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    4500 kipMONDAY JANUARY 25, 2016 ISSUE 20

    The First National English Language Newspaper

    Vientiane Times The 10thCongress of LaoPeoples Revolutionary Party

    CONTINUED PAGE 3

    Dr Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune

    addresses the grand meeting.

    Souksakhone Vaenkeo

    Vientiane authorities havepledged to work with all sectorsand the entire Lao people torealise the resolution adopted

    by the 10th Congress of theLao Peoples RevolutionaryParty on Friday.

    The five-day congress,convened in Vientiane, agreed

    Vientiane vows to realise resolutionof 10th Party Congress

    to work towards removingLaos from Least DevelopedCountry status by 2020 andattain upper middle incomecountry status by 2030. Thiswill require Gross NationalIncome (GNI) per capita toincrease to US$7,351 almostve times that of 2015.

    Addressing a meeting heldat the National Culture Hallon Saturday, newly-electedPolitburo member and Mayor

    of Vientiane Dr SinlavongKhou t phay t houne s a i dVientiane was determined towork with all sectors to pursuethese goals.

    Newly elec ted Secre taryGeneral of the new PartyCentral Committee, MrBounnhang Vorachit, newly-elected Politburo membersand the new Party CentralCommittee were among the1,200 people attending themeeting, which was held tomark the successful outcomeof the congress.

    Dr Sinlavong said Vientianewould translate the resolutioninto a detailed work plan and

    projects to be carried out by

    the authorities to ensure thatVientiane achieved annualhigh-level economic growth ofabout 11 percent.

    He pledged that Vientianewould pursue the target toincrease the per capita incomeof local residents fromUS$4,390 in 2015 to US$6,500

    by 2020.Vientiane will pursue

    sustainable development bybalancing high-level economic

    growth with environmentalprotecti on, improved livi ngcondi t ions and cul tura ldevelopment.

    The capital would bedeveloped in line with the sixgoals of creating a city thatis safe, clean, green, bright,attractive and civilised.

    The mayor said Vientianewould strive to ensure thatthe capital enjoyed politicalstability, security and socialorder, and vowed to address thesocial ills that exist. Overall,Vientiane authorities wouldaim to build the capital asthe centre of politics andeconomics as well as the centre

    CONTINUED PAGE 3

    Khonesavanh Latsaphao

    Many pig farms in Vientianeare in debt to banks and areunable to repay loans andinterest because their protsare so low.

    There are more than 140pig farms in the Pig Far mBreeding Group in Vientiane,of which 85 farms borrowedmoney from the Nayoby Bank.

    Pig farmers unable torepay bank loans

    But now they are unable to paytheir debts as the market priceof pork is so low.

    Deputy Head of the PigFarm Breeding Group, MsLavone Philasayphithak, toldVientiane Times on Fridaythat debts were mounting upfor members of the Pig FarmBreeding Group because theirincome was so low.

    Times Reporters

    The Nong-Or zone i nS i kho t t abong d i s t r i c t ,Vient iane , cover ing 24hectares, is set to become amajor tourist site to providean additional attraction for thegrowing number of visitors.

    Vientiane authorities haveagreed to land concessionswith two companies fordevelopment projects at the

    Nong-Or zone.The concession area takes

    in the four villages of Non-keo,Non-savang, Dankha and Kao-liew with estimated propertycompensation of more than 1.4

    billion kip to be paid to localresidents for land, houses andfarmland.

    The deve l ope r s a r eplanning to buil d a natu re-themed tourism park, shoppingmall, apartments, school,entertainment venue, and gym.

    The projects will costUS$50 million over twoconstruction phases with

    New tourist draw card for Vientiane

    CONTINUED PAGE 3

    A dance troupe performs at the National Culture Hall on Saturday for delegates and guests of the 10thParty Congress, to celebrate the success of the congress.

    the rst phase running from2016-2018, involving thedevelopment of an ocean parkand other facilities.

    In the second phase from2019-2020 developers will

    buil d a hotel and shoppingmall.

    The Vientiane Planningand Investment Departmentheld a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) signingceremony for the project onThursday. The MoU wasinked between department

    Director, Mr PhoukhongBannavong, President ofthe Leading Real EstateDevelopment Company, MrQing Jikang, and President ofAutomart Import-Export SoleCompany, Mr ThongsavanhOnkorlabout. Leading RealEstate Development Companyowns 95 percent of the projectwith the remaining 5 percentheld by Automart Import-Export Sole Company. Theland concession period is 70

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    2 Vientiane TimesHome news Monday January 25, 2016

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    Times Reporters

    Vientiane Drug Control Policerecently apprehended two menand conscated over 15,000amphetamine pills in their

    possession, along with other

    property associated with theirdealings.

    The men were detained inHuayhang village, Sangthongdistrict. After receiving atip-off, police and districtauthorities raided the housewhich they believed the menwere using as a base for drugdealing and seized 15,618amphetamine pills,163,000Thai baht, over 43 million kip,and other items.

    The men were named as MrXiengbounyang, 68, and his

    Police raid nets over 15,000amphetamine pills

    son-in-law Mr Bounsing, 54.They told police they had

    been dealing in amphetaminessince 2014. They typically

    bought 20,000 pills at a timewhich they sold to young

    people in Huayhang village

    and to other customers.Following their arrest, they

    will now go on trial.Drug rings in the country

    are notoriously difficult topen etr ate but dru g con tro lpolice are stepping up theirattempts to crack down ondealers and make arrests.

    Police also explain thedangers of drugs to ofcialsand warn at-risk groups andthose who may be involvedwith drugs of the consequencesthat await them.

    The police are working inpartnership with the authoritiesand police in other provinces toshare information and preventthe illegal movement and saleof drugs.

    During 2015, police solved

    2,258 drug cases, and arrested3,346 people including 90foreigners. This was an increaseof 600 cases compared to 2014,according to the Drug Controland Supervision Department.

    Police also seized morethan 6,330,000 amphetamine

    pills, 134 kg of heroin, 3,257kg of dried cannabis, 176 kg ofcrystal methamphetamine (ice),49, 81 kg of raw opium, 6,690kg of chemical precursors,and 1,552 kg of unidentied

    powder.

    Times Reporters

    Oudomxay province has seen anincrease in crop plantations andlivestock and shery breedinggroups over the past ve years,contributing to the regionssocio-economic growth and

    poverty eradication.Having recognised the

    provinces natural potentia land the diligence of its local

    people in working and trading,authorities have encouragedthem to operate on a commercial

    basi s, provinc ial Gove rnor,Mr Phetsakhone Luangaphay,reported recently.

    Provincial authoritieshave previously encouragedvillagers to set up agricultureand livestock breeding groupsso farmers can generate incomedirectly for their families.

    Since 2014, productiongroups have expanded their

    plantations into 86,901 hectareswith yields of 368,220 tonnes,an increase of 62 percent from2010.

    The 33 most successful

    Agriculture boosts Oudomxays

    socio-economic growthg r o u p s w e r e f r o mSibounheuang, Chantai and

    Naxiengdy villages in Houndistrict and Samkang, Khon and

    Namkhong villages in Baengdistrict.

    These groups grew maizeon a total of 41,405 hectaresand produced yields of 193,727 tonnes, an increase of 21

    percent compared to 2010.Farmers with banana

    pl an ta ti on s ac ro ss 6, 23 3hectares produced yields of 91,276 tonnes, while 13 groupswho planted organic vegetableson 6.47 hectares producedyields of 876 tonnes per year.Of these groups, the mostsuccessful farmers were fromHuayoun, Nalae, Nasaenkham,Laksip and Viengsa villages inViengxay district, and Chantaiand Nahom villages in Houndistrict.

    Rubber trees planted on29,160 hectares produced yieldsof 5,631 tonnes a year.

    In addition, groups haveplant ed wat erm elo ns, lon gbe an s, pu mp ki ns , ch il li ,

    eggplant and cucumber, whichcan produce yields of 3,631tonnes a year. Jobs tear cropshave yielded 1,400 tonnes peryear.

    The most outstandinganimal breeding groups consistof 19 pig farms with morethan 1,000 pigs, as well ascattle breeding groups in somedistricts.

    Duck and chicken breedinggroups supply around 4.5million eggs a year and 200,000small ducks and chickens a year.

    In addition, there are 61 shfarms that supply 525 tonnes ofsh a year to domestic markets.

    Mr Phetsakhone saidthe province has a policy ofencouraging farmers to takeout bank loans, and by 2015

    banks had issued loans totalling2.4 trillion kip to productiongroups, business operators andlocal people.

    Besides that, the provincehas imported modern machineryfor agricultural production,allowing farming methods togreatly improve, he added.

    Times Reporters

    Champassak provincesPlanning and InvestmentDepartment expects that thesecond quarter of this fiscalyear will see a decrease in thenumber of poor families by 600households, leaving just 567families officially classifiedas poor.

    The departments report forthe rst quarter of this year citedthe number of poor families as867, equal to 0.7 percent of over121,000 families, with just 23

    poor villages remaining, equalto 3.6 percent of the total.

    The province expects thatve villages will be eradicatedfrom the list of poor villages,

    Times Reporters

    A number of Americanengineers and dam safetyexperts, supported by the USgovernment, came togetherto train 40 Lao engineers andoperators from the Ministryof Energy and Mines andElectricit du Laos (EDL) lastweek.

    The US engineers and dam

    safety experts partnered withLao engineers and operatorsfor the training session ondam safety inspection andmonitoring, which ran fromJanuary 18-22.

    US engineers and damsafety experts from the USArmy Corps of Engineers,Institute of Water Resources,

    US engineers and dam safety experts pose with Lao engineers and operators during a training courseon dam safety inspection and monitoring.

