Vientiane Times

thursDAY may 5, 2016

The First National English Language Newspaper

ISSUE 101

Laos, China sign

cooperation agreements

Somsack Pongkhao

Laos and China have signed

a number of cooperation
documents as a guideline to
further strengthen their relations,
friendship and cooperation in the
near future.
The agreements were signed
during a goodwill visit to China
from May 3-5 by Secretary
General of the Lao Peoples
Revolutionary Party and
President of the Lao PDR Mr
Bounnhang Vorachit, in response
to an invitation from his Chinese
counterpart Xi Jinping.
The agreements concern
economic and technical
cooperation, exchange
programmes related to Laos
hosting of the Asean Summit
this year, Chinas provision of
equipment to wipe out locusts
in Laos, production investment,
and loans given by China to fund
infrastructure projects.
The agreements also relate
to a loan for a processing and
logistics project in Luang
Namtha province and a loan from
China to fund the installation
of a power transmission line
in Borikhamxay province and
another power line linking
Saravan and Xekong provinces.
This is Mr Bounnhangs first
visit to China since he became
Party Secretary General in
January and President of the
Lao PDR in April this year.
According to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the two leaders
reaffirmed their intention to
deepen their comprehensive
strategic partnership and
mutual assistance, aiming to
maintain peace, stability and
cooperation in the region and
the world.
The two countries also
agreed to further exchange visits

Mr Bounnhang Vorachit and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping attend the signing ceremony in China.

by delegations at various levels

to discuss ways to strengthen
cooperation.
The two countries also
agreed to further enhance
cooperation in all areas ranging
from politics, economics, law,
special economic zones, energy,
education, health, information
and culture.
President Xi Jinping was
quoted by Xinhua as saying
that the visit showed the Lao
side attached great importance
to Laos-China ties. He
called on both sides to seize
opportunities to improve their
bilateral comprehensive strategic
cooperation.
The traditional friendship
between the two countries is
their shared treasure, Xi said,
stressing that China was ready
to work with the new Lao
leadership to build a community

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with a shared future.

Xi called on the two socialist
countries to enhance high-level
contacts, maintain a high level
of political mutual trust, improve
exchanges between the two
ruling parties, and promote
mutual learning in governance.
Over the past decades, Laos
and China have enhanced their
cooperative relations in a number
of areas ranging from politics to
economics and socio-cultural
fields.
Apart from exchange visits
by delegations at various levels,
the two sides also focused on

economic cooperation.
Two-way trade between
Laos and China has grown
year-on-year with the total
value amounting to US$1.3
billion in 2011, rising to
US$3.6 billion in 2014 but
dropping to US$2.78 billion
in 2015, according to the Lao
News Agency.
Laos has become the second
overseas investment destination
for entrepreneurs from Chinas
Yunnan province. The value of
investment by this province in
Laos has climbed to US$1.04
billion.

4500 kip

Myanmar president
to visit Laos
Times Reporters

Myanmar President U Htin

Kyaw, his wife and a high-level
delegation are scheduled to pay
a state visit to Laos on Friday,
the Presidential Office has said
in a press release.
The visit is in response
to an invitation from his
Lao counterpart Bounnhang
Vorachit, who was elected
Lao President by the National
Assembly last month.
This is U Htin Kyaws first
visit to Laos after he was sworn
into office as the President of
Myanmar in March. He will
also be the first head of state of
a foreign country that President
Bounnhang has received during
his term of office.
U Htin Kyaw was born
on July 20, 1946 in Yangon,
Myanmar. He is the son of Min
Thu Wun, a respected author
and poet. He married Daw Su
Su Lwin, who was a former
chair of the Foreign Relations
Committee in the lower house
and an NLD MP from Thongwa
Township.
In 1962, U Htin Kyaw
graduated from the English
Methodist High School. From
1962-63, he studed at Rangoon
University, majoring in arts.
From 1963-68, he attended
the Institute of Economics
and obtained his M. Econ
(Statistics). He also taught as
a tutor while attending his M.
Econ (Pt. 2). In 1970, he joined
the Universities Computer
Centre as a Programmer
Analyst.
From 1971-72, U Htin

President U Htin Kyaw.

Kyaw attended the Institute of

Computer Science University in
London. In 1974-75, he obtained
an M.Sc. in Computer Science
from Rangoon University.
From 1975-80, he was
Division Chief, Heavy
Industries Corporation, No. 2
Industrial Ministry. From 198092, he was Deputy Director of
the Foreign Economic Relations
Department, Planning and
Treasury Ministry. In 1987, he
attended a course at the Arthur
D. Little School of Management
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1992, he resigned from the
government. Later, he became
coordinator for Aung San Suu
Kyi in charge of foreign affairs.
From 2012 to the present, he has
been an Executive Committee
member of the Daw Khin Kyi
Foundation.
U Htin Kyaw was elected
President of Myanmar by
Parliament and began his
presidency on March 30, 2016.

Japan to finance bridges, human resource development

Times Reporters

Japan will provide about 2.5

billion yen to build bridges
along National Road No. 9
and 247 million yen for human
resource development.
The agreement was
concluded yesterday during
Japanese Foreign Minister
Fumio Kishidas visit to Laos.
Lao Minister of Foreign
Affairs Mr Saleumxay
Kommasith and his Japanese
counterpart signed an exchange
note on the assistance project,
which is part of Japans Official
Development Assistance to
Laos.
Delivering a press

before the signing ceremony,

the two sides reviewed their
past cooperation and shared
views on the path of future
cooperation and the deepening
of friendship ties through their
strategic partnership, which
will benefit the two nations.
They highly valued the
successful celebration of last
years 60th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two
countries.
Representing the Lao
Mr Saleumxay Kommasith (right) and Mr Fumio Kishida shake hands
after signing the exchange note.
government and people, Mr
Saleumxay extended his
statement, Mr Saleumxay said socio-economic development condolences to the Japanese
The two projects will be in Laos.
government and people over
an important contribution to
At a bilateral meeting held
CONTINUED PAGE 3

2 Home news

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Health experts discuss use

of laparoscopic surgery
Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

Participants attend a training course on non-communicable disease prevention and management in Vientiane.

Laos, Korea strengthen noncommunicable disease prevention

Times Reporters

The University of Health

Sciences in Laos and Ewha
Womens University in the
Republic of Korea have
jointly developed skills for
Lao hospital staff in regards
to non-communicable disease
prevention and management.
Officials at Mahosot,
Setthathirath hospitals
and district hospitals in
Vientiane will benefit from
the project, which focuses
on the development of skills
concerning non-communicable
disease prevention and
management.
C o m m o n
n o n communicable diseases in
Laos are hypertension (high
blood pressure), diabetes, heart
disease, and cancer.
The two universities
launched the second phase of
the non-communicable disease
prevention and management
project in Laos on Tuesday. It
is a one-year project supported
by the Korea Overseas
International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA).

The project aims to

provide training in noncommunicable diseases and
integrated health care. After
the training all participants
should have acquired new
knowledge to use in their
hospitals and in relation to
the treatment of patients.
The training runs from May
3-9, with participants learning
about health maintenance to
prevent non-communicable
diseases, including general
health, nutrition and physical
fitness.
At the opening ceremony
of the training course, Deputy
Dean of the University of
Health Sciences, Dr Phouthone
Vangkonevilay, said the project
was a cooperation effort
between the University of
Health Sciences and Ewha
Womens University.
In the first phase, which
runs from May 2015 to
December 2016, the project is
conducting a survey among atrisk groups who may develop
non-communicable diseases
within selected communities
in Vientiane.

The project teams are

leading local communities in
studying various methods to
prevent non-communicable
diseases and improve living
standards, Dr Phouthone said.
It was reported that so far the
project has yielded benefits.
The two universities opted
to continue with the second
phase of the project, which
was launched on Tuesday
and will run until February
2017. The training of noncommunicable diseases
integrated health care leaders
is one activity in the second
phase.
Hospital staff from the
target districts of Chanthabouly,
Xaysettha, Sikhottabong,
S i s a t t a n a k , X a y t h a n y,
Hadxaifong and Naxaithong
were among those in attendance
at the training course.
Dr Phouthone hoped
that after the training all
participants will have a better
understanding of the topic and
use their newfound knowledge
in their work to improve local
hospitals and the health of
residents.

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Experts from Laos and Japan

are meeting in Vientiane
to discuss the treatment of
abdominal conditions and
gallstones through the use of
laparoscopic surgery.
This form of surgery allows
a surgeon to access the inside of
the abdomen and pelvis without
having to make large incisions
in the skin. It is also known as
keyhole surgery or minimally
invasive surgery.
It is also a diagnostic
tool that allows physicians to
examine the abdominal organs.
A fibre-optic instrument is
inserted through the abdominal
wall to view the organs in the
abdomen or to permit a surgical
procedure.
During their weeks stay in
Laos, Japanese health experts
are explaining the use of this
form of surgery and the benefits
it can have for Lao patients.
Speaking at a training
session yesterday, Chief of the
Surgery Department at Mahosot
Hospital, Dr Viengphouthong
Phrousavanh, said he would
welcome wider use of

the procedure in Vientiane

hospitals.
The procedure may be
recommended for a patient who
has abdominal pain of unknown
origin or who has sustained an
injury to the abdomen. Injuries
may occur as a result of blunt
trauma such as a road traffic
accident, or penetrating trauma.
Dr Viengphouthong said
bleeding in the abdominal
cavity is considered a medical
emergency and exploratory
laparotomy can be used to
determine the source of pain or
the extent of injury and perform
repairs if needed.
Training in the procedure
is essential because doctors in
Laos lack the skills to perform
laparoscopic surgery, he added.
The procedure can also be
used in the detection of early
gastric cancer and colon cancer
through video footage, he said.
Lao doctors first carried out
laparoscopic surgery in 1997,
performed by a team from
Mahosot Hospital.
From 2012 to 2016, doctors
in the following hospitals have
been trained in the procedure:
130 Military Hospital, 150

Dr Khamla Chounlivong explains

the benefits of abdominal
laparoscopic surgery.

Bed (Mittaphab) Hospital

and provincial hospitals in
Champassak, Oudomxay,
Luang Namtha and Luang
Prabang. But health experts in
these provinces lack experience
in the procedure.
The current training
session is being attended by
the Deputy Director General
of Setthathirath Hospital Dr
Khamla Chounlivong and
representatives from Japans
Doshisha University and
Kusatsu General Hospital.

Work begins on 165km KhammuanSavannakhet road upgrade

Times Reporters

The government will spend over

1 trillion kip to rebuild the 165km dirt road that links the two
provinces of Khammuan and
Savannakhet.
An official from the
Khammuan provincial
Public Works and Transport
Department, who asked not to be
named, told Vientiane Times on
Wednesday it will take four years
from 2016-2020 to surface Road
No. 1F with asphalt.
The upgrade is starting in the
centre of Xaybuathong district in
Khammuan province and will
continue to the urban centre of
Vilabouly district in Savannakhet
province.
Work has just got underway
but many people continue to use
this road to travel between the
two districts.
Its not an easy journey
because of all the potholes on this
road but people use it because its
the shortest route between the
two towns, he said.
But although this route saves
time and money, taking less than
an hour and a half, the journey is
unpleasant due to the mud in the
wet season and the dust in the
dry season.
The alternative route is a threehour drive from Xaybuathong
district to Vilabouly district.
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Road No. 1F links the urban centre of Xaybuathong district in

Khammuan province to the heart of Vilabouly district in Savannakhet.

When rebuilt, the road will

have a surface that can support
trucks weighing up to 11 tonnes
per axle, which is the standard
required by Asean.
The project is considered
to be important because it
will improve links between
Khammuan and Savannakhet
provinces, and spur socioeconomic development and
trade and investment in the area.
Speaking at a national
meeting on communications,
transport, posts and construction
in 1991, former President
Kaysone Phomvihane said road
building was key to ensuring
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economic development for both

the Party and the state.
Today the Ministry of
Public Works and Transport is
prioritising the development of
infrastructure to link Laos with
other countries in the region
through the East-West and NorthSouth Economic Corridors.
Road upgrades and new road
construction in Vientiane and
the provinces, especially roads
leading to border crossings,
roads linking provinces, and
access roads to villages and new
development areas, will help
substantially in furthering rural
development.

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Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Laos needs to consolidate to be

successful Asean member: PM
Times Reporters

Laos is looking for uncovered

potential and opportunities to
effectively integrate with the
Asean Economic Community
(AEC) in ways that benefit the
country.
Prime Minister Thongloun
Sisoulith made the statement
on Friday when responding
to questions put by the media
about Laos joining the AEC.
Asean has been approved
as a community, but Laos
is still seeking uncovered
possibilities, potential and
opportunities that will benefit
the nation as a member of the
community, he said.
The media questioned
whether Laos is ready to
compete within the regional

community, especially in the

economic sector.
The prime minister
reminded the media that Laos
could benefit directly and
indirectly from membership
in the community through
trade agreements and mutual
assistance in human resource
development.
He gave examples of
the many countries that are
providing scholarships and
training for Lao students and
officials, saying membership
in the AEC has also eased trade
negotiations and is resulting in
increased exports.
We can say that exports
have increased since we joined
the AEC and imports have also
become easier, Mr Thongloun
said. Meanwhile, he remarked

that all businesses and the

private and public sectors need
to be stronger, saying they were
well placed to make the best
of the opportunities offered
by maximising the nations
uncovered potential.
With a population of 622
million people and a combined
GDP of almost US$2.6 trillion,
Asean was officially declared
a community with a single
market and production base on
December 31, 2015.
Mr Thongloun also referred
to Laos being the first chair
of Asean after the regional
association became an official
community, saying the country
is creating various documents
on directions and policies that
will turn the community Vision
into reality.

Storm victims in need of support

Home news

More skilled workers

needed as Laos joins AEC
Times Reporters

Laos needs to expand its

nationwide skills base
as domestic and foreign
investment increases,
particularly now that the
country is part of the Asean
Community.
To meet the needs of the
labour market and sustain the
countrys economic growth,
especially in the human
resource and technology
sectors, Pakpasak Technical
College in Vientiane is planning
to expand its facilities.
The college is building a
workshop, laboratory and other
facilities in a bid to produce
qualified workers.
In an interview with
Vientiane Times yesterday,
College Director Mr
Saykham Phanthavong said
that in compliance with the
Ministry of Education and
Sports policy, the college
will continue to develop and
integrate vocational training
methods into its curriculum,
with the aim of expanding and
improving the skills of the
workforce to meet the needs
of the domestic and foreign
labour markets.
To achieve this goal, Mr
Saykham said the college

planned to cooperate with

skills development centres
in Vientiane to enhance the
professionalism of the Lao
workforce by raising standards
and developing a curriculum
that covers all trades, especially
construction, electronics,
sewing, hospitality and other
fields.
Our main goal is to better
train workers, so that our
workforce can make a stronger
contribution to socio-economic
development, Mr Saykham
said.
Upgrading the skills of
administrators at the ministerial
and provincial level would
help to provide the necessary
basis for improved vocational
training, he added.
Mr Saykham said the
college also had an option
for upper secondary school
students to undertake
vocational training, in an
additional move to meet the
needs of the evolving labour
market. Improvements will
also be made at different levels
of government by introducing
a more centralised system of
management.
Increasing collaboration
between the public and private
sectors is the focus of the
National Training Council in its

role to facilitate improvements

in the vocational training
sector.
Mr Saykham said that
professional workplace
educators and trainers would
be encouraged to improve
their academic knowledge and
abilities, to raise the quality of
Lao workers to international
standards.
The current emphasis on
the development of technical
and vocational education has
a number of driving factors,
particularly strong economic
growth.
Mr Saykham noted that
large-scale projects in the
hydropower and mining sectors
were being implemented, and
there has been significant
growth in small and medium
sized enterprises and private
businesses.
Infrastructure has
developed at a rapid pace.
Essential to these achievements
is the fact that the country has
put in place policies that meet
the changing needs of society,
Mr Saykham added.
As local and foreign
investment increases, human
resource development, the
application and development of
ICT and infrastructure are also
showing rapid improvement.

Japan to finance bridges... from page 1

This school in Xayaboury province lost a roof during a storm that whipped through the province on
Tuesday.

