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4500 kipWEDNESDAY JANUARY 27, 2016 ISSUE 22

The First National English Language Newspaper

Vientiane Times The 10thCongress of LaoPeoples Revolutionary Party

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Times Reporters

The Governor of Phongsalypr ov in ce ha s an no un ce dthat officials working in allgovernment departments areto have a three-day holidayafter freezing weather hit the

provincial capital this week.The holiday will run from

Monday to Wednesday and willbe extended if the temperaturestays below 5 degrees Celsius,according to the provincialAdministration Ofce.

However, ofcials in somegovernment departments suchas the police, defence and

public health are working asnormal.

Cold weather hit thepr ov in ce at th e we ek en dwith the provincial capitalexperiencing heavy frost,

power outages and traf ficdifficulties, Director of the

provin cia l Agr icu ltu re andForestry Department, Mr SantiKeonhasane, told VientianeTimes yesterday.

The low temperaturesalso killed a lot of poultry

but the department has notreceived any information aboutlivestock deaths, in particular

buffaloes and cattle, from localauthorities.

A heavy frost has blanketedthe capital for the last couple of

Phongsaly ofcials given public holidayas cold weather strikes

days, causing some trees to falldown, and a large number offamilies are staying at home as

conditions outside are difcult,said Mr Santi.

The low temperaturesare also making life difcult

for motorists with some carsrefusing to start and drivershaving problems on icy roads.

Newly planted crops such aspumpkins and long beans havealso been affected, he added.

The temperature yesterday

was recorded at -1.5C, whichwas lower than on Monday,according to the Meteorology

and Hydrology Department.Huaphan and Xieng

Khuang provinces are alsos t ruggl ing wi th s imi lar

conditions, including frost,wind and rain.

The power went off at

9am in Xamneua district,Huaphan province, after heavyrain. The cut lasted until the

Khamphon-Snow at Phouphapheung mountain between Boun Neua district to Khua district, Phongsaly province.--Photo Bouravong Phommavixay

CONTINUED PAGE 3

CONTINUED PAGE 3

Times Reporters

The Party has confirmed it ismaking a serious effort to combatcorrupt activities by metingout penalties against memberscharged with misconduct.

The confirmation camein a message from the PartyCentral Committees InspectionCommittee and Government

Party conrms tough measures against misconductInspection Authority whenreporting on their anti-corruptionwork to the 10th Party Congress.

Speaking at the congress lastweek, Vice President of the PartyCentral Committees InspectionCommittee and GovernmentInspection Authority, MrKhamsouk Bounyavong, saidvarious Party committees andinspection committees had

inspected 728 targets in the pastfive years. Their inspectionshad revealed losses of state

property amounting to more than14.8 trillion kip (14 trillion kip,US$70.7 million, more than 310million Thai baht, and more than500,000 yuan).

Some 790 billion kip,US$10.9 million, 24.7 million

baht, and the total amount of

yuan had been recovered.As a result of the losses,

one provincial Party committeehad been warned, seven districtParty committees and some Partyunits had been criticised, andmeasures were meted out against1,556 Party members. Of thesemembers 154 were criticised,221 were warned, 64 removedfrom their posts, 234 suspended

from the Party, and 883 weredismissed from the Party.

Anti-corruption activitiesresulted in 147 civil servants andgovernment employees being

punished, with 168 subject tolawsuits and 114 receiving courtsentences.

According to Mr Khamsouk,the Inspection Committee

Times Reporters

Authorities in Xieng Khuangprovince have intensied effortsto eliminate opium poppycultivation, warning that peoplefound growing the illegal cropwill face penalties.

Provincial ofcials in chargeof drug supervision and controlsaid farmers had returned tocultivating the crop in recentyears after the province wasannounced opium-free in 2006.

An order issued by provincialauthorities, which is being

published in the governmentsofficial gazette, instructed alldistrict authorities to take actionto inspect and instigate measuresto suppress illegal cultivation andtrade of the crop.

Locals are prohibited fromprocessing poppies, and sellingseedlings and all related products.