    US supports dam safety efforts in Laos

    Risk Management Center andUS Department of the Interior,Bureau of Reclamat ionconducted training in Vientianeand Thalath, Keo-oudomdistrict, Vientiane province.

    The training was focusedon dam safety inspection andmonitoring, hydrologic andseismic hazards, and potentialdam failure concerns under theauspices of the US government

    funded Smart Infrastructure forthe Mekong Programme.

    The Ministry of Energyand Mines requested theworkshops due to the extensivehydropower construction being

    planned for the country, as wellas the ministrys desire to havequality projects that mitigatenegat ive envi ronmenta l

    impacts.E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r ,

    representatives of the USArmy Corps of Engineers andUS Department of Interiorconducted three workshopson hydropower sedimentationm a n a g e m e n t a n d t w oworkshops on dam safetyfundamentals and potentialfailure mode analysis.

    Two additional workshops

    on advanced sedimentationmanagement are scheduled forFebruary 1-12.

    At the conclusion of thetraining, the US team collaboratedwith Lao participants from theMinistry of Energy and Minesto complete comprehensive damsafety and sediment managementguidelines for Laos.

    Champassak sets plans

    to alleviate poverty

    Many rural families in Champassak province still rely on poultry breeding for their main source ofincome.

    leaving only 18 classified aspoor.

    More than 114,000 familieshave been declared developmentfamilies, achieving 94 percentof the plan. In addition, last year521 villages were declared to be

    poverty-free.Provincial authorities mainly

    focused on the development oftargeted villages by prioritisinginfrastructure development,including the improvement ofschools and dispensaries andadvances in agriculture.

    In the second quarter of thisscal year, authorities aim toraise the number of developedfamilies by 3,485 morehouseholds, and the numberof developed villages by an

    additional 88 communities.T h e y a l s o p l a n t o

    continue government-fundedconstruction projects in variousrural areas.

    Champassak has sevenfocal villages that are targetedfor special training coursesin livestock and poultry

    bre edi ng in a bid to boostvillagers incomes. Accordingto the departments plan,crop production and animalhusbandry will be the drivingforces in enabling villagers toearn a regular income. It alsoseeks to provide more publicaccess to services provided

    by the government in termsof markets, nance and socialwelfare.

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    3Vientiane Times Monday January 25, 2016 Home news

    Times Reporters

    The countrys enhancedpol iti cal sys tem, improvedgrassroots administration, andthe heightened awareness ofthe people in developmenttasks are all proof of the correctdecisions made by the Party.

    Head of the Party CentralCommittees OrganisationalCommit tee , Mr ChansyPhosikham, made this statementwhen outlining the outcomes ofthe Partys Sam Sang (ThreeBuilds) pilot programme tothe 10th Congress of the LaoPeoples Revolutionary Party.

    The ve-day congress tookplace in Vientiane last week.

    In order to put theresolution adopted by the

    9th Party Congress in 2011into practice, the Sam Sangdirective was devised to build

    provinces as strategic units,districts as comprehensivelystrong units, and villages asdevelopment units.

    Mr Chansy Phosikham briefs the Party Congress on the results ofthe Sam Sang pilot project.

    Sam Sang outcomes endorsewisdom of Partys directive

    The directive has beenpiloted in 109 targeted villages

    of 52 districts since 2012.Mr Chansy, who is alsoa permanent member of theSam Sang guiding committee,explained how the directivewas applied.

    Targeted villages in urbanareas had been developed intostrong administrative unitsthat were able to implementstate governance and socio-economic management inaccordance with a policy ofdevolution.

    Likewise, rural villages hadbeen developed into townshipsand units that could activelycarry out state governance andsocio-economic managementin accordance with the policy

    on devolution.Every target village inthe pilot project has beencomprehensively developedwith a political system that hasimproved. Multi-ethnic peopleof various strata have played a

    greater role in development,and models of commercialproduction have ourished,Mr Chansy said.

    Concerning economicoutcomes, he said the pilot

    projec t had resulted in an

    increase in the amount ofrevenue collected in all 109pi lo ted vi ll ages . Revenuehad exceeded the target in70 villages, and poverty hadgradually been addressedunder the directive.

    The assessment was madeusing the criteria dened byPrime Ministers Decree No.309. In 2014 it was found that93 of the 109 villages, andmore than 28,000 of about31,000 families had achieveddeveloped status. Some 72villages, 544 families, 144

    businesses and 614 developershad been outstanding in termsof their development.

    Six of the 109 villages, such

    as Nala village in Xayabourydistrict, Buamlao-Phakeoand Meuangpa villages inPaklai district in Xayaboury

    province, Phameuang villagein Bor ikhan dis t r ic t inBorikhamxay province, andHuaykong village in Pakxongdistrict and Nady village inMounlapamok district inChampassak province, had

    been upgraded to townships.Mr Chansy also mentioned

    deficiencies to be addressedin the pilot process, such asinadequate understanding ofvarious resolutions adopted

    by the Politburo, Party CentralCommittee Secretariat andgovernment by ministries and

    local authorities, delivery ofbenet between v illages anddistricts, between districtsand provinces, and between

    prov inces an d the cent ra llevel. These had not compliedwith reality in many respects.

    Times Reporters

    The new European Union (EU)Ambassador to Asean, FranciscoFontan Pardo, last week paidcourtesy calls on high rankingLao ofcials in charge of Aseanaffairs.

    Ambassador Fontan Pardopresented his letter of credence asAmbassador of the EU to Aseanto the Secretary General of Aseanin Jakarta last September. Hewill be heading the EU Missionto Asean, a newly createdMission exclusively dedicated tostrengthen EU-Asean relations.

    During his three day visit toVientiane, Mr Fontan Pardo metwith Deputy Minister of ForeignAffairs Mr Alounkeo Kittikhoun,

    Asean Senior Ofcials meetingleaders of Laos, and directorgenerals of the Asean, EconomicAffairs and Treaties and Lawdepartments of the Lao Ministryof Foreign Affairs to reafrm theEUs commitment to support the

    EU envoy to Aseanvisits Laos

    Mr Francisco Fontan Pardo (second left) speaks at the press conference in Vientiane.

    region as well as Laos Asean

    Chairmanship.The EU and Asean sharecommon objectives for peaceand prosperity through closecooperation of its members,

    placing its people at the centreand remaining open to the world,Ambassador Fontan Pardo said.

    We are already crucialpartners economically and ourshared ambition is to furtherdeepen our overall relationshipwith a particular focus on the

    polit ical and secur ity areas ,towards a truly strategicpartnership in the years to come,he added.

    The EU and Asean have beenworking hard to transform theirrelationship in a political sense,

    while opening new avenues forcooperation in areas such asmaritime security cooperation,transnational threats, crisisresponse, mediation andreconciliation, human rights andthe rule of law.

    The EU remains strongly

    committed to further supportthe Asean community buildingprocess before and after the 2015milestone, as well as to sharewith Asean lessons learnt fromits own integration process.

    Asean as a whole representsthe EUs third largest trading

    partner outside Europe after theUS and China with 206 billioneuros of trade in goods andservices in 2011.

    The EU is Aseans secondlargest trading partner afterChina, accounting for around 11

    percent of Asean trade.The EU is also a major

    development partner for severalAsean countries (over 2 billioneuros for the new cycle), an

    important cooperation partnerfor Asean connectivity and thelargest contributor to the AseanSecretariat.

    The EUs support will morethan double to 200 million eurosfor the next cooperation phase.

    New tourist draw card... FROM PAGE 1

    Director of the Vientiane Planning and Investment Department, Mr Phoukhong Bannavong (right) andPresident of Leading Real Estate Development Company, Mr Qing Jikang shake hands at the MoUsigning ceremony.

    The costs incurred by pig breeders are high, but thefarm gate price of meat is very low. It costs about 14,000kip per kilogramme to raise a pig, but the meat sells foronly 8,000 to 12,000 kip per kilogramme, she explained.

    Eighty-ve pig farms borrowed money from NayobyBank and we cant even remember how much money we owebecause the amount is so large, she said.

    The farms received over 16 billion kip from the bank at10 percent interest, but the group has not paid any interest formore than ve years.

    The Pig Farm Breeding Group will soon build its ownbutcher shop in a bid to keep costs down by cutting outmiddlemen in the trade.

    An international organisation is paying for a woman tolearn how keep accounts on a computer, after which she willwork in the butcher shop.

    The Pig Farm Breeding Group sent a letter about the matterto be delivered to the prime minister, asking that the repaymentof loans be postponed.

    But the letter was appropriated by the Vientianeauthorities who are rewriting it in the correct fashion.The letter will soon be sent to the prime minister for hisconsideration.

    The pig breeders have asked for the prime ministers helpin delaying their loan repayments for 10 years.

    Initially, the bank agreed to loan them about 29 billionkip but stopped after giving them 16 billion kip because thefarmers had not paid any interest.

    Ms Lavone hopes the bank will provide the remaining13 billion kip, because the pig breeders need the money forinvestments so they can increase production and repay the

    bank.Many pig farmers are in debt, and several have lost their

    land and houses.Three have died due to illness and could not afford to pay

    for hospital treatment.

    years, commencing from theMoU signing.

    In his speech at theceremony, Mr Qing Jikang saidthe project aimed to develop

    Nong-Or into a leading touristattraction for both domesticand foreign visitors.

    He noted that over 4.3million people visited Laos in2015, an increase of 11 percentfrom 2014 which created morethan US$670 million a year inrevenue.

    Mr Qing Jikang said theywould arrange a constructiongroundbreaking ceremonyin the middle of this yearand believed the Nong-Orzone would become a major

    provider of tourism services.

    Pig farmers unable...FROM PAGE 1

    Vientiane vows to realise... FROM PAGE 1of social and cultural activities,national security and defence.

