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Lao PDR
Consumer Research to Inform Rural Sanitation Behaviour Change and Marketing Communications for Lao PDR
CONSULTING SERVICES
TRUST FUND #: TF 095254
The World Bank [through the Water and Sanitation Program] intends to finance the Assignment described below under a trust fund (TF095254).
The objective of this assignment is to conduct an in-depth consumer research study in Lao PDR to better understand the behavior determinants for sanitation
and hygiene behaviors, as well as improve programmatic efforts to scale coverage. The specific objectives are to:
1. Establish baseline sanitation and hygiene practices among rural populations;
2. Identify the key factors that influence these practices, by exploring emotional, psychological, cognitive, social (gender included),
environmental, cultural and economic factors that influence latrine construction, purchase and usage;
3. Define the different target audiences and determine their characteristics (segmentation);
4. Assess the main benefits sought from sanitation facilities for the different target audiences;
5. Gauge households' ability and willingness to build or purchase sanitation facilities, as well as to use support services, such as micro-finance
and installation;
6. Describe media habits and identify the main channels of communication being used to reach the target audiences.
Combined with results from the supply chain analysis (to be undertaken and procured separately), insights from the consumer research will assist
the Lao PDR Government and its partners in developing an evidence-based sanitation marketing and behavior change communications aimed at
improving sanitation and hygiene practices at large scale.
The study will have national representation for its rural population of around 4.3 million people. The sampling plan should include the following six
provinces, namely Bokeo, Luang NamTha, Borikhamxay, Savanakhet, Saravan and Sekong.
The Deliverable will have specified a completion date within the implementation period as defined in the Terms of Reference. Payment will be made
on completion of the Deliverable within the Assignment. A Lump-sum based contract will be used.
The Water and Sanitation Program at the World Bank Office Vientiane now invites eligible Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in providing
the services. Interested Consulting Firms must provide information on core business and years in business, and information indicating that they are
qualified in the field of assignment (brochures, experience of similar assignments, demonstration of technical and managerial capabilities of firm,
availability of relevant skills and experience of key staff.). Consultants may associate to enhance their candidacy.
To this end, the firm is asked to use SaniFOAM as an overall analytical framework: SaniFOAM: A Framework to Analyze Sanitation Behaviors to
Design Effective Sanitation Programs; see www.wsp.org
Interested applicants will need to already have or be able to qualify for a World Bank Vendor Number (issued from World Bank Washington HQ) to
be able to undertake this Assignment. This Vendor Number should be quoted on the Expression of Interest (EOI) if already received. The Consulting
Firm will need to fulfil all necessary technical, legal, financial and administrative aspects applicable to the contract; possess the commercial and
financial capability to perform the contract; and the firm being recommended for award will have their WB Vendor Registration verified prior to the
signing of the contract.
Interested Consulting Firms should submit a brief Expression of Interest (EOI) maximum 10 pages, and including the following information for
the processing of a Consulting Firm’s contracts:
Consulting Firm’s Name:
World Bank Vendor Number:
Consulting Firm’s manager’s name and CV:
Consulting Firm’s staff names and CVs:
Address:
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Consultants’ names (if any):
-
Company background (including relevant experience of the firm related to the assignment e.g. work of a similar nature).
-
Statement of the Consulting Firm’s ability to fulfil all necessary technical, legal, financial and administrative aspects applicable to the
contract, including statement of whether the contract will be undertaken a) solely by the Consulting Firm, b) as a Joint Venture or c) as a
Sub-Consultancy Agreement .
-
Statement of the Consulting Firm’s commercial and financial capability to perform the contract (including number and quality of facilities,
office equipment etc and present financial health of the firm.)
Please note this is not a request for technical or cost proposals.
Consultants will be selected in accordance with the Selection and Use of Consultants by the World Bank Group for Operational Purposes (AMS 15.01).
Interested Firms may obtain further information at the address below. All submissions will be managed through the World Bank Group eConsultant2.
Expressions of Interest must be uploaded to the World Bank’s on-line through https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html no later than
16:00pm on 26 February 2013.
Office
Water and Sanitation Program
World Bank Office Vientiane
PO Box 345. Pathou Xay,
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Tel: ++856 21 266280 ext. 6285
fax: ++856 21 266297
Phommachanh Sosourivong, Team Assistant: psosourivong@worldbank.org
Afghan men watch a television news report on US President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address
in Kabul on Wednesday. --Photo AP
announcement for the first time
put numbers on the withdrawal
plan and for many Afghans
brought home the fact that
foreign troops are indeed
leaving.
“I heard on the news this
morning about the withdrawal
and became very sad. This is bad
news for me,” said Mohammad
Naim, a 45-year-old Kabul
restaurant owner. “The presence
of the US soldiers increased the
morale of the Afghan people,
the country was stable. I don’t
believe Afghan forces can keep
security. For example, you can
see that there is still fighting in
the provinces.”
He recalled the civil war
that followed in the years after
the Soviet withdrawal in 1989,
and said he was worried history
would be repeated.
“The US lost men and
women in this country and spent
billions of dollars. We should
never forget this. If all the troops
leave, the future of the country is
dark,” Naim said.
Obama said Tuesday in his
State of the Union address that
the first 34,000 troops will leave
within a year and more in 2014,
when all foreign combat forces
are to leave the country
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
COORDINATOR (LAO NATIONAL ONLY)
1. Programme Title: Support the Realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Lao PDR –
Consolidated UNDP Programme of Support to MPI for Achievement of the Valuable Goals of the 7th
NSEDP 2011-2015
2. Component Title: Support to advancing Human Development through policy-informing research
On Human Development Issues especially relevant for achieving
NSEDP/
MDGs (Component 4)
3. Position Title:
Coordinator
4. Duty Station:
NERI office, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
5. Duration of Appointment:
12 months with possible for renewable
6. Expected Starting Date: March, 2013
Background
In response to the Government’s request, UNDP has formulated a new round of cooperation which integrates
all relevant supports to MPI into a single five-year programme (2011-2015). The overall objective of the
programme is to support the government for the successful implementation of the 7th NSEDP, achievement
of the MDGs and Lao PDR graduation from the least developed countries status by 2020. The programme
consists of four key components including (1) Support to consultative planning, implementation, monitoring,
assessment and reporting on the NSEDP/MDGs; (2) Support to strengthening the Round Table Process
for achievement of NSEDP/MDGs; (3) Support to development of common database to effectively monitor,
evaluate and guide progress towards goals of NSEDP/MDGs; and (4) Support to advancing Human
Development through policy-informing research on Human Development Issues especially relevant
for achieving NSEDP/MDGs.
To support the programme implementation, National Economic Research Institute (NERI) who is the
implementing partner of the component 4 of the programme is seeking a qualified Coordinator who
can provide significant support to component Office based in NERI during the course of the programme
implementation. The Component Coordinator assists the Component Manager and work closely with the
Technical Advisor in daily management activities in their respective component team (s). S/he is expected
to work closely with the concerned government officials.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Assist the Component Manager with the design of strategies, work plans (including yearly and quarterly)
for component as well as programme implementation, and progress reports.
- Act as a liaison point between the component team, government agencies concerned and UNDP for
the timely design and implementation of the component.
- Assist the Manager and TA with the preparation of meetings, workshops, training programmes, technical
discussion papers and relevant documents.
- Advise in substantive terms on planning with respect to experts and consultants mission.
- Provide input to the Component Manager on follow up actions required for the successful implementation
of component activities on a day-to-day basis.
- Assist the team in strengthening their understanding and ability to develop programme financial,
planning and administrative procedures consistent with the principles of results based management.
- Set up and maintain Programme files in a systematic manner.
- Provide necessary translation and interpretation (Lao-English and vice versa)
- Perform other coordination related duties as required by the respective component.
Qualifications and Experience
- University degree in Economics, International Development and/or Social Sciences.
- A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional and technical experience working in development
projects. Experience working with UNDP funded project will be an asset.
- Knowledge and professional experience in project/programme management and development planning;
Demonstrate understanding of government system and procedures
- Excellent communication skills in both English and Lao; Excellent coordination and networking skills;
Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
- Excellent computer skills, including full working knowledge of standard word processing, and
presentation software packages, etc
Requirements for submission of applications:
A letter of interest with updated CV with three references and necessary supporting documents must be
sent no later than 17:00 on 15th February 2013 by email to dalivanh.ssv@gmail.com or mail to Ms.
Dalivanh Souksavatd, National Economic Research Institute, Ministry of Planning and Investment. Tel/Fax:
(856) 21 254829. Mobile Phone: (856) 2022217710, Please indicated in e-mail subject or on the envelope
“Application - Component Coordinator for Component 4 “
Female candidates are encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview
8
Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
9
10
Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
11
12
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Plan International in Laos
Plan International is growing! We are looking for enthusiastic,
dedicated Lao National development professionals interested in
long term careers with a major international children’s NGO.
Plan, one of the world’s largest children’s INGOs, works with children and poor
communities in 48 developing countries. In Laos, Plan works in 3 districts in Bokeo
Province, in basic education, early childhood development, health and nutrition,
water, sanitation and hygiene, and promotion of children’s rights. In 2013, Plan will
expand to Oudomxay Province in 2 Districts: Hun and Pak Beng.
Plan has no religious or political aims or affiliations. Visit www.plan-international.org
for more information.
Plan is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from
women, members of ethnic groups and people with disabilities. Plan offers
competitive salaries and long-term employment opportunities for all posts.
Community Development Facilitator (1 position) at Udomxay Province:
Duties and responsibilities:
• Conduct initial Introduction and Orientation in all new villages using drama and
other appropriate medium to introduce Plan
• Train and support Interns and Volunteers in selection and enrolment of Sponsored
Children
• Support Interns and Volunteers in producing sponsorship communication items.
• Organize and/or support activities which increase understanding and commitment
children and adults to the Rights of the Child.
• Support District Coordinators in selection and training of Village authority and
Volunteers in all the villages
• Mentor, guide and teach Intern Community Development Workers
• Adopts appropriate tools and methodologies to facilitate ethnic children, families
and communities
Requirements:
• Communications skills in presentation and demonstration
• Experiences in working with community
• Demonstrated training skills or media tools and techniques to facilitate children,
counterpart staff and communities
• Fluent written and spoken Lao (fluency in ethnic minority language(s) an additional
advantage)
• Basic computer program (MS Word, Power Point and Excel)
Physical Environment and Demands:
• Travel at least 75% of the time, including to villages/remote
Provincial Sponsorship Coordinator (1 position) at Udomxay Province:
Duties and responsibilities
• Operate and manage data entry in Child Data
• Provide age analysis to District Sponsorship Communication Assistants every
quarter for tracking and submission of the due cancellations;
• Prepare and submit Monthly and Quarterly Production Reports to Plan Laos
Sponsorship Manager;
• Together with the team to conduct orientation on sponsorship to Plan staff and
district government;
• Involve in prepare work plan and budget plan for sponsorship operation in Province
• Provide sponsorship system training to sponsorship staff and district team leaders
• Gather data and draft Program Unit Green sheets and submit to Sponsorship
Manager and to determine cancellation of sponsor child;
Requirements:
• Fluency in oral and written English
• Computer proficiency is essential (MS Word, Power Point and Excel)
• Organisational and Communications skills
• Interpersonal skill.
Physical Environment and Demands:
At least 50% of the time, including to villages/remote areas in the province
FOR ALL PLAN POSITIONS:
• Strong commitment to the equal rights and participation of girls and women is
essential
• Strong commitment to the Rights of the Child is essential
• Plan does not tolerate child abuse. All Plan staff are selected and employed
in line with the conditions of Plan’s Child Protection Policy. These include
appropriate reference and background checks.