Those infringing the orderwill be re-educated, warned andeven penalised in line with therelevant regulations and laws.

District authorities were toldto draw up detailed plans tointroduce alternative cash cropsfor opium growers and askedto introduce programmes torehabilitate opium addicts.

Provincial authorities saidofficials in charge had failedto carry out proper inspectionsafter the province was announcedopium-free in 2006, and ex-opium farmers had returnedto growing the crop, normallyfound in remote communities.

Ofcials said the rising priceof opium in local and externalmarkets had tempted farmers tostart regrowing poppies.

Laos has struggled to reducepoppy cultivation in recent years,

Xieng Khuang

intensiespoppyeradicationefforts

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2 Vientiane TimesHome news Wednesday January 27, 2016

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Times Reporters

Chinese New Year celebrationsare being planned at theVientiane Centre from January30-31, in a bid to buildrelations and promote culturalexchanges between Laos andChina.

Ne w Year is th e mo stimportant holiday in theChinese calendar, with theday itself falling on February 8.

Director of the ChineseCulture Centre in Laos, MrQueXiaohua, told media at anewsconference on Tuesdaythat more activities would bearranged in Vientiane this yearthan previously.

Last year we celebrated

Chinese New Year celebrationsplanned for Vientiane

Director of the Chinese Culture Centre in Laos, Mr QueXiaohua (left), addresses the news conferencein Vientiane on Tuesday.

the day at the Lao NationalCulture Hall when over2,000 people turned up. Thisyear we expect to see more

participants, he said.This years activit ies

include cultural performancesfrom Chinas Xinj iang

province , Chinese food, alion dance, a Chinese nationalculture show, Chinese lms,and a question-and-answersession about China where

participants can win prizes.The purpose of these

events is to promote culturalexchanges between Laos andChina and to enhance mutualunderstanding and friendship

between the two countries.The New Year is important

to Chinese living in Laos andalso to Lao people who wishto understand more about thiscolourful Chinese tradition.

The news conferencewas attended by the Directorof the Chinese CultureCentre, Mr QueXiaohua,Vice President of the LaoJournalists Association, MrSomsanoukMixay, officialsand media personnel.

This years event i sorganised by the ChineseCulture Centreand overseen bythe Chinese Embassy to Laos.

The Chinese Culture Centrewas established in Vientiane on

November, 2014, to promotethe development of China-Laos relations.

Xayxana Leukai

Prime Minister ThongsingThammavong has advisedforeign nationals of all ageswanting to visit Laos for atleast one month to ensurethey receive at least one poliovaccination.

In addition, Lao citizens ofall ages who intend to travelabroad are advised to haveat least one polio vaccinationone month before leaving thecountry.

The warnings come aftertwo children died of polio inLongxan district, Xaysomboun

province, with the total numberof conrmed recent polio casesin Laos having reached seven.

The Ministry of Health incollaboration with the WorldHealth Organisation in Laosreported that polio caseshad been identified in the

provinces of Borikhamxay andXaysomboun.

Additional suspectedcases in these provinces andother locations are beingfurther investigated. TheLao government respondedimmediately to the outbreakafter i t was detected inOctober 2015 by providingvaccinations to children livingin the two affected provinces aswell as nearby Xieng Khuang

province.Deputy Manager of the

National Centre for Maternaland Child Healths ExpandedProgramme of Immunisation,

Govt vows to containpolio outbreak

Dr Kongxay Phounphenghack,s a i d t he i mmun i sa t i oncampaign will continue untilthree rounds of polio vaccinehave been administered, withthe programme scheduled tocontinue until March.

T w o r o u n d s o fimmunisation took place inthese provinces in Octoberand November including thecompletion of one nationwideround for all children under15, covering a total target

po pu la ti on of ar ou nd 2. 4million.

Under the national outbreakplan, monthly vaccinations areplanned through at least Marchin order to stop the outbreak.

The p r i me mi n i s t e rdeclared the polio outbreakto be a National Public HealthEmergency on January 13.