    Dr Sinlavong said theresolution of the 10th PartyCongress would be followedas the dening direction forVientiane in pursuing its goals.

    He outlined the mainoutcomes of the congress,w h i c h e l e c t e d a n e wParty Central Committeecomprising 69 members as

    well as 11 Politburo members.Participants also elected

    Mr Bounnhang Vorachit asSecretary General of the PartyCentral Committee, replacingMr Choummaly Sayasone whohad served as the Party Chieffor two terms.

    The mayor recountedthe achievements made inimplementing the resolutionof the 9th Party Congress,

    which were reviewed at thecongress.

    Implementation of theresolution had enabled Laosto enjoy political stability,national security and socialorder, he said. The capital sawstrong economic growth and

    peoples living condit ionshad improved, while Laos

    prof i l e and rol e in t heregional and international

    arenas had risen.Delegates and guests at

    Saturdays gathering alsowatched a performance oftraditional dances, to celebratethe success of the congress.

    Also on the same day, PartyCentral Committee memberselected by the 10th PartyCongress went to place owersat the Kaysone PhomvihaneMuseum in Vientiane.

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    4 Vientiane TimesHome news Monday January 25, 2016

    News in Brief

    Tainted animal meat burned in Champassak

    Police in Champassak province recently burned more than 100kg ofmeat products in Bachiengchaleunsouk district after conscating itfrom vendors in markets in Pakxe district. The meat had been boughtfrom a nearby country, according to theKhuamsangobNewspaper.The suspect meat consisted of pig innards, shballs, squid, and pighearts, as well as dried mushrooms and other items.The authorities warned the vendors not to sell food that had beencontaminated with chemicals because it is a health hazard and is

    against the law.

    Govt invests in 350 projects in Luang NamthaOver the past ve years, Luang Namtha province has drawngovernment investment in 354 projects worth more than 4 trillion kip,the Socio-EconomicNewspaper reported.According to the Planning and Investment Department, Luang

    Namthas economy has grown by over 8 percent and GDP nowexceeds 1 trillion kip. Agriculture and forestry contributes 53.8

    percent of GDP, industry 20.4 percent and the service sector 25.7percent.

    Vientiane plans to intensify no-smoking campaignIndustry and Commerce Department ofcials in Vientiane met recentlyto discuss tobacco control, the Vientiane Mai Newspaper reported.They plan to publicise the dangers of tobacco and emphasise the needfor ofces to be smoke-free. Cigarette smoke is harmful and wheninhaled the harmful chemicals accumulate in the body and can lead todiseases such as lung cancer, respiratory ailments and other illnesses.We should not inhale cigarette smoke and should keep our distance

    from people who are smoking.The industry and commerce department in Xekong province recentlydisposed of illegally acquired tobacco worth more than 16 millionkip that authorities seized from vendors in eight shops in Lamam andThataeng districts, the Socio-Economic Newspaper reported.

    Red Cross, Korean volunteers renovate school inVientiane province

    The Lao Red Cross and volunteers from the Republic of Korea recentlyteamed up to renovate classrooms and build a library at Huay-yae PrimarySchool in Vangvieng district, Vientiane province, the Vientiane Mai

    Newspaper reported. The activity was part of cultural exchange betweenLaos and Korea aimed at helping schoolchildren. The work cost more than54 million kip, and resulted in the provision of a library to encourage thechildren to read. The volunteer exchange project began in 2012 and willcontinue in the future.

    Times Reporters

    The Ambassador of Singapore to Laos,Dominic Goh, on Thursday presenteda cheque for more than US$11,000after donors raised money for the

    Lao Disabled Womens DevelopmentCentre (LDWDC) in Vientiane.

    The Embassy ran a fundraisingexercise in November and Decemberlast year 2015, attracting major donorssuch as Lao Asia Pacic Breweries,Mercure Vientiane, and PhongsavanhBank. The cheque was handed over

    by Mr Dominic Goh to the Directorof the disabled womens centre, MsChanhpheng Sivila.

    Representatives from the LaoWomens Union, Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Ministry of Labour and SocialWelfare, and from the major donorswere present at the handover ceremony.

    Every year, the Singapore Embassy

    Singapore lends helping

    hand to disabled women

    Singapore AmbassadorDominic Goh (fourthleft) poses for a photowith representativesof the LDWDC andministries along withinvited guests anddonors.

    undertakes a community project to helpthe less fortunate and to give back to thecommunity.

    Since 2009, the Embassy hasraised funds for one to two charitableorganisations a year, through the Lao-

    Singapore Charity Run and fundraisingefforts at national day receptions.

    The funds have been used for a rangeof projects, including the rebuilding ofschools in Saravan province in 2009,a motorcycle repair centre at a drugrehabilitation centre and an antenatalcare programme for high-risk pregnantmothers at a hospital in Xaythanydistrict, Vientiane.

    The Embassy also collected aboutUS$3,000 for the SOS ChildrensVillages of Laos, which providesshelter day-care, primary and secondaryeducation, vocational training andcounselling to orphans and childrenfrom disadvantaged families, during the

    50th Singapore National Day Receptionon August 7 2015. The money wenttowards the maintenance of the centresdormitories.

    For this years project, the SingaporeEmbassy had chosen to work with the

    LDWDC given its worthy cause. Thecentre is a non-prot organisation run

    by Lao women with disabilities.In addition to advocating for the

    rights of women with disabilities, thedevelopment centre encourages womenwith disabilities to be independent byoffering training in income generatingactivities, life skills and education. Theyalso provide food and accommodationfor some 20 disabled women from the

    provinces.In addition to fundraising for the

    LDWDC, the Embassy also organiseda community service activity to repaintthe main entrance and gates of the of thewomens centre in November.

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    Vientiane Times Monday January 25, 2016 Photo news 5

    Borikhamxay provincial authorities on Friday ofcially declare Vat Phabath-Phonsan as a culturalheritage site in a bid to preserve the temple and attract more visitors.

    Devotees pay their respects at the Phonsan stupa during the Vat Phabath-Phonsan festival fromJanuary 20-23. Vat Phabath-Phonsan is located on Road No.13 South near Na village in Thaphabathdistrict, Borikhamxay province.

    Party Central Committee members elected by the 10th Party Congress last week stand for a groupphoto after placing owers at the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum on Saturday.

    Party leaders are among the 1,200 Party cadres and ofcials attending the grand meeting at theNational Culture Hall in Vientiane to mark the success of the 10th Party Congress on Saturday.

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    6 Vientiane TimesMonday January 25, 2016

    Region

    In brief from AsiaNews Network

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    SOUTH KOREA (The KoreaHerald) -- South Korea on

    Sunday experienced thecoldest weather this winterwith temperatures dropping tonear record lows.

    As of 5 am, the temperaturein Seoul was minus 17 degreesCelsius, while the wind chillwas minus 23.8 degrees,according to weather ofcials.

    If the mercury drops tobelow minus 18 degrees, itwill be the coldest weathersince Jan. 15, 2001, when thetemperature reached minus18.6 degrees, the KoreaMeteorological Administrationsaid.

    On Saturday, the agencyissued a cold wave warningfor Seoul for the rst time in

    five years. Such a warningis issued if the morning lowdrops at least 15 degrees fromthe previous day and at least3 degrees compared withthe average year, or if thetemperature remains belowminus 15 degrees for two ormore days.

    Other parts of the country,including Gyeonggi Provinceand Incheon, near Seoul, werealso subject to the warnings.

    The weather agency

    Cold wave sweeps Korea; snowparalyses Jeju airport

    Flights are suspended at Jeju International Airport on Sunday due to heavy snow.

    urged special precautions forhealth and facilities, sayingstrong winds could cause thetemperature to feel colder.

    On the southern resortisland of Jeju, tens of thousandsof travelers have been stranded

    since Saturday with runwaysclosed due to heavy snow andcold weather.

    The islands main airporthas banned the use of itsrunways until noon Sunday.More than 180 flights have

    been canceled for the day.As of 6 am, more than

    1,000 people roamed insidethe airport as airport andlocal administration officialsscrambled to help them findtransportation back to the

    city and accommodationthere.

    Some travelers expressedf r u s t r a t i o n a t c e r t a i nairlines, saying they werenot informed of the flightcancellations.

    JAPAN (Kyodo News) --Voting began Sunday morningin an election to pick the newmayor of the city of Ginowan,Okinawa Prefecture, in whatis seen as a battle virtually

    between Tokyo and Okinawaover a contentious plan torelocate a key US military

    base from the city to anotherlocation in the southwesternisland prefecture.

    T h e n e c k - a n d - n e c kmayoral election race is beingclosely watched as to whetherthe central government ofPrime Minister Shinzo Abecan end a streak of victories

    by candidates opposed to therelocation in major Okinawaelections.

    The results could affect theHouse of Councillors electionin the summer and delayrelocation work.

    Incumbent Ginowan MayorAtsushi Sakima, 51, who isseeking a second four-yearterm, is backed by Abesgovernment promoting the

    project, while Sakimas solerival, Keiichiro Shimura, issupported by Okinawa Gov.Takeshi Onaga, who has

    bristled at the concentration ofUS military bases in the island

    prefecture.Sakima has focused on

    realizing the swift shutdownof the Futenma base and thereturn of its land to Japanesecontrol, without mentioningthe contentious relocation tothe Henoko coastal area of thenorthern Okinawa city of Nagoin a concrete manner.

    He has pledged to bring aDisney resort to the land now

    Voting begins to pick newGinowan mayor, US base

    move key issueused by the Futenma base.

    Shimura , a 63-year-old former senior officialof the Okinawa prefecturalgovernment, on the other hand,has put his opposition to theHenoko relocation plan at thecentre of his campaign, sayinghe will seek unconditionalclosure of the Futenma baseand the return of its land incooperation with the governor,assembly members andcivic groups opposed to therelocation project.

