Rise in HIV/AIDS cases in Laos tied to dam and mine projects, NGO official says
Health officials worry about unsafe sexual practices and a lack of knowledge on how the disease is transmitted.
Public servants kept in dark as Laos merges government ministries
The ruling communist party called the cuts necessary, but state employees said they haven’t seen an official order.
Foreign firms avoid Lao workers because they ‘have no skills,’ labor official says
A top lawmaker wants the companies to hire locally, but observers say the situation is complicated.
‘Free education’ in Southeast Asia often isn’t free
Additional fees can eat up a family’s daily wages and force some to pull their children out of school.
New mega-dam takes shape on the Mekong River in Laos
Rare footage shows major dam construction near the historic Lao city of Luang Prabang.
Laos investigates executives who oversaw long-delayed hydro dam
Ruling Communist Party publication said state funds for construction of Nam Him Boun dam were embezzled.
RFA radio transmissions to China, Tibet halted
Relay stations owned or leased by US government no longer carrying Radio Free Asia broadcasts
Radio Free Asia files lawsuit against US administration to restore funding
RFA’s federal grant was terminated on March 15 putting in doubt its future reporting on China and other authoritari
‘I started to cry seeing the baby taken away’
A Lao surrogate for Chinese parents gives rare insight into an illegal industry that continues to thrive.
Families hit by shop explosion in Laos are repairing damage at their own expense
They don’t expect aid from the provincial government, though officials are taking stock of the destruction.