This will pave the way forthe Ministry of Health and allrelated departments, privateorganisations and communitiesto strengthen their coordinatedefforts to engage all local levelfunctionaries in the response.

Dec l a r i ng t he po l i ooutbreak a national publichealth emergency alertshealth professionals acrossthe country to actively lookfor additional suspected casesand ensure that every childis immunised during each ofthe planned immunisationcampaigns between now andMarch.

This declaration also callsfor the participation of all

subnational administrative andnon-health professionals, andlocal civil society organisationsincluding development anddonor partners to support thenational government in thisimmense effort.

As part of the new measures,to prevent further spread of thedisease, citizens of all ageswho plan to travel outsidethe country are encouragedto receive at least one doseof polio vaccine before theyleave.

International visitors arealso encouraged to be fullyvaccinated against polio priorto their arrival in Laos.

Polio is a serious diseasethat leads to lifelong paralysisor death. There is no treatment,

but it can be prevented throughvaccination.

Worldwide, there werefewer cases of polio reportedin 2015 than at any point inhistory since reporting started.

The global polio eradicationinitiative was started in1988 when more than 1,000children around the worldwere paralysed from polioevery day. In 2015, only justover 100 cases were reportedworldwide.

We stand committed towipe out polio from the LaoPDR, said Mr Thongsing.We will ensure that everyefforts is made to save ourchildren from this seriousdisease for which a safe andeffective vaccine is available.

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

The private sector and smalland medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) will benet from theongoing SME E-Commerceand Export EnhancementDevelopment Programme(SEED), according to ofcials.

A workshop took place inVientiane yesterday to discussthe programme, attended byDeputy Director General of theImport and Export Departmentunder the Ministry of Industryand Commerce, Mr Khemdetth

Sihavong, and a representativeof the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) to Laos, Mr SaniIsmail.

The project aims to improvethe capacity of SME export andimport markets by utilisinge-commerce platforms.

During the workshop,participants repor ted on the

SMEs to benet from export programme

Mr Khemdetth

Sihavong

(right) and Mr

Sani Ismail

(left).

progress of activities and sharedfuture plans and critical successfactors of the project. They alsodiscussed case studies, rolesand responsibilities of relevantstakeholders, the conceptof Barterflis e-commercetrading eco-system, andimplementation of the project,ofcials said.

Speaking at the workshop,Mr Khemdetth said it would

be valu ab le in cre at ingunderstanding about thechallenges faced by SMEsand the need to incorporate

e-commerce systems.H e n o t e d t h a t t h e

government had developed astrategy for private sector SMEdevelopment aimed at exportassurance and the promotionof commodities in this sectorsuch as the SEED programme.

The project will continueto support the governments

efforts to develop the privatesector and SMEs through

policies that widen access tosupport services, improvingregulatory efficiency, andstrengthening trade policies tosupport SME development,he said.

Mr Sani Ismai l sa idthe main objective of the

proj ect was to promote theestablishment and sustainabledevelopment of Lao SMEs

but the sector still faced manyexport challenges particularlythe use of e-commerce.

The workshop had animportant role in helping SMEs,along with other governmentefforts in promoting the sector,which were needed to boostLao exports, he said.

The SME cooperationpr og ra mm e be tw ee n th egovernment and the ADB

began in 2011.

despite its earlier success in eliminating the crop.Opium poppy cultivation has stabilised at high levels in Laos and Myanmar, according to a survey

released recently by the United Nations Ofce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).The 2015 Southeast Asian Opium Survey showed that Myanmar remains the regions top opium

producer and the worlds second largest after Afghanistan, the survey published on December 16 onthe UN News Centres website showed.

Together, Myanmar and Laos produced between 731 and 823 metric tonnes of opium, most of whichwas rened into the equivalent of roughly 73.1 to 82.3 metric tonnes of street grade heroin for regionaland international drug markets, according to the report.

Surveys of farmers in poppy-growing villages found that money generated from poppy cultivationis essential for villagers threatened with food insecurity and poverty.