    The Okinawan peoplewant the Futenma base to

    be returned without further

    delay, Sakima told votersduring campaigning Saturday.I will not allow the base tostay in the current locationpermanently.

    Also on Saturday, Shimuratold voters he will continue tostaunchly oppose the Henokorelocation plan. Relocating the

    base to Henoko will not reducethe burden of the Okinawanpeople, he said.

    Sakima has the backing ofthe ruling Liberal DemocraticParty and its coalition partner,the Komeito party. He hasalso expanded corporate andindustry group support.

    While Shimura holds noparty affiliation, he is being

    supported by labor unions inaddition to the governor.

    Onaga is currently engagedin a legal battle with the centralgovernment, seeking to stopthe government from buildinga new base in Henoko.

    The Marine Corps AirStation Futenma sits in acrowded part of Ginowan.

    INDIA (The Statesman) --Chandigarh was put undermaximum security cover onSaturday ahead of the arrivalof French President FrancoisHollande and Prime Minister

    Narendra Modi on Sundayafternoon.

    Security around the HotelTaj, where the French presidentwill stay during his ve-hourstop in the city, was at itsmaximum with scores of armedcommandos and policemenswarming the place.

    Hollande, along with Modi,will meet and address CEOs ofFrench and Indian companiesat a business summit to be held

    here on Sunday.Security bunkers have been

    put up around the hotel complexwith commandos with automaticweapons.

    The same security has beenprovided at the Rock Gardenand Capitol Complex in Sector1 and the Government Museumand Art Gallery in Sector 10.Both places will be visited bythe leaders.

    Chandigarhs home secretaryAnurag Aggarwal told the mediahere that the French presidentwill arrive rst in Chandigarhfrom Paris.

    Modi will arrive an hour laterand will meet and welcome theFrench president at Chandigarhs

    famous Rock Garden.After the business summit

    at the hotel, Modi will leave forNew Delhi rst while the Frenchpresident will depart around 6pm, ofcial sources said.

    The French president iscoming to India to be the chiefguest at the Republic Day paradeat New Delhis Rajpath on

    Maximum security for Modi,Hollande in Chandigarh

    January 26.Both leaders will meet at the

    Rock Garden, created by cityresident Nek Chand entirelyfrom waste material, and willspend about 15 minutes there.

    They will then go to theCapitol Complex nearby, whichwas designed by Chandigarhsfounder-architect, FrenchmanLe Corbusier, in the 1950s.

    Hollande and Modi willthen proceed to the GovernmentMuseum and Art Gallerycomplex in Sector 10 here tosee Corbusiers vision for thecity and rare artefacts.

    Later, they will join CEOsfrom France and India at a

    business summit to be held atHotel Taj in Sector 17 here. Atleast 25 business heads from

    both the countries will attend thesummit here.

    Tight security arrangementsare being put into place with thetwo VVIPs arriving in the city atthe same time.

    Intell igence agencies

    recently warned of the possibilityof a lone wolf attack by theIslamic State terror outt duringthe visit of the French president.

    A full dress rehearsal ofsecurity arrangement andVVIP movement was held bysecurity agencies, includingthe prime ministers SpecialProtection Group (SPG) here.

    Hol lande wi l l see aspruced-up city, with theChandigarh administrationgoing into an overdrive sincethe past 10 days to present thecitys best.

    Walls along the roads thatthe dignitary will be takinghave been painted in terracotta

    colour.Even the walls of private

    houses, palatial bungalows,gove rnmen t and o t he r

    buildings, which face the roadsthat Hollandes entourage willtake, have been given a freshcoat of the colour. Flowers andother arrangements have beenmade to beautify the city.

    China raiseswarning level amidworst cold in decadesBEIJING (China Daily/Xinhua) -- Chinas national

    observatory raised theweather warning levelfrom yellow to orange onSaturday morning as muchof the country braced forthe worst cold in 30 years.According to the NationalMeteorological Centre(NMC), temperaturesdropped 6 to 10 degreesCelsius on Saturdaymorning in parts ofnorthwest China, northChina and the Huanghuaiarea. China has a four-tierwarning system for severeweather, with red beingthe most serious, followed

    by orange, yellow andblue. In the worst-affected

    areas such as easternHebei province, northernShandong province andeastern Qinghai province,the cold front broughtdown temperatures by 11to 16 degrees Celsius, the

    NMC said. In Beijing,temperatures dropped tounder minus 10 degreesCelsius on Friday and willhit a 30-year low of minus16 degrees Celsius fromSaturday through Sunday,the Beijing meteorologicalstation said. At 7:00 amBeijing Time on Saturday,all regions north of theYangtze River, excepteastern Sichuan province

    and Chongqing, sawtemperatures drop to belowzero degrees Celsius,according to the NMC.

    Second MERS casefound in Thailand

    THAILAND (TheNation) -- The secondconrmed case of

    patient with Middle EastRespiratory Syndrome(MERS has been detectedin Thailand, Public HealthMinister Dr PiyasakolSakolsatayadorn announcedSunday. Piyasakol said thesecond MERS patient isa 71-year-old Oman manwho entered Thailand

    on Friday. The ministersaid the patient is now

    being quarantined atthe BamrasnaraduraInfectious DiseasesInstitute of the DiseasesControl Department.The Oman man is now instable condition and is puton respiratory machine.The Disease ControlDepartment is nowurgently searching for37 other people who haddirect contact with the

    patient. The 37 personsinclude 13 Thais, who aremedical staffs, hotel staffsand a taxi driver. Theywill have to be monitored

    for possible infection forat least 14 days.Piyasakol said the Omanschildren are now beingquarantined at diseasesinstitute.The rst conrmed MERScase in Thailand wasdetected last year.

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    Vientiane Times 77Monday January 25, 2016 Region

    HANOI (VNS) -- The ongoing12th National Party Congressheld a plenary session onSaturday chaired by Politburomember and National Assembly

    Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung,during which participantsdiscussed achievements over thepast ve years of implementingthe Resolution of the 11th

    National Congress.D e l e g a t e s s h a r e d

    experiences and proposedsolutions to efficientlyimplement objectives and tasksset for national development andParty building in the next tenure(2016-2020).

    Opening the discussion,Politburo member and Presidentof the Vietnam FatherlandFront (VFF) Nguyen Thien

    Nhan delivered a speech onpromoting the strength of thenation in order to successfully

    realise development targets andparticipate in building a pure,strong Party and administration.

    On behalf of the VietnamPeoples Army (VPA), General

    Ngo Xuan Lich Secretary ofthe Party Central Committeeand member of the CentralMilitary Commissions standingcommittee afrmed that theVPA would continue its role innational defence and protectingthe homeland.

    Gen Lich said that amidcomplex developments in the

    protection of the nation, fosteringnational defence and building anarmy that is revolutionary, eliteand modern was vital.

    Politburo member and

    Minister of Public Security GenTran Dai Quang highlightedpositive changes in preventingand combating crimes and socialevils, and improvements inParty-building and staff capacity.

    Quang discussed a reporton comprehensive reform of

    public security work duringthe countrys industrialisation,modernisation and internationalintegration. He afrmed the workhad contributed to safeguardingnational sovereignty, unityand territorial integrity. Theyhave also maintained politicalstability and an environmentof peace.

    Quang expressed theministrys resolve to improve

    the management of securityand order in close combination

    Efcient solutions mulledat Vietnam Party Congress

    Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets delegates at the 12th National Party Congress inHanoi. --Photo VNA/VNS

    with accelerating administrativereform, and focus on Party-

    building and developing thepeoples security force.

    Hoang Binh Quan, PartyCentral Committee memberand Head of the Party CentralCommittees Commissionfor External Relations, raisedopinions on the external affairsof the Party and the peoplesdiplomacy, as well as how tosuccessfully carry out Partyforeign policy.

    Quan stressed the need tofully understand the nationscomprehensive interests in

    foreign policy.He mentioned keeping astable, peaceful environmentin the interests of nationaldevelopment and improving the

    peoples living standards. PartyCentral Committee member andMinister of Transport, Dinh LaThang, delivered a presentationon developing compatibletransport infrastructure,achieving socio-economicgrowth, and ensuring nationaldefence and security.

    He referred to using allresources properly, steppingup the ght against corruptionin construction and investment

    processes, and accel erat ingadministrative reforms.

    In the afternoon, delegatesr e v i e w e d o u t s t a n d i n g

    achievements the country hasmade and proposed measuresto realise national developmentgoals. Vice Secretary of theHanoi Party Committee andChairman of the municipalPeoples Committee NguyenDuc Chung said the perfection ofinstitutions was a prerequisite fordeveloping a socialist-orientedmarket economy in the contextof extensive internationalintegration.

    He emphasised the need toreview the current growth modelin order to consider whether itis suitable for the new stage of

    development or not.He said it was necessary todene the characteristics of themodern market economy withroadmaps for the adjustment andsupplement of related policies,adding that the specic featuresof each region and each localityshould be considered.

    Nguyen Thanh Phong,Vice Secretary of the PartyCommittee and Chairman ofthe Peoples Committee ofHCM City, stressed the needfor solutions to improve growthquality and competitiveness.

    According to him, perfectinginstitutions is important inincreasing growth quality, witha focus on forming motives,

    and creating breakthroughsin administrative and public

    nance reforms.There was a need to dene

    decentralisation, the division ofresponsibilities and authorisationwhile creating a mechanism toenhance the efficiency of theGovernments inspections oflocal authorities, he said.