• Applications will not be acknowledged. Only short-listed candidates will be
contacted. No correspondence or telephone calls will be entered into.
• Short listed candidates will be required to attend panel interviews and other
selection procedures.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 8 March 2013
TO APPLY FOR POSTS …. Send resume/CV, with cover letter and names and
contact details of three referees including salary expectations for each position,
to Plan International Laos, PO Box 6026, Vientiane, Lao PDR, or to PlanLaos.
JobVacancies@plan-international.org,
Please state in cover letter how you learned about the job – through emails, Vientiane
Times, INGO Directory, Job to day website, or friends.
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
13
14
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Opinion
What the Lao papers say
Students must work hard to
justify their parents’ support
Translated by Phetsamone
Chandara
All students must study hard to
justify the support they get from
their parents. Many people at
the National University of Laos
(NUOL) have alleged that some
students from the provinces and
the city waste their time and
often skip classes to drink beer.
According to this writer’s
observations, this may be true
but only in some cases because
most people do study earnestly.
But we need to have some
sympathy for the students
because they have to spend a lot
of money on almost everything,
which it is not the same as it used
to be. A final-year student at
NUOL told me that it was very
difficult to pass exams and they
have to use all ways and means
to succeed. If not they won’t be
able to write a thesis so they can
graduate.
Some teachers are
kindhearted but others set
conditions, so it’s understandable
that students have to give them
money, which is often collected
by throwing a party to help the
teacher’s family.
After that, they must get
special tutoring from a teacher
while writing their thesis and
find an office where they can
collect information. These things
also cost money.
The school environment can
also be a problem for students.
This writer visited one institution
and noticed that there were many
shops and bars selling beer
nearby. Students often come to
drink and sing karaoke at these
places in the evening, especially
on Fridays.
Students now, especially
girls, don’t wear school uniforms
but often wear short skirts
instead which attracts men and
can lead to problems.
In conclusion, students
must be disciplined before they
graduate because they have to
fight obstacles in a difficult life.
Many people don’t graduate
because they can’t afford the
money needed to pay for their
various requirements and resort
to patronising beer shops.
The people we pity most,
however, are the parents who
have had to sell their livestock
to support their children.
--Vientiane Mai Daily,
February 12
Champa Mai & Savanphatthana
Weekly newspapers
To subscribe or advertise your products in Champa Mai and Savanphatthana weekly newspapers, please contact
Vientiane Times office, corner of Pangkham and Setthathirath Roads, Vientiane, Laos. P.O. Box: 5723. Tel:
(856-21) 216364, 217593
Fax: (856-21) 216365, 252631 Mobile: (856-20) 5599209
Email: editor@vientianetimes.org.la Website: www.vientianetimes.org.la
To subscribe or advertise your products in Vientiane Times newspaper in Champassak province please contact
Champa Mai weekly newspaper, Pakxe district.
Office: (856 31) 252543; Mobile: (856 20) 5633630
Email: souline9@yahoo.com.sg
In Savannakhet province at Savanphatthana weekly newspaper,
Kaysone Phomvihane district. Office: (856 41) 214204; Mobile: (856 20) 2313102
Subscription
Rates
2012-2013
Subscription
Rates
2008-9
1. DOMESTIC SUBSCRIPTION (6 issues/week) and online fee
+ Online fee
Regular price
78 issues (3 months)
305,000k
+100,000k
156 issues (6 months)
609,000k
+100,000k
709,000k
1,217,000k
+100,000k
1,317,000k
312 issues (1 year)
Home Delivery (City Centre)
Area: Thadeua Rd. Dongdok, Ban
Tanmixay and Sikhay villages.
Total + Online fee
405,000k
78 issues (3 months)
390,000k
+100,000k
490,000k
156 issues (6 months)
780,000k
+100,000k
880,000k
1,560,000k
+100,000k
1,660,000k
312 issues (1 year)
2. DOMESTIC SUBSCRIPTION FOR PROVINCES (6 issues/week), inclusive of postage cost
Deliver to Provinces
Deliver to Provinces + online fee
156 issues (6 months)
1,451,000k
312 issues (1 year)
2,902,000k
156 issues (6 months)
1,451,000k
+100,000k
312 issues (1 year)
2,902,000k
+100,000k
3. OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTION (6 issues/week) and online fee
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia
Asia, Australia & New Zealand
Europe (Including Russia)
America and Canada
1,551,000k
3,002,000k
Total + Online fee
156 issues (6 months)
2,523,000k
+100,000k
2,623,000k
312 issues (1 year)
4,959,000k
+100,000k
5,059,000k
156 issues (6 months)
2,784,000k
+100,000k
2,884,000k
312 issues (1 year)
5,481,000k
+100,000k
5,581,000k
156 issues (6 months)
3,045,000k
+100,000k
3,145,000k
312 issues (1 year)
6,046,500k
+100,000k
6,146,500k
156 issues (6 months)
2,958,000k
+100,000k
3,058,000k
312 issues (1 year)
5,829,000k
+100,000k
5,929,000k
4. ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION FEE
Website is update four (4) times a day and every issue is published on our website in HTML and PDF
3 months (66 issues) 300,000
6 months (132 issues) 600,000
1 year (264 issues) 1,000,000
Please return this form with the following information to Vientiane Times
FULL NAME: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEL: _________________________FAX:____________________EMAIL:_____________________________________________________________
FOR ONLINE: Name:____________________________________PREFERRED PASSWORD______________________________________________
(Password not more then 8 characters)
Mail this completed form with your cheque to:
Vientiane Times, Pangkham Rd. Vientiane, Lao PDR
PO Box 5723. Fax: +856 (21) 216 365
Website: www.vientianetimes.org.la
Email: itvtimes@gmail.com
Payment in advance
Please request rates for other destinations at
itvtimes@gmail.com
Make your cheque payable to or deposit payment in:
US$ 010.5.11.01.00108
KIP: 010.8.11.00.00058
Village festivals getting
more extravagant
When February arrives many
villages in Vientiane hold their
traditional festivals. In principle
these events are of value as they
maintain society’s customs and
traditions.
But it has been noted that
some of these festivals end
up with fights between young
people, causing the authorities
to ban live music.
This writer has noticed that
many people spend a lot of
money on food and drink at a
village festival, especially when
their friends come to visit. In
some cases, when the festival is
over, people find themselves in
debt and have to take on extra
work to pay off the money they
owe. Debt is a bad thing so
people need to learn to change
their behaviour.
Also when there is a parade
to the temple, many people
can be seen holding bottles of
alcohol which they drink during
the parade but once the bottle is
empty it gets left at the temple.
We sympathise with the monks
and novices who have to clean
up this garbage.
In addition, some village
authorities collect a lot of money
from residents to contribute to
the festival. This is not, in fact,
making merit as that depends
upon the donor’s faith and
if the authorities force them
to pay, it means they are not
making merit. All readers should
remember this when there is a
festival in your village.
This leads to a request to
our readers to share your ideas
on the issue. Should we have
regulations on village festivals?
The government is
now creating cultural and
development villages but in fact
village festivals could be viewed
as going against Lao customs.
--Socio Economic Daily,
February 11
Meat prices rise over Lunar New Year
The price of certain goods,
especially beef and pork, in
Pakxe markets has risen above
the maximum price set by
provincial authorities, while the
price of vegetables went down
as usual after the Chinese and
Vietnamese New Year.
According to enquiries at the
Pakxe and Sabaidee markets last
week, the price of beef and pork
has increased substantially.
The Champassak provincial
Commerce and Industry
Department set the price of beef
at 60,000-65,000 kip per kg, but
it has risen to 70,000-85,000 kip.
Pork has increased to 40,00050,000 kip per kg from its set
price of 35,000-40,000 kip.
Department official Mr
Visoun Keokhamphui said that
during the New Year period
the commerce department
kept a careful check on prices,
especially for food items, fuel,
construction materials and gas,
to ensure merchants were not
making increases as this would
directly impact consumers.
As a result of this there
were more people shopping
at markets in the run up to the
festivities.
He noted that the supply
of goods was inadequate to
meet the high demand, causing
some merchants to seize the
opportunity to increase their
prices and this was very much
the case for beef and pork.
However, the department has
fined merchants who ignored the
regulations, and recommends
that consumers be more careful
when buying goods and check
the weight and quality to avoid
being taken advantage of by
unscrupulous vendors.
--Pathetlao Daily,
February 11
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Opinion 15
Proper bidding process the only African smallholder farmers
way to prevent irregularities need to become virus detectors
Editorial Desk
There have been pressing calls
from both Lao government
leaders and the general public
demanding that officials
overseeing state development
projects conduct fair and
transparent bidding processes
before any work commences.
Such calls have come
to light after reports and
allegations have emerged
time after time that many state
investment projects are beset
by irregularities and cost much
more than they should.
The Party and Government
Inspection Authority revealed
earlier this week that state
funded development projects
that do not put contracts out
for tender through a proper
bidding process are among
the main sources of corruption
in Laos.
The typical scenario is for
the authorities to choose a private
company to invest up front in an
infrastructure project, such as
road construction, electricity
network expansion or irrigation.
The authorities then repay the
company within a five-year
period after the work has been
completed.
Vice President of the Party
and Government Inspection
Authority, Mr Thongsy Ounlasy,
told Vientiane Times earlier this
week that no bidding process
was undertaken in the case of
many of these projects.
This often results in the
companies contracted to carry
out the work inflating their
stated expenses unreasonably.
This money then has to be paid
back by the government with
funds that could be better used
for other purposes.
This mode of operation
lacks transparency and is a
waste of government money,
and creates a myriad of
loopholes for corrupt officials
to increase their wealth
through ill gotten gains.
Mr Thongsy warned that
the custom of not putting
jobs up for tender must stop,
despite the country’s great
need for rapid development.
Changes must be made to
ensure that the government’s
budget is used in an effective
and efficient manner.
Officials who oversaw the
projects admitted the claim
that they had failed to hold
bidding processes for many
projects was true.
However, they justified the
situation and the unreasonably
high costs, saying private sector
investment was necessary
because the government has
limited funds. Private companies
factor in the loan interest on
the capital invested, they
said, which raises the costs
considerably.
This explanation is not
unreasonable to some extent.
Development is important
and not all projects involve
corruption, and many of
them produce reasonable and
good results. However, in a
society governed by the rule
of law, everything must be
done according to the proper
processes.
Under the State Investment
Law, all state funded projects
must involve a bidding process
and the details published in
the media for reasons of
transparency. Unfortunately,
many projects have failed to
follow this procedure.
There is no acceptable
reason for not putting projects
out to tender because the law
stipulates that all projects,
including those where private
funds are invested first, must
undergo a bidding process.
Since the government is
committed to reimbursing an
investor with interest on top,
it is effectively still a state
funded project.
It appears to be undeniable
that officials must organise
bidding processes in the public
eye, in order to rebuild full
trust among the public and
prevent those projects which
are reported to be producing
good results from being
tarnished by those that involve
corruption.
No one is arguing with
the fact that remarkable
progress has been made in the
infrastructure sector in recent
years, thanks to the hard work
of those ministries overseeing
the projects.
For this reason, any
undisciplined practices by
incompetent or corrupt officials
should not be tolerated as it will
only damage the reputations of
the parties concerned and the
government as a whole.