Raw opium was being traded at US$1,800 a kilogram and the price had trended upwards annually,Chairman of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision, Kou Chansena, said.

He added that Laos needed support from the international community to nance and run programmesthat introduced alternative income-generating activities for opium growers to replace their illegal poppycultivation.

Xieng Khuang intensies... FROM PAGE 1

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3Vientiane Times Wednesday January 27, 2016 Home news

Weather forecast

Times Reporters

The government has achieveda number of key criticalmilestones through the Ministryof Planning and Investment

(MPI) programme for realisingthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) in Laos.

Representatives from lineministries and development

par t ners yes t erday metin Vientiane to review theconsolidated programme ofsupport to the ministry for theachievement of the goals of the7th National Socio-economicDevelopment Plan (NSEDP)for 2011-2015.

The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Minister ofPlanning and Investment DrKikeo Chanthaboury and UNResident Coordinator /UNDPResident Representative MsKaarina Immonen.

Th i s p rog ramme i san important milestone forcollaboration and partnership

between the Lao governmentand UNDP including thegovernments of Luxembourgand Switzerland for therealisation of the 7th NSEDP,including the MDGs and thetransition to the 8th NSEDP andthe transition to the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs),Dr Kikeo said in his openingremarks.

He said that during the pastve years, the MPI programmehas been a critical driving forcein assisting the Lao governmentthrough the Ministry ofPlanning and Investment and

Ministry of Foreign Affairs toensure the effective applicationof results-based national

planning in Laos.In 2015, through the

programme, a number of keymilestones were achieved

Govt achieves key

milestones towards MDGs

Dr Kikeo Chanthaboury and Ms Kaarina Immonen co-chair themeeting.

under the leadership of thegovernment.

These ach i evemen t sinclude the nalisation of theoutcome-based 8th NSEDP and

integration of its monitoringand evaluation framework;the introduction of the SDGsto relevant ministries andtheir integration into the 8th

NSEDP; the adaptation of thenew Vientiane Declarationon Partnership for EffectiveDevelopment Cooperationthrough the 12th High LevelRound Table Meet ing;

preparat ion of the NationalHuman Development Report;and capacity enhancement ofthe Lao Statistics Bureau.

These milestones areintegral to progress towardsachieving the Least DevelopedCountry (LDC) graduationcriteria by 2020, within the

framework of the 8th NSEDPand the SDGs, Dr Kikeo said.This year is an important

c r o s s r o a d s i n L a o s development journey with theimplementation of the outcomesof the 12th High Level Round

Table Meeting, the preparationand implementation of the new8th NSEDP, the rollout of theSDGs and the launching of the

National Human Development

Report on LDC graduation.Therefore, in consultationwith UNDP, the ministryhas agreed to extend thecurrent programme until theend of 2016 to support thegovernment in the 8th NSEDPimplementation and transitionto the SDGs.

In addition, the extendedperiod is vital as it will allowtime to review the MPI

programme which will generatefindings to help inform theformulation of the UNDP-supported programme to assistthe Ministry of Planning andInvestment and the Ministryof Foreign Affairs to performefciently according to their

role and mandate over the nextve years, Dr Kikeo said.He also called for joint

efforts to focus on forward-looking exercises, building onthe achievements made andlessons learnt so far.

afternoon, slowing the workof government staff and ofceworkers.

Some organisations wereunable to collect informationon the prevailing conditionsand their effects because of thecold, according to Mr Santi.

Flights between Vientianeand Oudomxay province were

cancelled from Sunday toTuesday. Flights on othernorthern routes betweenVientiane and Luang Namtha,Bokeo and Xieng Khuang

provinces are still operating butthere have been some delaysdue to poor weather.

To ensure that children staywell, the Minister of Education

and Sports announced thatschools in Vientiane and the

provinces would close at thestart of the second semesternext week if temperatures stayas low as they are at present.

Most schoolchildren areon holiday this week afternishing their end-of-semesterexams last week, but some

kindergartens, mostly private,are not taking a holiday.

Temperatures in someareas were lower yesterday buthad risen in other places, theMeteorology and HydrologyDepartment noted.