    International integrationshould be seen as a motivefor increasing growth andcompetitiveness while ensuringsocial security and sustainable

    poverty reduction, he added.Minister of Planning

    and Investment, Bui QuangVinh,emphasised the urgency

    of reforming the political systemand economy in a uniformmanner. Vinh proposed that theupcoming reform of economicinstitutions focus on achievingeconomic growth in tandemwith sustainable environmental

    protection.For his part, Le Viet Chu,

    Secretary of the Party Committeeof Quang Ngai Province,discussed the promotion of thesea-based economy.

    He afrmed that developingthe sea and island-basedeconomy should be closelyassociated with protectingnational sovereignty overseas and islands during the

    processes of industrialisation,

    modernisation and internationalintegration.

    A picture made available on 24 January 2016 shows a Thai police ofcer and villagers inspecting apiece of a suspected airplane wreckage at a beach in Pak Phanang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat. EPA.

    BANGKOK (The Star) --Authorities in the southernThailand district of PakPhanang will enlist aviationexperts to inspect the suspectedwreckage of a plane foundoff the coast of Nakhon SiThammarat.

    Police Sub Lt It PaijitPongkaew said the suspectedwreckage would be brought to

    the district police station for theexperts from the aviation sectorand the countrys air force toinspect it.

    We are in the processof contacting the relevantauthorities, especially from theaviation sector and also the airforce, to enable them to betterinspect the suspected wreckage

    Thai police to let aviation expertsinspect wreckage

    of the plane, he told Bernamahere via telephone from PakPhanang, Sunday.

    The found wreckage, hesaid, had been placed at thesub-district chiefs house in PakPhanang for security reason

    before the authority moved it tothe police station.

    On Sa t u rday , l oca lvillagers living off the coast

    of Nakhon Si Thammarat insouthern Thailand, reported thediscovery of a large metal object,measuring two metres wide andthree metres long, suspected tooriginate from a plane.

    The find, off the coastof southern Thailand, has

    prompted the countrys mediato speculate that the suspected

    plane wreckage might be relatedto Malaysia Airlines flightMH370, which disappearedduring a routine flight fromKuala Lumpur to Beijing twoyears ago. The ight carried 239

    passengers on board.According to It Paijit, despite

    the found debris resemblingan aircraft part, he could notconclusively say with certainty

    without obtaining advice fromthe experts.It (the suspected wreckage)

    looks like from an aircraft, butlet the experts examine theobject first, he said, addingthat the process of transportingthe suspected wreckage to thedistricts police station couldtake two hours.

    NEPAL (Ka thmandu Pos t)- Parliament was a perfect

    pandemonium on Saturdayevening, and amidst the dinof slogan-shouting by theagitating Madhes-based

    parties, it endorsed the First

    Amendment to the Constitutionof Nepal, exactly four monthsafter its promulgation onSeptember 20.

    Of the 468 lawmakerswho participated in the votingon Saturday, 461 voted infavour of the ConstitutionAmendment Bill and sevenlawmakersfrom NepalMajdoor Kisan Party andRastriya Janamorchavotedagainst.

    The Madhes-based parties,who since the country adoptedthe new charter have been

    protesting in the Tarai plains,did not participate in thevoting.

    Saturdays vote amended

    t h r e e A r t i c l e s o f t h econstitution: Article 42 (socialjustice), Article 84 (formationof House of Representatives)and Article 286 (ElectoralConstituency DelineationCommission).

    On Article 42, Saturdaysamendment has decreased thenumber of ethnic clusters to15 from 17.

    The agitating parties hadalso demanded that the KhasArya group be delisted fromthe cluster, but the major partieshave decided to rephrase it tocall it marginalised KhasArya.

    On Article 84, insteado f e m p h a s i s i n g o n

    geography and population

    Nepal parliamentendorses bill

    while delineating electoralconstituencies for the Houseof Representatives, theamendment has called formaking popula t ion the

    primary basis and geographythe secondary basis.

    On Art ic le 286, theamendment says: whiledelimiting the constituencies,the Constituency DelineationCommission will, in linewith Article 84 (1), delimitconstituencies, and eachdistrict within every provincewi l l have a t leas t oneconstituency.

    The dis t r ic t mightfunction as the basis fordelineation [of constituencies]at the provincial level, saidBishnu Rimal, Chief PoliticalAdvisor of Prime Minister KPSharma Oli.

    But the amendment hasto a large extentguaranteesthat the number of electoral

    constituencies in the Tarai willincrease in line with Morchasdemands, he added.

    A s m a n y a s 1 0 3lawmakers from different

    pa rt ie s had regi st er ed 24amendment proposals. Ofthem, 17 proposalssixregistered by the NC, 10

    by the UCPN (Maoist) andone by Madhesi JanaadhikarForum-Loktantraikwerewithdrawn, and they weremerged together to make one

    proposal which was endorsed.The final amendment

    proposal was incorpora tedin line with the middle path

    proposed Nepali Congre sslawmaker Minendra Rijal and

    Farmullah Mansoor.

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    8 Vientiane TimesMonday January 25, 2016

    World

    Issues of Vientiane Times from 1994 to January 2016 have been recorded on CD-ROM.

    Now available at Vientiane Times ofce. Phonpapao Village, Unit 32, Sisattanak district,

    Vientiane. P.O. Box: 5723, Tel: (856-21) 336042, 336048, 216364.

    Fax: (856-21) 336041. Email: [email protected]

    Vientiane Times on CD-ROM

    SILVER SPRING, Maryland(AP) -- A blizzard withhurricane-force winds broughtmuch of the US East Coast to astandstill Saturday, dumping asmuch as 90 centimetres of snow,stranding tens of thousands oftravelers and shutting downWashington and New York City.

    After days of weatherwarnings, most of the 80million people in the storms

    path heeded requests to stayhome and off the roads, whichwere largely deserted. Yet atleast 18 deaths were blamed onthe weather, resulting from carcrashes, shoveling snow andhypothermia. And more snowwas to come, with dangerousconditions expected to persistuntil early Sunday, forecasterswarned.

    This is going to be oneof those generational events,where your parents talk abouthow bad it was, Ryan Maue, ameteorologist for WeatherBellAnalytics, said from Tallahassee,Florida, which also got someakes.

    The system was mammoth,dropping snow from the GulfCoast to the northeastern NewEngland states. By afternoon,areas near Washington hadsurpassed 75 centimetres. Theheaviest unofcial report was in

    Blizzard brings much of USEast Coast to a standstill

    a rural area of West Virginia, notfar from Harpers Ferry, with 40inches (100 centimeters).

    Airlines canceled nearly7,000 weekend flights andstarted to cut Monday service.

    As the storm picked up,forecasters increased their snow

    predictions for New York andpoints north and warned areasnearly as far north as Boston toexpect heavy snow.

    This is kind of a Top 10snowstorm, said weatherservice winter storm expertPaul Kocin, who co-wrote a two-volume textbook on blizzards.

    It was Top 3 in New YorkCity, where more than 62.5centimetres of snow had fallenas of 7 pm Saturday, close to therecord, 68.3 centimetres, set inFebruary 2006.

    Three people died whileshoveling snow. The normally

    bus tl in g s tr ee ts ar oun dRockefeller Centre, PennStation and other landmarkswere mostly empty. Those whodid venture out walked down themiddle of snow-covered streetsto avoid even deeper drifts onthe sidewalks.

    With Broadway shows dark,thin crowds shufed through adifferent kind of Great WhiteWay in Times Square.

    Ofcials imposed a travel

    ban in the city, ordering allnonemergency vehicles offthe roads. Commuter rails andabove-ground segments of thenations biggest subway systemshut down, too, along with

    buses.Without a bus, home health

    aide Elijah Scarboro couldnt getto his next client, an 89-year-oldman with Alzheimers disease.

    I wish I could get there, butI cant, Scarboro said, hopingthe man would be safe at homewith his wife.

    As recently as Friday night,New York ofcials had expectedthe storm to top out at 45centimetres. But that prediction

    jumped to 71 centimetres bySaturday evening.

    In Washington, monumentsthat would typically be busywith tourists stood vacant.All mass transit in the capitalwas to be shut down throughSunday.

    Throughout the region,drivers skidded off snowy, icyroads in accidents that killedseveral people as the stormraged Friday and Saturday.Those killed included a 4-year-old boy in North Carolina; aKentucky transportation workerwho was plowing highways; anda woman whose car plungeddown a 90-metre embankment

    Pedestrians walk past a closed store in snow in New York City, the United States. --Photo Xinhua

    in Tennessee.An Ohio teenager sledding

    behind an all-terrain vehicle was

    hit by a truck and killed, and twopeople died of hypothermia insouthwest Virginia. In NorthCarolina, a man whose carhad veered off an icy-coveredroad was arrested on charges ofkilling a motorist who stoppedto help.

    In Kentucky, Pennsylvaniaand West Virginia, drivers weremarooned for hours in snow-choked highways.

    The Temple Universitywomens gymnastics team, theDuquesne Universitys mens

    basketball team and a church

    group from Indiana were amongtravelers who got stuck when thePennsylvania Turnpike turned

    into a snowy parking lot.Father Shaun Whittingtonsaid he and his nearly 100

    parishioners, mostly teenagers,got stranded on their way homeFriday evening from the Marchfor Life in Washington.

    They had enough gas tokeep the buses running andenough DVDs to keep the kidsentertained until nearly noonSaturday, when plows finallyarrived, Whittington said.

    Were on a pilgrimage,he said. Theres going to besuffering with that.

    Roofs collapsed on a historictheater in Virginia and a horse

    barn in Maryland, while seaside

    towns in NewJersey, Delawareand Maryland grappled withooding.