Only by ensuring that
bidding processes for all future
projects take place in a fair and
transparent manner will those
bodies overseeing the projects
be able to reach their full
capacity in developing more
infrastructure and put an end
to both public questions and
corruption.
Uganda farmers display diseased cassava tubers in Soroti, Eastern Uganda.
Wambi Michael, IPS
K A M PA L A - - U n l e s s
African smallholder farmers,
who comprise the majority
of food growers on the
continent, are given the tools
and knowledge to cope with
the increased occurrences
of plant virus diseases, the
livelihoods of millions will be
at stake, according to Nteranya
Sanginga, the director general
of the International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture.
“Plant viruses are spreading
rapidly to new places, frustrating
efforts to boost the food security
and livelihoods of millions
of people. Poor smallholder
farmers, who are the majority of
food growers and the bulk of the
population, are bearing the brunt
of these virus diseases with their
limited resources,” Sanginga
told IPS.
Cassava mosaic disease
(CMD), sweet potato virus
disease, maize streak virus and
cassava brown streak disease
(CBSD), are just a few of the
plant viruses that have been
prevalent in Africa in the recent
past. A plant infected by CMD
will display pale white or yellow
leaves, leaf distortion, and
stunted growth.
However, the symptoms for
a CBSD-infected plant are less
obvious as only small yellow
patches on leaves indicte the
presence of the disease. Most
farmers are only able to identify
the disease once they have
harvested the plant as CBSD
distorts the root and causes it
to rot.
First identified in Uganda’s
Mukono District in 2004, CBSD
has since spread throughout
the Great Lakes region of East
Africa, resulting in a 30 to 70
percent loss in cassava harvests.
The crop is a major staple food in
Uganda, with annual production
estimated at 5.5 million tonnes.
According to IITA, CBSD
threatens the food security
and livelihoods of over 200
million people in East and
Central Africa. Combined,
CMD and CBSD have caused
more than one billion dollars
worth of damage to cassava,
with smallholder farmers being
afffected the most by the loss.
Chris Omongo, a cassava
breeder at Uganda’s National
Agricultural Crop Resources
Research Institute, told IPS that
some farming practices have
aided the spread of the viruses.
“When you move infected
materials from one location
to another, you automatically
help to spread the viruses,”
said Omongo, adding that
most farmers unwittingly share
infected seed and seedlings.
Bulasio Luyiga, a
smallholder cassava farmer
in Central Uganda’s Mukono
District, is one of them.
“The crop looked so
healthy, but at harvest, each
tuber was rotten,” he told IPS.
The CBSD generally attacks
the root of the cassava, though
the leaves of the plants can also
be affected.
Luyiga said he lost more
than 70 percent of the crop to
the virus. “It was a total loss
because I bought what was
considered clean, planting
material, only to discover
that they were susceptible to
this disease. I wouldn’t have
planted them had I known this
early,” said Luyiga.
Omongo said that if given
the knowledge, smallholder
farmers can prevent plant virus
diseases from spreading. “Once
farmers know how to identify
the diseases, then they will
avoid it. They are also too
poor to afford the improved
varieties of plants resistant to
disease. The point is to create
awareness and we shall prevent
the spread,” he said.
Another factor that needs
to be addressed in combating
the spread of plant diseases is
one of resources. Luyiga and
farmers like him rarely have
access to agricultural advisory
and extension services that
could provide them with the
knowledge on how to identify
and deal with the plant viruses.
Such services are limited in
most East African countries and
when available tend to be poor
in quality.
In Uganda, one extension
worker is required to offer
services to over 1,000 farmers
in a sub-county, which,
Omongo said, limited early
detection and prevention of the
spread of the diseased plants.
Professor William OtimNape, a Ugandan Plant
Pathologist and member of the
Africa Innovation Institute, told
IPS that viral diseases continue
--Credit Wambi Michael/IPS
to cause major economic losses
in Africa. “Such losses remain
grossly underestimated and they
are often ignored or overlooked,”
he said.
Vi c t o r M a n y o n g , a n
economist at IITA, estimates
CBSD causes 175 million
dollars in losses in East Africa
each year.
Otim-Nape added that
the number of trained plant
virologists in Africa was far
too low to provide an adequate
response to deal with the many
plant viruses.
“A critical mass of trained
plant virologists is required to
identify and prioritise virus
disease problems and to create
awareness in the public and
among policymakers,” he said.
Sanginga agreed. “There is
an urgent need to confront viral
diseases affecting staple crops
like cassava, banana and maize
using advances in science. We
need science to solve these
problems,” he said.
“We have to do more for
the farmers I met in Mukono,
Uganda, who lost their entire
cassava crop due to CBSD
and CMD,” Sanginga urged,
adding that Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda, too, will need
assistance to deal with the
threat of Maize Lethal Necrosis
Disease.
East Africa experienced a
CMD outbreak in the 1990s and
smallholder farmers watched
as it devastated their cassava
gardens, forcing thousands to
abandon the crop. The disease
spread to several African
countries including, Rwanda,
the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Burundi and Gabon
until researchers bred a cassava
variety resistant to the disease.
The release of a new variety
restored cultivation of the crop.
But current low budgetary
allocations for agricultural
research in most East African
countries has limited the
investment in plant viral
diseases research, according
to Mercy Karanja, the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation
regional advisor to East Africa.
“We have big problems
in agriculture. So we need to
invest money to do research.
And even when products of
research are out, you need
money to ensure that they reach
farmers,” she told IPS.
16
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Feature
A self-help group against
mugging in Vientiane
Deborah Rast
V
ientiane is developing
f a s t . Wi t h t h i s
development come
a lot of positive
changes. But unfortunately
there is also a negative aspect
to this change. It seems that
not one day goes by without
hearing a story of a woman
being mugged on her bicycle
or motorbike, with many also
suffering severe injuries from
the fall or from the cuts inflicted
by the thieves.
After being robbed herself,
one brave woman - an NGO
worker - decided to take fate into
her own hands. She founded the
“Vientiane Safety Awareness
Group“ on Facebook, which
aims to promote security for
women in the Lao capital.
“I was attacked on Tuesday,
February 5. I was riding home
on my bicycle when two men
on a motorbike approached
and tried to grab my bag,”
she said. “I fell to the ground
and one man proceeded to cut
my bag with a knife.” When
she decided to hold on to her
possessions, the men started
beating her head with a hard
object. “Eventually the thieves
left without taking anything.
But I was bleeding and had
to get stitches at Mahosot
Hospital.”
When she put her story on
Australia backs rice
cultivation in Laos
Rice has long been the most
important food crop cultivated in
Laos, and at the beginning of the
third millennium still accounted
for more than 80 percent of the
area under cultivation within the
country.
With an average annual
consumption of more than 170
kg of milled rice, Laos is among
the group of countries with the
highest per capita consumption
of rice in the world. In most
rural areas of Laos, rice accounts
for almost 80 percent of calorie
intake.
The strong cultural identity
of the people of Laos with
the consumption of “sticky”
or glutinous rice is widely
acknowledged. Laos has the
highest per capita production
and consumption of glutinous or
waxy rice in the world.
With the support of the
Australian Centre for International
Agricultural Research (ACIAR),
in collaboration with the
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), the book “Rice
in Laos” has been released.
It helps document the long
association of Laos and its people
with rice in historical, cultural,
and agricultural contexts. It also
provides a record of the diversity
of, and biodiversity within, the
rice ecosystems within the
country and a summary of
some of the more salient recent
advances in rice-related research
undertaken since about 1990.
The Lao language version
of the book also provides an
important reference book for
the agricultural education sector
within Laos. Both the English
and Lao versions are available
on the ACIAR website (http://
aciar.gov.au).
The Australian Centre
for International Agricultural
Research is a statutory authority
that operates within the Foreign
The group members decided
to create a map that would show
where all the incidents had taken
place. The goal was to identify
unsafe neighbourhoods, so that
women would know which
areas to avoid at night. It was
also suggested that the map be
passed on to their respective
embassies to raise awareness
of the situation, and in the
hope that embassy staff might
address the issue with the Lao
government.
Another discussion topic
was exchanging safety tips,
such as not carrying around
a handbag and not riding a
bicycle after sunset. The group
decided to draw up a “Dos and
Don’ts” list which they would
hand out to expat women and
to invite a security expert, who
could give them more advice.
Taking a self-defence class was
also suggested.
Finally the group members
discussed whether to place
a common order for pepper
sprays and whistles to wear
around their necks, as it is not
always easy to purchase them
in Vientiane.
“We don’t want to get
paranoid, we just want to do
everything possible to feel safe
again,” said the founder of the
self-help group.
Deborah Rast is a Swiss
journalist doing an internship
at the Vientiane Times.
INVITATION TO TENDERS
The cover of the book “Rice in Laos”.
Times Reporters
Facebook, a good friend of
hers told her to get well soon.
And she also expressed her
fear about going out at night.
And she was right. Just the
next night that same friend
was attacked. The muggers
pushed the Vietnamese woman
off her motorbike and cut her
with a knife in order to get her
backpack. The thieves took
her laptop and a considerable
amount of money. “She needed
17 stitches and has an injured
tailbone,” said the NGO worker.
At that point she decided that
something needed to happen. “I
didn’t want to feel like a victim.
I wanted the security situation
to change. So I created this selfhelp group. I want to prevent
other women living through
the same experience as I have,”
she said.
The first meeting of the
group took place last Sunday.
About 30 people turned up,
most of them young women.
Many had been mugged before,
some even more than once. The
main topic was exchanging their
stories about being mugged and
how to travel around safely
in Vientiane after sunset. The
general feeling was that many
of them felt very helpless right
after the attack because they
didn’t know where to go to for
medical care and whether they
should report the robbery to
the police.
Affairs and Trade portfolio. It
was established in June 1982 to
assist and encourage Australia’s
agricultural scientists to use
their skills for the benefit of
developing countries as well as
Australia.
S i n ce 199 2 A CIA R’s
programme in Laos has
contributed to poverty reduction
and sustainable development.
ACIAR supports research and
development that underpins the
Lao government’s objectives of
identifying and implementing
alternatives to shifting cultivation
in upland regions and agricultural
diversification to improve the
productivity of lowland farming
systems.
ACIAR’s programmes are an
important element of Australia’s
development programme in Laos
which will be delivered in ways
that yield longer term benefits
and stability in the region. --Source Australian
Embassy to Laos
A unique French language magazine
Le Rénovateur is a weekly magazine of general information written in French and
discussing current events in Laos. Readers will find it different from other newspapers and
can enjoy news about culture, consult their horoscope and find out about radio and TV
programmes, as well as check on current movies at the French Language Centre.
There are also cookery items as well as personal profiles. The magazine costs only 10,000
kip per issue, and is published every Monday. You can buy it at kiosks or directly from our
office on Namphu Square at the Lao Press in Foreign Languages on Pangkham Street in
Vientiane. You can also read it on our website: Lerenovateur.org.la
for provision of the engineering, procurement and construction contract
of the ash handling system for
Hongsa Mine-Mouth Power Project.
Hongsa Power Co., Ltd is pleased to invite you for tenders for provision
of the engineering, procurement and construction contract of the ash
handling system with 2 lines of conveyor capacity of 1,200 tons per hour
each and the conveyor length of approximately 2.5 km for Hongsa MineMouth Power Project in Laos PDR.
Pre-Qualification Criteria
Interested Lao Firms who fulfill the following pre-qualification requirements
and submit documentary proof thereof will only be eligible for evaluation
of the bids.
1. The tenderers must have the economic and financial capacity
as well as the technical and professional capacity to perform the
tasks required in this call for tender.