Times Reporters

Households affected by storms

and squalls in many parts
of the country are in need
of assistance despite some
emergency aid already coming
from local authorities, donors
and businesses.
Local media reported
yesterday that more relief
supplies are needed by at least
100 households in areas where
storms have occurred since
the end of last month. Some
rice fields have been damaged,
along with houses, schools, other
property and livestock.
Houses have lost roofs and
some billboards blew down
during squalls that have lashed
Vientiane and the provinces of
Xayaboury, Luang Prabang,
Borikhamxay, Khammuan,
Champassak and Saravan.
Electricity poles were also
brought down in the strong winds
and in some areas electricity
has been cut and roads are
impassable, while a monetary
assessment of the damage has yet

to be calculated, according to the

Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environments Department
of Disaster Management and
Climate Change.
Some provincial authorities
last week provided funding to
local authorities so they could
help those in need. The money
will be used to provide food and
basic health services to people
who have been displaced or lost
their possessions.
Provincial authorities
also handed out clean water,
rice, household essentials and
other items to authorities for
distribution to families whose
lives have been disrupted and are
unable to obtain supplies.
As part of the provinces
emergency relief programme,
the authorities will work with the
sectors concerned to distribute
other items needed by storm
victims, such as food, blankets
and clothing.
Many provincial authorities
will work with donors and
the public and private sectors
to provide relief packages,

including clothes, bed linen and

household utensils.
Authorities are now
surveying and collecting
information in affected areas.
Provincial officials from various
sectors, including the military,
have been dispatched to help
those in need.
Meanwhile, some road
repairs are underway after
landslides while the electricity
grid and telephone network are
also in need of repair.
Although the storms have
not been catastrophic, provincial
authorities are warning villagers
to be on high alert this month
and to closely follow weather
forecasts.
Summer thunderstorms can
be expected during this period,
with rain, gusting winds and hail.
The public should be aware of
the severe weather conditions
and stay away from insecure
buildings at all times, according
to the ministrys Weather Forecast
and Aeronautical Meteorology
Division of the Meteorology and
Hydrology Department.

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the recent earthquake in the south-west of the

country, which inflicted loss of life, property
and infrastructure.
Both sides said they highly valued the
increase in the number of Japanese investors
in Laos, which they said had created jobs and
income for local people.
According to a joint press statement issued
by the two ministers, the two sides are pleased
to continue discussions about and support
cooperation in economics, trade, investment,
education and culture, including areas that fall
within the joint cooperation framework.
Referring to the provision of ODA, the
Japanese side promised to consider the projects
proposed by Laos last year, and would also be

pleased to assist Laos in chairing Asean this year.

Mr Saleumxay represented the Lao
government and people in thanking the Japanese
government and people for the valuable
assistance provided to Laos.
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Kishida
said he would be pleased to support Mr
Saleumxay as the chair of the upcoming Asean
Foreign Ministers Meeting to be held in July.
The two ministers also exchanged views
on regional and international issues of mutual
interest.
During the visit of the Japanese minister and
his delegation, which continues today, they will
pay a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Thongloun
Sisoulith at the Prime Ministers Office.

Weather forecast

4 Home news

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Laos hosts law students gathering

News in Brief
Vientiane court imprisons two thieves

The Vientiane court on Tuesday fined two thieves 2.5 million kip
each and sentenced them to five years and four months in prison,
the Khuamsangob newspaper reported yesterday.
The men were named as Mr Sarttasin, 27, of Phonthan village in
Xaysettha district, and Mr Xaysouvanh, 33, of Phonsavanh-Neua
village in Sisattanak district. The defendants confessed they had
stolen more than 1.4 million kip, 9,000 baht and US$120 in cash as
well as seven mobile phones.

New road, embankment for Luang Namtha

The upgrade of a 158-km highway and construction of an

embankment in Luang Namtha province will be completed in the
next two months, the Khuamsangob newspaper reported.
The embankment will be 316 metres long and 4-8 metres high and
is now 15 percent complete, with a price tag of about 344 billion
kip. The project, which includes roads R3, 13N and 3A, will ease
the transport of goods between Luang Namtha and other provinces,
especially in the rainy season.

Five road accidents occur in Vientiane

Students from ALSA country members visit the Lao National Assembly.

Times Reporters

Laos recently hosted the second

meeting of the Asian Law Students
Association Laos (ALSA Laos),
which was convened in Vientiane.
A first year student at the Faculty
of Law and Political Sciences at the
National University of Laos, Mr
Thivakhone Souphanthong, told
Vientiane Times on Wednesday that
he and a third year student were
representing Lao students at the
ALSA event.
According to the overseas
students who attended the study tour,
they were satisfied with the warm
welcome they received throughout
the ALSA study trip in Laos, he said.
The overseas students who joined
the trip came from Thailand, China,

Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Macao

and Hong Kong.
Several students from faculties
at the National University of Laos,
secondary schools and other institutes
of education in Vientiane also joined
in activities to share ideas on various
issues.
ALSA is important for law
students in the region who can learn
about the different legal systems,
legal education systems and culture
in other Asean countries.
Nowadays with economic
activity in the region expanding,
there is a greater need for lawyers to
establish contacts with other lawyers,
businessmen, and authorities from
neighbouring countries.
ALSA provides a good starting
point for law students to gain useful

contacts at the student stage of their

careers.
During ALSA study trips many
different people from Asean member
countries share their ideas and work
together on issues relevant to the
profession.
This is essential in view of the
trends for economies in Asean to
regionalise, which will certainly
result in more occasions where
local lawyers will have to work
with lawyers from other parts of the
region.
ALSA was established in 2002,
and first comprised Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines
and Thailand.
At present, 15 countries are
members of ALSA, including Laos,
which became a member in 2012.

From April 30 to May 2, five accidents in the capital killed two

people and injured seven others, the Khuamsangob newspaper
reported.
In one accident a van hit and killed a motorbike rider in
Dongkhamxang village, Hadxaifong district. The van driver was
Mr Vilasan, 43, of Dongkhamxang village and the deceased was
named as Mr Vay, 30, of Dongsavath village, Sisattanak district.
In another incident a car crashed into a motorbike in Hadxaikhao
village, Hadxaifong district, killing the rider.
Another car hit a sidewalk in Khoksa-art village, Xaythany district,
injuring two passengers, while in Hay village, Pakngum district, a
pick-up truck driver hit an electricity pole, injuring three people.
Lastly, two people on a motorbike were injured when the bike ran
into the back of a car north of the city centre.

Vientiane Times on CD-ROM

Issues of Vientiane Times from 1994 to January 2016
have been recorded on CD-ROM. Now available at
Vientiane Times office. Phonpapao Village, Unit 32,
Sisattanak district,Vientiane.
P.O. Box: 5723, Tel: (856-21) 336042, 336048, 216364.
Fax: (856-21) 336041. Email: editor@vientianetimes.la

Vientiane Times

Doctors and nurses from Doshisha University and Kusatsu General Hospital in Japan and
Setthathirath Hospital in Vientiane pose together yesterday after a short course on diagnostic and
therapeutic abdominal laparoscopic surgery.

Thursday May 5, 2016

Lao media and staff from the Lao Disabled Peoples Association assemble on Tuesday after basic
Lao sign language training for government staff.

Residents of
Xaybuathong
district, Khammuan
province, were
unable to use this
road for an hour after
an electricity pylon
came down in a
storm on Tuesday.

The World Bank Group and the Lao American Alumni Overseas Student Club on Friday visit
Kaeng Mor Primary School to plant trees, clean toilets, put up fences and paint playground
equipment. The team also taught students about the importance of hygiene. --Photo World Bank

Photo news

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Region
In brief from Asia
News Network
Thailand to help
restore Nepals
quake-hit cultural
sites

BANGKOK (The
Nation, ANN) -Thailand plans to help
restore at least six of
the hundreds of cultural
sites in Nepal that have
been damaged in the
2015 earthquake. The
restoration budget will
likely be around Bt60
million, Culture Minister
Veera Rojpojanarat said
yesterday. According
to him, experts from
Thailands Fine Arts
Department have already
surveyed four cities in
Nepal and believe that it
is feasible to restore six
sites in the earthquakeravaged zones. These
six sites include the
Mahabouddha Temple
and the Golden Temple
in Patan, and the
Chilancho Stupa in
Kirtipur.

President Htin
Kyaw holds talks
with Japanese FM

MYANMAR (The
Eleven Media Group,
ANN) -- President Htin
Kyaw received Foreign
Minister Fumio Kishida
and his delegation at
the Presidential Palace in
Nay Pyi Taw on May 3.
At the meeting,
the Japanese chief
diplomat outlined his
countys plans for the
continued assistance in
Myanmars democratic
reform process under
the new government
and the promotion
of bilateral relations
between the two
countries, according
to a report from the
Presidents Office.

Fossil footprints bring

dinosaurs to life
CHINA (China Daily, ANN)
-- A set of dinosaur footprints
recently discovered in Zhaojue
county in Southwest Chinas
Sichuan province sheds more
light on the mysterious life
of Minisauripus-the smallest
dinosaur ever found-but
scientists are warning that
similar ancient traces could be
lost forever because of mining.
Minisauripus, which was
similar in size to a sparrow, lived
during the Early Cretaceous
period (more than 100 million
years ago) alongside many
larger dinosaurs that have
since become well known
names, such as the Microraptor.
Scientists hope the new prints
will help ensure the general
public can learn as much about
Minisauripus as its peers.
The discovery of
Minisauripus may challenge
peoples traditional thinking
that all dinosaurs were big guys
with scary teeth and claws, said
Xing Lida, a doctoral student

at the China University of

Geosciences. On the contrary,
the footprints discovered in
Zhaojue belonged to a small
fluffy dinosaur the size of a
bird.
Xing has been investigating
the footprints in Zhaojue
alongside experts from the US
and South Korea. They found
around 70 well-preserved
footprints on a 26-square-meter
section of rock and reported
the finding in the scientific
journal Palaeogeography,
P a l a e o c l i m a t o l o g y,
Palaeoecology in late April.
This is the fourth time
in the world and the third
time in China that traces
of Minisauripus have been
found, Xing said. Due to
the well-preserved condition
of these footprints, the new
evidence may point to some
new research directions for us.
The prints were found in an
area awash with clues about the
past. Zhaojue county has been

Illustration of Minisauripus based on footprints recently discovered in Zhaojue county, Sichuan

province.
--Photo China Daily

the scene of many discoveries

of fossilised footprints-the
Minisauripus prints were the
sixth set of dinosaur footprints
to be discovered there since
1990.
Based on the many sets of
prints, scientists have made
many discoveries, including

proving carnivorous dinosaurspreviously thought to be poor in

water-could swim.
But the experts fear the
area and its prints are under
threat from mining. They say
one set of prints, a collection
of around 3,000 dinosaur tracks
discovered in 1991 on a 1,500

sq m piece of rock, has already

been destroyed. It is unclear
exactly when they were lost.
Ebi Jiefang, director of
the county administration
of cultural relics, said the
tracks are priceless sources
of information about ancient
creatures.

Countries agree on sharing information to combat haze

SINGAPORE (Xinhua)
-- Progress in information
sharing has been made
during the 18th Meeting of
the Sub-Regional Ministerial
Steering Committee (MSC) on
Transboundary Haze Pollution
held in Singapore.
Singapores Minister for
the Environment and Water
Resources Masagos Zulkifli
told a press conference on
Wednesday that the closedoor meeting was attended
by ministers responsible
for the environment from
Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore and
Thailand.
They discussed key
issues pertaining to haze
prevention measures in the
five MSC countries, including

the implementation of the

ASEAN Sub-Regional
Haze Monitoring System,
mobilization of international
assistance to support firefighting efforts, and exchange
of information among
countries.
Chairing the press
conference, Zulkifli said the
biggest agreement during this
meeting is that the countries
will be going forward on
sharing information.
There is a preformed
agreement where countries
must share information of their
hotspots. I think this is a big
move forward on this thing.
Of course, the modality is how
this is going to be done, when
and how far and so forth... But
we have a big achievement

on that, because in the past,

theres a lot of pushback on
sharing information, even
anonymous information. So in
this case, at least we have an
agreement and we can move
forward on to this, he said.
During the meeting, the
ministers also announced to

conduct a regional study on the

economic, health and social
impact of haze in 2015 on the
ASEAN region.
This study is believed
to be crucial for ASEAN to
assess the implication of the
2015 haze incident and enable
countries to have a baseline

economic, health and social

data to understand the impact
of transboundary haze.
Elaborating on that,
Zulkifli said countries that
were affected by the haze
have been collecting different
information, depending on
how they were impacted.

Vacancy Notice

The World Health Organization has a vacancy for a Lao National the position of:

National Technical Assistant for

Emerging Diseases, Surveillance and Response
To provide technical support to the Ministry of Health, National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), and
Department of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC), in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation
of emerging diseases surveillance, risk assessment and response activities in Lao PDR.
Duties:
1. Assist in planning of activities in the national work plan for emerging infectious diseases with focus on diseases
surveillance, risk assessment and response work area in line with APSED and IHR requirements, and participate
actively in the implementation of the annual activity work plan;
2. Assist in influenza and other infectious disease surveillance by combining information between the epidemiology
and laboratory, planning for and undertaking combined analysis of laboratory and epidemiology data, and
supporting to produce joint laboratory and epidemiology data for sharing information;
3. Assist Emerging Diseases Surveillance and Response (ESR) team and the Ministry of Health, National Centre
for Laboratory Epidemiology in implementing Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) active surveillance and perform
field monitoring as necessary.
4. Assist NCLE in regular monitoring and maintain notifiable diseases surveillance database, particularly indicator
and event based surveillance under national surveillance system.
5. Assist in maintaining, updating and monitoring all ESR project activities and generate reports as required;
6. Provide ESR team with administrative support, if necessary
7. Perform translation any other tasks as requested by WHO ESR officer.
Project duration: 1 year from June 2016 with possible one year extension.
Education:
Essential: University degree in medicine or related public health or equivalent professional training.
Knowledge & skills:
Knowledge and experience in epidemiology, outbreak investigation and response, and communicable disease
control.
Skills in planning, training and implementation, and in the development of locally adapted tools and instruments.
Good communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to interact with health professionals at various levels and
to do work with national counterparts.
Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.
Experience:
Essential: At least 1 year working experience in the field of public health.
Desirable: Experiences in epidemiology or disease surveillance and response.
Language: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and the local language.

Other Skills (e.g. IT): Proficiency in standard MS Office applications and other data base.
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit applications in the English language, with curriculum vitae
and photograph, by 10 May 2016 to:

The World Health Organization

125 Saphanthong Road, Unit 5 Ban Saphanthong Tai, Sisathanak District.
P.O. Box 343, Vientiane, Lao P.D R.
Tel: (856) 21 353902-904, Fax: (856) 21 353905

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Cambodia launches plan

to end hunger by 2025
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -The Cambodian government in
collaboration with the United
Nations launched the national
action plan for Zero Hunger
Challenge (ZHC) on Wednesday,
an initiative to eradicate hunger
in the Southeast Asian country
by 2025.
Speaking at the launching
ceremony, Deputy Prime
Minister Yim Chhay Ly,
also chairman of the Council
for Agricultural and Rural
Development, said the
government is committed
to achieving the sustainable

development goal to end

hunger, achieve food security and
improve nutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture.
The government is
looking forward to working
with development partners,
civil society organisations and
the private sector to eliminate
hunger and malnutrition in
Cambodia by 2025, he said.
To assist the government to
achieve the goal by the target
date, the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United
Nations (FAO), World Food
Programme(WFP) and the

United Nations Childrens

Fund (UNICEF) are providing
collective assistance to help
Cambodia with the National
Action Plan to implement
the ZHC initiative. FAO
Regional Representative
Kundhavi Kadiresan said it
was estimated that more than 2
million Cambodians out of the
kingdoms 15 million people are
living in hunger. We commend
the government for its strong
commitment to end hunger and
we are positively optimistic that
we can achieve this goal within
the timeframe, she said.