    The snow was whipped intoa maelstrom by winds thatreached 75 mph (120 kph)at Dewey Beach, Delaware,and Langley Air Force Base,Virginia, the weather servicesaid. From Virginia to NewYork, sustained winds topped30 mph (48 kph) and gustedto around 50 mph (80 kph).And if that werent enough,the storm also had bursts ofthunder and lightning.

    MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)-- A tourist boat carrying morethan 30 people capsized in

    bad weather off the Caribbeancoas t of Nicaragua onSaturday, killing 13 passengers,authorities said.

    M ar i o Be r r i o s , t heNicaraguan navys commanderfor the southern Caribbeanregion, said the dead were allCosta Rican nationals whowere traveling aboard theReina del Caribe, Spanish forCaribbean Queen.

    The vessel went downamid rain and strong winds

    as it was ferrying between theCorn Islands, a popular tourist

    13 Costa Ricans killed when

    tourist boat capsizesdestination. Berrios said that ofthe 32 passengers on the boat,25 were Costa Ricans, fourwere Americans and three were

    Nicaraguans.He added that most of the

    13 dead were women. The other19 passengers were rescued.

    This is a great tragedy,truly painful, because theywere our Costa Rican, CentralAmerican brothers and sisterswho were vacationing in thewaters of the NicaraguanCaribbean, governmentspokeswoman Rosario Murillotold the ofcial media portal El

    19 Digital.Berrios said the boats

    captain and owner was detainedbecause the vesse l was notsupposed to be sailing duringthe inclement weather that has

    been lashing the region forseveral days.

    There was a warning thatthe weather conditions would

    be bad, but it appears tha twas ignored and this tragedyhappened, Berrios said.

    Authorities had suspendedboat launches in the area due towinds reaching 25 to 30 knots(29 to 35 mph).

    Nicaraguan author it ie swere working with their Costa

    Rican counterparts to repatriatethe bodies Sunday.

    LONDON (Xi nhua ) - -Three British travellers whotraveled to south and centralAmerica and returned toBritain have been diagnosedwith the Zika virus, whichmay cause brain deformitiesin babies.

    Public Health Englandconfirmed Saturday that, asof January 18, three casesassociated with travel toColombia, Suriname andGuyana have been diagnosedin British travellers.

    Three Britons contract Zika virusIt said the virus does not

    occur naturally in Britain,which was rst isolated froma monkey in the Zika forest inUganda in 1947. Symptoms ofZika include low-grade fever,

    joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis,headache, muscle pain andeye pain.

    Scientists also believe itis linked to microcephaly,or abnormally small brains,in newborns. Thus, womenin Brazil, Colombia and ElSalvador have been advised

    against becoming pregnantduring the outbreak.

    Eighteen countries andregions in the Americas haveconfirmed cases, such asBarbados, Ecuador, FrenchGuiana, Guatemala, Guyanaand Haiti.

    Most cases of Zika virusare acquired via mosquito

    bi te s. A smal l number ofcases have occurred throughsexual transmission or bytransmission from mother tofoetus via the placenta.

    TORONTO (AP) -- A remoteaboriginal community inwestern Canada was leftreeling after a gunmanopened fire at a school anda home, killing four people,including a new teacher andan educational assistant, andseverely wounding at leasttwo others.

    Residents placed candlesand owers in the snow in amakeshift memorial outsidethe grade 7-to-12 La LocheCommunity School in theDene aboriginal communityof La Loche in Saskatchewan

    Province. La Loche is a townof 3,000 where everybodyseems to know each other.

    Royal Canadian MountedPolice Chief Supt. MaureenLevy said the gunman wasarrested outside theschoolFriday but declined to releasedetails about him. She saidthere were two crime scenes,one at a home and the otherat the school. Levy saidfour people were killed, butdeclined to give their agesor sex.

    The educational assistantkilled at the school wasidentied by her boyfriend andfather as 23-year-old MarieJanvier. Deegan Park, her

    boyfriend of three years, saidhe would have given up therest of his life just to spendanother year with her.

    I grew up not a good guy,but she turned me right, Parktold The Associated Press.She was that much of a great

    person to turn me right from allthe wrongdoings I used to do.

    Remote Canada aboriginal community

    reeling after 4 shot dead

    The outside of La Loche Community School in Canada. --Photo AP

    ... She was a fantastic person.I loved her, I really did,

    said Park, who rememberedher smile and how she would

    blush when she was happy.Kevin Janvier said his

    daughter was an only child.Im just so sad, he said.

    Ashton Lemaigre , ateacher at the school and friendof Marie Janvier, said sheworked as a teachers aide inhis classroom. He said she was

    kind and patient with childrenand planned to get her teachingdegree someday.

    The kids loved having heraround, Lemaigre said. Theywould just come running toher. And she was just a friendto everybody.

    A second victim wasidentied as Adam Wood, a

    new teacher at the school.His family in Ontario issued astatement describing him as anadventurer with a passion forlife who made people laughuntil their stomachs hurt.

    Adam had just begun histeaching career in La Lochelast September and wasenjoying his time, his familysaid. He was always up for agood challenge and lived eachday joyously.

    A government officialsaid the gunman first shottwo boys who are related butnot his siblings at a home

    before heading to the schoolon Friday. The ofcial spokeon condition of anonymity

    because he was not authorizedto talk publicly about theinvestigation.

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    Vientiane Times 9

    BusinessRead more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Monday January 25, 2016

    Times Reporters

    Petrol prices in Laos willdecrease again following a fall infuel prices on the world market.

    According to the DomesticTrade Department of the Ministryof Industry and Commerce, thegovernment plans to adjust fuel

    prices at petrol stations aroundthe country this week, whichfollows the adjustment madeat the beginning of this month.

    Changes in the fuel price willaffect government revenue onfuel imports, a Lao Petroleumand Gas Group Associationofcial, Mr Thong Thammalat,told Vientiane Timeslast week.

    The Domestic TradeDepartment reported that fromJanuary 8-December 22 lastyear, the fuel price was adjusted17 times, including 15 decreasesand two increases.

    In Vientiane, petrol stations

    NEW YORK (AP) -- Airlinescanceled around 7,600 ightsto, from or within the US forFriday and Saturday, as a

    blizzard began covering muchof the Eastern US.

    The bulk of Fridays 3,500cancelations are in Charlotteand Raleigh, North Carolina,according to flight trackingservice FlightAware. Another4,100 ights were canceled forSaturday. Those cancelationscenter on Philadelphia,Washington, and New York,with airlines essentially shuttingdown all ights into those cities.

    By Sunday afternoon,however, the airlines hopeto be back to a full scheduleto handle the typical influxof business travelers headingout to start a week on the road.

    Overall, the airlines havecanceled about 15 percent oftheir scheduled ights in theUS for Friday and Saturday.

    One bit of good news:Saturday is the slowest travelday of the week. There area little more than 22,000ights scheduled to, from orwithin the US, according toFlightAware. Thats about

    are now selling premium petrolfor 8,160 kip a litre, regulargrade petrol for 7,130 kip a litre,and diesel for 5,750 kip.

    In Khammuan province,premium petrol sells for 8,190kip and regular for 7,160 kip,while diesel sells for 5,780 kip.

    In Savannakhet provinceprices are 8,190 kip a litre forpremium, 7,160 kip for regularand 5,780 kip for diesel, while inChampassak province premium

    petrol sells at 8,220 kip, regularpetrol for 7,190 kip, and dieselfor 5,810 kip.

    In Bokeo province, premiumpetrol sells for 8,260 kip a litre,regular petrol sells for 7,230 kipand diesel for 5,850 kip, while inXieng Khuang province regular

    petrol is 7,330 kip per litre anddiesel is 5,950 kip.

    Fuel prices fluctuatedepending on shifts in the globalmarket. The lowering of fuel

    prices in Laos is in line with areduction of the price of oil inworld markets.

    Laos is a fuel importingcountry so it needs to x fuel

    pricing in accordance with shiftsin the global market.

    According to Australiannews, Australian petrol pricesdropped below AU$ 1 last weekafter world oil prices hit recordlows.

    According to gures frommotoring industry groupMotorMouth, the city with thelowest unleaded petrol price onTuesday was Adelaide, whichhad an average of AU$104.1cents.

    It was followed by Sydney(AU$108.1), Melbourne(AU$109 . 1 ) , Br i sbane(AU$120.0), Perth (AU$125.0),Darwin (AU$125.1), Canberra(AU$125.8) and Hobart(AU$129.6).

    Fuel price in Laos

    to drop further

    Fuel prices at petrol stations around the country will drop this week.

    5,000 fewer flights and400,000 fewer passengers than on Thursday or Friday.

    All major airlines haveissued waivers for travelover the weekend, allowing

    pas senger s to rebook ont oearlier or later ights to avoidthe storms. The airportsincluded vary by airline

    but inc lude some cit ies inKentucky, Tennessee andWest Virginia all the way upthe coast to New Hampshireand Massachusetts. AmericanAirlines alone has issuedwaivers for 42 airports.

    For those looking toinstead cancel their trips, theyneed to wait until the airlineofcially cancels their ight.Airlines have been much more

    proactive in recent years aboutcanceling ights, often doingso up to a day in advance.More travelers are impacted

    but they arent stuck waitingin airports. It also lets airlinesrestart the system quicker

    because they have planes andcrews in place.

    If your ight is canceledand maybe you are stuck atthe airport, consider taking

    these actions: If your ightis canceled and you are atthe airport get in line tospeak to a customer servicerepresentative. But also call theairline directly. If the phone linesare jammed, try the airlinesoverseas numbers. Youll paylong-distance rates, but mightnot have to wait. (Put thosenumbers in your phone now.)Finally, consider sending atweet to the airline.

    There are more to airlinelounges than free drinks andlights snacks. The real secretto the lounges is that the airlinestaffs them with some of its

    best and friendliest ticketagents. The lines are shorterand these agents are magicallyable to nd empty seats. Soconsider buying a one-day

    pass. It typically costs US$50but discounts can sometimesbe found in advance online.