2.The tenderers must evidence the company’s experience in the
performance of similar size work scopes and of project type or
higher in the past 5 years, as well as information of contact persons
and reference of each project. The owner may at its discretion
contact references and/or conduct independent performance
analysis on projects on which each tenderer has worked.
3. Copy of the latest 3 years financial statement of the company is
to be submitted. In case of a new company, its parent company's
financial statement is also required.
4. The tenderers shall not be a broker.
Submission of Bidder’s Qualification Documents
Bidders must submit one original and 3 duplicate copies of their qualification
documents together with all supporting documents to the address listed
below, on or before 16:00 h Vientiane Standard Time, 18 February 2013.
Hongsa Power Company Limited
Building B, Park View Executive Suites,
Ban Sithanneau Sikhottabong District
Vientiane Capital
Lao PDR
For the attention of: The Manager - Contract Management and Coordination,
Mr. Pratheep Yoknamngoen.
Tel No.: +856 21 223 911 (Vientiane); +856 74 266 121 - 29 (Site)
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Great snakes!
Raymond Zhou, Asia News
Network, China Daily
Despite its fearsome reputation,
the representation of the zodiac
creature includes a bittersweet
tale of broken hearts and love
transcending disaster
Let’s face it, the snake has an
image problem. In preparation
for the Year of the Snake, a
mammoth decoration in the
form of the reptile was erected at
a highway toll plaza in Sichuan
province. Somehow, they gave
the snake the countenance of a
chicken. Onlookers joked that
whoever sculpted it must have
been born in the Year of the
Rooster, and others chimed in that
they would no longer be afraid
of the snake now it had taken the
shape of a friendlier animal.
On these occasions, Chinese
people have traditionally resorted
to euphemisms to represent the
snake in an auspicious light. The
dragon, a symbol of power and
majesty, is often used to stand in
for its earthbound peer; hence the
term “the little dragon”.
Efforts to distinguish the
two have been unceasing, as is
evident in such catchphrases
as “an assortment of dragons
and snakes”, meaning people
of different qualities and status
sharing one space, and “dragons
withdrawing and snakes
expanding”, meaning good guys
lying low and bad elements
strutting their stuff. It is futile to
pass off snakes as dragons.
In China, snakes are
predominantly associated with
venom - even though only
65 species out of some 600
in the country are poisonous.
Worldwide, there are 725 species
of venomous snakes, of which
about 250 can kill a human.
It is said the venom from the
bite of a Russell’s viper can cause
its victim to drop dead before he
or she can walk seven steps. The
Chinese call it the “Seven-Pacer”.
Otherwise, if you’re bitten by
a snake - and it’s not one of the
250 lethal species - there’s a good
chance you’ll tremble at the sight
of a rope, or anything vaguely
resembling a snake, for the rest
of your days.
There is an ancient tale of
a man who spots a snake in his
glass of liquor. It turns out the
wriggly thing was the reflection
of a bow hanging on the wall. The
yarn has since been immortalized
as a phrase for unfounded panic.
Contrary to some cultures
where the snake is perceived
as a steadfast defender, in the
Chinese one it is enshrined as an
object of fear, except perhaps in
calligraphy, where the serpentine
brush stroke depicting a snake
flying or scurrying away is to be
marveled, not quivered, at.
Very often, the snake comes
with its nobler peer, the dragon,
in such portrayals. However,
one ancient calligrapher painted
a realistic snake on a scroll, and
then, out of a whim, added a
foot. Some species have a pair
of vestigial claws, but in this
instance, it’s the painter, not the
snake, who is the butt of derision.
For all its snake-related
idioms, China does not hold a
candle to Indian mythology when
it comes to snake references.
Likewise, Egyptian, Greek,
Christian and many other cultures
have images of the snake more
colorful than ours.
The Chinese snake is not as
rich in connotation and has not
spilled over into the visual arts.
We do not have a deity sitting
on a coiled python; the Buddhist
concept of reincarnation has not
been compared to the shedding
of a snake’s skin; our female
monsters do not sport a crop of
snakes for hair; and a snake is not
the cause for carnal temptation.
Then again, Nuwa, the
Chinese goddess who mended
the broken sky, has a human head
and a snake body. And in the 16th
century classic Journey to the
West, a.k.a. The Monkey King,
there is a nine-headed snake.
While overwhelmingly
repulsed by the snake, Chinese
sentiments for the 2013 zodiac
animal can be more complex,
varying in time and locality. In
Fujian province, the snake is held
in a god-like position. It is not to
be killed if found in a home, but
removed gently back to the wild.
It is definitely not to be eaten.
And at a mid-year festival,
a parade is organized in which
every participant holds a snake,
which is supposed to bring them
peace and harmony.
A branch of the Li ethnic
group in Hainan province regards
the snake as their ancestor. There
are several folk tales of humans
and snakes marrying each other.
If a snake is found near a tomb,
it is considered the apparition of
the dead person.
In Guizhou province, the
Dong ethnic costume features
myriad snake motifs, and they
even incorporate snake-like
moves in their prayer ritual.
But mostly, after thousands
of years, the snake has been
demonized beneath the glossy
veneer of civilization. In many
CONSULTANCY OPPORTUNITY
Southern Lao Landscape Management Advisor
WWF has a long established presence in the Mekong region, starting in Vietnam
in 1990. Since then, WWF operations have grown to four Country offices based in
Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Laos (Vientiane), Thailand (Bangkok) & Vietnam (Hanoi),
including a Regional team in the Hanoi, Vientiane and Bangkok offices. The ‘Greater
Mekong Programme Office’ was officially formed in November 2005 merging WWF
Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) and WWF Thailand. In order to be relevant
with partners at provincial levels and deliver conservation results in landscapes,
GMPO has also developed 20 field offices across the 4 countries and 6 landscapes.
Following a strong track record of conservation delivery over the last 20 years, WWF
has established both the credibility and presence to deliver conservation impact at
all levels from provincial, to national to regional.
WWF-Laos is seeking to recruit a well-qualified and experienced Lao National or
expatriate candidate to work in the following position:
Southern Lao Landscape Management Advisor
Base location: Vientiane or Pakse, with travel to southern Lao provinces.
The Southern Lao Landscape Advisor will be responsible for providing coordination
between WWF-Laos national leadership, government agencies, and site-based
projects throughout southern Laos.
The Consultant is expected to meet the following requirements:
• Have a Master’s degree in field related to environmental conservation or
natural resource management;
• Have demonstrated experience in project management and/or technical advising
• Able to communicate effectively in both Lao and English languages
• Previous experience working in southern Laos an asset
Details and Terms of Reference (ToR) for this position is posted
on www.panda.org/greatermekong
Interested candidates should email a cover letter, CV with latest photos, available
degrees and qualifications to: micah.ingalls@wwfgreatermekong.org with attention
to Micah Ingalls, Conservation Programme Manager.
Closing date: February 15th 2013.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
cases, it has either morphed into
the more auspicious dragon or
simply become an embodiment
of malice and immorality.
One similarity remains
between East and West, though
- the snake as a symbol of sexual
passion. In China, snake wine,
made by infusing snakes in
grain alcohol, is believed to
have a rejuvenating, sometimes
aphrodisiac power.
As a gourmet dish, the
snake is much valued in the
Middle Kingdom, especially in
southern China. For those who
believe in traditional Chinese
medicine, each part of the snake
is a “treasure”. Snake bile is said
to be a remedy for many ailments,
including rheumatism. Ironically,
its venom is made into drugs to
counter pain, poisoning and blood
clots. A decade ago, there was a
zoo in a suburb of Guangzhou
that was devoted to snakes. As
a publicity stunt, the owner put
his daughter into a cage with
hundreds of snakes, where she
stayed long enough to break the
Guinness World Record.
Afterwards, a group of local
celebrities were invited to a
banquet, where a dozen courses
were served, each one a dish of
snakes but cooked in different
ways. I tagged along, swearing I
would never touch or eat a snake.
But out of courtesy to the host,
I broke my vow. It turned out
snakes are not that delicious, at
least to me. The meat was tough
and chewy, nowhere near as tasty
and delicate as eels, which friends
Feature 17
said I should pretend they were.
The most famous Chinese
legend involving snakes puts a
decidedly positive spin on their
portrayal. Madame White Snake
has been told in many operas,
movies and television serials. The
spirit of a white snake transforms
herself into a beautiful maiden,
Bai Suzhen, who falls in love
with Xu Xian, a mortal living by
Hangzhou’s scenic lake.
They get married, but before
they can live happily ever after, a
monk named Fahai, who used to
be a tortoise spirit, tricks Xu into
coercing his wife to drink wine,
which reveals her true form as a
snake. Xu Xian is so scared that
he falls ill, but Bai flies to Mount
Emei and steals a medicinal herb
that revives her husband.
18
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Art & Entertainment
‘New World’ a well-made noir with superb acting
A scene from director Park Hoon-jung’s upcoming film “New World” (NEW).
Claire Lee, Asia News
Network, Korea Herald
Noted screenwriter Park Hoonjung’s second feature film
was finally unveiled to the
press last week, featuring three
heavyweight actors ― Choi
Min-sik, Hwang Jeong-min
and Lee Jung-jae ― in the lead.
What the film deals with
is nothing new, at least in
Korean cinema: a criminal
organization, its gangsters
and the cops who try to chase
them down. However, Park,
who is best known for his
screenplays for Kim Ji-woon’s
“I Saw the Devil” and Ryu
Seung-wan’s “The Unjust,”
managed to create a heartless
and entertaining flick about
power, greed and betrayal.
“New World” is, in Park’s
own words, “a film about
gangsters doing politics, in
suits and ties.” While doing
exactly that, Park skillfully
blurs the boundary between the
police and gangsters, as well
as the good and the bad. The
police headquarters abuse their
low-ranking officers while
trying to do the righteous thing
― arresting the criminals.
Some of the gangsters, on
The geek in the pink
returning to Seoul once more
All-American singer-songwriter
Jason Mraz will be returning to
Seoul in May to hold his sixth
live show.
The performer ― who has
made a name for himself as a
beloved entertainer in Korea ―
will be holding his upcoming
concert, “Jason Mraz and His
one of his mega hit pop-rock-rap
singles, “Geek in the Pink.”
Coming off the success of the
follow-up album, Mraz released
“We Sing. We Dance. We Steal
Things” in 2008. The album
not only debuted at the No.
3 spot on the Billboard 200
chart, but the title track “I’m
Yours,” went five-times platinum
and gave Mraz his first Top-10
single on the Billboard Hot 100
Band,” on May 17 at the Jamsil
Sports Complex starting at 6:30
p.m. The performance will also
feature two guest performers
who are yet to be announced.
Mraz, who started his career
playing in coffee houses, released
his first commercial debut album
“Waiting for My Rocket to
Come” in 2002, his popular
single, “The Remedy (I Won’t
Worry).” However, it was after
the release of his second album,
“Mr. A-Z,” three years later that
Mraz reached a new level of
stardom. The album featured
chart, breaking a chart record for
remaining in the top 100 for 76
weeks. The song also snagged
him two Grammy Awards for
Song of the Year and Best Male
Pop Vocal Performance in 2009.
Last year Mraz released his
fourth studio album “Love is a
Four Letter Word,” featuring the
acoustic ballad single “I Won’t
Give Up.”
Ticket prices for Mraz’s
Seoul performance range from
110,000 to 250,000 won and can
be purchased online at ticket.
interpark.com.