The minimum temperaturein Vientiane yesterday was10.7 degrees, while Xamneua

district in Huaphan provincereported 2C, Xieng Khuang1.4C, Oudomxay 3 .5C,Houaysai district in Bokeo

province 6.5C, Luang Namthaprovince 5C, Luang Prabangprovince 6.5C, and Xayabouryprovince 7.4C.

Xaysomboun provincesaw temperatures drop to 6C,

Phonhong district in Vientianeprovince recorded 10.8C, Pakxandistrict in Borikhamxay province8.2C, Km20 in Khammuan

province 4.5C, Savannakhetprovince 11.5C, Pakxe districtin Champassak province 14.4C,Saravan province 13C, Xekong

province 14.5C, and Attapeuprovince 15.6C.

Phongsaly ofcials given... FROM PAGE 1

Times Reporters

Police are investigating thecircumstances surrounding a

bomb that allegedly explodedin Xaysomboun province on

Sunday morning, killing twomen as they were driving along aroad. Another person was injuredin the explosion.

Provincial authorities told

Police investigate explosionin Xaysomboun

Vientiane Timeson Tuesday theyhad heard reports of the incident

but had no further information.According to an item

published by the Lao NewsAgency on Tuesday, citing

local authorities, personsunknown placed an improvisedexplosive device on a roadabove the Mo River, about vekilometres from the centre of

Anouvong district.The Lao News Agency said

a bomb had been placed on theroad by destructive elements,killing two occupants of a vehiclethat passed along the road on

Sunday morning and injuringa third.

No information was given asto the nationality of the peopletravelling in the vehicle.

Times Reporters

Fuel prices at petrol stationsaround the country havedropped further following afall on the world market.

The Ministry of Industryand Commerce announced thatit adjusted the fuel price lowerfor a second time this month.

The latest price reductioncame into effect yesterdaymorning in Vientiane and the

provinces.In Vientiane, petrol station

prices dropped from 8,160 kip

Fuel prices drop for secondtime this month

to 7,970 kip a litre of premiumpetrol, 7,130 kip to 6,970 kipa litre of regular grade petrol,while diesel decreased from5,750 kip to 5,600 kip.

In Khammuan province,premium pet rol went downfrom 8,190 kip to 8,000 kip andfrom 7,160 kip to 7,000 kip forregular, while diesel went from5,780 kip to 5,630 kip.

In Savannakhet provinceprices dropped from 8,190kip to 8,000 kip a litre for

premium, 7,160 kip to 7,000kip for regular and 5,780 kip

to 5,630 kip for diesel, whilein Champassak province theywent from 8,220 kip to 8,030kip for premium petrol, 7,190kip to 7,030 for kip regular

pet rol , and from 5,810 kipto 5,660 kip for diesel. InBokeo province, premium petroldropped from 8,260 kip to 8,070kip a litre, 7,230 kip to 7,070 kipfor regular petrol and 5,850 kipto 5,700 kip for diesel, while inXieng Khuang province regular

petrol reduced from 7,330 kipto 7,330 kip per litre, and dieselfrom 5,950 kip to 5,790 kip.

Fuel prices at petrol stations have dropped after the government announcement.

and Government InspectionAuthority have received morethan 3,567 complaints, whichmostly related to land disputes,dissatisfaction with courtdecisions and enforcement ofcourt decisions, and the conductof government staff.

Mr Khamsouk said eventhough the committee andauthority had taken positivesteps to tackle misconduct,s eve r a l i s sue s neededaddressing such as beefingup inadequate legislation oninspection, and improving the

targeting and frequency ofinspection activities.

He also mentioned otherdeciencies in inspections whichresulted in the non-recoveryof losses and some offendersgoing unpunished while thereremained a lack of punitivelegal deterrents, weak anti-corruption action and insufcientresponsibility on the part of Partycommittees and authorities ininspection work.