    If we at he r ca us escancellations, use apps likeHotelTonight and Priceline tond last-minute hotel discountsfor that night. Warning: Manyof the rooms are nonrefundablewhen booked, so lock in onlyonce you are stuck.

    Airlines cancel thousands of

    ights as big storm hits US

    People wait

    in line torescheduletheir ightat MiamiInternationalAirport, afterthe ight toNashvillewas canceledonFridayinMiami.

    TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Toshiba Corp. ispreparing to open up bidding on itschip business as part of a realignmentaimed at restoring profitabilityfollowing an accounting scandalthat came to light last year, companysources said on Saturday.

    By selling its system LSI chipbusi ness, Toshiba plans to focusits management resources onNAND-type ash memory used insmartphones and other devices, the

    sources said.The Development Bank of Japan,

    which has invested in a semiconductorventure jointly with Seiko HoldingsCorp., has shown interest in Toshibasoffer, while investment funds mayalso join the bidding, the sources said.

    Toshiba will likely decide byMarch to which company it sells partof its chip business, they added.

    System LSI chips, which includeanalog semiconductors, are widely

    used in home appliances andelectronics devices.

    The Japanese electronics makersaid last month that it expects arecord group net loss of 550 billionyen (US$4.66 billion) for the current

    business year through March due tomassive restructuring costs.

    The figure would eclipse thelargest net loss to date of 398.8 billionyen posted in the year through March2009 in the aftermath of the global

    nancial crisis.Toshiba had explored the

    possibility of raising funds from othercompanies to strengthen production bycommissioning in the money-losingLSI chip business, but leaned towardunloading the sector, the sources said.

    Amid restructuring efforts, Toshibahas already reached a deal to sell its

    production line for image sensors toSony Corp. and to withdraw from thewhite light-emitting diode business.

    Toshiba, the second-largestmaker of NAND memory chips

    behi nd Samsung Electronics Co.of South Korea, plans to boost itsash memory production lineup byinvesting several hundred billion yeninto a central Japanese factory jointlyoperated with US-based SanDiskCorp.

    To raise investment funds, Toshibamay also seek to spin off and list part ofits chip division, the sources said.

    Toshiba eyes selling part of chip business

  • 7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 020

    10/32

    10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Monday January 25, 2016

    IN BRIEF

    CHINA (China Daily, ANN)

    -- The Chinese governmentwill face a particularly weightyworkload this year amidgreatuncertainty over worldeconomic trends and Chinasown challenges as it undergoesa periodof economic transition.

    That was the thrust ofremarks made by PremierLi Keqiang during the StateCouncilsplenary meeting onFriday in Beijing.

    At the moment, the worldeconomy is developing withdeep uncertainty, and the task fortheChinese government in 2016will be heavy, he said.

    On Jan 6, the World Bank,headquartered in Washington,DC, cut the global growth

    forecastfor 2016 to 2.9 percent,saying that weak growth amongmajor emerging markets willweighon global growth in 2016.

    Li noted that many worldorganisations also loweredtheir predictions for worldeconomicgrowth several timesin 2015, and China also has its

    problems and contradictions tofaceduring this stage of transition.

    Therefore, the governmentneeds to do a better job puttingforward its structural reformsthisyear, especially its reforms onthe supply side of the economy.

    Li also said comprehensivemeasures should be employed tomaintain stable growth.

    The meeting, attended by

    officials from various State

    LONDON (Xinhua) -- American multinationaltechnology company Google has agreed a dealwith Britain to pay 130 million pounds (US$185.50million) in back taxes, which covers underpaymentof tax over a decade in this country.

    It comes after Britain revenue service, HerMajestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) six-

    years of inquiry, as controversy over the low levelof taxes paid by big companies that run in Britainbut have headquarters outside this country.

    According to reports, in 2013, Google onlypaid 20.4 million pounds in taxes, while its salesin Britain, the biggest market outside the UnitedStates in that year, reached 3.8 billion pounds.

    It makes most of its prots in Britain throughonline advertising. But its European headquartersare located in Ireland, Google needs to pay alower corporation tax rate there than in Britain.In addition, it also has company structures inBermuda to shelter prots, where the corporationtax rate is zero.

    Google agreed with HMRC to change itsaccounting system so that more sales activitiescould be registered in Britain rather than Ireland,and pledged to pay more tax in the future.

    The rules are changing internationally and

    INDIA (The Statesman, ANN) -- Condent ofpushing GDP growth higher and continuing thereforms agenda, Finance Minister ArunJaitley onSaturday said one main reform which is still workin progress is ease of doing business in India andsteps are under way on that front.

    Jaitley also said the political opposition isunlikely to obstruct the reform process, includingon the direct and indirect tax reforms, and he washopeful about the GST getting through as wellwhich is one of the few reforms that has beenheld up.

    He said Indias ranking has improved on easeof doing business in the last one year, but moreneeds to be done on that front and necessary steps

    are being undertaken.Speaking here at The Global Economic

    Outlook session on the last day of the WEF AnnualMeeting, Jaitley said GST remains very high on thegovernments priority while the new bankruptcylaw is another major reform measure, going ahead.

    The panelists said India remains a bright spotin the global economy with a growth rate of over 7

    percent, the highest for any large economy.To a question on whether all was going well for

    DAVOS, Switzerland (Xinhua) --Economists including ChristineLagarde, Managing Director ofInternational Monetary Fund(IMF), called Saturday forcautious optimism about globaleconomy throughout 2016 and

    beyond.We see global growth in

    2016 as modest and uneven,Lagarde said at a panel meetingof the World Economic ForumAnnual Meeting, addingthere is modest optimism but

    Eurozone govt debt-to-GDP ratio falls to 91.6 percent in Q3BRUSSELS (Xinhua) -- Government debt of the 19-country eurozone accounted for 91.6

    percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter in 2015, slightly down from the

    92.3 percent for the previous quarter, ofcial data showed on Friday.

    In the wider 28-country European Union (EU), the government debt-to-GDP ratio decreased to

    86 percent for the third quarter last year from 87.7 percent in the second quarter, said the EUs

    statistics agency Eurostat. Compared with the third quarter of 2014, the government debt-to-

    GDP ratio fell in both the euro area, from 92.3 percent to 91.6 percent, and in the EU, from 86.9

    percent to 86 percent, Eurostat said.

    Hyundai Motor sells more cars in India than Europe in 2015S.KOREA (The Korea Herald, ANN) -- South Koreas top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. sold

    more automobiles in India than European countries combined in 2015, data showed Sunday,

    with the shipments to the Asian country set to rise further down the road.

    Hyundai Motor sold 476,001 units of automobiles in India last year, the data compiled by theSociety of Indian Automobile Manufactures showed, marking a 15.7 percent growth on-year.

    The gure hovers above the 470,130 units posted in the European market in 2015, which also

    marked a record level by jumping 10.9 percent on-year.With the Indian market estimated to

    expand 7 percent this year, industry watchers said the country is expected to stand as the No.3

    market for Hyundai Motor, along with the United States and China.

    Shell expects sharp decline in 2015 protsTHE HAGUE (Xinhua) -- Shell expects a sharp fall in prots over the full year 2015, the Anglo-

    Dutch oil and gas company announced, a week before shareholders vote on its planned takeover

    of rival BG Group. Ahead of the Shell general meeting on Jan. 27, in which shareholders will vote

    on the acquisition of the British oil and gas company BG Group, Shell published unaudited fourth

    quarter and full year 2015 results on Thursday. The denite results will follow on February 4. The

    fourth quarter 2015 earnings on a current cost of supplies basis (CCS), excluding identied items,

    are expected to be in the region of 1.46 to 1.74 billion euros (US$1.6 to 1.9 billion). The CCS

    earnings excluding identied items in Q4 of 2014 were 3.02 billion euros.

    Icelands wage index records 0.9 percent increase in DecemberREYKJAVIK (Xinhua) -- Icelands wage index reported a month-on-month increase of 0.9

    percent in December 2015, according to Statistics Iceland on Friday.

    The gures showed that the wage index in December 2015 was 542.7, an increase of 0.9 percent

    compared with 537.6 in November 2015. The index takes the wage in December 1988 as base

    number of 100. In the past 12 months, the monthly wage index has increased by 9.7 percent.The

    real wage index in December 2015 was 129.2, an increase of 0.6 percent compared with that of

    the previous month.In the past 12 months, the real wage has increased by 7.6 percent.

    departments, was to discuss the

    draft ofthe government WorkReport, which will be deliveredat the top legislatures annualsession inBeijing after the SpringFestival.

    The State Council willthen send the work report to

    provincial regions to solic itopinions. Itserves as a generalguideline for the governmentswork as it reviews progress in the

    previousyear, makes plans andsets targets for the current year.

    Li said that China had metits major goal set in the 12thFive-Year Plan (2010-15),duringwhich the countrys GDProse from 40.9 trillion yuan to67.67 trillion yuan (US$6.2trillion to US$10.3trillion).

    The achievement wasnot easy, Li said, adding thatthose measures that provedeffectiveshould be furtheremployed and developed.

    The government needsto make concrete progressin handling the decrease inindustrialprofits, maintainingstable increases in Chinasexports and imports, expandingeffectiveinvestments as wellas accelerating reforms ofState-owned enterprises in2016, Li said. Hestressed thatthe government needs to payattention to answering theconcerns of society.

    This year marks thebeginning of the countrys 13th

    Five-Year Plan (2016-20), a

    new nationaldevelopment plan

    that Li described as a deningstage for China in building amoderatelyprosperous society.