Julie Jackson, Asia News
Network, Korea Herald
the other hand, share genuine
camaraderie with each other ―
while committing all kinds of
illegal deeds.
The thriller tells the story
of police detective Ja-seong
(Lee Jung-jae), who is assigned
by his manipulative boss
Kang (Choi Min-sik) to an
undercover investigation into
“Gold Moon” ― one of the
biggest crime organizations in
the country.
Kang asks Ja-seong to
spy on the gang’s secondin-command Jeong Cheong
(Hwang Jeong-min), after
finding out both Ja-seong
and the gangster are ethnic
Chinese, on top of sharing
the same hometown of Yeosu,
South Jeolla Province.
Ja-seong’s investigation
goes on for eight years, and he
eventually finds himself caught
between Jeong, who calls him
a “brother” and “trusts him
with his life,” and his senior
detective Park, who only uses
him and never gives him the
recognition he deserves.
The film gets even more
dramatic as the mob boss
is suddenly killed in a car
accident, and the group’s two
opposing factions, one led by
Jeong and the other by ruthless
and vengeful member Lee (Park
Seong-woong), vie for power.
Detective Kang comes up
with a cunning and dangerous
plan to come between Jeong
and Lee ― using Ja-seong’s
trusted position in Jeong’s
faction ― to break up the Gold
Moon. Kang knows his project
puts Ja-seong’s life at risk, but
makes no plan to protect him if
Ja-seong hits dire straits.
Hwang Jeong-min
(“The Unjust,” “You Are My
Sunshine,”) is impressive as
Jeong Cheong, who is arguably
the most likable character in the
film. The gangster is a lot of
things ― he is an ethnic minority,
a caring boss and a competent,
thorough individual. During the
press conference, Hwang said
he only remembers “having fun”
while playing Jeong, whom he
described as a “chameleon.”
“Jeong Cheong is really
something,” he said. “He’s very
versatile and has many different
qualities and characteristics that
make him unique.”
Respected veteran actor
Choi Min-sik (“I Saw the Devil,”
“Oldboy”) is also convincing as
the manipulative villain, while
Lee Jung-jae (“The Thieves,”
“The Housemaid”) presents a
credible portrayal of a victim
who is conflicted between two
different worlds, against his
own will.
“Ja-seong doesn’t really
start nor do anything by his own
will,” Lee said. “He just gets
caught up in things. He is not
allowed to show his emotions,
while required to tell lies all the
time. I somehow had to deliver
his real emotions in spite of his
difficult situation, and that was
the biggest challenge while
playing this character.”
Actor Park Seong-woong
is also a presence in the film,
as the charismatic, ruthless
gangster who meets an
unfortunate end.
“New World” is an engaging
noir with resounding acting and
a highly entertaining narrative.
Ultimately, it is a film about
power and how it blinds those
in authority, and those who
strive for it.
A New Entertainment
World release, “New World”
opens in local theaters on
Feb. 21.
What’s On
Vientiane
-Elephant Festival will take place from Feb 17-19 in
Xayaboury district, Xayaboury province.
- Vat Phou Festival takes place in Champassak province
on February 20-25, 2013.
- Action with Lao Children Library: Open Mon to Fri 9am
to 6pm and Sat 9am to 3pm. Come in and read and borrow
Lao, Japanese, Thai and English books. Located in Ban
Saphangmor, Xaysettha district.
- Permanent UXO exhibition and the provision of artificial
limbs for victims. COPE Visitor Centre, Khouvieng Road,
opposite Green Park Hotel. Every day: 9am-6pm.
- Drama Club at 7:30 pm every Friday includes role playing,
miming, storytelling, improvisation and stage performances
at the gymnasium of the French Hoffet School. Call Yves on
23273481.
- Chess Club meets at 1pm every Sunday at City Inn on
Pangkham Road, Vientiane.
Contact: Gabriel_smit@hotmail.com
- Women’s International Group. For activities and times
email wiglaosmembership@gmail.com
- Toastmasters Club meets every Sun. from 4-6pm at Khop
Chai Deu restaurant (3F). Everyone is welcome.
- Meditation at Vat Sokpaluang every Saturday, 4-5.30pm.
- English Language Church Service every Sunday 10 am
at the Language Centre on Lane 3- next to PV Oil (near the
Mercure Hotel).
Call (021) 261441, or visit http://www.the-chs.org for more details.
Luang Prabang
Lao Elephants Australian
Rules Football Club -Meet
at 6.30 pm on Thursdays for
Big Brother Mouse helps
training, please contact the
young people practise their
English at free drop-in sessions, LE President at president_
9-11am and 5-7pm, open every laoelephants@laopdr.com
for details and other meeting
day. Just come to our office at
areas.
9am or 5pm in Ban Vat Nong,
Buffalos Rugby - men’s
around the corner from 3
rugby training Tuesday
Nagas Hotel.
evenings 6 - 7:30pm. All
www.bigbrothermouse.com.
welcome. Sunday morning
Traditional Arts and
Ethnology Centre. Open 9am- social touch rugby - male,
female all ages welcome.
6pm, Tues-Sun.
Free. For either, contact
www.taeclaos.org
Steeve (020 5953 2304),
Ock Pop Tok
Living Crafts Centre open daily Frazer (020 2209 7323) and
Gilles (020 5551 8250) for
for free guided tour. Natural
more information.
dyes, weaving and batik
Wild Hogs Rugby training
drawing classes daily. 9amat the Polytechnic pitch
5pm. Free transfer from Ock
in Phonpapao village,
Pop Tok shops in town to the
weaving centre on the Mekong. Sisattanak, at 8pm on Tues.
and Thurs. Optional Saturday
Call 071 212597
touch session at That Luang
Royal Palace National
Museum. Open 8.30-11.30am at 5:30pm, Sunday fitness at
That Luang at 5:30pm. Call
and 1.30-4.30pm from
020 77615677
Wednesday to Monday.
or Chris 020 77834385.
UXO Visitor Centre. Open
Lao Mahout Netball team
Mon-Fri 8.30am-12 and
trains every Tues. at 6pm at
2-5pm. Right turn just before
Vientiane International School.
President’s Monument on the
For more information contact
Northern Rd.
Saeng on 020 77442689.
Lions Women’s Rugby from
Museums
7.30pm on Tues and Thurs at
Lao National Museum
the Polytechnic pitch. Contact
on Samsenthai Road opposite
Noui on 020 4905090 or
National Culture Hall. Open
Maggie on 020 54656153.
Youth Community Rugby
Mon-Fri during office hours
and on weekends from 9am to Sessions
Training for U15 Boys and
4pm.
U17 Girls at the Polytechnic
Horphakeo Museum
pitch in Phonpapao village,
on Setthathirat Road
Sisattanak, at 7:30pm on
opposite Vat Sisaket. Open
Wed. Training for children of
Mon-Sun during office hours.
all ages at 9am on Sunday.
Body Language at Vientiane
Sports
Accueil, Khouvieng Rd.
Class includes stretching and
ANZ Vientiane Lions
respiratory exercises with
Women’s Rugby Club –
an oriental touch. Tues. and
Wednesday night fitness
Thurs. from 5.30-6.30pm.
sessions from 7:30 at VIS. Pitch
Contact 020 5612107.
trainings Thursday nights from
Aerobics at Sokpalouang
19:30 and Sunday from 16:00
swimming pool, Sisattanak
at Polytechnic Pitch in Ban
district. Open every day from
Phonphapao. Contact Vieng
6am-8pm.
on 020 54234111 or Maggie
Vientiane Hash House Harriers
on 020 78110019 for more
Meet at Nam Phu Fountain
information.
every Saturday for travel to
Champa Ban Youth Rugby –
out-of-town runs. Mixed Hash,
Rugby activities with a focus
register at 3.45pm and depart
on fun, games and healthy
4pm. Monday,VH3, family
living message. Free and open Hash. 3 runs - short, medium
to all. Visit www.laorugby.com
and long. Meet at 5pm at
or contact Noui 020 54905090
advertised venue. Phones:
or Maggie on 020 78110019 for 223867, 217493,
more information.
mobile 020 5511293, 5514669.
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Ruthless Juventus beats Celtic 3-0 in CLeague
Juventus’ Mirko Vucinic (left) vies for the ball with Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre (right) during their Champions
League round of 16 first leg soccer match at Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland on Tuesday. --Photo AP
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)
-- Juventus punished poor
defending with some clinical
finishing to beat Celtic 3-0
in the first leg of their last16 match in the Champions
League on Tuesday, virtually
sealing the Italian champions’
place in the quarterfinals.
Mistakes by defender Efe
Ambrose, who only returned
from international duty at the
African Nations Cup on the
morning of the match, led to
goals by Alessandro Matri in
the third minute and Mirko
Vucinic in the 83rd.
Claudio Marchisio had
scored the second goal in the
77th at the end of a flowing
team move by the current Serie
A leaders, who rode their luck
before inflicting Celtic’s jointheaviest home loss in European
competition.
The score line was harsh
on Celtic, which dominated
the first half and most of
the second, only to lack a
cutting edge to beat Juventus
goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
“We need a miracle but it’s
the harsh reality of Champions
League football,” Celtic
manager Neil Lennon said.
The second leg is in Turin
on March 6, when Juventus
will look to finish the Scottish
champions off and maintain its
unbeaten run in this season’s
competition.
Paris Saint-Germain is in
control of the other last-16
match played Tuesday after
winning 2-1 at Valencia.
However, the French team
will be without striker Zlatan
Ibrahimovic for the second leg
following his late sending-off
at the Mestalla.
Celtic showed by beating
Barcelona in the group stage
that the team is a match for
anyone at its intimidating
Celtic Park home, and it posed
Juventus all sorts of problems
with its relentless work rate and
high pressing game.
“It’s a great result in a
difficult stadium,” Marchisio
said. “We came here to score
at least one goal and we scored
three without conceding, so we
are very happy.”
Even Italy midfielder
Andrea Pirlo, usually so
composed and elegant in centre
midfield, was clearly ruffled at
being hustled and harried but
Celtic couldn’t find the finish
to go with its build-up play.
“The score line flatters
Juventus,” Lennon said. “For
70-odd minutes, we were by
far the better side but you can’t
give away sloppy goals.”
Lennon may be regretting
playing Ambrose on the day
he landed in Scotland after
more than a month away with
Nigeria at the African Nations
Cup. He played in the 1-0
victory over Burkino Faso in
the final on Sunday but was
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- This is
one time the PGA Tour needs to
avoid the perception of slow play.
It has been two weeks since
the Sports Illustrated story that
Vijay Singh spent US$9,000 on
products that included deer antler
spray, telling the magazine he
used the spray “every couple of
hours ... every day” and that he
was “looking forward to some
change in my body.” Singh
issued a statement the next day
that he used the spray and was
shocked to learn it might contain
a substance that is banned under
the tour’s anti-doping policy.
Singh is still playing.
The tour is not talking, except
to say it is looking into the matter.
In what is shaping up as
a bright year in golf, this is
becoming a dark cloud. Tiger
Woods won at Torrey Pines.
Phil Mickelson missed a 59 by
a fraction of an inch when he
won the Phoenix Open. The next
week, every conversation among
players at Pebble Beach seemed
to start with the same question.
“What’s going to happen
with Vijay?”
Singh met with PGA Tour
Commissioner Tim Finchem at
Pebble Beach, and then made his
15th consecutive cut.
He is playing again this week
at Riviera.
The big Fijian, a week away
from turning 50, is one of the
more remarkable success stories
on the PGA Tour. He has three
major championships, a record
22 wins in his 40s and a spot in
the World Golf Hall of Fame.