Korean deputy FM to visit Laos for ASEAN meetings

KOREA (The Korea Herald,
ANN) -- South Koreas deputy
foreign minister will visit Laos
this week to prepare for a series of
upcoming regional conferences

and summits, the Foreign

Ministry said Wednesday.
Kim Hyoung-zhin is
scheduled to fly to Luang
Prabang, an ancient city situated

in northern Laos, on Saturday to

attend a series of senior officials
meetings involving member
nations of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations and
their regional partners, the
ministry said in a press release.
Laos holds the chairmanship
of the 10-member ASEAN
this year. The meetings come
ahead of a foreign ministerial
meeting in July and a summit
in September. South Korea is a
member of the ASEAN+3, the
East Asia Summit, the ASEAN
Regional Forum and Friends of
Lower Mekong.
During his two-day trip,
Kim plans to attend the SOMs
of all four forums to discuss
cooperation in a wide range of
issues, including finance, health,
education and security.

Region 7

New humanoid robot

climbs more quickly
J A PA N ( T h e Yo m i u r i
Shimbun, ANN) -- A research
team led by Waseda University,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd. and others has developed
a humanoid robot that can
move up and down a ladder
12 times faster than the teams
previous model.
The robot is expected to
work in places inaccessible to
humans in situations such as
nuclear accidents or serious
disasters, researchers said.
The latest model measures
nearly 1.3 metres high when
it is standing on two legs. The
previous version took 120
seconds to climb one rung as
it could move only one of its
four limbs at a time.
In contrast, the new robot
has been improved to be able
to move more than one limb at
the same time, taking just 10
seconds to climb a rung.
As the latest model only
requires a short time to climb
a ladder - a major obstacle for
wheeled robots - the research
team hopes it can be used
when a nuclear power plant
is hit by an accident so it
will be able to make its way
past debris and other hurdles
to inspect inside the facility.
When it is not being used in an
emergency situation, the robot
can be used to check high-rise
buildings, the team hopes.
The humanoid robot has
been developed as part of a
project by the Cabinet Office
to produce robots that can

A humanoid robot demonstrates how smoothly it can move up and

down on a ladder at Waseda University in Tokyo on Thursday.
--Photo The Yomiuri Shimbun

respond to disasters.
As the next step, we aim to develop a robot that can climb
up one rung in four seconds, said Waseda University Prof. Atsuo
Takanishi, who leads the research team.

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

World

500 million people at risk of

contracting Zika in Americas
WASHINGTON (Xinhua)
-- About 500 million people
in the Americas are at risk of
being infected by the Zika virus,
which can cause birth defects
such as microcephaly, a senior
official from the Pan American
Health Organisation (PAHO)
said Tuesday.
Its important to note
that all countries which have
reported, detected Dengue and
Chikungunya virus outbreaks
during the last years, thats
15 years, are considered at
risk for having outbreaks of
Zika, Sylvain Aldighieri, Zika
incident manager for PAHO,
told reporters here. It means
that we are expecting outbreaks
of Zika from Middle America
to Latin America to the north of
Argentina and in the Caribbean.
So its a very large portion of
territory of the region.
Aldighieri said so far

the number of countries and

territories in the Americas
reporting Zika virus transmission
has increased to 37, of which
five countries including Brazil
have reported microcephaly.
Anthony Fauci, director
of the US National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
told reporters at the briefing that
his agency is working to begin a
clinical trial for a Zika vaccine in
September. We will probably
know if its safe by the beginning
of 2017, said Fauci. And if it
is, well engage in a very large
efficacy study likely in South
America or in the Caribbean and
that should take anywhere from
one to three years to prove that it
works or does not work.
Zika is transmitted primarily
through the bite of an infected
Aedes species mosquito, which
also spreads chikungunya and
dengue.

Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases speaks during a Zika briefing in Washington
D.C., the United States.
--Photo Xinhua

UN needs US$80 million

for schools
for Palestinian refugees
UNITED NATIONS (AP)
-- The head of the UN agency
for Palestinian refugees
expressed hope Tuesday that
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates and Kuwait will
come up with US$80 million
to ensure that 500,000 boys
and girls who are refugees can
start the next school year on
time in August.
Last year, a US$101
million shortfall in the budget
of the agency, known as
UNRWA, almost led to a delay
in starting school.
Pierre Krahenbuhl told a
news conference Tuesday that
the three Gulf countries came
to the rescue last year and he
hopes they will renew the
generosity this year.
If we could have that,
then we will be able to avoid
another crisis this summer,
he said.

UNRWA operates 700

schools for Palestinian refugees
with 22,000 education staff in
the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan,
Lebanon and Syria. Last years
funding crisis almost led to a
delay in the start of the school
year.
Krahenbuhl stressed the
importance of education for
Palestinian refugees, many
who have spent their lives in
camps, as key to giving them
hope for the future.
Compared to school systems
in the United States, Krahenbuhl
said the Palestinian refugee
school system would be the third
largest after New York and Los
Angeles.
He said UNRWA, has
been in challenging financial
circumstances for many years
and many decades, and the
notion is to learn from last
summers large-scale crisis.

Residents evacuated as fires threaten Canada oil sands town

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta
(AP) -- The entire population
of the Canadian oil sands
city of Fort McMurray,
Alberta, has been ordered to
evacuate from a wildfire that
officials said destroyed whole
neighbourhoods.
More than 80,000 residents
have been ordered to flee as
flames continued to make their

way into the city Tuesday.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley
called it the biggest evacuation
in the history of the province.
Residents were panicked.
Highway 63 is the only road
out of the city and flames
jumped the road.
Fire chief Darby Allen
said they did not have an
estimate of the number of

homes destroyed, but said the

fire is burning in several areas
in the citys south end and had
destroyed a mobile home park.
There have been no reports
of serious injuries and Allen
said right now the priority
was to keep everyone safe.
Allen said they have requested
military assistance and expect
the army and air force will start

Plan International in Lao PDR

Terms of Reference
Lao Language School Readiness Curriculum and Materials Consultant
April 2016

Plan International in Lao PDR (Plan) is currently supporting the Lao Ministry of
Education and Sports, in collaboration with other development partners, to strengthen
childrens transition into primary school with special attention to school readiness in
Lao language. We seek a consultant to support us in developing a framework, student
learning materials and teacher guidelines for Lao language teaching for ethnic minority
children at the start of grade 1. This activity will build on ECD, emergent literacy and
school readiness interventions and materials that already exist in Lao PDR, shaping
them into a holistic transition course. We anticipate approximately 30 working days for
the consultancy, to start as soon as possible and complete all deliverables by 1 July 2016.
Preference will be given to Lao-based consultants but remote work will also be possible.
Consultant teams may also be considered, for example if a Lao national consultant
is required to complement the knowledge and skills of an international consultant.
Competitive candidates will have:
A strong technical background in early childhood development, school readiness,
emergent literacy, early grades reading or a related area
Understanding of appropriate teaching and learning approaches for second language
learners with little prior exposure to the language of instruction
Experience developing thematic, outcomes-based curriculum and teacher training
materials
Previous knowledge of the Lao education sector and in particular the real-world
context in pre-primary and the early grades of primary school in remote communities
Excellent (native or near-native) written English,with knowledge of Lao-Tai or other
ethnic languages in Laos a plus
The ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high-quality work with minimal
supervision
To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in, availability
for and qualifications to undertake the consultancy, along with a relevant writing sample
in English. Please indicate your expected daily fee and provide references from previous
assignments undertaken. Documents must be submitted electronically to PlanLaos.
JobVacancies@plan-international.org by no later than Monday, 9May 2016. Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
For a more detailed TOR, please contact Phonesavanh Sivilay, LEARN Project
Coordinator, at Phonesavanh.Sivilay@plan-international.org

sending out troops within a

couple of days.
Fort McMurray is the heart
of Canadas oil sands region.
The Alberta oil sands are the
third largest reserves of oil in
the world behind Saudi Arabia
and Venezuela.
Most oil sands projects are
well north of the community,
while the worst of the flames

were on the citys south side.

Allen said they are trying
to maintain the crucial
infrastructure in the city,
including the only bridge
across the Athabasca River and
Highway 63, the only route to
the city from the south.
We appreciate that some
of you have lost properties. We
have people working here right

now that have lost property,

too, he said.
Brian Jean, the leader of
Albertas opposition party
and a resident of the city,
said much of downtown
Fort McMurray is being
destroyed by fire, but the fire
chief said there had mostly
been spot fires which have
been extinguished.

Vientiane Times

Business

Read more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la

Siemens underlying profit

jumps as order book swells
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)
-- Siemens AG, maker of heavy
industrial equipment including
power stations and trains, saw
net profit fall in the most recent
quarter due to large one-time
gains in the year earlier period.
But the companys earnings
beat analyst estimates and it
reported a strong rise in new
orders.
Net profit fell to 1.5 billion
euros (US$1.7 billion) in the
January-March quarter from 3.9
billion euros in the same quarter
last year. In the year-ago quarter
the company booked 3.0 billion
euros in gains from selling its
hearing-aidbusiness and a stake
in a home appliances company.
Net profit beat analyst
estimates for 1.1 billion euros
as compiled by financial
information provider FactSet.
With one-time effects
from a year earlier tossed out,
underlying industrial profit grew
28 percent, to 2.1 billion euros
(US$2.4 billion).
Munich-based Siemens said

Wednesday that orders grew 7

percent to 22.3 billion euros,
boosted by a 3.1 billion euros
order for power plants in Egypt.
Orders are crucial for future
earnings, since the companys
business is focused on longterm infrastructure and transport
projects that will add to profits
in the quarters and years ahead.
The company, which does
business all over the world, gave
a cautious outlook for the year
ahead, saying it would meet its
earnings targets but warning that
it expected further softening in
the global economy. It predicted
moderate revenue growth.
Revenue grew 5 percent to
19.0 billion euros.
We delivered another
convincing performance in the
second quarter, compared to
both the prior year and our
industry sector, CEO Joe
Kaeser said in a statement.
Despite ongoing challenges in
the market environment, we will
continue to focus rigorously on
profitable growth.

Japan, EU leaders agree to

accelerate free trade talks
BRUSSELS (Kyodo) -- Japans
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
and European Union leaders
agreed on Tuesday to expedite
negotiations for a free trade
deal and reach a broad accord
by the end of the year, Japanese
officials said.
Abe shared the view in a
meeting with Donald Tusk,
president of the European
Council, and Jean-Claude
Juncker, president of the
European Commission,
the executive branch of the
28-member bloc, they said.
Tusk was quoted as saying
a free trade agreement should
be reached during an annual
Japan-EU summit in the latter
half of the year.
Japan and the regional
grouping, which began free
trade negotiations in April 2013,
missed the earlier envisioned
deadline for reaching a deal set
for the end of 2015.
During the meeting, Abe
said Japan is trying to improve
relations with China. He
explained that China seems
eager to reciprocate, though
there were sharp exchanges of

views during last Saturdays

Japan-China foreign ministers
talks in Beijing.
The Japanese premier said
he will seek to hold a bilateral
summit between the Asian
neighbors in early September,
when China will host a summit
of Group of 20 major economies,
the officials said.
He also expressed concern
about Beijings ongoing
militarisation of the South China
Sea, while Tusk supported the
idea of sending a joint message
from the Group of Seven
industrialised nations on the
need to observe international and
maritime laws.
Touching on increasing
uncertainty in the global
economy, Abe pointed to the
need for flexible fiscal policy in
order to spark demand. Juncker
said he is in full agreement on
that point.
Meanwhile, Abe revealed
a plan to map out humanitarian
and other support measures to
help stabilise Middle Eastern
and African nations at the G-7
summit to be held in Japan later
this month, the officials said.

Thursday May 5, 2016

BOL advises caution over depositing

money in microfinance institutions
Times Reporters

The Bank of the Lao PDR

has warned the public to
carefully consider the wisdom
of depositing money with
microfinance institutions after
finding that a large numer of
companies are operating such
a business unlawfully.
The bank has authorised
143 microfinance institutions
to operate in Laos, of which 15
are deposit taking entities, 41
are non-deposit taking bodies,
22 are leasing companies, 26
are pawnshops, five are money
transfer companies, 32 are
savings credit unions and two
are financial institutions.
The names of these
institutions can be seen in the
banks announcement in daily

newspapers or obtained by
contacting the bank directly.
The announcement by the
bank will tell people which
microfinance institutions are
registered with the bank and
operating legally in line with
the banks regulations and
government policy.
However, some companies
are operating this kind of
business but have not registered
with the bank.
These companies may try
to take advantage of people
and customers may not benefit
in any way.
Through cooperation with
the police and the industry and
commerce sector, the bank has
banned some companies from
carrying out this line of business
as they have not complied with

the banks regulations. But the

bank says it cannot reveal the
names of these companies.
Bank officials are certain
there are more companies
running this kind of business
unlawfully.
To address the problem,
the bank requires cooperation
from various sectors as well as
the public.
The bank will try to stop the
operations of companies that
have not registered with the
bank as well as microfinance
institutions that do not follow
the banks regulations.
If these companies wish
to operate like a microfinance
institution by lending money
they must register with the bank
before they begin operations.
Microfinance institutions

are those financial institutions

that undertake microfinance
transactions as outlined in
the Decree on Microfinance
Institutions issued by the Prime
Minister, comprising deposittaking and non-deposit-taking
microfinance institutions and
microfinance projects.
The decree defines the
principles, regulations and
measures for the establishment,
operations and supervision of
microfinance institutions in
Laos to ensure security and
stability.
It also sets out conditions to
enable the multi-ethnic people
to have access to financial
services, contribute to poverty
reduction, and develop the
economy and society as a
whole.

China growth remains sluggish in April

CHINA (China Daily, ANN)
-- A key index gauging Chinas
factory activity dipped in April,
which analysts said is a sign
the worlds second-largest
economy is still suffering from
slow growth despite improved
macroeconomic data in the first
quarter.
Released on Tuesday, the
Caixin/Markit Manufacturing
Purchasing Managers Index,
which surveys mainly midsized and small enterprises,
fell to 49.4 last month from
49.7 in March, the 14th month
below the 50 mark that divides
economic expansion from
contraction.
According to the survey, the
subindex of new export orders
dropped for the fifth straight
month. It was largely on par
with the March level, and total
new orders from at home and
abroad were unchanged.
All of the indexs categories
indicated that the foundation
for Chinas economic recovery
is yet to be solid. The economy
may continue to fluctuate
before bottoming out and the
government needs to keep a
close watch on the risk of a
further economic downturn,
He Fan, chief economist at
Caixin, said in a note.
The official PMI, compiled
by the China Federation of
Logistics and Purchasing

A jogger runs on the Bund after a rain with the skyline of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in Shanghai.

and the National Bureau of

Statistics, dropped to 50.1
in April, down from 50.2 in
March. Although it dipped
s l i g h t l y, i t r e m a i n s i n
expansionary territory. The
official PMI mainly monitors
large enterprises in China.
The Chinese economy
expanded at 6.7 percent yearon-year in the first quarter, down
from 6.8 percent a year ago, but a
slew of stimulus measures, such
as relaxed purchasing policies
for the real estate sector, have

led to soaring home sales and

a quick recovery in related
industries, such as steelmaking.
Therefore, despite the dip
in Aprils PMI, economists
remain confident that the
Chinese economy is expected
to continue to recover, at least
in the short term.
We expect that real
estate activities and industrial
production may continue to
be growing steadily, said
a research note by UBS
economists led by Zhang Ning.

But the momentum may ease

moderately.
We think, this year you
are going to see stabilisation,
Kelvin Tay, analyst at UBS
Wealth Management, told
CNBC.
You may probably expect
unemployment to tick up, you
may expect manufacturing to
actually slow down a little bit,
but we do expect the situation
to stabilise because of the
stimulus measures the Chinese
government has put in place.

Exchange rates as of May 4, 2016

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public
Foreign Currencies

Buying

Selling

US Dollar 50-100

8,087

8,127

Thai Baht

230.77

232.49

Euro 50-500

9,274

9,321

10 Business

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

MoU kicks off hydropower

study on Xepon River

Mr Kongkham Xaypanya shakes hands with Mr Pachit Khamviengngam after signing the MoU.

