Category: Politics

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh on Oct 27 attended the 24th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 1st ASEAN-Australia Summit, the 24th ASEAN+Three (China, Japan and R.Korea), and the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS) via a video conference.

The 24th ASEAN-Japan Summit highly valued the cooperation between ASEAN and Japan with ASEAN leaders expressing gratitude to the contribution of Japan to the building of ASEAN Community, especially its assistance for human resource development and the implementation of the Master plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the 4th Initiative for ASEAN Integration as well as Japan’s provision of US$1 million to ASEAN Fund to support Covid-response efforts in the region, and US$50 million for the establishment of ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases, as well as medical equipment and Covid-19 vaccines to ASEAN member countries.

Japan reaffirmed its commitment to continue to assist ASEAN in combating Covid-19 pandemic and Post –Covid-19 economic recovery, strengthen cooperation on promoting economic integration in the region, digitalization, human resource development and innovation.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh highly valued the bilateral cooperation between Laos and Japan, and expressed gratitude to the government and people of Japan for their contribution to basic infrastructure development and socio-economic development in the Lao PDR.

Prime Minister Phankham expressed satisfaction with the ASEAN-Australia cooperation over the past years with Australia providing assistance to ASEAN in various fields including education, regional integration, ASEAN Connectivity, narrowing of development gap and Covid-19 fight.

The ASEAN leaders commended the Australian government’s decision to provide AU$1 million to ASEAN Fund to support Covid-19 response in the region, AS$1 million to support ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and AU$21 million to support the establishment of ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases.

The ASEAN and Australian leaders expressed their commitment to continue their cooperation in priority areas of health, Covid-19 response, regional economic integration promotion through digitalisation, education, ASEAN connectivity, implementation of the 4th Initiative for ASEAN Integration (2021-2025), sustainable development and ASEAN Smart City Network Development.

The leaders also agreed in principle to upgrade ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership to ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Partnership.

The 24th ASEAN Plus Three Summit (ASEAN+China, Japan and R.Korea), ASEAN and Plus Three leaders highly valued the results of cooperation between ASEAN and Plus Three countries amid Covid-19 pandemic.

They expressed satisfaction with their cooperation on Covid-19 prevention and response as well as on the mitigation of economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

They agreed to enhance cooperation under ASEAN+Three framework through implementing plans of action (2018-2022), and continue to cooperate on comprehensive economic recovery through protecting production and transport chains, transition to digital economy, connectivity, ASEAN Smart City Network, food security, financial cooperation, green development, poverty reduction, and through accelerating the ratification of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

The 16th East Asia Summit (EAS)

Leaders reviewed the implementation of activities in priorities areas – finance, environment and energy, education, health, and communicable disease, disaster management and connectivity.

The leaders made their commitment to continue their cooperation on Covid-19 prevention, response and control and make greater efforts in creating favourable conditions for post-Covid-19 socio-economic recovery and sustainable development in the region through promoting multilateral cooperation, strengthening regional economic integration, transition to digital economy, connectivity, travel and tourism recovery, trade, investment and multilateral free trade.

The meeting adopted three documents including: EAS Leaders’ Statement on Mental Health Cooperation, EAS Leaders’ Statement on Economic Growth through Tourism Recovery, and EAS Leaders’ Statement on Green Recovery.

Source: Lao News Agency

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh on Oct 26 took part in the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and other related summits held virtually.

Chaired by Brunei Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, the meetings were held under the theme“We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”.

At their 38th Summit, ASEAN leaders highly valued progress in building ASEAN Community noting that major achievements have been made in various areas amid Covid-19 pandemic including the content preparation of the drat ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision, the establishment of health facilities and Covid-19 response funds, the strengthening of cooperationon restoring connectivity, supply chain and people to people exchange in the region through ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and the establishment of intra-ASEAN travel cooperation framework.

Sharing points of view on Covid-19 response, Prime Minister Phankham expressed gratitude to other ASEAN member countries for their provision of medical equipment, vaccines, and technical assistance to the Lao PDRto support its fight against Covid-19.

He urged ASEAN member states to continue to strengthen cooperation to fight the pandemicwhile strengthening health sector and have vaccine demands in each member state met.

He also informed the meeting that the Lao PDR has contributed 100,000 US dollars to COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and 50,000 US dollars to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA) to support humanitarian efforts in Myanmar.

The ASEAN leaders adopted several key documents includingthe Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration on the implementation of strategic and comprehensive initiatives to incorporate ASEAN cooperation frameworks for disaster and emergency response, ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on upholding multilateral cooperation principle, and ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on the Blue Economy.

The leaders highly valued the role of ASEAN at regional and international arenawhich continues to draw attention from countries outside the bloc and this reflects in the fact that more and more countries outside the region are applying for membership of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and for dialogue partnership status.

In this regard, Prime Minister Phankham urgedASEAN leaders to uphold the unanimity and solidarity among ASEAN members in cooperating with non-ASEAN countries to ensure ASEAN is a strong, sustainable community and plays a key role in promoting peace and cooperation for development in the world.

The ASEAN leaders also exchanged points of view on regional and international issues of common interest, along with terrorism and natural disasters, and climate change.