But he is looked upon
differently now, and not just
because he is the source of jokes.
One photo circulating last
week showed Singh’s face photoshopped on a deer. A magazine
reported seeing Singh in the
fairway at Spyglass Hill during
a practice round with his caddie,
trainer, manager — and five
deer that had wandered out of
the woods.
Also at stake is his integrity.
It doesn’t help that Singh had
to overcome allegations early in
his career that he doctored his
scorecard to avoid missing the
cut in Indonesia. Singh, who has
denied the charges, was banned
by the Asian tour. It dogged him
for much of his career, even as
he worked his way from giving
US$10 lessons in Borneo to
becoming No. 1 in the world.
He hasn’t won since 2008,
when he was the FedEx Cup
champion with back-to-back
wins in the playoffs. He has
been slowed by injuries the last
four years. Clearly, he was trying
to gain an edge with the deer
antler spray and other products
from Sports with Alternative to
Steroids.
Singh either forgot or ignored
the tour’s warning a year earlier
that deer antler spray might
contain an insulin-like growth
hormone known as IGF-1, which
has been on the list of banned
substances since the programme
began in 2008.
Every now and then, the
tour will warn the players of a
substance that could get them
into trouble, which is what it did
in the fall of 2011. Singh said he
reviewed the list of ingredients
on the antler spray and did not
see any banned substances.
That’s not being very vigilant.
And it’s not much of an excuse.
If he’s spending US$9,000
on products, does he not become
suspicious enough to run this
by the tour? Even a change in
their nutrient programme should
be enough for players to ask
questions. One player told a story
Tuesday of getting a prescription
for a new eye medicine. His first
call was to the tour to make sure
it was OK. The prescription cost
US$10.
Just as much is at stake for
the integrity of the tour.
rushed back for the biggest
game in Celtic’s recent history.
“We took a gamble on
Efe Ambrose,” Lennon
acknowledged.
For the opener, Ambrose
misjudged a routine ball
forward to leave Matri clean
though on goal. The striker
poked a finish through
goalkeeper Fraser Forster’s
legs and the ball crossed the
line by the time Kelvin Wilson
slid in to clear away.
Marchisio slammed the
loose ball into the net for good
measure — with the assistant
referee yet to signal — but
Matri was given the goal.
Ambrose then pondered too
long on the ball before being
robbed by Marchisio and he
fed Vucinic, who slipped a low
finish into the net. Ambrose
hung his head in despair.
To make matters worse for
Ambrose, he missed Celtic’s
best chance at the other end,
heading tamely at Buffon in the
second half when completely
unmarked eight yards out
C e l t i c ’s r e s p o n s e t o
conceding early had been very
impressive, peppering Buffon’s
goal with shots throughout the
first half.
Kris Commons had a
handful of chances while Victor
Wanyama headed over from a
corner just before halftime, which
Juve would have been relieved to
reach without conceding.
The decibel levels remained
high for the second half, as did
Celtic’s dominance — but still
Buffon’s goal wasn’t breached.
Commons skied a shot over
before Ambrose wasted his
golden chance — and Juventus
made them pay.
Marchisio ran onto Matri’s
slick through-ball, cutting inside
and firing in a shot that Forster
couldn’t keep out to halt Celtic’s
momentum. And there was still
time for Vucinic’s goal to seal
Ambrose’s miserable night.
Sports 19
Williams, Sharapova
into 3rd round in Doha
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Serena through the first five games until
Williams and Maria Sharapova Sharapova broke to go up 4-2,
easily reached the third round and she clinched the victory
of the Qatar Open on Tuesday, when the Frenchwoman hit a
dominating their opponents with forehand long.
“I was quite happy with
straight-set victories.
Williams, who will regain the the way I played, because my
No. 1 ranking if she reached the opponent has already played
semifinals, showed no signs of a few matches here so she’s
the back or ankle problems that been able to get in that match
troubled her at the Australian atmosphere,” Sharapova said.
Open during her 6-2, 6-1 win “So I wanted to start really
over Russian qualifier Daria strong. I had a tough match
against her in my previous
Gavrilova.
The third-ranked Sharapova, encounter where I played three
who won the tournament in sets. I really wanted to start better
her two previous appearances, this time as opposed to last time.”
Sharapova was joined in
downed French qualifier
Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2. Sixth- the third round by 11th-ranked
ranked Angelique Kerber had Marion Bartoli, who downed
a much tougher time, though, former French Open champion
and became the first top player Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5),
to be eliminated from the 6-3. The loss leaves Schiavone,
tournament as she was routed who has fallen to 54th in the
by fellow German Mona rankings, winless in four matches
Barthel 6-1, 6-2 in just over this year.
The Italian had the upper
an hour.
Williams broke Gavrilova hand early, racing out to a 4-1
to go up 4-2 in the first set and lead. But Bartoli turned things
then jumped out to a 5-0 lead around, saving five break points
to make it 4-2 breaking back in
in the second.
Williams then saved five the next game when Schiavone
break points before serving doubled faulted. She then
out the match when the 160th- decided the tiebreaker with a
ranked Gavrilova hit a forehand return winner.
After trading breaks early
long.
The 15-time Grand Slam in the second set, Bartoli took
winner said she was “happy to advantage of Schiavone’s errors
get out of it, get it over with” and to go up 4-2. She closed out the
match when she chased down
said her ankle held up well.
“I have it heavily taped. As a volley and fired a backhand
long as the tape doesn’t get loose, winner down the line.
“The first set was extremely
it feels really good,” Williams
said. “Physically feeling better tough,” Bartoli said. “It was a
is so good, and hopefully I can hard battle. I knew from coming
from indoor clay court I wouldn’t
stay on that level.”
But Williams acknowledged play my best tennis for the first
she has to do better on her first 30 minutes. ... But I felt I really
serve, which is considered fought really hard on the court.
among the best in the world I didn’t show any frustration.”
Kerber broke Barthel to
but was inconsistent against
Gavrilova, hitting the mark just start the match but couldn’t win
another game in the first set.
over half the time.
Barthel, who won her second
“I wasn’t making my first
serve today,” she said. “It’s singles title at the Open Gaz de
always something I can work France Suez this month, finished
on and try to do better in my with 30 winners and only 12
unforced errors for her fourth win
next round.”
Sharapova broke the 172nd- over a top-10 player
Sloane Stephens, the 17thranked Garcia twice go up 3-0
in the first set. Garcia won the ranked American who beat
next two games but Sharapova Williams in the Australian Open
then broke for a third time. quarterfinals, defeated Anna
Doug Barron is the only The second set went with serve Tatishvili of Georgia, 6-2, 6-2.
player who has been suspended
under the anti-doping policy,
which didn’t cause too much of a
ripple because only the hard-core
golf fans had even heard of him.
Singh is a Hall of Famer. The
longer this drags on, the more
speculation that the tour treats
stars differently.
What hurts the tour in this
case is its longtime lack of
transparency.
Finchem has decided that
no news is the best news when it
comes to player discipline. The
tour does not disclose fines or
suspensions for conduct. No one
can say for certainty that Woods
has ever been fined for his course
language, or if Mickelson was
fined last year for using his cell
phone in the middle of a round
at the Memorial to complain
about too many cell phones in
the gallery.
We know John Daly was
suspended, but only because
he called The Associated Press
to refute rumors he had been
suspended for life (it was only
six months).
Players suspect that at least
two of their colleagues have been
suspended from testing positive Maria Sharapova of Russia returns the ball during her match against
for recreational drugs. If true, the Caroline Garcia of France on the second day of the WTA Qatar Ladies
Open in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.
--Photo AP
tour won’t say.
Vijay Singh needs to take a break
Thursday February 14, 2013
20
Sport
Lao, Thai
cyclists to race
to Vangvieng
Sangkhomsay
Bubphanouvong
C
yclists from Laos
and six provinces
in Thailand will
take part in a race
from Vientiane to Vangvieng
district in Vientiane province
on February 23.
The race will start at
Chao Fa Ngum Park in
Sikhottabong district and
proceed to the finishing line
in Vangvieng over a distance
of 156km. The event is being
organised by the Lao Cycling
Federation.
The event is open to six
different age groups: 18+, 23+,
28+, 33+, 38+ and 43 and over.
About 100 cyclists from Laos
and Thailand will take part
in the race. Those wishing to
enter will be able to register
next week at the federation’s
office in Vientiane.
Federation secretary Mr
Latsamy Soundala said “The
goal of the race is to create
friendly competition between
Lao and Thai cyclists while
at the same time improving
the skills and stamina of all
participants.”
Cyclists achieving first
to seventh places in each age
group will be presented with
trophies and items of clothing
by the federation. It is expected
that the race will become an
annual event.
The federation will then
prepare for the President’s Cup
race which will take place on
the 450 Year Road on March
24. There will be three parts to
this event and each competitor
will be required to use three
different machines, a standard
road bicycle, a mountain bike
and a racing bike - all of which
they will have to ride over a
measured distance of 55 km.
The winners of each event will
receive a cup.
Cycling will not feature at
the National Games next year,
as the host province does not
have a suitable venue.
At the 26th SEA Games
in Indonesia in 2011, the Lao
cycling team finished in fifth
place.
Vientiane Times
Attapeu team to use Xekong
stadium for Premier League
The opening ceremony of the National Traditional Games in Xekong province.
Sangkhomsay
Bubphanouvong
The Hoang Anh Gia Lai
Company of Vietnam will
rent Xekong province’s main
stadium for Attapeu province’s
football team, which they will
use for training and as their
home ground for matches in
the Lao Premier League this
year.
The main stadium in
Xekong province is a better
venue than Attapeu can offer at
the moment as there are more
facilities and the stadium can
seat more spectators.
Next week the Attapeu
football team will start to train
at the Xekong stadium, which
was used for the opening and
closing ceremonies of the
National Traditional Games in
November.
Deputy Director of the
Attapeu provincial Education
and Sports Department, Mr
Veha Kommameuang, said
“Our football team is ready to
compete in the Premier League
but until now the team has not
had a venue for training and
playing home matches.”
The Lao Premier League
runs from the end of February
to July, and is organised by
the Lao Football Federation.
The format will be a normal
round-robin competition with
each team playing the others
twice, at home and away.
Mr Veha said “The Hoang
Anh Gia Lai Company will
support our team’s training at
the Xekong stadium and will
also support the team in the
Premier League.”
“This year, our province
plans to allocate land and we
will build a new sports complex,
including a provincial main
stadium and indoor facilities.”
He also said the company is
providing a Vietnamese coach
to train their footballers and
will send the best Vietnamese
footballers from division 2 to
join the provincial team in the
league.
The expectation is
that the Attapeu team will
improve if they are trained
by a Vietnamese coach and
can learn from some of that
country’s best footballers.
The Lao Football Federation
allows teams to have five foreign
players on their roster but a
maximum of three can take part
in any one game.
The Hoang Anh Gia Lai
Company financed Attapeu’s
participation in the Prime
Minister’s Cup in Vientiane
last year. They were largely
unsuccessful but they will be
ready to compete in the premier
league this year.
Attapeu took part in the
National Games in 2011, but
didn’t get past the first round.
Vientiane Times
Business
Inside
Read more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la
French bank
CEO visits
Laos
ECB’s Draghi:
Spain is ‘on the
right track’
page B2
21
Thursday February 14, 2013
Vietnamese building
material industry needs
support to overcome
economic difficulties
page B2
page B3
Furniture makers yet to benefit
from WTO membership
Times Reporters
Wood processing plants in Laos
are still unable to export their
products globally even though
the country is now a member of
the World Trade Organisation
(WTO).
