Category: Legal

The China Public Diplomacy Association hosted a reception and opening ceremony for more than 90 journalists who are taking part in a training programme China International Press Communication Centre 2022 in Beijing, China on Aug 12.

The journalists represent 53 developing countries from ASEAN, Asia, Eurasia, Africa and Latin America.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) Wu Hailong and diplomatic officials were present at the event.

Since 2014 more than 370 journalists have taken part in the China International Press Communication Centre training programme. This year, on-site training programme was relaunched for the first time after two years of Covid-19 outbreak.

Extending warm welcome to foreign journalists, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said that since 2014, the CPDA has been dedicated to developing the China International Press Communication Centre – CIPCC – to build a platform for the media from Asia, Africa and Latin America to observe, understand and study China.

“In the past two years, due to COVID-19, the Centre had to suspend its in-person programmes, but it has never stopped its work on the “cloud”. The “cloud centre” has opened a virtual window for the media of developing countries to see and feel the pulse of China’s development,” said Hua Chunying.

Since June the foreign journalists have visited many places, from historic sites to high-tech firms and participated in practising Tai Chi and writing Chinese calligraphy and other cultural exchange events.

The six-month programme (Jul-Nov) will provide foreign journalists opportunities to attend lectures on China’s politics, diplomacy, economy, poverty reduction, culture, internships at Chinese media, and to cover major domestic and regional events in China and visit provinces, districts and villages well-known for socio-economic development, investment, technology and innovation, culture and tourism.

Source: Lao News Agency

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a forecast on 9 August saying that tropical storm Mulan will move into northern Laos from Vietnam, bringing heavy rain and strong winds in the northern parts of the country.

Mulan is expected to reach Laos late Wednesday or on Thursday, before tapering off.

In the central provinces, including Vientiane Capital, there will be thunderstorms over the next few days, as well as moderate to heavy rain and strong winds in some areas.

Southern provinces will likewise see more heavy thunderstorms and rain.

Authorities have warned people across the country of the continued risk of floods, landslides, and other natural disasters due to torrential rain.

Source: Lao News Agency

Almost 100 representatives from wildlife relevant enforcement agencies from Laos and Thailand met in Huayxai district, Bokeo Province, Laos from 3-5 August to rekindle cross border cooperation to combat transboundary wildlife crime after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, according to World Wildlife Fund.

46 participants from the Chiang Rai Provincial Wildlife Enforcement Network (P-WEN) crossed the border at Chiang Khong to meet with 51 representatives from the P-WENs of Bokeo, Luang Namtha and Oudomxay provinces in Laos, as well as representatives of the national WEN. Organized by WWF as part of the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded project on combating wildlife trafficking in the Golden Triangle, this cross border collaboration meeting was implemented in collaboration with the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office of Bokeo Province.

Co-chaired by the Vice Governor of Bokeo Province, Keuangphet Vongchan, and the Vice Governor of Chiang Rai Province, Waradisorn Onnuch, the meeting builds on previous cross border meetings in which representatives of provincial offices of forest inspection, natural resources and environmental police, and customs, among others, came together to discuss how best to address the transboundary wildlife trade.

Considered the fourth most lucrative illegal global trade after human, drug and arms trafficking, the illegal wildlife trade is particularly active in the Golden Triangle, a border region notorious for various illicit trades.

The transboundary nature of the crime requires a cross-border and cross-agency approach to effectively disrupt and discourage the trade. The Vice Governor of Bokeo Province opened the meeting by welcoming the delegation from Thailand, stating that the collaboration between the two countries, and particularly the border provinces, is critical if wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime are to be effectively disrupted. He stated that existing agreements between the provinces created a strong foundation for collaboration to counter wildlife trafficking.

The Vice Governor of Chiang Rai Province followed, stating that the ability to collaborate across the border is an important tool in effectively combating wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime. Given the long hiatus imposed by COVID-19, he stated that this cross border meeting was timely and a good opportunity to once again improve the good relationships between agencies, and to rebuild the foundation of trust needed to facilitate collaboration between enforcement agencies so that the work guarding the border and protecting wildlife can continue effectively. Bokeo and Chiang Rai province presented some of the existing regulations and ongoing counter wildlife trafficking activities that had been conducted since the last meeting. In Bokeo, a major transboundary case was the confiscation of over 500kg of trafficked deer antlers, feline bones and elephant tusks in Ton Pheung district in 2019.

These products, estimated to have a value of over US$60,000, were confiscated and successfully prosecuted in the Lao court. In Chiang Rai, many confiscations of wildlife being brought across the border from Laos by boat had taken place at Cham Pong market – the site of a confiscation that took place in 2019 during a previous cross border collaboration meeting. 13 confiscations and three arrests have been made since this time. In order to ensure that the cooperation between countries is possible, the participants discussed mechanisms for cross border collaboration. It was agreed that officials that work on either side of border crossings should be able to contact each other informally to share information that would help with investigations, confiscations and arrests associated with wildlife crimes. One tip off was already shared based on the relationships built under the project in 2020, when officials in Bokeo provided a tip off to the wildlife inspection unit of Chiang Kong district, leading to the confiscation of muntjac meat that was being trafficked across the border.