Mr Khamsouk gaverecommendations for inspectionwork to be improved, pointing tothe need to enhance legislation,mechanisms, rules, and guidanceon implementation, to ensure

proper and broad understanding

of the law.He stressed that all inspection

activities should strictlycomply with the rules. He alsonoted the lessons learned andachievements made in tacklingmisconduct and the prioritisingof effective inspection efforts

by Pa rt y co mmit te es andadministrative bodies.

Party

conrms...FROM PAGE 1

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News in Brief

Vientiane pupils donate blankets to local schoolchildren

The Australian International School in Vientiane has donated 121 blankets worthmore than 10 million kip to children at Nongduang Primary School in Chanthaboulydistrict, the Education and Sport Newspaper reported.Meanwhile authorities in Oudomxay province donated 100 blankets and cashto children at Nahuang Secondary School in Xay district worth 17 million kip,according to theKhuamsangobNewspaper.The school also asked the parents of children in rural areas to contribute to the costof construction of a dormitory for the children.

Illegal, expired goods disposed of in Khammuan

Ofcial in Yommalath district, Khammuan province, recently disposed of illegal andexpired goods worth more than 10 million kip.District authorities removed the products from shops in the district, according to the

PasaxonNewspaper.Elsewhere, authorities in Huayxai district, Bokeo province, destroyed out-of-datemedicines, bottled drinks, noodles, coffee, monosodium glutamate and other itemsworth more than 19 million kip, according to the Laophatthana Newspaper.After conscating the expired goods, the authorities warned vendors not to continueto sell such as items as it was against the law.

Four drug dealers arrested in Vientiane

Vientiane police arrested four drug dealers and seized over 4,000 amphetamine pills,according to theKhuamsangobnewspaper.The dealers were named as Mr Latdavanh, 24, and Mr Viphakone, 18, both fromSokkham village, Xaythany district, while Mr Viphalin, 25, and Mr Thilasak, 24,lived in Sisangvone village, Xaysettha district.Police arrested the rst suspect, Mr Latdavanh, and seized over 1,600 amphetamine

pills found in his possession. Mr Latdavanh told police that Mr Viphakone was alsoinvolved in the drug trade so ofcials then arrested him and two other dealers andconscated an additional 2,700 amphetamine pills.

Laos, Vietnam districts bolster border cooperation

Two districts in Laos and one in Vietnam have agreed to strengthen cooperation toboost security along their shared borders.Representatives from the military command ofces of Nakai and Boualapha districtsin Laos Khammuan province and Vietnamese Qung Bnh provinces Minh Hadistrict recently met in Nakai district to explore ways to boost border security,according to thePasaxonNewspaperThey agreed to continue to share information concerning illegal cross-bordertrade and discussed ways to boost cooperation in agriculture in order to improvethe livelihoods of local communities. They also discussed further cooperation inthe search for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers who went missing during theIndochina war.

Times Reporters

The Lao Womens Union(LWU) members committeemet yesterday to discusswomens development plans for

2016-2020, with a focus on eightmain development programmesto promote gender rights.

The main programmesinclude human resourcedevelopment for females,strengthening the WomensUnion, promoting vocationsand businesses for women,

prot ec t ing women andch i l d r en s r i gh t s , and

promoting female progressand gender equality rights.

The meeting continuestoday. Yesterdays talks wereattended by the Presidentof the Lao Womens Union,Dr Inlavan Keobounphanh,

Lao Womens Unionsets future plans

Lao Womens Union members attend yesterdays meeting in Vientiane.

along with members from theprovinces.

In her opening speech,Dr Inlavan said the meetingis important for the LWU,

because it reected the skills

developed and the progress ofmembers.She said to ensure the

success of the meeting allparticipants should focus ontheir responsibilities and shareideas on womens development

plans for the next ve years.The purpose of the meeting

is to collect different ideasfrom members about the plans,to report on previous problems,and to try and resolve these

problems.The meeting also arranged

the responsibility of eachdevelopment plan within theUnions members committee,

and all sectors of the LWU willparticipate in the eight maindevelopment programmes.