“Yes, Laos is a member
of the WTO but that does not
mean we automatically have
access to world markets. There
are a number of issues that
the sectors concerned must
address before we can export
manufactured goods to countries
outside the region,” Lao Wood
Processing Industry President
Mr Thongsavanh Soulignamat
said yesterday.
Laos became a member of
the WTO on February 2 after the
global trading body received a
letter of ratification from the Lao
government.
Mr Thongsavanh, who is
Managing Director of the Lao
Furniture Industry Company in
Vientiane, said one of the major
issues the government needs to
address is sourcing an adequate
supply of timber from managed
forests.
“One of the key requirements
of European markets is that all
timber used in the Lao wood
processing industry must come
from well managed plantations
to ensure the sustainable use of
forests in Laos,” he said.
All wooden furniture must
be accompanied by certification
of the source of the timber
otherwise these products will
not be accepted in Europe.
Mr Thongsavanh said the
government is aware of the
certification requirement and
will carry out surveys of forests
in some provinces to ensure
they are properly managed.
It would be advisable for
the government to accelerate
the forest management process
so that businesses can obtain
sufficient quantities of wood
from managed forests and
export more products to world
markets, he added.
At present, most wood
processing plants receive
their timber from areas that
are cleared to make way
for development projects.
However, some businesses
obtain their wood from
unlicensed timber traders so
they cannot certify the source
of this wood.
Mr Thongsavanh said that at
present most wood processing
plants can export only to the
neighbouring countries of
Vietnam, Thailand and China,
which do not require products
to be made of wood that is
sourced from sustainably
managed forests.
He said businesses must
address this issue before
they sell their products on
the international market and
must also modernise their
manufacturing processes so
that they use wood efficiently
with as little waste as possible.
The government has begun
certifying wood processing
plants that have improved their
processing methods to meet
national standards. Processing
plants that fail to meet industry
standards are being forced to
close.
Policy makers say one of
the main reasons Laos wanted
to join the WTO was because
the government wants to attract
more foreign investment in
industries for which the country
has a ready supply of raw
materials. By building up these
sectors, more manufactured
goods can be exported to world
markets.
Wooden
items on
display at a
trade fair in
Xayaboury
province.
Mr Somsavat Lengsavad and other officials tour the trade fair in Khammuan province.
Khammuan trade fair aims
to drive commercial growth
Times Reporters
The Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry, in conjunction
with Khammuan provincial
authorities, held a trade fair in
Thakhek district recently aiming
to promote locally produced
agricultural products.
The trade fair was held
on the sidelines of a two-day
national meeting on agriculture
and forestry which ended
yesterday.
Opened by Deputy Prime
Minister Somsavat Lengsavad,
the trade fair brought together
54 exhibitors from 10 districts in
Khammuan province, as well as
from Vientiane, the provinces of
Champassak and Savannakhet,
and Thailand.
An agriculture official
from Khammuan province, Mr
Khammone Phomphiphak, told
Vientiane Times yesterday that
the best agriculture and forestry
products from the 10 districts of
the province were exhibited and
sold at the event.
Among the main products
on display were rice, furniture
and handicrafts, along with
other items made by provincial
agricultural production groups.
There were also
demonstrations on growing
industrial trees and other crops,
creating interest among people
from other provinces who were
keen to plant these species.
Mr Khammone said the
trade fair not only provides an
opportunity for farmers and the
business sector to meet but is
also a platform for people from
different provinces to share their
experiences with regard to what
farming techniques produce
higher yields.
Over 2,000 people visited
the fair each day with millions
of kip changing hands among
the farmers, production groups
and traders in attendance.
Khammuan province will
hold a similar event from
February 18 to 25 during the
Sikhottabong Stupa Festival
which takes place annually in
Thakhek district.
Officials said the fair
will encourage local people
to boost their productivity for
market purposes and enable
Laos to benefit from regional
connectivity.
Khammuan now offers
the shortest route for exporters
trucking goods to the central
seaports of Vietnam from
the six northern provinces of
Thailand since the third Lao-Thai
Friendship Bridge across the
Mekong River opened in 2011.
It is only 146km from
the Laos-Vietnam border
to Vietnam’s sea ports. The
Vietnamese government charges
the same sea port fees for goods
transported via Laos as it does
for goods shipped from within
Vietnam.
Khammuan has strong
potential in agriculture, mining
and tourism. The province
is currently building up
infrastructure to capitalise on
this potential and attract more
investment.
The rate of economic growth
in the province has climbed to
12.7 percent and annual per capita
income stands at US$1,366.
Khammuan is targeting per
capita income of US$1,800 to
US$2,000 by 2015.
Given the significance of
the strategic route, Khammuan
provincial authorities have
organised a number of trade
fairs in recent years to spur local
people to do more business.
They need to make every
effort to encourage agricultural
production and other forms
of business, officials stress,
otherwise the province will be
a just a transit route without
gaining any benefit from regional
integration.
Exchange rates as of February 13, 2013
Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao
Foreign Currencies
Buying Selling
US Dollar 50-100
7,895
7,934
Thai Baht
264.02
265.35
Euro 50-500
10,610
10,662
22
B2
Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times
French bank CEO visits Laos
Times Reporters
Yesterday’s market little changed but signs are
readying for a rally.
The CEO of BRED Banque
Populaire, one of largest
French commercial banks, is in
Vientiane this week to explore
the opportunities for business
expansion in Laos.
Mr Olivier Klein arrived
in Vientiane on Tuesday to
meet government officials and
potential business partners to
discuss further growth of the
bank’s operations in Laos.
Mr Klein was appointed
CEO of the bank in September
2012. This is his first visit to
Asia as a representative of the
top management.
BRED developed its
activities in Laos in 2010
through the creation of the
Banque Franco-Lao Ltd (BFL),
a joint-venture with the Banque
pour le Commerce Exterieur
Lao Public (BCEL). The bank’s
services target the Lao public,
SMEs, and companies and Lao
communities in France.
BFL has now 113
employees and 13 branches
in Vientiane, Pakxe, Luang
Prabang and Savannakhet.
In 2013 it plans to extend its
network to 25 branches in
Vientiane and the provinces.
With growing confidence
in the Lao economy and
BCEL perspectives, BRED
deepened its partnership in
2011 through a 10 percent
stake in BCEL, which enables
in-depth cooperation between
the two institutions in training
and IT development.
“The BRED Group is today
very satisfied with the quality
of the partnership and the links
built with BCEL and the Lao
authorities,” the group said as
quoted in a press release.
BRED, the first regional
bank within BPCE, France’s
second-largest banking group,
is a cooperative bank that
was founded 94 years ago
with the aim of financing
the local economy. It does
not have shareholders, but is
owned by its clients as member
shareholders.
“BRED is less dependent
on financial markets than its
competitors. It is a diversified
group with subsidiaries all
around the world, which
provides a better resilience in
times of global financial crisis,”
the press release said.
ECB’s Draghi: Spain is ‘on the right track’
MADRID (AP) -- Spain has
succeeded in stabilising a
banking system that almost
collapsed last year and is wellpositioned for better economic
times going forward, European
Central Bank President Mario
Draghi said on Tuesday.
Draghi delivered the
upbeat assessment to Spanish
politicians behind closed doors in
Parliament, later telling reporters
that “Spain is on the right track.”
The country has had to
make a host of painful austerity
measures and received a bailout
package for its banks funded by
the eurozone. In exchange for the
loans, Spain has been merging,
shutting, or nationalising its
weaker banks and requiring them
to hold larger capital buffers.
“Today Spanish banks are
properly capitalized by and large,
so in a position to give credit,”
Draghi said.
The ECB itself has been
instrumental in taming Spain’s
financial crisis. In August it
announced a program to buy the
government bonds of countries
in need to bring down their
borrowing rates. The move
scared investors away from
betting on Spain’s financial
collapse — since the summer,
Spain’s borrowing rates have
dropped sharply and the stock
markets rallied.
The economy remains
in recession, however, and a
recovery is expected to be slow
at best.
Though many Spanish
individuals and businesses say
they are still unable to get loans
except to buy property that the
banks want to unload from their
President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, left, speaks
to Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, right, during a meeting at
the Moncloa Palace, in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday.
balance sheets, Draghi said
“borrowers who have no debt
or little debt are actually able to
get credit.”
He suggested that borrowers
who have existing debt may
see their ability to get credit
improve toward the end of this
year as the 17-nation zone that
uses the common euro currency
experiences a slow and modest
economic recovery.
“We will see credit flows
picking up at that time as well,”
Draghi said.
Draghi praised Spain for
passing labour laws making
it cheaper for companies to
hire and fire workers while
acknowledging that the
nation is going through deep
economic pain with 26 percent
unemployment and a much
higher rate for adults under age
25. Spain also hiked taxes and
made deep cuts to cherished
education and national health
care.
He didn’t comment about
Spain specifically when asked if
the country needs more reforms
but said that all eurozone
countries must still outline
detailed plans on how they intend
to cut government spending and
increase revenue.
“This is a complex path and
none of the countries in the euro
area has finished on these issues,”
Draghi said.
D r a g h i ’s a p p e a r a n c e
in Parliament became a hot
topic in the media after Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy’s ruling
Popular Party refused to allow
the session to be televised and
used special equipment to ban
cellphone signals, denying
liberal lawmakers a chance to
tweet the proceedings as they
had pledged. Some used their
cellphones to tape it so it could
be put online later.
Addressing the increasing
value of the euro compared
to other currencies, Draghi
said it is “inappropriate” and
“fruitless” for politicians to
push the ECB to influence the
euro’s exchange rate.
Vientiane Times
Thursday February 14, 2013
Asia stocks up on strong
US corporate earnings
In brief
Thai PM denies
getting cold feet on
Expo 2020 bid
Asia News Network,
Thailand (The Nation) -Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra denied
on Tuesday that her
government had shelved
Thailand’s bid to host the
World Expo 2020, saying
more time was needed to
analyse carefully the likely
return on investment.
“Thailand will not give up
its plan and open the way
for Dubai,” she said.
Dubai is another candidate
in the competition.
Yahoo CEO plans
to prune company’s
mobile apps
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)
-- Yahoo CEO Marissa
Mayer thinks the Internet
company will be able
to please more people
with fewer smartphone
applications.
Mayer says she hopes to
winnow Yahoo’s portfolio of
mobile applications from the
current 60 to 75 programmes
to about a dozen. Her
remarks came during a
Tuesday appearance before
investors in San Francisco.
It marked the first time that
Mayer has spoken at an
investment conference since
she defected from Google
Inc. to become Yahoo Inc.’s
CEO seven months ago.
OPEC report
shows optimism
about world oil
market outlook
VIENNA (Xinhua) -- The
Organisation of Petroleum
Exporting Countries
(OPEC) on Tuesday revised
upward the demand for
crude oil in 2013, showing
confidence about the future
oil market.
In its monthly report released
on Tuesday, OPEC oil
demand in 2013 was forecast
at an average of 29.8 million
barrels per day (mb/d), an
upward adjustment of 0.1
mb/d from the previous
forecast.
This increase is based on an
expected world economic
recovery and improving
confidence in the global
outlook, the Vienna-based
secretariat said.