Participants recommitted to these cooperation mechanisms and agreed to report back on progress made as a result of cross-border cooperation. As part of the workshop, participants also visited the 4th Lao-Thai friendship bridge to observe how the border operations are conducted.

Special attention was given to the use of x-ray technology to check the contents of container trucks that cross the border, some of which are transiting between China and Thailand via Laos. This technology can be used to flag suspicious cargo.

Although informal communications between the two sides of the border already exist, the workshop participants identified enabling communication to provide intelligence and tip-offs at specific border checkpoints among related agencies as a positive way to improve interception of wildlife contraband, as well as other illegal trade that may be crossing at key checkpoints. They also identified improved capacity to identify wildlife and intercept personal vehicles at borders as an existing challenge that makes disrupting the trade difficult. Sensitizing and incentivising local communities and travelers to join in the effort to combat the wildlife trade was also flagged as a critical activity. Another cross-border meeting is scheduled for September in Chiang Rai, Thailand when Lao enforcement agencies will cross the border to report on progress made in the intervening month.

Source: Lao News Agency

A Lao national who allegedly defrauded millions of dollars from thousands of people and traveled to neighboring Thailand with the money in late June faces prosecution back home after being extradited by Thai authorities on July 31, Lao police officials said.

Phonethip Xaypanya, a 30-year-old woman who goes by the nickname Jay Thip, which in Lao means “elder sister Thip,” is accused of absconding with more than U.S. $16.4 million, including 20 billion Lao kip (U.S. $1.3 million), 400 million Thai baht (U.S. $11 million), and U.S. $4 million, according to the Lao Ministry of Public Security.

She allegedly accumulated some of the money by promising her victims high rates of return on their cash deposits.

Thai police said they arrested Jay Thip and her husband, Anousith Phoutthavong, 34, on July 29 at a hotel in Pathum Thany province, Thailand, for overstaying their visas. They were returned to Laos two days later. Immigration police records indicate that the couple left Laos by land on June 29 via the First Lao-Thai Friendship bridge.

By the end of June, more than 5,000 people who said they were victims of her scheme filed complaints with Lao police. Officials say they expect many more defrauded citizens to come forward. Jay Thip denies that she defrauded people.

“We, the Public Security Ministry, have received a lot of complaints from the public, [and] we’re going to forward this information to the investigation department,” a ministry official told RFA Monday. “She hasn’t been formally charged with any crime yet.”

The official went on to say that the ministry could not disclose much information yet about the arrest.

“The woman was just handed over to us yesterday, so we’re going to deal with her according to the law,” he said.

A criminal lawyer said that if Jay Thip is found guilty, she would face at least 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay back the money.

“First and foremost, the police will be investigating and interrogating her to find out how much money she stole when she defrauded people,” said the attorney, who declined to be named. “The police may have to sell all of her assets and property, like cars and homes to pay back her customers.”

An official with the Lao Prosecutor’s Office agreed, but said that tracking down her wealth could prove difficult.

“The question is, where is all the money?” he said. “It might be kept abroad, but how can we bring it back, or it may have been converted to gold and diamonds that are hidden somewhere else.”

Jay Thip claims to have many businesses, including a shop that sells gold and diamond jewelry, and she posts photos of the expensive merchandise daily online. Her most lucrative business is an investment scheme that accepts cash deposits of at least 50 million kip ($3.27) from customers and promises a monthly interest rate of 30% in return.

She also posts stories on her Facebook page saying that she often wins the lottery and has photos showing off her luxury goods in an effort to build trust with current and prospective investors.

Jay Thip denied to Thai reporters that she was in possession of 400 million baht at the time of her arrest.

“To electronically transfer that lump sum across the border, people have to have a lot of documents and proof,” she said. “Now, to answer the question of why I came to Thailand, my husband and I came here to deal with the problems that have occurred and why they’ve occurred. And another reason is that over there [in Laos], I fear for my safety.”

Call for justice

Meanwhile, Laotians who say they fell prey to Jay Thip’s scheme are clamoring for retribution.

“I want my money back, but the problem is that in Laos legal procedures are not open to the public,” said a person who declined to be identified. “I just want her to be responsible for the debt. Is she going to pay back or not? I want to see the police enforcing the law to the fullest extent.”

“The legal action against her should be transparent, not opaque, because this lady has a lot of powerful connections,” he said. “She can get away with it quickly and easily.”

A businessman who invested 900 million kip (U.S. $65,400) said at first that Jay Thip paid him the interest regularly.

“But later, I received nothing,” he told RFA. “I lost 900 million kip ($59,000). I’d never thought that Jay Thip would do this to us because she had been very open with us.”

Another person who fell for the scheme doubted the victims would be paid back.

“[S]cams like this have happened before,” the person said. “When your money is gone, it’s gone.”

“Even her own friends who have known her since childhood were also cheated,” the businessman said. “I want my money back, and I want the police to do their job right.”

Illegal investment schemes are nothing new in the largely impoverished country where corruption runs rampant and law enforcement can be lax.