Times Reporters

Sa v a n n a k h e t p r o v i n c i a l
authorities have authorised
a local company to conduct
a feasibility study on the
construction of a small scale
hydropower plant on the Xepon
River in Xepon district.
A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU)
on the project was signed
recently between provincial
Planning and Investment
Department Deputy Director
Mr Kongkham Xaypanya,
provincial Energy and
Mines Department Director
Mr Bounlouan Lisayalath,
and Khamviengngam Co.,
Ltd. Director Mr Pachit
Khamviengngam.
The signing ceremony was
witnessed by the provincial
Administration Office Deputy
Head Mr Phousamay Kittalath.
The provincial authorities
as well as the government
have attempted to promote

development in untapped natural

resources within the province.
Therefore, the authorities
gave their approval for
the provincial Planning and
Investment Department,
provincial Energy and
Mines Department and
Khamviengngam Co., Ltd. to
sign an MoU on the development
of a small hydropower plant on
the Xepon River.
Under the MoU, the
company will take 18 months to
survey and study the possibility
of the project, for which
the company needs to pay
insurance worth US$15,000
for the MoU implementation
and US$5,000 for monitoring
the project.
The project is located in
Kengluang village, Xepon
district and will have an installed
capacity of less than 15MW.
Speaking at the event,
Mr Pachith said in the next
few months the company, in
consultation with the relevant

sectors and authorities, will

begin a survey and collect
information on the viability of the
hydropower plants construction
and its potential social and
environmental impacts.
The company will then
submit the results of the feasibility
study to the authorities for their
consideration, he said.
The province currently has
six potential hydropower projects
with an installed capacity of less
than 15 MW in Xepon, Nong and
Vilabouly districts.
Three projects are in the
process of signing MoUs on
construction with the provincial
administration, while the other
three projects are still undergoing
feasibility studies.
Savannakhet province also
has seven potential hydropower
projects with an installed capacity
of more than 15MW in Nong and
Phin districts.
Six projects are undergoing
feasibility studies, while one is
preparing to start construction.

In brief
Southeast European business forum draws global investors

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- The countries of southeastern Europe are aiming

to attract more investment from international business executives gathered at a conference in
Sarajevo. The annual event, which opened Wednesday, this year has gathered investors from 30
countries, including China, India, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others.
First held in 2010, the Sarajevo Business Forum has positioned itself as one of the most important
investment events for southeastern Europe.

BMW reports record Q1 sales

MUNICH (Xinhua) -- German car producer BMW Group reported here on Tuesday that its sales
have reached a new record in the first quarter of the year. According to the groups statistics,
sales volume in its automotive segment for the Bavarian company rose by 5.9 percent to a total
of 557,605 units in the first three months of the year. A total of 127,167 units were sold on the
Chinese mainland in the first quarter, representing an increase of 10.5 percent.

Economic climate in euro area continues to fall

MUNICH (Xinhua) -- The Ifo index for economic climate in the euro area continue to weaken,
research institute Ifo said in a report on Tuesday. The quarterly released index declined to 112.7
points from 118.9 points in last quarter, but it remains above its long-term average, the report
noted. According to the survey results, the economic climate deteriorated due to both less
favorable assessments of the current economic situation and slightly more skeptical business
expectations.

German firms upbeat on Chinese market growth: report

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- German firms in China are still optimistic about their local sales growth
despite the economic slowdown, a report showed on Tuesday.
About 90 percent of the surveyed 189 German firms, based in China, planned to continue business
in China despite the economy seeing the weakest quarter-on-quarter expansion in the first quarter
since 2011, according to the report released by the German Chamber of Commerce in China. Over
one third of the surveyed German firms have taken steps such as rolling out new products and
services to adapt to market changes, the report showed.

Establishment of Fishing Control System Underway in DPRK

Pyongyang (KCNA) -- The establishment of a fishing control system between control centers at
fishery stations and fishing boats is now underway in the DPRK.
The system makes possible the rapid exchange of marine information between them. Experts say
that the system would be conducive to putting fishing on a more scientific basis.

Water scarcity to cost

growth, spark conflict
Washington (The statesman, ANN) -- The
World Bank has warned that water scarcity,
exacerbated by climate change, could impact
growth, spur migration and spark conflict across
the globe including in India where several regions
are facing water deficit.
A World Bank report High and Dry: Climate
Change, Water and the Economy released on
Tuesday said the combined effects of growing
populations, rising incomes and expanding cities
will see demand for water rising exponentially,
while supply becomes more erratic and uncertain.
Calling for need to enhance efficiency of
water use in India, a top World Bank official
said there is going to be mounting, increasing
water deficits, or at least increasing demands for
water across India.
In India, property related violence increases by
about four percent when there is below average
rainfall and communal riots become more frequent
following episodes of floods, the World Bank said.
In Gujarat, when groundwater irrigation
became less available or more expensive due to a
declining water table, farmers migrated to cities
instead of seeking alternative adaptation strategies
such as shifts in cropping patterns or more efficient
irrigation technologies, it said.
According to one estimate, groundwater
pumping accounts for no less than four to six
percent of Indias total carbon emissions, the
World Bank said.
Water scarcity is a major threat to economic
growth and stability around the world, and climate
change is making the problem worse, said World
Bank President Jim Yong Kim.
If countries do not take action to better
manage water resources, our analysis shows that
some regions with large populations could be
living with long periods of negative economic
growth. But countries can enact policies now that
will help them manage water sustainability for the
years ahead, he said.
World Bank Lead Economist Richard
Damania said the climate models projections
about the monsoons have wide variability; they

come out with a number of results.

So people do not know with the same measure
of precision, for example, what will happen in
India as they would, for example, in the Middle
East. Having said that, all the models converge
on a world in which the monsoons become much,
much more intensive for a shorter period of time,
Damania said.
So we are going to get either the same amount
of rainfall or less rainfall in a shorter period of time
with greater intensity, but that will vary of course
across the years.
Now having said that, what does this actually
mean for India. Even if you stripped away climate
change, the projections for India seem to suggest,
because we combine population growth, we
combine urbanisation which is reasonably rapid
and we combine economic growth, all those
forces together combine to increase the demand
for water, he said.
So there is going to be mounting, increasing
water deficits or at least increasing demands for
water. And this really, really suggests that we need
to enhance efficiency of water use, Damania said.
As such one needs to look closely of course
also at how ground water is used, because at the
moment there is a large reliance on ground water,
often pumped at unsustainable levels and it also
implies allocating water more efficiently to more
efficient uses.
Let us not forget water is a natural resource.
So if we neglect the water cycle, if we neglect the
upstream forests, which are so essential to ensure
that the water cycle endures and water goes where
it should go, we really worsen the deficits that we
actually have. So the same conclusions that the
report would apply with equal force to India, but
perhaps with somewhat more urgency given the
rising demands, he said.
The report also warns that reduced freshwater
availability and competition from other uses such
as energy and agriculture could reduce water
availability in cities by as much as two thirds by
2050, compared to 2015 levels. Water insecurity
could multiply the risk of conflict, the report added.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Lao PDR Resident Mission
Invitation for Bids
The Asian Development Bank now invites sealed bids from eligible and qualified bidders forthe
demolition of an existing building and construction of a new office block within the compound
of ADB at Vientiane. The construction work is to be completed within 8 months from the date
of notification of contract award.
National Competitive Bidding (NCB) will be conducted in accordance with ADBs Single-Stage:
One-Envelope procedure. The NCB is open to all Bidders from eligible countries as described
in the Bidding Document.
Only eligible Bidders with the following key qualifications should participate in this bidding:
(i) Should be a reputable firm with independent legal existence for a minimum of three(3)
years and registered with the Ministry of Public Work and Transport;
(ii) Have a minimum of three(3) years construction experience related toinfrastructure buildings
located in urban areas (ie. institutional and commercial office projects);
(iii) Have an average annual construction turnover of at least US$ 400,000 over the past three
(3) years from 2013 to 2015;
(iv) Have successfully completed at least one similar project in Lao consisting of demolition
and reconstruction of office block to showcase companys expertise/capability inthis kind of
project which require environmental control and pollution prevention while some buildings
in the compound are used for business operation;
(v) Should be a firm with a business license providing only building construction services
involvingexterior and interior architectural, civil, and structural engineering works; and
(vi) Should not be under a declaration or record of ineligibility for corrupt and/or fraudulent
practices issued or kept by ADB.
To obtain bidding documents, further information and inspect the bidding documents, Bidders
should contact:
Senior Finance/Administrative Officer
Asian Development Bank
Lao PDR Resident Mission
Corner of Lanexang Av. &Samsenthai Rd.
P.O. Box 9724
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Tel: 021 250 444
E-mail: svongthevanh@adb.org
From 8:30-11:30 and 13:30 16:00 hours, Monday to Friday, from09May 2016 to 26 May 2016.
Deliver your bid
Address to: Country Director
Asian Development Bank

Lao PDR Resident Mission

Corner of Lanexang Av. &Samsenthai Rd.

P.O. Box 9724

Vientiane, Lao PDR
On or before 27May 2016 at 14:00 pm
together with a Bid Security as described in the Bidding Documents.

www.adb.org/lrm

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Lao stock market report

Trade Summary
On Wednesday, LSX index continually increased, rising 1.51 points to 1,131.96 points. The
highest activities came from the two stocks BCEL and EDL-Gen. BCEL traded a total of 16,300
shares and the price increased 200 kip at the end of the session, closing higher to 4,700 kip, its
highest level in three months. EDL-Gen saw about 1,800 shares change hands, worth about
10,260,000 kip. For the rest, the prices were unchanged with no trade, however PTLs price
went down 50 kip to close at 2,600 kip due to a technical adjustment.
Daily Turnover by Investor Types (LAKm)

Last 7 days Trading Information

BCEL-KT Securities Company Limited Email: Broker@bcel-kt.com

Business 11

Asean Economic Community

Investment risks and opportunities

in the Vietnam education system
VIETNAM (Vietnam News,
ANN) -- Education is an attractive
sector for foreign investors.
However, investors should be
aware of the opportunities and
the challenges in investing in the
sector.
Vietnams World Trade
Organisation commitments on
opening up the education sector
have, in fact, created opportunities
for foreign investors. With
Vietnam in desperate need of an
international-standard learning
environment, the education
business may lead to significant
profitability for the investors.
When establishing
educational institutions, foreign
investors and enterprises do not,
in all cases, have to build and
complete the construction of the
facility before starting operations.
For educational institutions
that are registering to operate
for less than 20 years, it is not
necessary for foreign investors to
build separate facilities; instead,
they can rent schools, classes,
workshops and other areas that
are suitable and stable for at least
five years.
For those that are registering
to operate for 20 years or more,
the construction of new facilities
is mandatory. In the initial period
of up to five years, these facilities
must have a lease contract or
an agreement, in principle, to
provide necessary and stable

Vietnams World Trade Organisation commitments on opening up the

education sector have, in fact, created opportunities for foreign investors.

facilities for training and teaching

and to ensure investment for the
construction of such facilities is
in accordance with the progress
of the project. Foreign investors
can also open their branches in the
same province or city as the main
educational institutions or in other
provinces and cities.
According to the schedule
of commitments with the
WTO, for the education sector,
Vietnam has only committed
to the fields of engineering,
natural sciences, technology and
business administration, as well
as business science, economics,
accounting, international law and
language training. However, for
the aforementioned fields, which

belong to the higher education

and adult education sectors,
the training programmes must
be approved by the Ministry
of Education and Training of
Vietnam.
With respect to general
education services, which
includes elementary schools,
secondary schools, high schools
and pre-schools, Vietnam has
not yet committed to opening
the sector to foreign investors.
Institutions operated by foreign
investors that provide general
education are meant for foreign
students and a fixed number of
Vietnamese students only. Preschools can only enroll foreign
students, not Vietnamese children.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESS OF INTEREST

LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE
Department of Custom, Ministry of Finance
Customs and Trade Facilitation Project Additional Financing
IDA Grand No. H843 - LA, Project No. P144992
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
National Project Analyst, based in CTFP Office, Vientiane Capital
( ref. no.: CS-003-CTFP-2016 )
The Lao PDR has received financing of US$ 12.5 million equivalent from the International Development Association (IDA)
to support the Customs and Trade Facilitation Project (CTFP), which has two main components:
(a) Automation Support focused on progressively shifting responsibility for the support and maintenance of the ASYCUDA
system from heavy reliance on UNCTAD to the Customs Departments own personnel and on building a strong in-house
capacity to effectively manage current and future ICT systems and related infrastructure; and,
(b) Organizational Development designed to consolidate and further extend the improvements achieved in customs work
practices, procedures and organization that have progressively been implemented over the past five years.

Small and Medium Enterprises Access to Finance Project

Credit No. 5471-LA, Grant No. H958-LA
International Consultant for the Development
of a Strategy and Action Plan for the Collection and Analysis of SME Data
The Government of Lao PDR is receiving US$20 million financing from the World Bank Groups International
Development Association (IDA) for the Small and Medium Enterprise Access to Finance Project (SME A2F). The
Projects development objective is to provide long-term funding sources for banks to provide long-term credit to
small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The project will support the growth of privately-owned SMEs by increasing
the supply of long-term finance provided by commercial banks and by strengthening the capability of Department of
SME Promotion to formulate and implement public policies that promote access to finance for SMEs. The Project
includes three components: 1) A Line of Credit Facility; and 2) Technical Assistance.

The project builds on reforms implemented as part of an earlier World Bank financed project and will assist the Lao Customs
Department (LCD) to simplify customs procedures, eliminate duplication and redundancy; reduce transaction costs and
time to clear goods; and increase transparency and accountability. The Customs Department, which is responsible for
implementation of the project,

Under Component 2, DOSMEP intends to recruit an International Consultant to provide technical assistance to
develop a strategy and action plan for the collection and analysis of data on the SME sector. The assignment is on
a part-time basis and will involve working from home as well as in Lao PDR.

The LCD now intends to hire a National Project Analyst to provide coordination and liaison assistance to project team
to carry out their tasks. The Project Analyst will have the overall responsibility of ensuring that the Project is executed in
accordance with the Financing Agreement. In this regard, he or she will assist the Project Director & Project Task Team
Leader in the overall coordination and management of the project implementation. He/she will work closely with Project
Implementation Unit and the Customs Reform and Modernization Team (CRMT) to assist the project implementation in
an effective and efficient manner, and ensure that integrity and transparency are maintained in all activities of the Project.

The estimated inputs for this assignment are for 3 months to be provided part-time over a 12-month period. It
is expected that the majority of inputs will be delivered in Vientiane, Lao PDR working alongside government
officials. During the remaining time the consultant will ensure periodic contacts with her/his counterparts in Lao
PDR and continued supervision and monitoring of the work program distantly. The Consultantwill be supported by
the DOSMEP team during his assignment in Vientiane Capital and in the provinces.
The full text of the ToR can be accessed at the NIUs website: http://t4dlaos.org/index.php/en/work-with-us/vacancies.