CNOOC-Nexen
deal approved by
US regulators
BEIJING (Xinhua)
-- US regulators
have approved China
National Offshore Oil
Corporation’s (CNOOC’s)
US$15.1billion bid to buy
Nexen Inc., a deal that will
be the biggest overseas
takeover made by a Chinese
company. The approval from
the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United
States (CFIUS) means
the last major hurdle was
cleared, CNOOC, China’s
largest offshore oil producer,
said in a statement issued on
Tuesday.
B23
3
The Vietnamese government was urged to implement policies limiting imports and accelerating
consumption of domestic building materials.
Vietnamese building material
industry needs support to
overcome economic difficulties
Asia News Network, VNS
HANOI -- The Vietnamese
government was urged to
implement policies limiting
imports and accelerating
consumption of domestic
building materials.
It is a measure recommended
by the Vietnam Association
for Building Materials to
reduce inventories and support
struggling enterprises.
State-invested projects and
those under engineering –
procurement – construction
practices should be required to
use domestic building materials
while infrastructure projects
(including roads and grounds of
industrial zones) using cement
should be hastened nationwide,
the association said.
“This would help stimulate
demand for cement while
reducing imports of asphalt,”
the association’s president
Tran Van Huynh told Thoi Bao
Kinh Te Vietnam (Vietnam
Economic Times).
According to Ministry of
Construction statistics, by the
end of 2012, basic building
material inventories were
valued at VND6.753 trillion
(US$321.57 million).
According to the Ministry
of Industry and Trade’s report,
the high inventories were
attributed to the impact of cuts
to public investment, a weaker
export market and tough
competition from imports.
Many factories have had
to halt operations due to high
inventories. In regard to cement
production alone, a number of
factories incurred losses such
as Dong Bnh, Thi Nguyn and
Cam Pha plants.
Due to the economic crisis,
domestic cement demand was
estimated to fall by 14-15
million tonnes during the 201113 period to reach just 60-62
million tonnes by 2015, a long
way off the planned figure of
75–76 million tonnes.
If consumption plans
are not adjusted, by 2015
the total capacity of cement
plants will reach more than 94
million tonnes, far outstripping
demand.
A c c o r d i n g t o L Va n
Toi, director of the Building
Material Department under
the construction ministry, the
ministry will continue to review
master planning for the building
material industry towards 2020
with a focus on developing clean
technology and new materials.
Regarding cement industry
development, he said adjustments
would aim to ensure the balance
of supply and demand in the short
and longer term.
Management of building
material imports will also be
tightened to prevent unhealthy
competition from damaging
domestic production, he added.
Minister Trinh Dinh Dung
urged enterprises to play an active
role in the restructuring process,
by renovating technology,
enhancing management
capacities and overall efficiency
to weather the difficult period.
BANGKOK (AP) -- Asian stock
markets rose on Wednesday after
strong US corporate earnings
sent the Dow close to its record
high. Japanese shares faltered,
however, as the yen rebounded
against the dollar.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei
index tumbled as the yen
strengthened against the dollar
following a pledge by finance
ministers from the world’s
major advanced economies
to refrain from intentionally
weakening their currencies.
The Nikkei 225 was down 1.1
percent to 11,239.56.
Australian stocks hit their
highest intraday level in nearly
three years before ceding some
gains. The S&P/ASX 200 was
up 1 percent to 5,006.20 after
the release of strong earnings
from Commonwealth Bank
of Australia and construction
company Leighton Holdings.
S o u t h K o r e a ’s K o s p i
advanced 1.4 percent to 1,973.48.
Benchmarks in Singapore,
Indonesia and the Philippines
also rose.
Markets in mainland
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
and Vietnam were closed for
Lunar New Year holidays.
Finance ministers from
the Group of Seven nations
said in a statement following
a meeting in Brussels that
they remained committed to
exchange rates driven by the
market, not government or
central bank policies.
Traders interpreted the
statement as a message directed
at Japan, where the yen has
plummeted against the dollar
since Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe took office and pushed
the central bank for ultra-loose
monetary policy.
Central bank governor
Masaaki Shirakawa, who has
appeared at odds with Abe’s
views on monetary policy, is
resigning next month, giving
the government an opportunity
to find a successor more
sympathetic to its aims.
Glenn Levine, senior
economist at Moody’s Analytics,
said Japan’s steps to boost
its economy, including asset
purchases by the Bank of Japan
and raising the inflation target
to 2 percent, offer promise but
come with the risk of sparking
a currency war.
He noted that the US
Federal Reserve and Bank
of England have taken even
more aggressive steps but have
been “less vocal, and have thus
avoided setting off currency
alarms.”
“Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe merely vocalized
what everyone already knew,
that a cheaper currency is
beneficial to growth,” Levine
said.
The Bank of Japan begins
a two-day policy meeting
Wednesday but analysts said no
new initiatives were expected
in light of the impending
leadership change.
Among individual stocks,
Commonwealth Bank of
Australia rose 2.4 percent
after reporting a record firsthalf profit of 3.66 billion
An investor looks at the stock price monitor at a private securities
company Wednesday in Shanghai, China.
Australian dollars (US$3.76
billion) profit.
The Dow Jones industrial
average rose to its highest close
of the year after positive results
from two big US consumer
brands, beauty products maker
Avon and luxury clothing and
accessories company Michael
Kors. Consumer spending
accounts for 70 percent of
economic activity in the US.
The Dow rose 0.3 percent
to 14,018.70, within 1 percent
of its record of 14,164 it set in
October 2007. The S&P 500
gained 0.2 percent to 1,519.43.
The Nasdaq composite fell 0.2
percent to 3,186.49.
Benchmark oil for March
delivery was up 8 cents
to US$97.59 per barrel in
electronic trading on the New
York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract rose 48 cents
to finish at US$97.51 on the
Nymex on Tuesday.
In currencies, the euro rose
to US$1.3449 from US$1.3444
late Tuesday in New York. The
dollar fell to 92.92 yen from
93.52 yen.
24
B4
Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times
Vientiane Times
Vientiane Times
Classified
25
Thursday February 14, 2013
EXPAT SERVICES
introduction - housing - insurance
one-stop service
020 77 100 200
www.jclao.com
Oudalee finds a suitable house for you to
live in Vientiane.
Traditional Lao house, house with swimming
pool, house on the river.
House with swimming pool available now.
Price range from Kip 3 000 000 and up.
Call Oudalee for free advice and pick up at
your convenient.
10 years experience guarantee.
Tel: 020 55 51 25 02 and 020 55 65 91 46
Email: oudalee@oudaleehomes.com
www.oudaleehomes.com
Lao land company is one of the leading real
estate service agency based in Vientiane.
We are specialized in property service
sector, and proud to say your needs is our
answer.
For further inquiry, please feel free to
contact us at 020 5551 0155, 23666333, or
021 453 919.
030 981 9052, 020 23220022
English*French*Japanese * Chinese
Email:oad.laoland@gmail.com
www.laoland.com
 Bouakham
HOUSE RENTAL
Would you like to rent or buy property?
We can show you Land, Houses or Apartments in any
location. Call us!
P.O. Box 1940,Vientiane, Lao PDR
Tel: 020 5571 1396, 77959199
Rent now!
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.
Office Tel: 021 419053-4, Fax: 021 419054,
Office mobile:020 23333347, 77600059
www.RentsBuy.com
email: rentsbuy@gmail.com
3 ຫ້ອງນອນ, ບ. ໂພນສະຫວັນ
- ໃກ້ກບ
ັ ໂຮງຮຽນ VIS
- ທາງຮ່ອມ ຄອນກີດ
໋
- ສາມາດເຮັດຫ້ອງການໄດ້
ແລະ ມີເດີນບ້ານ
(Rent now, not expensive)
3 beds room, Ban Phonsavanh, Vientiane Province
Near VIS school, Concrete road. Can be an office
Per month 22.400.000 kip
Email:
VPS
AB Apartment
Services: 2Bedrooms, 1Bedroom & Studio room
Features: Fully furnished apartment in Vientiane
with garden, A spacious parking, Air cond, Cable
TV, house keeping, 24 hours security surveillance,
washing machine and wireless connectivity.
Nearby: International community, diplomatic area &
minute drive from Patuxay Monument.
Ban Sibounheuang, Chanthabouly District,
Vientiane Capital Lao PDR
Mobile: +856-20-55512828, +856-20-55008623
Phone: +856-21-263253, Fax: +856-21-222565
E-mail:
abapart@gmail.com
www.abapartment.com
bouakham_nang@hotmail.com
www.bouakham-property.com
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
1,700,000
kip anytime
to 42,500,000 kip/month
For English call Mr.
Chanh
Tel: 020 55599900. 55593013,
office: 030 9800630
Email: vpscarrental@yahoo.com
www.vpscarrental.com
Lao Perfect
Property
We provide services
for exploring land for
business
development and
property valuation
throughout Lao
262 Donpamai,
SokpaluangThaphalanxayRoad.
Company Ltd capital 5,6 billion kip
(700 000$)
www.blue-lagoon-resort-laos.com
Tel: (85620) 54802200, 54894272, 96854145
Tel: 020 23774746, 020 54284757
Email: Laoperfectproperty@hotmail.com
C2
26
Classifieds Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times
Email: office@kerberossecurity.com, Fax: 021 217441
Tel: 021 260419/020 55878688/020 55509957
Watthana Montessori Pre-School
Full-Time Position Available:
Pre-School Teacher
• Position available for a male or
female Lao national.
• Must love working with pre-school
aged children
(1.5 to 6 years old)
• Must hold teaching qualifications or
have experience working in a school.
• Willing to adapt to the Montessori
Method of teaching – children learn
by doing.
• Should be a team player, motivated
and dedicated.
• Must be proficient in spoken and
written English.
(All classes taught in English.)
• Immediate start date
Interested applicants please contact:
Phone: 021 415 800
Email: watthana.montessori@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/watthana.montessori
Ban Phonepanao, Saysettha District
HOTEL LAO
*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
SERVICED APARTMENTS
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
Near That Luang Stupa
Short & Long Term
From 4,000,ooo kip per month
Air-conditioned, cable TV,
housekeeping, laundry, electricity and water
Call: 020 55505840, 55023782
Land for Sale
Dong Makai Village
26,000 m2
Asking 78,000kip per m2
Bounyong Souvannamethy
020 55008833
Thursday February 14, 2013 Classifieds
Vientiane Times
C27
3
Lao Red Cross Youth Competition!
Win a term of free English lessons by playing the Lao Red Cross Youth
Competition. From all correct entries, one winner will be drawn month. This month’s winner will
receive a notebook and a T-shirt promoting HIV/AIDS awareness. From all monthly winners, one
lucky winner will receive one full term of English lessons donated for free by Vientiane College.
This month we have another word game for you. Just unscramble the following 5 words
and place them in the boxes provide. For the right answers we will give you in the next month .
C H
R
A B
C O
I
E L
I
N D
S
E
D
A
ARCHABELTI
T
ATEREDSINOC
E
S T
P A T
A
GLIBEELI
I
N G
ATUNDNIGRSDEN
YMPASHTY
Cut out this entry form and send it to HIV/AIDS Project, Lao Red Cross, PO Box 2948 or take it
to the Lao Red Cross office behind Vat Xiengnhune. Closing date for the competition on
Thursday, 28 February 2013 at 9.00am.
Name:
_____________ ID Card No: __________Address & Phone Number: ____________
Last month’s winner: Phongsavang BOUNSAVATH, ID Card No: 04-0004598.
Last month’s answer: Archeologist, Conscience, Destiny, Heritage and Inspector.
Please contact to Ms. Phoutthalom for further more information at Tel: 241632.
C4
28
Classifieds Thursday February 14, 2013
Vientiane Times