On the same day, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh also led the delegation of senior officials of Laos in attending the 22nd ASEAN-RoK Summit, the 24th ASEAN-China Summit and the 9th ASEAN-US Summit.

Source: Lao News Agency

The 2nd Ordinary Session of the National Assembly’s 9th legislature will be officially held from Nov 1-26.

The National Assembly convenes its ordinary session twice a year with the first one taking place at the end of the fiscal year between June and July, and the second one opened at the beginning of the fiscal year between November and December.

Both ordinary sessions are convened by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

Source: Lao News Agency

On Sep 27, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the United Nations Anouphab Vongnokeo signed with Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Republic of Uganda to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The signing took place at the Permanent Representative Office of the Republic of Uganda to United Nations in New York, USA.

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania.

The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania.

Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region. The country lies within the Nile basin and has a varied but generally a modified equatorial climate. It has a population of over 42 million, of which 8.5 million live in the capital and largest city of Kampala.

Uganda is named after the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country, including the capital Kampala.

Source: Lao News Agency

Minister and Head of the Prime Minister Office Khamjane Vongphosy signed on Friday a notice extending lockdown measures against Covid-19 for two more weeks beginning from Oct 16-30.

“We have to do our best to ensure balance and harmony between the three measures: healthcare action, administrative guidance and economic measures meaning that all the measures the government has imposed must ensure the anti-Covid-19 goal – both infections and deaths are minimized,” stated in the notice the minister.

To be implemented between Oct 16 and 30, the Notice No 1330/PMO urges relevant authorities to attach attention to vaccination of target groups with Covid-19 vaccines at a faster pace.

All border crossings continue to be closed for individuals except for those permitted by the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Entertainment venues, cinemas, spas, karaoke shops, bars, internet cafes, snooker parlours, casinos and game shops must be closed along with massage and beauty parlours, barber shops, night markets, food gardens, and tourist sites.

Industrial factories and enterprises in areas with local transmissions of Covid-19 must be closed except those allowed by the Taskforce Committee, and those manufacturing consumer goods, medicines and medical equipment with the guidelines of the Taskfoce Committee strictly observed.

Indoor and outdoor sports facilities and all sports activities and exercises at public parks are prohibited along with festive parties.

Hoarding and raising prices of consumer goods, medical equipment and other daily necessaries are banned.

Traffic in Vientiane and provinces with locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 is banned between 22:00 and 05:00 hours, except for the transport of goods, food, medical equipment, ambulances, fire trucks, rescue vehicles, and vehicles of Taskforce Committee and those allowed by the committee.

The notice bans teaching and learning activities and suspends the opening of academic year for all education levels and entrance examination for vocational, pedagogical, and tertiary education institutes.

Meetings, gatherings, and activities with more than 20 participants including religious activities, traditional festivals, and wedding parties are banned. Necessary meetings and official receptions can be organized with prior permission from the national or provincial Taskforce Committees.

Civil servants and employees of enterprises in Vientiane and provinces are ordered to work at office or work from home on a rotary basis with risk groups and unvaccinated pregnant women allowed to work from home.

Wholesales and retails shops, supermarkets, minimarts, fresh markets, food markets are allowed to open provided that anti-Covid-19 measures including temperature testing, social distancing of 1 m, wearing masks, washing hands with gels or soaps are strictly observed. Entry and exit of the businesses must be arranged properly, and they must be closed by 20.00 hours.

Barbour shops, and beauty salons outside red zones can open provided that they are not crowded and both shop owners, their employees and customers must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and the shops must be closed by 19.00 hours.

Massage, beauty salons and barbershops in areas without local transmissions of Covid-19 can open provided that service providers and clients are fully vaccinated and the shops must be closed by 20.00 hours. Restaurants and cafes in areas without local infections can open only if the seats are arranged one metre apart. Sale of alcoholic drinks is prohibited.

Factories and enterprises in areas without local infections can operate on the condition that employees are fully vaccinated and reside in free-Covid-19 areas.

Source: Lao News Agency

Lanexang train, named after Laos’ former name Lanexang Kingdom, arrived in Vientiane this morning with the handover of the electric multiple unit (EMU) held at Vientiane Station, the largest station of the Laos-China Railway.

It will have test run and technical inspection before it is confirmed fit for actual traffic.

It is expected to be launched for public use on December 2 in celebrating the 46th founding anniversary of the Lao PDR.

The handover of the train took place between Chinese Ambassador to the Lao PDR Jiang Zaidong and Minister of Public Works and Transport Viengsavanh Siphandone in the presence of representatives of relevant authorities of Laos and China.

Capable of traveling up to 160 km/h, the train has nine carriages including one motor car, one first class passenger car, one restaurant car and six second class cars.

Equipped with 720 seats, it can be connected with another train to form a longer one as needed.

“The Lao government has obviously scheduled the railway to be launched on the coming National Day December 2, 2021. This EMU “Lanexang” train which has just been successfully handed over demonstrates that the Laos-China Railway construction project has entered dynamic inspection and approval phase which is a crucial stage, and finally, the Laos-China Railway will enter operational stage. This will signify that the Lao PDR is entering the era of rail transport. The Lao people will have new era of transport revolution,” said Minister Viengsavanh.

Source: Lao News Agency