The National Project Analyst will be a full-time position and expected to commence by end of May or early June 2016
through the initial 12-months contract. In order to be considered for the position, the candidates should meet the following
qualifications and experience requirements:

In order to qualify for this assignment, the candidates shall meet the following experience and competence
requirements:

Minimum masters degree in international trade, public sector/customs administration development economics or a
relevant discipline;
Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience with proven project management skills;
Prior work experience with government organizations, international agencies or technical assistance projects is an
asset;
Familiarity with government structure, customs and public sector development issues;
Capable of strategic thinking and have the ability to advocate and engage in policy discussions with senior
representatives of the government and private sector;
Excellent communication skills, including speaking and writing in both English and Lao languages;
Excellent analytical and presentation skills;
Computer literate (Microsoft Office package);
Good interpersonal skills and result orientation.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment
of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011 (Consultant
Guidelines), setting forth the World Banks policy on conflict of interest. The Consultant will be selected based on Individual
Consultants selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.
The Customs and Trade Facilitation Project (CTFP) of the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, now invites interested
applicants to provide information indicating that you are qualified to perform the services (curriculum vitae with expressions
of interest and references). Interested Applicants may obtain further information at the address below. Expressions of
interest must be delivered to the address below or no later than May 16, 2016, 16:00 oclock (submissions via email are
also acceptable). Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Athsaphangthong Siphandone (PhD.)
Director General, Customs Department
Ministry of Finance, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel. & Fax: +856 (21) 254034
E-mail: athsaphangthong@gmail.com
Copy: vongvanhpheng@gmail.com and thanongsakd@gmail.com

Masters Degree in Statistic Economics, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering or related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in statistic and data collection for development projects, including planning,
coordination, technical and field surveys.
Experience with similar assignments in ASEAN countries will be an advantage.
Knowledge and experience with SMEs promotion and development will be an advantage.
Knowledge of Computer Information Systems including packages such as Microsoft Office, Database, etc.
would be an advantage.
Ability to communicate effectively, in writing and orally in English is essential.
Excellent interpersonal skills and willingness to work as part of a team.
Excellent analytical and presentation skills.
Ability to work in a complex, cross-cultural working environment.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and
Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January
2011 (Consultant Guidelines), setting forth the World Banks policy on conflict of interest. The Consultant will
be selected based on Individual Consultants selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.
The NIU now invites interested applicants to provide information indicating that you are qualified to perform the
services (curriculum vitae with expressions of interest and references). Interested Applicants may obtain further
information at the address below. Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below or no later than May
31, 2016, 16:00 oclock (submissions via email are also acceptable). Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Attn: Mr. Sengphanomchone Inthasane, NIU Manager
CC: Mr. Keophouthone Inthivong, Procurement Officer
Ministry of Industry and Commerce, National Implementation Unit (NIU)
Ban Phonxay, Xaysettha District, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel: +856 (21) 41 39 16 45 39 82; Fax: +856(21) 41 39 16,
E-mail: keophouthone.in@laosaft.org; cc amphaphone.t@laosaft.org

12

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

World Education has been operational in Laos since 1992 and is dedicated to improving the lives of the
poor through education and social and economic development.

Vacancy Announcement
The Lao PDR U.S. International and ASEAN Integration (LUNA II) project is funded by USAID. It seeks to improve the
overall business-related legal and regulatory environment in Lao PDR by supporting efforts to meet the countrys commitments
under the WTO, the AEC, and the U.S.-Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement.
LUNA II is currently seeking a qualified Lao candidate for a long-term position as an Office Assistant. The hired candidate
would initially work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, obtaining greater independence and responsibility
commensurate with professional development.
Starting Date:
01 June 2016
Duration of Assignment:

Full time (01 June 2016 20 September 2018)
Work Location:
Vientiane Capital (with occasional trips to other parts of the country)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
Manage all logistics for local and expatriate experts, including coordinating travel and hotel arrangements, transportation
and in-country logistics.
Coordinate project car arrangements
Maintain record of project contacts (phone, email, fax, photo if possible, etc.)
Maintain project asset registry
Assist with the organization of workshops and seminars, including sending out invitations and traveling to provincial
workshops as necessary to collect participant information, assist with workshop implementation, etc.
Assist the Project Coordinator to work on VISA and ID card for the COP and experts, as necessary.
Prepare participant feedback forms and sign-in sheets for events (as directed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer).
Tallying and reconciliation of M&E data and verification data (including sign-in sheets, per diem receipts, etc.) Upload
digitized back-ups onto the project management software.
Work with technical staff to ensure accurate and timely collection of data and information, and input all relevant data in
order to monitor progress of project indicators;
Provide M&E input for project annual work plans, reports, and technical instruction, as needed and requested by the
M&E Officer and the Chief of Party;
Under the supervision of the Office Manager, monitor the internal office calendar system for all LUNA II staff meetings,
and LUNA II project events calendar. Work with the Counterpart Liaison Team to ensure that all upcoming events are
reflected on the calendar.
Upload all completed approvals onto the project management software.
Draft approval requests to both USAID and the Chief of Party.
Support other ongoing programmatic issues, as necessary, and as requested by the COP, M&E Officer, and Office Manager.
Experience, qualifications and characteristics of an ideal candidate:
Bachelors degree.
Effective written/verbal communication skills, in English and Lao.
Laotian Nationality.
At least 2 years of administrative experience, preferably on a donor funded project. Exposure to USAID and/or U.S.
government policies and procedures preferred.
Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities with
attention to detail.
Ability to travel as necessary within Lao PDR and abroad. Valid passport preferred.
Ability to work outside of normal work hours occasionally required.
Ability to be on-call in case of emergencies (especially with logistics for local and expatriate experts).
Good interpersonal skills, leadership, and results-oriented approach.
Strong organizational and planning skills. Proven ability to multi-task and
Knowledge of MS office suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Knowledge of Google Docs, Sheets, and Calendar preferred
Knowledge of Teamwork project management software preferred
LUNA II is an equal opportunity employer. Women and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.
If interested, please send your CV along with a cover letter that would convince us to call you in for an interview. Send both
to the USAID LUNA II Project at Green Building, 5th Floor, Ban Naxay, Saysetha District, Vientiane Capital, Tel: (856-21)
454 923, Fax: (856-21)454 924, or by email to: Mchanthavong@nathaninc.com with the subject matter line: Translator
Position.The closing date for submission of CV and letter is13 May 2016. All applications will be treated confidentially. Only
short-listed candidates will be notified.

Vacancy Announcement
The Lao PDR U.S. International and ASEAN Integration (LUNA II) project is funded by USAID. It seeks
to improve the overall business-related legal and regulatory environment in Lao PDR by supportingefforts to
meetthe countrys commitments underthe WTO, the AEC, and the U.S.-Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement.
LUNA II is currently seeking a qualified Lao candidate for a long-term position as a translator/interpreter. The
hired candidate would initially work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, obtaining greater
independence and responsibility commensurate with professional development.
Starting Date:
01 June 2016
Duration of Assignment:

Full time (01 June 2016 20 September 2018)
Work Location:
Vientiane Capital (with occasional trips to other parts of the country)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
Provide consecutive interpretation, from English to Lao and vice versa, primarily for meetings with Lao
government counterparts and long- and short-term foreign consultants, both within and outside of Vientiane.
Translate from English to Lao and vice versa, laws, implementing regulations; memos, PowerPoint
presentations, reports, and other key documentation.
Translate key communications materials produced by LUNA II.
Provide other translation and interpretation services as necessary.
Experience, qualifications,and characteristics of an ideal candidate:
A degree in Law, Economics,Political Science, or Business Management.
Complete fluency in both written and spoken English and Lao.
Lao nationality.
At least three years experience in document translation and consecutive interpretation.
Previous experience in translating and interpreting international trade, legal, or economic growth topics as
an advantage.
Understanding of the WTO, the AEC, and other international trade institutions as an advantage.
Ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities while maintaining attention
to detail.
Willingness and ability to receive and absorb feedbacks in order to improve performance.
Ability and willingness to travel as necessary within Lao PDR.
Ability and willingness to work outside of normal work hours as occasionally required.
Good interpersonal skills, team-player attitude, and results-oriented approach.
Comfortable in working on several matters at the same time(multi-tasking).
Knowledge of Apple computers and MS office suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
The potential to make up for any gap in the above by other substitutable attributes or, by hard work, talent,
patience, and perseverance.
LUNA II is an equal opportunity employer. Women and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.
If interested, please send your CV along with a cover letter that would convince us to call you in for an interview.
Send both to the USAID LUNA II Project at Green Building, 5th Floor, Ban Naxay, Saysetha District, Vientiane
Capital, Tel: (856-21) 454 923, Fax: (856-21)454 924, or by email to:Mchanthavong@nathaninc.com with the
subject matter line: Translator Position.The closing date for submission of CV and letter is13 May 2016.All
applications will be treated confidentially. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.

Vientiane Times

Toko Assurance Celebrated

8th Anniversary with a Boom!
Vientiane. 29.4.2016 Tokojaya Lao Assurance Co Ltd, Toko Assurance in short, celebrated
their 8th Anniversary Dinner Party today with a loud bang of Moving Forward Together
in 2016!
Mega Band was belting out hard hits, with dances, prize givingand numerous lucky draws;
adding colour and fun to the memorable anniversary celebration.
Preceding to their anniversary celebration was their traditional annual gathering and
training of all their agents from various provinces 2 days before the dinner celebration. Mr
PatipanSoodarram, the Managing Director of Crawford & Company (Thailand) Ltd kicked
off their training program this year with his introduction of both the theory and practice
of loss adjusting. Crawford was the first international loss adjusting firm in Thailand and
established there in 1978.
Apart from the usual sales and technical training, theAgents training this year was focused
to go online to issue the certificate of insurance for their customers. This is first of this kind
of service in our local insurance scene.

In his welcoming speech at the dinner, CEO, Mr Raymond Lim has proudly said that these
online services would greatly enhance Toko Assurances reliable products and services not only
to our agents, but also to all of our customers. Additionally, our agents are capable of checking
their accounts, turnover, sales administration and check the status of all the claims online.
Keener competition is seen in the market with some new entrants throwing in bigger
commission and discounts to penetrate the market. In the absent of an Insurance Association
like in other AEC tocontrol and monitor the business, competition could only growfiercer.
Toko Assurance therefore has geared themselves with the digital advantages to compete with
the ever competitive market conditions.
From the consumer perspective, Toko Assurance vowed for their customers to stay loyal
to them with their reliable services and their timely honouring of their claims contractually.
In an ever more competitive market conditions, Toko Assuranceis seen bracing themselves
electronically and to be better with a pledge to move forward better and better together.

Thursday May 5, 2016

13

14

Thursday May 5, 2016

Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Lifestyle

Different glasses for

different occasions
Japan (The Yomiuri Shimbun,
ANN) -- Women who wear
glasses like to show their
individuality and fashion sense by
choosing from a large selection of
frame shapes, materials, colours,
rim thicknesses and motifs.
Recently, frame materials
have become lighter and there are
many more colour variations than
before. They also are reasonably
priced, starting at around 5,000.
Many people, mainly in
their 20s and 30s, have two or
more different pairs of eyeglasses
that they wear to coordinate

with their clothes and for the

occasion, said Sachie Ito, who is
in charge of sales promotion for
Megane Top Co., a large retailer
of glasses. Ito herself has 20 pairs
of glasses.
Glasses can actually
change your facial image, Ito
said. You should understand
the characteristics of various
different types [of eyewear] and
be selective.
For business, Ito recommends
a pair with almost square lenses.
This type of glasses with thin
rims and in sedate colours,

such as black and dark brown,

can make the wearer project
intelligence and look sharp.
Some glasses are named after
the shapes of their frames.
If the wearer wants to create
a cute image, the Boston type
with modestly round lenses
creates a milder aura. Ito also
recommends the Wellington
type with lenses that are slightly
round and the Bosllington type
with lenses somewhere between
the Boston and Wellington types.
Many people tend to choose
low-key colours and motifs, such

as black and tortoiseshell. Red

and pink are also popular, as
these colours make the wearer
appear more cheerful, she said.
Sizes are important, too.
People need to consider the
balance between the size of the
frame and face when purchasing
eyeglasses.
The height of the frame
should be one-third or less the
length of your face. The width
should be about the same as the
width of your face, Ito said.
Long vertical rims can make
the wearers face look smaller,
but if they are too long they can
make the face appear unshapely.
Align the eyebrows with the
upper part of the rim, and they
will create a natural impression.
It is also important to wear
glasses that coordinate with your
clothes. Navy jackets and white
shirts are easy to coordinate
with the square and Wellington
types. Casual knitwear and skirts
are suited for the Boston and
Bosllington types, Ito said.
Different materials give
different impressions, too, with
some glasses incorporating two
or more materials. A combination
of a plastic frame with a metal
bridge and temples has been
popular since last year, as the

15

Square glasses are well suited for business and coordinate well
with a navy jacket and white shirt. --Photo The Yomiuri Shimbun

design can give a person a mature

appearance.
A frame with a transparent
lower rim makes the wearer
look cool and neat, while the
octagon type with a thin,
octagonal metal frame provides
a cute, sophisticated image.
Everything should be in
balance so you look good in
glasses, Ito said.
Motifs on the temple
Spectacles with printed
motifs on their temples are
popular today. These motifs
include flowers, checkered

patterns and anime characters.

Such motifs accentuate your
face and highlight individuality,
Ito said.
Delicate flower motifs make
the wearers profile look gentle
and vivid. Character motifs can
create a cute, pop impression.
Temples with such motifs
are designed to arouse the lively
spirit of wearers. It is fun to
coordinate temples and clothes
based on colours and motifs.
This interview was
conducted with the cooperation
of Alook.

The place where mystery rules

INDIA (The Statesman, ANN) -- The potato, onion
and garlic fields are green and well tended, and the
streets feel sleepy under the early summer sun. Its
hard to believe that this is the place that dominated
world headlines five years ago, when US forces
raided a compound here and killed Osama Bin
Laden.
The structure of that compound has been
demolished and the only other change in the
neighbourhood is that some of the potato fields are
being developed into modern agricultural farms
using tunnel-farming techniques. OBL street,
which at that time had only a few other houses on
it, now appears narrow after the construction of
several new houses.
The compound where America claims to have
killed Bin Laden on May 2, 2011, is now nothing
but a heap of rubble, broken concrete slabs and
pillars. The contractor who bought these remains
and was responsible for clearing up every single
particle of this house of shame left its foundations
intact, though, and many concrete beams remain
scattered around.
Young boys play cricket on the cemented floors
of what probably once were the living rooms and
bedrooms of the compound, using the concrete
blocks to make temporary cricket stumps. Cows
graze lazily on the patch which once was the back
lawn and rainwater, accumulated in ditches and
depressions, has stagnated between patches of
grass. The vacant plots in front of the main gate of
the compound where media corps from across the
world set up their camps in the days that followed the
raid are now littered with stones and cement blocks.
The first and immediate neighbour to this
compound, Baba Zain, who is a traditional bonesetter, sits in the shade of the trees here. He is busy
tending to the twisted leg of a small child who fell
down while playing; he uses a brick to rest the leg on
and applies pressure to fix the distressed knee joint.
Then, Zain shows me his own arm.
I am unable to provide relief to people now
because my own arm has been broken, says the
84-year-old. I have not shown it to doctors or
other experts because they know nothing about the
science of bones.
My bone was broken because of the rubble
in this compound, he explains. I was standing
here when a child ran towards the fields; I tried to
catch him and fell. Since then, I have lost strength
in my arm.
So your arm has been broken because of Osama,

since Pakistans arm was twisted because of his

existence in this compound, I ask mischievously,
hoping he reacts and shares with me some details
of Bin Ladens presence here.
Osama! What Osama? There was no Osama
living here, he says. There were two brothers,
Arshad Khan and Tariq Khan, from Charsadda,
living here with their families. I used to go into
this grand palace when it was under construction.
But when their families arrived after it had been
completed, I was stopped from going in.
But those families might have been Osamas?
I try to stir up an argument.
No, no! They were the families of these Khans
who built this house, insists Zain, who witnessed
this compound being built, attacked and dismantled,
and was also detained for interrogation for being a
neighbour. So then what enmity did the US have
to attack this house and those Khans? I ask.
That was a drama staged by the army and
America, cuts in Zains friend Mohammad Aslam,
who is sitting with us. We dont know what they
achieved from all this.
That was a strange night, Zain finally muses.
We were sleeping in our house and the electricity
went off. At around midnight, several helicopters
hovered very low over our house and its tin roof
was blown away due to the strong air current.
They offloaded commandos over this compound,
in the street and fields. Then there was the sound
of gunshots, grenade blasts and a helicopter was
destroyed. When the helicopters left, the army came
and took over the area. We were too fearful with all
this going on to come out of our homes.
Later, some intelligence guys picked up my son
and me, blindfolded and handcuffed us and drove
us somewhere around five hours drive away, he
recalls. They questioned me about this house and
what I knew about the raid. I told them I knew
nothing. After 16 days, they brought me back to
my house.
Thousands of people visited this place during
the first year after the attack, he carries on. Now,
rarely does a visitor come here but the intelligence
guys come every week.
Why dont you ask the authorities to hand this
place over to you, to do some farming and grow
potatoes here? I prompt him.
No, I dont take others things, he says firmly.
I have seen what happens to people who greedily
grab others things and those who violate morals
they end up destroyed.

16

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Development

China, Asean eye closer partnership

to bolster production, infrastructure
Ms Lin Dajian.

Tiananmen Square in Beijing, a famous landmark in China.