    The coming ve years alsowill be a crucial stage for Chinain avoiding the so-called middle-income trap that many countrieshave found themselves in.

    Wang Huiyao, president of theBeijing-based think tank Centerfor China and Globalisation,saidthat stabilising Chinas economywill be important in giving othercountries condence inthe worldeconomy.

    Having pessimistic feelingsabout the world economy isquite a typical phenomenon formanycountries in the world, asmany European countries are

    still in economic recovery andthe USwill have another yearof presidential debate, he said.Chinas economy continuouslygrowslarger, and its exportfigures started to decrease in2015, which means that thecountryseconomic relianceon the world has decreased.Stabilising Chinas economywill help othercountries withconfidence during a worldeconomic downturn.

    Wang, who began a termas one of the 10 counselorsof Chinas State Council, ortheCabinet, in early 2015, said thatdirectly facing social concernsshows the governmentsstrengthand condence in achieving its

    goals in 2016.

    Government workloadheavy in 2016, Li says

    An employee welds the exterior of a vehicle along a production line at a factory in Qingdao,Shandong province.

    India and whether there were at all any problems,Jaitley said there are quite a lot still and one ofthe basic problems remains that a large populationstill lives in poverty.

    To take them out of poverty, we need asustained high level of growth for a long time.There is an increasing realisation in India that givensome favourable conditions, we can grow at a muchfaster pace, he said.

    Besides global factors, Jaitley said, there havebeen two successive bad monsoons which havehurt rural demand and therefore, the growth rate.

    On global situation, oil price has been quitehelpful, but shrinkage of exports has been anadversity, he said.

    Jaitley said the government has taken anumber of steps and some more are in the pipeline,including some legislative reforms.

    If we get through with that, we can grow at amuch faster pace in coming years.

    Asked about his high priority areas, the nanceminister said, I think what is extremely importantis that all steps that the government has takenhave been in one direction. We have not madeany mistake.

    Ease of doing business still a work in progress

    the UK government is taking the lead in applyingthose rules so well be changing what we are doinghere, said Matt Brittin, head of Google Europe.

    The deal could also lead Google to pay moretax in other European countries where it is underscrutiny of tax avoidance.

    Meanwhile, other US companies such as

    Facebook, Amazon and Starbucks have also facedheavy criticism for their tax affairs in this country,local media said.

    The successful conclusion of HMRC enquirieshas secured a substantial result, which means thatGoogle will pay the full tax due in law on protsthat belong in the UK, said a spokesman forHMRC.

    British government also hailed the agreementas the rst important victory and a success.

    However, critics said the deal is derisory,a sweetheart deal and acosy deal. JohnMcDonnell, Labours shadow chancellor, calledfor HMRC to publish details of what Google hadowed.

    Members of parliament from the Labour Partyand Conservative Party also pointed to the amountof money that Google would pay was smallcompared with its prots in Britain.

    Google agrees to pay Britain130m pounds in back taxes

    signicant risks.In an update to its World

    Economic Outlook released onTuesday, the Washington-based

    body said growth was put at 3.4percent this year and 3.6 percentin 2017.

    The global economy waspr es en ti ng a com pl et el ydifferent picture that ischanging, yet with downsiderisks including the lower-trending commodity pricesas a result of oil prices and

    asynchronous monetarypolicies , she added at themeeting under the theme of theglobal economic outlook.

    Meanwhile, consensus wasreached by panelists that themarkets had overreacted toChina. The transition of theChinese economy, moving fromindustry to services, from exportsto the domestic market, as well asfrom investment to consumptionwas a massive undertaking, saidthe head of IMF.

    Economists call for cautious optimismabout global economy at Davos

  • 7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 020

    11/32

    Vientiane Times 11

    LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

    MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

    Small and Medium Enterprises Access to Finance ProjectCredit No. 5471-LA, Grant No. H958-LA

    REQUEST FOR EXPRESS OF INTERESTProjectCoordinator

    The Government of Lao PDR is receiving support from the World Bank Group for improving access tonance by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) th rough the Small and Medium Enterprises Access toFinance Project (the Project). The objective of the Project is to provide long-term funding sources forbanks to provide long-term credit to small and medium enterprises. This will be achieved by increasingthe supply of long-term nance provided by commercial banks and by strengthening the capability ofDOSMEP to formulate and implement public policies that promote access to nance for SMEs. TheProject includes three components: 1) A Line of Credit Facility; 2) A Risk Sharing Facility; and 3)Technical Assistance.

    As part of the Component 3 above, the DOSMEP is looking for a dynamic and experienced Full TimeNational Consultant to ll the position ofthe above position to assist DOSMEP in the management andcoordination of the SME Access to Finance Project.

    The Consultant is expected to be hired for the 40 months periodand will be called upon to assistDOSMEP as per the scope of work. The contract duration maybe adjusted up or down if required at

    the sole discretion of DOSMEP. The full text of the ToR can be accessed at the NIUs website: http://t4dlaos.org/index.php/en/work-with-us/vacancies.

    In order to qualify for this position, the candidates shall meet the following experience and competencerequirements:

    Minimum Bachelor Degrees in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Engineering, Scienceor related eld

    Minimum 5 years of working experience with Lao national development projects funded byinternational donors

    Work experience under WB nanced projects is highly preferable At least 2 years of experience in a project management unit of donor funded projects Good understanding of the government policy with respect to SME development Knowledge and experience related to SMEs promotion and SME banking services will be desirable English language uency in reading, writing and speaking is mandatory High degree of computer literacy, and intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Ofce

    Package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)and internet Sound project management skills with a strong focus on attention to detail and deadlines, coordination

    and working with a diverse group of staff and consultants and other stakeholdersThe Consultant will be selected in accordance with the World Banks Guidelines Selection andEmployment of Consultants, Individual Consultants (IC) selection method, January 2011.

    The NIU now invites interested eligible consultants to provide information indicating that you are

    qualied to perform the services (curriculum vitae with expressions of interest and references). Interestedconsultants may obtain further information at the address below. Expressions of interest must bedelivered to the address below or no later than January 29, 2016, 16:00 oclock (submissions viaemail are also acceptable).

    To: Mr. KeophouthoneInthivong, Procurement Ofcer, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, NationalImplementation 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:[email protected]; Attn:Mr.PhouviengPhongsa, NIU Director.Noted: Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted for the interview.

    Asean Economic Community

    11Monday January 25, 2016 Business

    HANOI (VNS, ANN) --Domestic small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) wouldenjoy many benets from theTrans-Pacic Partnership (TPP)and Vietnam-EU Free TradeAgreement (EVFTA), saideconomist Pham Chi Lan.

    Lan told a conference onTPP and EVFTA held in Hanoiyesterday that SMEs would befacilitated in trade liberalisation

    and connection in the regionwhile expanding their globalvalue chain as well as maximisingcompetitive advantages.

    Tariff barriers relating toexport items will be removed,resulting in lower import costsand more diversied supply. Inaddition, Vietnamese enterpriseswill have a fair playing field

    both insi de and outs ide thecountry, which could help protectinvestors.

    According to the VietnamTrade Promotion Agency underthe Ministry of Industry andTrade, the TPP will have clearimpacts on the economy as thecountrys GDP, which couldincrease by 11 percent while

    exports could be 28 percenthigher. Export turnover of key

    SINGAPORE (The StraitsTimes, ANN) -- AscendasReal Estate InvestmentTrust (A-Reit) posted higherdistributable income for thethird quarter, thanks to new

    properties acquired in Australia

    and Singapore.Distributable income for the

    three months to Dec 31 grew11.7 percent to US$96.6 million,compared with US$86.4 millionin the same period a year earlier.Distribution per unit (DPU)increased 9.9 percent to 3.946cents. Gross revenue for the

    PHILIPPINE (PhilippineDaily Inquirer, ANN) -- TheBangkoSentralngPilipinas(BSP) on Friday said domesticmonetary policy settingsremained appropriate despiteemerging external risks causingnear-term market volatility.

    Reacting to reports that theEuropean Central Bank (ECB)the Eurozones monetary policymakerhad kept interest rateson hold during its latest meeting

    but had hinted at a new round

    of stimulus when it meetsagain in March, BSP GovernorAmando M. Tetangco Jr. saidthe ECB has been consistent inits messagingthey will do whatis needed to meet their inationtarget.

    Their policy meeting is notuntil a few weeks from now sothis is part of guiding market

    products such as garment andtextile, leather shoes and seafoodcould surge in the next 10 years.

    After EVFTA comes intoeffect, 99 export tariffs fromVietnam to the markets of500 million people would

    be removed in the next 7 to10 years. The agreement isexpected to grow Vietnamsannual export turnover by fourto six percent.

    Howver, the TPP andEVFTA would also posechallenges for businesses. Thetariff cuts could make importedgoods flood Vietnam withcheaper prices.

    This could make localenterprises face with fiercecompetition. On the other hand,goods exports would have tomeet strict requirements forcerticate of origin (C/O), anti-dumping issues, subsidiariesand trade defence tools, theagency said.

    Claudio Dordi, the technicalassistance team leader of theEuropean Trade Policy andInvestment Support Project(EU-MUTRAP) pointed out

    that Vietnamese enterprisesshould focus on C/O principles

    for garment and textile products,thus increasing added-value.The businesses should alsoimprove the quality and safetyof their products, followinginternational hygiene, especiallythose from EU.

    He proposed that theGovernment should provideclear information to companieson deadlines and detail of theEVFTA as well as other trade

    pacts.In addition, Vietnam shouldhave a clear strategy at thenational and local levels to

    promote quality managementand building brand names.

    The annual report onVietnams economy 2016released by Vietnam ReportCompany showed that big localcompanies are optimistic aboutthe impact of the TPP.

    The survey collected ideasfrom more than 1


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