In 2017, for example, an agricultural company running a pyramid scheme in Laos defaulted on millions of U.S. dollars owed to its stakeholders, raising questions as to why the government failed to adequately regulate the market and inform investors about potential pitfalls.

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The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and key stakeholders in the Lao PDR, celebrated World Population Day with the theme “The Way to Demographic Resilience: Supporting Individuals’ Rights and Choices.”

Globally half of all pregnancies are not by choice! The WPD celebration shared key facts, challenges and possible solutions for unintended pregnancies and demographic resilience, both of which underpin a country’s economic growth and prosperity.

Mariam A. Khan, UNFPA Representative to the Lao PDR, noted the relevance of the 2022 theme to COVID-19 recovery: “Sustainable development requires women and girls to have autonomy over their bodies. For reproductive rights, choices and gender equality – tenets of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD PoA) – to be safeguarded. Support for human rights, reproductive rights and choices is the pathway to demographic resilience.”

Demographic resilience requires anticipating and planning for demographic change and making relevant investments in education and health, reproductive rights, gender equality and access to decent work. It requires all of society’s engagement in building a sustainable future. It emphasizes the need to change negative norms related to women and men’s roles that hold societies back from economic prosperity.

This World Population Day theme reflects Government of the Lao PDR commitments to invest in human capital based on data and evidence. MPI and UNFPA are preparing for the Population and Housing Census 2025 which will provide current data on the situation of the most vulnerable members of society – such as adolescents, youth, women in rural areas, the poor and ethnic groups. The data is critical to guide investments for improving the population’s ability to access their full range of rights.

With the world population soon approaching 8 billion and Laos population soon to reach 8 million, WPD emphasizes impact of unintended pregnancies, highlights the importance of investing in family planning services and protecting women, girls and adolescents’ rights and choices to contain the crisis of unintended pregnancies.

The COVID-19 pandemic, has rolled back progress on family planning, with reduction in new users, (less by 15 per cent), indicating that fewer women and girls can access information and services related to contraception. Meanwhile, gender-based violence has increased significantly, as seen through calls to the Lao Women’s Union helpline which have tripled since Covid-19 began. Women’s autonomy directly impacts childbearing which in turn impacts all other aspects of society.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Sathabandith Insisiengmai said, “The state of the world population report shows that the Lao PDR is progressing for the implementation of the ICPD programme. Laos scored 96 out of 100 on the laws, policies and strategies, for women, girls and young people to access sexual and reproductive health information and services including family planning! the Lao PDR has also laws and policies to promote gender equality, prevent and combat violence against women and girls and end harmful practices such as early marriage.”

Dr Sathabandith encouraged all sectors, at central and community levels, to strengthen the implementation of the existing laws, policies and national protection mechanisms.

He added: “We need to work together and include men and boys to achieve full implementation of the rights of women, girls, adolescents, youth and the disadvantaged people in rural areas of Lao PDR.”

Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights empowers individuals to exercise their choices for a better life, helps reducing the risks that adversely affect them.

At the event, MPI and sectors, including Health, Education, Lao Women’s Union, National Assembly and the National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Mothers and Children exchanged on progress and challenges related to the implementation of family planning programmes, comprehensive sexuality education, provision of adolescent and youth-friendly services and protection of women and girls from all forms of violence and harmful practices.

Source: Lao News Agency

Nearly a third of all women in developing countries begin childbearing at the age of 19 and younger, and nearly half of first births to adolescents are to children, or girls aged 17 and younger, reveals research released today by UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency.

While total fertility across the globe has fallen, the UNFPA report shows that women who began childbearing in adolescence had almost five births by the time they reached the age of 40 in 2015-2019.

“When nearly a third of all women in developing countries are becoming mothers during adolescence, it is clear the world is failing adolescent girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.

“The repeat pregnancies we see among adolescent mothers are a glaring signpost that they desperately need sexual and reproductive health information and services.”

After having their first child, additional childbearing in adolescence is common for child mothers. Among girls with a first birth at the age of 14 or younger, nearly three quarters also have a second birth in adolescence, and 40 per cent of those with two births progress to a third birth before exiting adolescence.

Complications from giving birth are a leading cause of death and injury for adolescent girls, but being an adolescent mother can also lead to other grave violations of their human rights and serious social consequences, including child marriage, intimate-partner violence and mental health issues. The youngest child mothers face the highest risks.

Across the globe, there are encouraging signs of declining levels of motherhood in childhood and adolescence. But the pace of decline has been alarmingly slow – often by only about three percentage points per decade.

“Governments need to invest in adolescent girls and help expand their opportunities, resources, and skill sets, thereby helping avoid early and unintended pregnancies,” said Dr. Kanem. “When girls can meaningfully chart their own life course, motherhood in childhood will grow increasingly rare.”

The report lays out recommendations for policymakers including the need to provide girls with comprehensive sexuality education, mentorship, social support, and quality health services, provide families with economic support, and engage local organizations, all within a supportive policy and legal framework that recognizes the rights, capacities and needs of adolescents, particularly marginalized adolescent girls.

Source: Lao News Agency