Times Reporters

hina-Asean partnership
in production
and infrastructure
development was the
focus of a recent nine-day visit by
Asean journalists to China.
During their visit from April
20-28 the journalists learnt that
China is willing to work with
Asean countries to enhance
cooperation and to establish and
promote partnerships with all
Asean nations.
The Chinese government
is willing to work with people
globally to build a more beautiful
home and one that is more
comfortable to live in, said the
former Deputy Director General
of the Department of International
Cooperation of the National
Development and Reform
Commission, Ms Lin Dajian,
when addressinga seminar on
production capacity cooperation.
She said infrastructure is very
important for Asia and the 21st
century belongs to Asia. So every
organisation in Asia is working
for peace and development, with
investment in infrastructure a
driving force of economic growth.
Asean countries have done a
lot to promote the development
of infrastructure and are working
very hard within the Asean
framework.
To promote Chinas Belt
and Road Initiative and to

enhance cooperation in boosting

international production
capacity, We will establish a
foundation for the development
of Asean countries and also solve
problems encountered in the field
of transportation, energy, and
telecommunications and so on,
Lin Dajian said.
The Belt and Road Initiative
will also help to reduce poverty
in the region. China is pleased
to cooperate with neighbouring
countries, including Asean
members, and has established
a large financial institution, the
Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB).
China-international
production capacity cooperation
is one of Chinas most important
initiatives in terms of developing
the Belt and Road Initiative
that was proposed by Chinese
government.
Infrastructure development
in Asean will require investment
of about US$8.22 trillion from
2010 to 2020, equal to about
US$800 billion annually. Of this
amount, 68 percent will be used
to build new infrastructure and the
remaining 32 percent will be used
to manage existing infrastructure.
Deputy Division Director
of the Department of Asian
Affairs under Chinas Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Mr Liu Zhi, said
Chinas investment in Laos will
mainly focus on infrastructure
development that helps to

Mr Liu Zhi.

A panoramic view of a highway, park, river and buildings in Beijing.

improve peoples livelihoods.

The main projects in Laos are
the China-Laos railway, while in
the telecommunications sector
China is partnering with Laos
on the countrys first satellite
project. In the energy sector,
China is helping Laos to build
power plants. The two countries
have also established cross-border
economic zones to support Free
Trade Agreement projects,
especially the Yunnan-Laos
project.
These projects will play
an important role in terms of

improving peoples livelihoods.

China is still looking forward to
deepening cooperation with Laos
in the future, Mr Liu Zhi said.
China boasts advantages in
production capacity including
equipment, technology and
managerial experience.
Asean members are actively
promoting industrialisation and
urbanisation, and are in urgent
need of equipment, technology
and capital.
Another Chinese official said
China is working with countries
bordering the Mekong River

- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,

Thailand and Vietnam - on
interconnectivity, infrastructure
construction, environmental
protection and other development
projects.
Laos is in need of advanced
production capacity. In the
short term, Laos needs more
technological support and
technology transfer in the areas
of energy, manufacturing,
agriculture, education, medicine
and services. In the long run,
Laos is looking for help with the
development of human resources.

The Belt and Road Initiative

will help to bolster production
capacity cooperation between
China and Asean as a trade and
infrastructure network. It will
connect Asia with Europe and
Africa through the Silk Road
Economic Belt and the 21st
Century Maritime Silk Road.
China has comparatively
advanced equipment and
technology and makes cost
effective products. China and
Asean have mutual needs and
complementary advantages.
While developing countries
are promoting industrialisation
and urbanisation, developed
countries are stressing reindustrialisation. Against this
background, international
production cooperation is a good
way to drive economic growth.
Ms Lin Dajian said Chinas
contribution to the world
economy is strengthening, and
Chinas expectations from the
international community are also
increasing.
To create better global
connections in terms of the
economy and international
cooperation, and also to expand
the scope of cooperation between
the different countries, We should
use innovative ways to promote
international cooperation and
build up Silk Road cooperation
to connect countries and promote
the establishment of the Belt and
Road Initiative, she added.

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

17

Opinion

Streetwise

What can be done to alleviate

the drought conditions?

The dry season has hit Asean countries hard this year and most Lao farmers are facing extreme water shortages. Many
people are worried that this will cause food prices to rise and want the sector responsible to find solutions. Vientiane
Times went out to test public opinion on what might be done to mitigate the impacts of the drought.
Visith Teppalath

Mr Anousa, a student at
the National University of
Laos: It is not good that the
weather is so hot at present
and Im not enjoying it very
much as travelling around

is uncomfortable. I think
its hotter this year than last
year. The water shortages are
very difficult and weather
extremes seem to be a common
occurrence these days. Climate
change could be a reason for
the drought conditions. We
are certainly all suffering from
the hot weather, farmers lack
the water they need, and many

sectors are worried that crop

yields will be insufficient. I
know the situation is worse
in neighbouring countries,
especially in Thailand, Vietnam
and Myanmar. I have read
that to reduce the impacts
of the drought, government
agencies and non-governmental
organisations are working
together to respond to and
prevent problems. But all the
plans and measures should be
properly organised and carried
through, so that problems can
be prevented and addressed
quickly.
Mr Thanin Khothlakkham,
a resident of Marknaoneua
village, Xaybouly district,
Savannakhet province: Many
villages here are suffering
because they dont have enough
water for farming. Fortunately
my village is near a big dam
so farmers still have enough
water as it can be released
from the dam. They not only
grow wet season rice but they
can also grow rice in the dry
season and theyre starting
harvesting already. I think the

long dry season is definitely

having an impact, including on
the countrys economy. If there
isnt a good system to manage
the situation it will affect all
sectors because the water
shortage will affect agriculture

which is the root of social and

economic development. So the
sector responsible should work
actively to resolve and prevent
this problem in both the short
and long term. The best way to
deal with water shortages is to
have a big dam in every district
or farming area because they
can store a lot of water that can
be used for farming throughout
the year. The government or

CARE is an international humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty, with

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bring lasting change to their communities. We work in over 80 countries around
the world. We work with partners to achieve lasting results for marginalized
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Vacancy
Disaster Risk Reduction/Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator
(1 Position, Based in Vientiane Capital)
The DRR/CCA coordinator is based in Vientiane, leading and supporting activities at
national level, as well as in support to ongoing initiatives in Sekong and Phongsaly. S/he is
responsible for planning and implementation of CAREs Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate
Change Adaptation initiatives. The position entails (i) sound technical support (e.g. climate
smart agriculture, community-based disaster risk reduction and management (CBDRR/M),
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(planning, budgeting, coordination with partners, reporting) and (iii) public relation/advocacy
(participation in sector working groups, active contribution to national DRR/M platform,
coordination with and capacity building of Government counterparts).
Major responsibilities
Technical advisory support and back-sopping of field activities, including: (i) Community
based DRR/M, (ii) Climate Smart Agriculture, (iii) Agro-climate information services (incl.
collaboration with Dept. Hydrology and Meteorology), (iv) Improvement of the DRR/M
process to ensure preparedness for response to disasters, (v) drought and flooding:
mapping, risk assessment and management.
Support the development of integrated model for DRR at local government level, including
gender sensitive community-based approaches and local capacity building.
Enhance coordination and consistency of CAREs DRR interventions in the country through
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Promote harmonization and institutionalization of DRR models
Advocate effectively toward further inclusiveness and gender/age sensitivity in DRR
Ensure monitoring of activities and reflective learning in line with project indicators.
Coordination and information exchange with I/NGO partners.
Actively engage with and contribute to relevant Sub/Sector Working Groups.
Support documenting best practices.
Support review and planning of project activities.
Supervise sound financial management of project/donor funding.
Support donor reporting.
Contribute to new project development.
Selection Criteria
1. University degree relevant to rural development (or equivalent professional experience),
and understanding of the complexities of development programming in the Lao context.
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Application Submission
Qualified candidates should submit a CV and a letter of application that address the
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sector responsible should take

this into consideration and
implement such a scheme.

should also be workshops on

drought risks and agricultural
management to educate
officials on this vital issue.
And more information should
be distributed to the public.
The authorities should also
pay attention to food prices,
because the dry season might
cause prices to rise and some
vendors might illegally hike
their prices. The hot, dry
weather can also cause fires,
so people should be careful
about this and try to prevent it.

Ms Khamman
Fongkhamdeng, a resident of
Champassak province: Like
farmers in other provinces, all
the farmers here have been
waiting for rain for a long
time. They would get on
with their farming activities
if the rains arrive, but its too
soon in the year so theyll

Ms Mee Phanlak, a resident

of Pakkhop village, Khop
district, Xayaboury province:
Most of the families here are
farmers, including my family.
The long dry season is very
tough on us because it affects
us very much and we cant
start farming yet. Of course,
the most severe impacts are
felt by farmers like us who
depend on farming for their
living and food security. We
need water for farming and
would like the government or
sector responsible to help us to
quickly address this problem

have to wait a bit longer. I

think we need a good system
to monitor for drought
conditions and have an
early warning system. There

and make plans to ease the

situation and prevent it in the
future. To ease the impacts, all
sectors and the public should
work together to consider
the best way forward. The
most important thing is that

the authorities should closely

monitor food prices because
the dry season will lower
crop yields and prices might
rise. If Laos doesnt produce
enough food we might have to
import food but neighbouring
countries are also suffering
from a lack of water so
imported products might also
be costly. If food prices rise,
the price of everything might
increase and that will affect the
cost of living.

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18 Opinion

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

How is the new Lao govt making

positive changes in development?

Somsack Pongkhao

t was touching and

heartwarming to hear
the new Prime Minister
Thonglou n S i s o u l i t h
say his governments first
priority would be to address
poverty and fill the stomachs
of officials.
Elected as the new Prime
Minister of the Lao PDR at the
inaugural session of the National
Assemblys 8th Legislature
last month, Mr Thongloun
also declared a crackdown on
corruption and unapproved and
so-called ghost development
projects, public debt, the revenue
shortfall and budget leaks.
The PM has also drawn
attention to addressing
undesirable conduct such as
drug use and trafficking,
human trafficking, robbery, and
destructive activities that affect
security and socio-economic
development.
At the end of the
governments inaugural meeting
last Friday, Mr Thongloun held
a press conference at the Prime
Ministers Office to announce
the outcome of the meeting and
also opened the floor for the

media to ask questions.

This is something unusual.
Perhaps its the first time that
a Lao prime minister has
welcomed questions from the
media and, not only this, he
asked the media to monitor
the governments actions and
performance.
This is a positive change in
media circles as journalists can
approach the Prime Minister for
questions. In the meantime, the
PM can take this opportunity to
clarify any issues he wants to
bring to the public or declare
the governments measures to
handle the challenges facing
the nation.
This positive move and
tradition needs to continue given
that its a form of transparency
and accountability which is
practised in many countries
around the world.
It seems that members of
the public have expressed their
support for the new government
which has seen younger and
more knowledgeable ministers
elected in this era of economic
integration.
The public also supported
the governments seven key
measures to address the economy,

investment climate, the roles

of government bodies, law and
order and loopholes in revenue
collection.
From now on, what people
want to see most is real action.
Of course, time will be given
to the new government as it
seeks to oversee the nations
development.
However, hard tasks will also
be given to members of the public
and the media, which need to
closely follow the governments
commitments to ensure positive
change takes place in the country
in the years to come.
Mr Thongloun takes the
PMs office at a very significant
period of time as Laos is the
current chair of Asean and will
host the Asean Summit later
this year.
However, the appointment
as the new PM also takes
place at a time when Laos is
facing budgetary tensions in
the aftermath of the countrys
revenue shortfall and rising debts.
Hard work is required
by the new government to
address all the above issues,
particularly corruption,
revenue shortfall and budget
leaks.

The money from

embezzlement of the state
budget could instead be used to
pay teachers on time or create
more incentives for teachers
in rural areas to fully dedicate
their knowledge to teaching the
children who are the future of
our nation.
Its critical to review existing
measures to fight corruption
and define what more needs to
be done to deter officials from
engaging in corruption. Stronger
inspections need to be carried
out to expose all irregularities,
notably those related to prior
private investment projects and
projects that have not received
National Assembly approval.
The nations laws must be
enforced properly and strictly to
ensure that those violating the
laws receive proper punishment.
Perhaps the penalties
imposed on wrongdoers were
insufficient in past years so they
were subsequently not scared of
legal punishment.
Those who get rich through
irregularities will need to be
investigated immediately with
no regard to whether they are
the sons, friends or relatives of
senior officials.

Asia: sailing in turbulent times

This Op Ed is being released in conjunction with the Spring 2016
Regional Economic Outlook prepared by the Asia and Pacific
Department of the International Monetary Fund.
Geoff Bannister & Jonathan
Dunn

Asian economies are sailing in

choppy waters, facing strong
headwinds from an uncertain and
challenging global environment.
The global recovery has
been uneven and weaker than
expected. On top of that, global
trade has been sluggish and
financial conditions volatile. The
rise of China as an economic
superpower has also created
challenges, as its rebalancing
from manufacturing and
investment towards services and
consumptionalthough critical
for more sustainable mediumterm growth in both China and
the worldremains bumpy.
In addition, as elsewhere,
many Asian economies face
risks of natural disasters and
geopolitical and domestic
political uncertainty. But all
is not doom and gloom. Asia
remains the major engine of the
global economy: it continues
to provide nearly two-thirds
of global growth. The region
also has policy buffers, such as
current account surpluses and
high reserve levels, and is likely
to benefit from further economic
integration and multilateral trade
agreements such as the TransPacific Partnership.
Asias growth is moderating
slightly, in line with the rest of
the global economy. According
to the most recent IMF World
Economic Outlook, activity in
the region slowed in the second
half of 2015, and is expected
to continue decelerating in the
near term. Asias GDP growth
is forecast at 5.3 percent in
both 2016 and 2017, a mere
0.1 percentage point below
2015. In addition to weaker
global growth and sluggish
trade, this moderation also

reflects ongoing rebalancing

in China. But while external
demand is relatively weak,
domestic demand, particularly
consumption, is expected to
remain resilient across most of
the region. The relative strength
of domestic demand is due to
generally low unemployment,
lower commodity prices (which
are a boon to oil and commodity
importers), economic stimulus
in some countries, and ongoing
secular trends, including steadily
rising disposable income.
The moderation in Asias
growth masks important
differences within the region.
In China, GDP growth is
expected to continue to moderate
to 6.5 percent this year and 6.2
percent in 2017. This reflects
ongoing rebalancing and other
structural reforms, which are
expected to continue to boost
consumption and the services
sector, while investment and
manufacturing remain relatively
weak as excess capacity is
resolved. India, on the other
hand, is expected to remain
the fastest-growing large
economy in the world, with
GDP expanding by 7.5 percent
in 2016-17, underpinned by
strong private consumption
and helped by lower oil
prices. In Japan, GDP growth
is projected to remain at 0.5
percent in 2016, slowing to -0.1
percent in 2017 as the widely
anticipated consumption tax
rate hike (from 8 to 10 percent)
kicks in, though this forecast
does not incorporate likely
offsetting measures to support
activity. Indonesia, which is
exposed to commodities, is
expected to benefit from a large
infrastructure push. In Laos,
growth is expected to continue
to be robust, as in the past, but
to slow down in line with major

trading partners and the region,

reaching 7.4 percent in 2016
and 2017.
Despite a robust outlook,
downside risks dominate the
economic landscape.
Global growth could slow by
more than expected or financial
conditions could tighten
suddenly. As many economies
in the region have seen debt
levels rise rapidly over the last
decade, a combination of slower
growth and higher borrowing
costs could tip some corporates
and households over the edge
and further constrain growth.
In addition, regional
growth is more dependent on
China than ever before.
While rebalancing in China
is a price worth paying to secure
durable and resilient growth
over the longer term, the shortterm transition is likely to be
bumpy and the impact on
countries and markets will vary.
Countries that export goods
that support Chinas investment
and construction (producers of
metals, for example) will be
adversely affected, while others
that export consumer goods
to China or are destinations
for rapidly-growing Chinese
tourism could benefit. In
addition, Chinas move to higher
value-added production will
provide opportunities for lowincome Asian countries to take
its place in the production of
labour-intensive goods, such
as apparel, footwear, furniture,
and plastic toys. Already
Bangladesh, Cambodia, and
Vietnam have seen market share
gains in these sectors. Financial
linkages are also growing with
regional markets becoming
more sensitive to shocks from
China after the global financial
crisis. Over time, though, as
economic rebalancing makes

Chinas growth model more

resilient and sustainable, the
region is likely to benefit.
A wide-range of policies
can be used to harness the
regions potential.
In addition to building
buffers, policymakers should
deploy macroeconomic policies
to boost demand if needed. But
more importantly, structural
reforms will be key to support
economic transitions and the
emergence of new growth
models. This will bolster
regional potential growth,
and ultimately, strengthen the
regions resilience to global
shocks. Structural reforms and
policies, particularly fiscal
policy, should also tackle longstanding challenges, such as
rising inequality, which will help
make growth more inclusive.
Laos can continue its strong
growth performance of recent
years by implementing policies
that will ensure its growth is
sustainable, and by responding
to the less favorable external
environment. This will require
a gradual fiscal consolidation,
with a focus on better revenue
collection and improvements in
the composition of spending, to
make sure that the public debt
burden can be gradually reduced,
making public finances more
sustainable. At the same time,
some exchange rate flexibility,
as allowed within the current
regime, would also help in the
accumulation of buffers and
the diversification of exports
to take advantage of economic
integration with its neighbours.
Improving the business climate
and strengthening the monetary
policy framework will also help
lay the foundation for continued
robust growth going forward.
The authors are at the
International Monetary Fund.