The members committeehanded over the female

programme in human resource

development to the mediasector, while the promotionof vocations and businessesfor the womens programmewas handed over to the LaoWomens Union trainingsector. The other programmeshave been handed over to theresponsible sectors.

Today, the Lao WomensUnion members committeesfrom the main provinces are

presen ting their communitydevelopment plans. After the

presentation, all participantswill comment and share theirideas about the communitydevelopment plans.

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Vientiane Times Wednesday January 27, 2016 Photo news 5

Students from secondary schools in Vientiane donate blood recently to show their patriotism andprovide blood for those in need of transfusions. --Photo Phetphoxay

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Oxfam is currently looking for a:Trans-boundary agribusiness and responsible landgovernance Programme CoordinatorOverall ResponsibilitiesThe Programme Ofcer provides leadership, strategic steer and ensures program development,as well as operational management to a part of the Oxfam programme focusing onSustainable Development and Responsible Investment in the region. The P Ofcer supportsthe operationalization of the Trans boundary Responsible Business in the region within itsspecic area of responsibility and coordinate with other programme managers to ensureOxfam delivers its strategy.

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We promote diversity and practice equityOnly short-listed applicants will be contacted for a personal interview

Participants pose for a group photo at the Institute of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane during theclosing ceremony of the Asean Reporting course. The course was funded by the SingaporeMinistry of Foreign Affairs and attended by 36 Lao ofcials from 18 government agencies fromJanuary 18 to 22. The course was conducted by Ms Moe Thuzar of the Institute of SoutheastStudies (ISEAS) Asean Studies Centre based in Singapore. Singapore Ambassador to LaosDominic Goh, Deputy Director General of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asean Department

Mr Ekkaphab Phanthavong and Head of the ISEAS Asean Studies Centre Dr Tang Siew Munattended the closing ceremony.

Nineteen Lao university students and their supervisor on Monday leave Wattay InternationalAirport for Japan to participate in a study tour under the JENESYS2015 project. The groupwill stay in Japan from January 26 to February 2 and take part in the Exchange and Experiencein Environment/ Disaster Prevention programme. The study tour focuses on measures againstenvironmental problems and disasters in Japan.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Pasaxon newspaper, Mr Doungchith Savatbounmy (right), was promotedto be Acting Editor-in-Chief to replace retiring Editor-in-Chief Mr Siviengkhaek Konevivong(left). A signing ceremony for the change in positions took place yesterday at the newspapersofces in Vientiane, witnessed by the Minister and Deputy Minister of Information, Culture andTourism respectively, Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara and Mr Savankhone Razmountry. Also

present were directors and ofcials from various departments of the ministry and newspaper.

Director of the Childrens Hospital, Associate Prof. Dr Bounleua Oudavong (left), on Tuesdayreceives medication for the treatment of childhood cancer from the President of Seoul NationalUniversity, Mr Nak-In Sung.

The outgoing Director General of Lao National Radio, Mr Sipha Nonglath (right), on Tuesdayshakes hands with incoming Acting Director General Mr Phosy Keomanivong, after signingdocuments to hand over the top position.

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6 Vientiane TimesWednesday January 27, 2016

Region

In brief from AsiaNews Network

HA NOI (Vietnam News)-- The 11th Party CentralCommit tees repor t ondocuments submitted to the12th National Party Congressdefines the fight against

corruption and wastefulnessas an important task, but also adifcult one that will take timeto accomplish.

Talking with the VietnamN e w s A g e n c y o n t h esidelines of the ongoing 12th

Na ti onal Pa rt y Congre ss ,many delegates stressed theimportance of anti-corruptionefforts, saying that combatingcorruption requires the

parti cip ati on of the ent iresociety to bring about greaterchange.

AdvertisingDelegate Le Hoang Phung

from Lam Dong Provincesugges ted put t ing ant i -corruption work at the top

of the agenda. He said thisis the aspiration of the wholeParty and people, and one ofthe tasks of all-level Partyorganisations.

Delegate Nguyen VanCong f rom Dong ThapProvince stressed the need tocontrol the income of ofcials,especially those in charge ofsensitive economic sectors.