What
Whatthe
theLao
Laopapers
paperssay
say
High living costs a
problem for city folk

Translated by Times Reporters

The cost of living has risen out of proportion to salaries and

many families living in towns are feeling the pinch.
This reporter has been sharing views with readers as people
marked International Labour Day over the weekend.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare increased the
monthly minimum wage from 626,000 kip to 900,000 kip,
starting on April 1, which has pleased many people.
But some people say that while the minimum wage has
increased, compared to today's cost of living the wage is still
inadequate because electricity charges are rising by 2 percent
each year and water rates have also risen. Beside this, the cost
of vegetables and meat remains the same even though the price
of petrol has decreased.
City folk also have to pay school fees and buy educational
materials for their children and although they may now earn
900,000 kip or more it's not enough to cover these costs. Even
if they can afford to buy essentials, they don't have any money
left over that they can save. People who run businesses have
raised some employees' salaries and skilled workers can earn
more, especially if they work overtime. Business owners say
they will have problems if they pay their workers more than
900,000 kip because they employ a large number of people.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare says that many
sectors made calculations before increasing the minimum wage
and worked out the amount needed to pay for food, electricity
and water each month. But these calculations did not factor in
savings or money that could be used for other things.
The minimum wage is paid to unskilled workers while
people with experience can earn more.
Adjustments are needed to balance incomes and living costs.
It will be necessary to lower the price of electricity, water and
food if monthly salaries are to stretch to cover all household
expenses and enable people to save.
--Pathetlao Daily, May 3

Preserve land for crop growers

Many people grow crops and raise animals so land is valuable
to them as it emables them to earn a living. This means land
needs to be protected. Land is valuable property because it can
provide food and medicine and the raw materials needed to build
a house. If land is lost it will be difficult for people to survive.
At present, land concessions held by foreign investors
account for about 15 percent of all the land in Laos.
Land concessions are aimed at boosting economic growth
and poverty reduction but many people say they are harmful to
the land and people's living conditions, and that they make some
communities poorer. If companies take out a land concession,
their business provides local people with work and they are paid
on a daily basis, but it is not permanent as the employer may
change their work plan.
Besides this, people who live on land that is conceded to a
business operator not only face temporary employment but may
have to work with chemicals without any protection.
--Lao Phatthana Daily, May 4

Speed up rural development to

banish poverty from Laos
Accelerating rural development will help Laos to graduate from
least developed country status and eradicate poverty by 2020.
Current Party and government policy for rural development
and poverty eradication is to merge neighbouring villages to
create bigger villages and towns. This policy has been in effect
for some time now, and the results are in line with policy goals.
It is difficult to compare Laos with other countries, because
our country is a developing nation. The government plans for
average annual per capita income to exceed 25 million kip by
2020. If Laos continues to develop, it will be the same as any
other developed country and there wont be dust on the roads
any more.
--Lao Phatthana Daily, April 28

Announcement
The book 40 Years of the Lao PDR in two languages - Lao and English - is
now available at the Vientiane Times office.
The book consists of 213 pages and is divided into three parts: Laos
in Brief; Achievements in National Protection and Development; and
Vision of the Lao PDR.
Information on all sectors of national socio-economic development,
national protection and foreign policy as well as international cooperation
of the Lao PDR are included in the book.
The video DVD and CD of the 40 Years of the Lao PDR are also available
here.
In addition, the media directory book consisting of the history,
telephone numbers, emails and website addresses of all Lao media
organisations published in the Lao PDR is also available here. These books
would make interesting gifts for your friends. For more information call:
021 336042-8.

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Tot Lina gets sexy in

new magazine shoot

19

Arts & Leisure

Who will win? Captain

America vs Iron Man
Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Tot Lina strikes a pose for a magazine photo shoot.

Tot Lina models her sexy look.

Sisouphan Amphonephong

Singer and model Vilouna

Phetmany well-know as Tot Lina
is urging her fans to watch out for
a bold new photo spread in Target
magazine this month, which also
promotes the Brabus car.
Tot Lina told Vientiane Times
that she will adopt a diferent look
in this issue of the magazine.
She is posing with the
Brabus to transform her image
in ways that people have never
seen before, as previous photo
shoots only showed her wearing
the fashion collections of Lao
designers.
Posing with a car was a first
for her and a new experience
but the professionalism of the
production team has produced
an exciting new issue of the
magazine as well as giving her
a new look.
This will be the third time
she has appeared on the cover
of Target magazine and she
appreciates the chance to do so
again. The fashion collection she
wears in this issue is modern and

the colours are grey and black to

match those of the car, and exude
smartness and luxury.
Tot Lina is excited about
appearing in a beautiful and sexy
mode and says fans will also
find a lot of new knowledge and
information in this months issue
of Target.
After the Lao New Year
holiday she said it was a challenge
to get down to work and the
magazine shoot was her first
assignment since commentating
at the Pepsi Singing Contest that
took place recently in Vientiane.
This month she and the
judges of the Lao Super Model
2016 contest will appear on the
cover of Phaphern magazine,
which is a Lao-Chinese
publication.
The photos were taken by the
swimming pool at the Landmark
Riverside Hotel in Vientiane
and the team completed the
shoot recently. The photos will
appear in this months issue of
Phaphern. As for her catwalk
appearances, she still intends to
promote the collections of Lao

designers.
She and her friends last week
took part in an event to promote
the fashion collections of Khang
and Voravaj, from Laos and
Thailand respectively, held at the
Settha Palace hotel in Vientiane.
The event also introduced
the Fashion Fixed Term Deposit
account at Banque Franco-Lao
in support of the Young Lao
Designers Project at Lao Fashion
Week 2016.
Being a Lao Fashion Week
ambassador this year she
appreciates the chance to
promote the Lao fashion
industry as well as support
the Young Lao Designers Candidates
pose
Project.
together
Tot Lina is also busy
before the
working for a food variety
contest
programme that is another
starts.
new item on her agenda.
She urges the public and
her fans to follow and support
her work in the magazines
Target and Pharphern as well
as the Lao Fashion Week and
Lao Super Model contest that
will take place this year.
Visith Teppalath

The art of animation

JAPAN (The Japan News, ANN) -- An exhibition
marking the 30th anniversary of Pixar Animation
Studios, underway at the Museum of Contemporary
Art Tokyo until May 29, offers a unique opportunity
to see how the studios films are conceptualised,
planned and produced.
California-based Pixar Animation Studios is
known worldwide for its cutting edge technology
and computer graphics art, as represented in such
works as the 81-minute-long Toy Story (1995,
directed by John Lasseter), the worlds first fully
computer-generated animated feature film. But
little is known about how the individual elements
of the studios animation are planned and formed.
The three essential aspects of Pixar films story, character and world - are sketched,
moulded and completed through numerous handdrawings, paintings and sculptures created by
Pixars artists.
The exhibition, Pixar: 30 Years of Animation,
is the latest presentation of a serial show that first
opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New
York in 2005.
Then called Pixar: 20 Years of Animation,
the exhibition first came to Japan the following
year. Its aim is to highlight the artists and present
their behind-the-scenes work. The exhibition has
travelled to more than 25 cities around the world,
adding content as new films are produced.
The greatest appeal of the exhibition is how the
show itself transforms, says Chika Mori, curator of
the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
The exhibition is continually revised and
updated, she says. This is interesting to see.
The present show includes the artwork for the

great action movie named Captain

America: Civil War 2016 is now screening
at the Vientiane Center, and is causing
hundreds of local fans to head to the cinema to find
out who will be the ultimate winner.
Civil War 2016 gathers popular characters
from various superhero movies including Captain
America, Iron Man, Spider Man, Ant-Man and
others to the Avengers team lead by Captain
America to promote peace among the people of
the world.
But this time, with many people fearing the
actions of super heroes, the government decides
to push for the Anti-Hero Registration Act, a law
that limits heroes actions.
This results in a division in the Avengers.
Iron Man stands with this Act, claiming that their
actions must be kept in check otherwise cities will
continue to be destroyed, but Captain America
feels that saving the world is daring enough
and that they cannot rely on the government to
protect the world.
Then the Avengers split into two teams - Team
Iron Man (Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision, Black
Widow, War Machine, and Spiderman) and Team
Captain America (Captain America, Bucky Barnes,
Falcon, Sharon Carter, Scarlett Witch, Hawkeye,
and Ant Man), while a new villain emerges.
The film is now showing at the Major Platinum
Cineplex at the Vientiane Center after its release
last week and already hundreds of people have
been to watch it.
The most exciting part of the film is the battle
between the Captain America team and the Iron
Man team. Moreover the fights continue one by

studios latest film - The Good Dinosaur (2015,

directed by Peter Sohn).
A wide variety of media are shown through
approximately 500 artworks. They employ both
old and new techniques, such as marker and
pencil drawings, sketches in pastel, paintings in
watercolour and digital painting.
Mori points out that while innumerable
artworks are created for each film, very few survive
in their original form.
You will definitely understand that what
youve seen at theatres is only the tip of the
iceberg, she says. Out of sight, artists expended
an enormous amount of energy and work to create
the films.
The current exhibition also marks the 20th
anniversary of the release of Toy Story in Japan.
It displays artworks related to the first film as well
as its two sequels, including models of its main
characters Woody and Buzz and the colour-script
for Toy Story 3 (2010, directed by Lee Unkrich).
A colour-script depicts the whole story in a
chronological format that allows one to see the
basic colour structure applied to the entire film.
Daisuke Dice Tsutsumi, an animation artist
who worked with Pixar at the time, produced the
colour-script.
Also on display are two installations - Toy
Story Zoetrope and Artscape - that were created
for the exhibition at MoMA and continue to tour
with the show.
The Toy Story Zoetrope allows viewers to
see how animation works by placing figures in
successive poses on a disc that rapidly rotates under
a strobe light.

Face to face: Captain America and the Iron Man

in the poster for Captain America - Civil War 2016.

one including between the two leaders after some

secret information about Tony Starks (the Iron
Man) parents was revealed.
It is most certainly a fun action hero movie, and
viewers can find the answer as to who and which
team will be the winner of this war, as screening
continues in Digital and 3D Digital in both English
and Thai at the Major Platinum Cineplex.

Freshy contest semi-final ends colourfully

The semi-final round of a contest

titled Sirimona Freshy Boy and
Girl 2016 ended colourfully with
an aerobic dance performance
featuring the180 contestants.
However the semifinal
contestants will not know the
results until the judges announce
them on May 18.
The contest took place at
the outdoor section of Vientiane
Center, with the opening speech
delivered by the President
of Thongsiri International
Company, Dr Kanya Ketbanlu,
and witnessed by officials,
organisers, the judging panel
and members of the public.
Before the contest started,
the event warmed up with a
dance performance by a popular
group dance of ladyboys named
Miss Drink before ending with
a mini concert by Jiar Pacific
and comedy play by the Kheo
Haeng group led by Jiar.
The contest progressed well,
with the contestants taking their
turns to introduce themselves
to the judges before gathering
to show their aerobic dance
talents.
The results have not been
announced yet because the
judges are now considering the
scores from both the contest
session and votes from the
Facebook fan page.

The results will be officially

announced on May 18 and only
the 28 best contestants of the
180 will be selected for the
final round. According to the
organising committee, this is
the first time such a Freshy
contest has been held in Laos.
The project is being
organised by Athipanya Trading
Company Ltd., the distributor of
Sirimona and Angelita brands
of cosmetics; and Thongsiri
International Company Ltd.,
Thailand.
This is a special project
aiming to promote exercise
activity; encourage youths to take
care of their health and use their
free time wisely.
It aims to develop the
participants personality and
character and also serve as a
model for freshy youth.
It is also campaigning
on the importance of good
health among young people,
promoting exercise activities
and encouraging youth to pay
more attention to being fresh
and healthy.
Before the semi-final round,
a qualifying session on the
competitions Facebook fanpage
was carried out and attracted a
large number of candidates, of
which 400 were selected, and
only 180 candidates passed the
qualifications and were selected
for the semi-final.

When the 28 selected

candidates are announced, they
will then go camping and take
part in many activities together,
during which time they will also
be scored for their participation
and effort.
In the final round, the
eventual boy and girl winners
will be awarded 5 million kip
each. There will also be four
additional special prizes given
for the popular vote, beautiful
eyes, healthy skin, and good
looking shape, which will all
be rewarded with 2.3 million kip.
The winner and the runnersup will be ambassadors of the
Sirimonas brand and work with
the company for three years.
The final round will be held
at the World Trade Centre in
Vientiane on July 23 to select a
boy and a girl rated to be in the
best health, of good character,
and highly skilled. Everyone is
invited to witness the event.
During the opening
speech, Dr Kanya expressed
her impressions on organising
the contest and explained the
background and purpose of the
event.
I am very happy to take part
in organising this special contest
because it can help to encourage
youth to stay away from social
problems by taking part in other
activities that are good for their
health, she said.

20

Thursday May 5, 2016

Classified

Vientiane Times

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Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Classified 21

22

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Savannakhet rocket festival

Xayphouthong district, Savannakhet province, is holding its
annual rocket festival.
Activities: Religious ceremony, dances, and various
entertainments.
When: May 13-15
Where: Muangkhay village, Xayphouthong district.

Sol product exhibition

Whats On

China education fair

The China education
fair organised by
Microtec allows people
interested in studying
in China to meet with
representatives from Chinese universities and learn about
courses on offer.
When: May 13, 9:30am-6:30pm
Where: Mercure Hotel, call 021 264 719, 020 2980 6861

Japanese, computer
courses on offer

Healthcare and beauty products will be on sale at the Sol Expo

Smart Agent Laos fair, as well as product demonstrations.
Where: ITECC Mall, 2nd floor
When: May 7-8, from 11am-5pm.
For more information contact: 020 99963769, 020 98725555

Appeal for volunteers

Ban Asa (Volunteer House) is asking for Lao people (no
age limit) to volunteer
to help with activities
over one weekend. It will
involve painting school
walls, donating food and
educational equipment,
and assisting with field and
survival trips, camping and
adventure activities.
When: Register now or
before departure on May 7-8 to Ban Mai in Keo-oudom district,
Vientiane province.
Where: Ban Asa (Volunteer House) in Tanmixay village,
Xaythany district.
Contact 020 5675 1611, 030 5945 656

Almsgiving at Hor Phakeo

Museum
An almsgiving ceremony to mark the second phase of the
restoration of the Hor Phakeo Museum.
When: May 20, in the early morning.
Where: Hor Phakeo Museum, Setthathirath Road, Vientiane.

Rocket festival in
Vientiane province
Viengkham district, Vientiane province, will stage its annual
rocket festival (Bang Fai Lan, Bang Fai Saen) to provoke
rainfall and celebrate fertility. Locals will gather in fields on the
outskirts of villages and towns to launch the rockets they have
made.
Activities: Street fair and performances by popular singers
When: Middle of May
Where: Pakkayoung village, Viengkham district, Vientiane
province. The village is about 60km from Vientiane.

The Vientiane Times welcomes notices from

members of the public for announcement on
this page. Any events or functions open to
the general public are suitable for publishing.
Contact: lattanyphone@yahoo.com

Apply now for free Japanese and

computer courses. Applicants must be
Year 3-6 secondary school students
for the Japanese course and Year 4-6
students for the computer course.
When: Application deadline May 13
Where: Tetchannet training centre at Vientiane Secondary
School
For more information call: 030 5255 288, 021 212 674, http://
tetchan.net/invite

Rocket festival in Pakxe

Pakxe district in Champassak
province is holding its annual
rocket festival. Everyone
welcome.
When: Middle of May
Where: Nahaed village, Pakxe district

European Food Festival

5th European Food Festival
featuring chefs, European food,
and live music.
When: Saturday May 7, 10am10:30pm
Where: Parking lot at the National
Culture Hall
Contact: +856 021 255 575

Chinese Singing Contest

Dont miss the final round of the Chinese Singing Contest!
Where: National Culture Hall.
When: May 10 at 7pm.

Fanglao dance classes

Children and young people who love modern dance are invited
to register for the following weekend sessions: Kids Class, HipHop, BBoy and K Pop.
Where: Fanglao Dance Company at the Asean Mall.
When: Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 7pm.
For more information call: 020-77527911 or 020-52262111.

Come along for aerobics!

When: Every evening, 5-6pm
Where: Chao Anouvong Park, Mekong River, Vientiane

B14 Bodyslam World Tour

B14 Bodyslam World Tour in Vientiane. Dont miss this ultimate
concert of Lao and Thai bands, including Bodyslam from
Thailand and Black Eyes, Sack Cells, DJ Faahsai + Mc Pam.
Tickets and T-shirts on sale at M-Point marts. Tickets 100,000
kip. Starting on May 3, T-shirts will be on sale for 69,000 kip.
Where: Parking lot at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane.
When: Saturday, May 14, starting at 6 pm

Designer network night

Networking and catch-up night for innovators in graphic design,

advertising, photography, fashion, film, architecture and the
crafts. Come meet and discuss all things design over a beer.
Get inspired, make new friends or find your next collaborator.
When: Tuesday May 10, 6pm-8pm, free entry
Where: At i:cat gallery, Setthathirath Road, Simeuang village

Mural exhibition
The Kulturwelten
mural exhibition
by the German
Federal Foreign
Office will be
shown in Vientiane.
When: May 1121 from 9am to
5pm. The opening
ceremony is on
May 10 at 6:30pm.
Where: Maison de la Culture, Naxay village, Xaysettha district,
Vientiane.

Midmonsoon Nights Dream

A Midmonsoon
Nights Dream is
a play adapted
from William
Shakespeares
Midsummer
Nights Dream.
The 1 hour, 20 minute production includes theatre and
contemporary dance and is directed by Thiane Khamvongsa. It
will be performed by an international cast based in Vientiane,
in three languages - English, French and Lao.
When: May 11, 12, 13, 14 at 7pm. Free entry
Where: French Institute, Lane Xang Avenue, Vientiane. Call
020-54023919

Lao Super Model contest

Auditions for this highly
popular contest are just
around the corner.
When: May 21
Where: Vientiane
Centre, Khouvieng
Road. Call 020
59581881, 020
22479479

School art exhibition

All welcome to an exhibition by students
from Oscar Bilingual School. The group
is showing mono-prints they have
created during art sessions with their
teacher and artist Taikeo Phorasim.
They are for sale as a student fundraiser
and the money will be donated to a Lao
school for buildings and supplies.
When: Until May 10, from 5:30pm - 9pm
Where: i:cat gallery, Setthathirath Road,
Simeuang village. Call: 020 7783 9674

Vientiane Times

Lao wrestlers to test their

skills at Thai tournament

Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

wo male wrestlers in the U-17

division are preparing to represent
Laos and test their skills at a
wrestling competition in Sukhothai
province, Thailand, from May 1-12.
The wrestlers are Bounthavy Phommachack
in the mens 60kg division and Tony
Bounphasin in the mens 66kg division.
Accompanying them were two Lao
trainers who travelled to Thailand this week
before preparing to compete in the wrestling
competition in Sukhothai province next week.
During competition in Thailand, the two
trainers from Laos will be Mr Vanthakone
Singhalath and Mr Silae Phaisopha, who will
oversee the efforts of the young wrestlers.
During their time in Thailand, the coaches
will also undergo an additional training course in
Sukhothai province to upgrade their skills.
There are many wresting teams from Asean
countries planning to attend the wrestling
competition in Sukhothai province so the
competition will be stiff.
The Lao Wrestling Federations Secretary
Mr Manolom Phinith said their goal is to
support and upgrade the Lao wrestlers skills
to be better and upgrade the Lao trainers
knowledge to be better.
Mr Manolom said the federation would

like to support more than two different categories

of wrestlers for the competition in Sukhothai
province but they could not due to a limited
budget.
Bounthavy and Tony are talented new
wrestlers who have been in training at the Lao
Wrestling Federations camp in Vientiane for two
years before they were selected to travel to Thailand.
Mr Manolom said after returning from
the competition in Thailand, the federations
target is to support many mens and womens
wrestlers of Laos to compete in the Asean
Beach Wrestling Competition in Vietnam in
September, 2016.
He hoped that the Lao mens and womens
wrestlers will have an opportunity to win
medals at the beach wrestling competition in
Vietnam.
After returning from the beach wrestling
competition in Vietnam this year, the Wrestling
Federation will be able to continue to support
and develop Lao wrestlers in the younger
generation to compete in other events in
neighbouring countries next year.
Mr Manolom said the Lao wrestlers will not
compete at the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia in
2017 because Malaysia will not organise any
wrestling events.
At the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar, the Lao
wrestling team won one gold, two silver and five
bronze medals.

Nadal, Murray advance to

3rd round at Madrid Masters
MADRID (AP) -- Rafael
Nadal easily defeated Andrey
Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-3 to reach
the third round of the Madrid
Masters on Tuesday, while
Andy Murray advanced after
a hard-fought 7-6, 3-6, 6-1
win over 37-year-old Radek
Stepanek.
Nadal broke Kuznetsovs
serve once in the first set and
twice in the second to secure
the win in his opening match
at the clay-court tournament
that he has won twice in the
last three seasons.
The Spaniard had four aces
and no double faults against the
39th-ranked Russian to win his
11th consecutive match this
year in 1 hour, 18 minutes.
Nadal will next face either
American Sam Querrey or
Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who
play their match on Wednesday.
Nadal hasnt lost since his
opening match at the Miami
Open in March. The former
No. 1 is coming off consecutive
titles at the Monte Carlo
Masters and Barcelona Open.
Another win in Madrid
this week would allow Nadal
to match his total number of
titles from last year, and boost
his confidence even further
heading into the French Open
in three weeks. Nadal last won
at Roland Garros in 2014.
After struggling last season,
the fifth-ranked Spaniard is off
to a good start in 2016 and
has been playing at a high
level again. He has reached at
least the semifinals in six of
the eight tournaments he has
played this year, with the early
eliminations coming at the
Australian Open and in Miami.
Im happy with the
way I started the clay-court
season, Nadal said. Today,
another victory, so thats great
news. Im excited about this
tournament.

Thursday May 5, 2016

Sports 23

UEFA congress votes

to admit Kosovo

UEFA acting secretary general Theodore Theodoridis (2nd left) and its executive committees first female
member Florence Hardouin (2nd right) of France attend a press conference after the 40th ordinary
congress of UEFA in Budapest, Hungary.
--Photo Xinhua

BUDAPEST (Xinhua) -- The

Union of European Football
Associations (UEFA) met in
Budapest on Tuesday without
its president, Michel Platini,
who has appealed his six-year
suspension to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS),
and voted to admit Kosovo.
The Kosovo vote was a
close 28-24 with 2 abstentions,
mainly out of legal concerns.
UEFA rules require members
to have been recognized by the
United Nations, and Kosovos
status has been under dispute
since it broke away from Serbia
in 2008.
Theodore Theodoridis,
UEFAs acting general secretary
said the decision could be taken
to the CAS, but the appeal itself
would not prevent Kosovo from

playing as a full member. If

necessary, he added, schedules
could prevent Kosovo and
Serbia from having to face
each other.
The other significant UEFA
move was to elect its executive
committees first female
member, Florence Hardouin
of France. Hardouin said she
wanted to promote womens
soccer, adding that France
would be hosting the womens
world championships in 2019.
With a CAS decision on
Platini expected on or about May
9, some UEFA officials have
suggested that if their president
is not reinstated, they could use
a meeting scheduled for May 18
to even vote for a replacement
before the European Football
Championships begin in France

on June 10.
Hungarys Sandor Csanyi,
President of the Hungarian
Football Association and a
member of UEFAs executive,
did not go as far as to predict a
vote for a new president at the
May 18 meeting, but did say
that if the CAS upheld Platinis
suspension, UEFA could use
the meeting to decide on how
the members could vote for a
replacement.
Csanyi predicted that UEFA
would choose a new president
this year if Platini was not
reinstated.
Platini was suspended
because of a payment of two
million Swiss francs he received
from FIFA (the International
Federation of Football
Associations) in 2011.

Is Olympic gold Pacquiaos destiny?

Rafael Nadal from Spain gestures to supporters at the end of his

match against Andrey Kuznetsov from Russia during the Madrid
Open tennis tournament in Madrid.
--Photo AP

Nadal dominated on
Tuesday by serving extremely
well. He needed only eight
second serves the entire
match, and lost only five
points on his first. He hit 22
winners and had only nine
unforced errors at the Magic
Box center court in Madrid.
My serve has been solid,
Nadal said. I served well
both in Monte Carlo and in
Barcelona. And its going to be
vital to serve well here as well
to have a good tournament.
Nadal reached his 40th
win at his home Masters. He
has won the tournament four
times, including in 2013 and
2014, but lost last years final
to Murray.
The second-ranked
Murray had to battle hard to

get past former No. 8 Stepanek,

who on Monday became the
oldest player to win a match at a
Masters 1000 tournament since
Jimmy Connors in 1992.
Murray was broken early
in both sets, but came back
strongly in the third to close out
the match and secure a spot in
the next round. He had 11 aces
overall, including four in the
decisive set.
He played very well, it was
not easy, Murray said. He was
hitting the ball big up the lines.
There was nothing I could do.
In other matches Tuesday,
former No. 4 in the world Juan
Martin del Potro - currently
ranked 274th after a series on
injuries - had an emotional 7-6
(5), 6-3 win over 14th-seeded
Dominic Thiem.

HOLLYWOOD (Philippine Daily Inquirer, ANN)

-- Manny Pacquiao bounced around the ring at Wild
Card Gym on Saturday afternoon while shadow
boxing, before raising both arms and yelling for
the Olympics! He then spent the next two minutes
talking about a stint in the Summer Games that
never was - but could potentially be.
On the opposite end of the Olympic conversation
was retired boxer Regilio Tuur, a former pro and a
campaigner in the 1988 Summer Olympics, who
was watching at the sidelines.
Im not like you who joined the Olympics,
Pacquiao, 37, told Tuur, loud enough for everyone
present at the workout to hear. Nobody [wanted
to] get me before because Im not good.
Tuur yelled back: Youre next champ, its your
destiny. The Dutch boxer, who later posed for
photos with Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach,
believes that eight-division champion would thrive
in the amateurs given his punching prowess.
I think its no brainer. I think a regular pro
would have a problem but Manny [will] not,

because he throws many punches already. As pro,

we choose our punches. Manny is a pro who throws
as many punches as amateur thats why Manny
will do well.
The prospect of donning the Philippine colors
may be too tempting for Pacquiao, who turned pro
at a young age of 16, that he is willing to rework
his retirement plans.
Pacquiao has admitted that a u-turn from his
previous statement that this would be his last fight
is possible if indeed pros are eventually allowed
into the Olympic stage.
Im not saying Im going to fight or saying Im
not, Pacquiao said in a story by Associated Press.
Im not closing the door. Im thinking about it.
Theres not a doubt it had crossed his mind.
Even deep into his preparation for what could
be his final fight as a pro, Pacquiao is thinking about
the ultimate prize.
With the session winding down, Pacquiao
teased onlookers about the possibility by shouting:
For the Philippines! Gold medal!

Vietnam to compete against Asian

powerhouses at championships
HANOI (Vietnam News, ANN)
-- Vietnam are in Group B of the
Asian Football Confederation
U19 Championship following
the recent draw in Bahrain.
The country will play North
Korea, the United Arab Emirates
and Iraq on October 14, 17, and
20, respectively; all considered
stronger than the Southeast Asian
team.
The Vietnamese team
advanced to the final round as
the qualifications Group G
winners.
Vietnam enjoy a 100 per
cent record in the campaign,
so far. After comfortable
wins against Hong Kong and
Brunei, the team were made to
work hard for their single-goal

victories against East Timor

and Myanmar. Ha Duc Chinh
emerged the teams brightest
spark with his three-goal haul.
Although regulars at the
tournament in recent times
and preparing for their seventh
appearance in the last eight
editions of the championship,
the team have, however, not yet
been successful in moving past
the group rounds.
At last years tournament,
Vietnam were eliminated from
Group C with just one point.
North Korea were the runnersup in the Group I qualifiers
with a convincing 6-0 triumph
over Macau, a 1-0 win against
Malaysia and a 0-3 defeat to
China. Runners-up last year

following a 0-1 loss to Qatar,

North Korea will be hoping to
go one further in 2016. The team
had to work hard to ensure they
had done enough to qualify for
the tournament.
With three previous titles to
their name - the last of which
coming in 2010 -- North Korea
certainly have the pedigree to
win the competition, but will
be heavily relying on stars Han
Il-hyok and Pak Kwang-chon
to propel them toward success.
Champions in 2008, United
Arab Emirates have since
struggled to attain such lofty
heights, having twice been
eliminated in the quarter-finals
and once in the group stage in
the three editions since.

24

Vientiane Times

Thursday May 5, 2016

Sports

Ranieri wont sign superstars

to strengthen Leicester squad

Leicester City manger Claudio Ranieri, leaves San Carlo Pizzeria after
a celebratory lunch in Leicester, England on Tuesday.
--Photo AP

LEICESTER, England (AP)

-- Claudio Ranieri is sticking
with Leicesters title-winning
blueprint and said the club wont
be in the market for established,
expensive talent to strengthen
the Premier League champions.
We d o n t n e e d t h e
superstars, Ranieri said on
Tuesday, a day after the trophy
was clinched with two games
to spare. I want to improve the
squad without big stars, but the
right players.
With a squad that cost less
than US$80 million to assemble,
Leicester completed one of
the greatest transformations in
sporting history. From being
relegation candidates and 5,000-

1 outsiders for the title, Leicester

won the biggest prize in its 132year history.
But it was achieved
without the midweek demands
of European soccer, which
Leicester will have next
season after qualifying for the
Champions League for the first
time.
N o w o n d e r, R a n i e r i
is significantly lowering
expectations for next season.
For us it is important to
stay in the 10th position around
there and try to fight to go
into Europe, Ranieri said at
Leicesters modest training
ground.
Leicesters eye for bargains

has won admirers throughout

the game.
Top-scorer Jamie Vardy
was talent spotted while
playing outside Englands four
professional leagues four years
ago. The strikers 22 goals this
season saw him voted player of
the year by the Football Writers
Association this week.
Riyad Mahrez, who has
scored 17 goals and provided
11 assists in the title charge, won
the same accolade in a vote by
his fellow professionals. The
Algeria winger was an unknown
when he joined Leicester two
years ago from second-tier
French side Le Havre for less
than 500,000 pounds (then about
US$820,000).
Ranieris biggest task in the
summer transfer window could
be keeping hold of his players
while trying to avoid upsetting
the balance of his squad with
new recruits.
It is too early to say we need
five, six, seven or eight players,
Ranieri said. If one of my
players says to me I want to go
... I try to keep him. I suggest to
everybody this is a fantastic club.
We won the title. We can
do something good in our few
years. If you go away, you dont
know what happens, here you
are the king ... it is much better
to stay here one year more and
look what happens. Then maybe
you can go anywhere.