Echoing the delegatesviews, delegate Nguyen VietDung from HCM City said

publicity and transparency arethe most important tools in theght against corruption.

He a lso highl ightedsocietys role in building andenacting relevant guidelines

and policies for the Party andthe State.Delegate Vu Trong Kim,

Vice President and GeneralSecretary of the VietnamFatherland Front CentralCommittee, urged consistentefforts to fight corruption,adding that the work wouldyield better results if it weresupervised by the public.

Major General TruongGia Long, from the PartyOrganisation of the Ministryof Public Security, said it is

Party delegates call for anti-corruption policies

The 12th National Party Congress.

necessary to accelerate thebuilding of a pure and strongParty.

Apa r t f r om r a i s i ngawareness and responsibilityof each Party ofcial for the

issue, the Party should workto win the condence of thepopulation and join hands inthe national reform cause, hesuggested.

Delegates laud reportsDelegates lauded political

reports presented at the event,saying they had been preparedthoroughly and gatheredtogether the opinions of Partymembers nationwide.

Ng hi em Xu an Th an h,a representative of theParty Central CommitteesBusiness Bloc, said throughdiscussions, the delegatesreached consensus on theachievements Vietnam hadrecorded over the past five

years.I n t h e c o n t e x t o fcomplicated regional andglobal situations, the countryhad basically stabilised themacro-economy, curbedination and kept economicgrowth at an appropriate level.

The delegates attributedthese attainments to monetary

policies issued by the bankingsector, Thanh said.

The Congress also outlinedtasks for the next ve yearsthat would continue therestructuring of economicsectors dovetailed with growthmodel reform and focusingon investment overhaul- beginning with public

investment.According to Thanh,commercial banks, creditinstitutions and businesses,especially State-owned groupsand corporations, would berevamped. At the same time,more efforts would be madeto effectively control bad debtand guarantee public debts ofState-owned enterprises withinthe safety level.

Pham Manh Thuong, adelegate from the northern

province of Bac Giang, said

the Congress required thebrainpower of all delegatesto continue with reform,development and integration,voicing his belief that Vietnamwould become a prosperousindustrialised country soon.

Pham Manh Dao from thesouthern province of Dong

Nai underlined the need forVietnam to make thorough

preparations for integrationin terms of productivity,

price and quali ty, describ ingintegration as an international

playground.

Pham Thien Nghia fromthe Mekong Delta provinceof Dong Thap said Vietnamslabour structure was shiftingfrom agriculture towardsindustry.

He sugges t ed moreattention be paid to industryin order to create a momentumfor the economy.

Party building urgedDelegates also underscored

the need to further promoteParty building, with a focuson being consistent with a

relevant resolution adoptedby the 11t h Par ty Cent ra lCommittees fourth plenum.

Kim, of the VietnamFatherland Front CentralCommittee, told a Vietnam

News Agency reporter thatthe resolution suits currentrealities and expectations ofofcials, Party members and

people nationwide, adding thatthe Party build-up and renewalmust be made a regular task.

In his viewpoint, it iscrucial to raise the spirit ofcriticism and self-criticism in

an honest, straightforward andopen manner in line with Partyprinciples, while conductingmutual supervision.

Ngo Duy Hieu from HaNo i sa id delegate s hopedthat along side the socio-economic development tasks,more attention should be paidto Party building throughinspecting, overseeing anddealing with any violations.

He stressed that high-ranking officials should setgood examples and stand in the

vanguard of the Party buildingcause.

Delegate Luu Minh Sonfrom Phu Yen Province saidthe Party should show great

political will to successfullyeffectuate the resolution andgradually drive back corruptionand negative phenomena.

Nomination processYesterday, the Congress

approved the list of additionalnominees proposed for the12th Party Central Committee

by delegates on Sunday. Thenominees did not appear on the

list prepared by the 11th PartyCentral Committee duringtheir delegations meetings.

The nomination processfor the 12th Central Committeewas made clear by Le QuangVinh, deputy head of theOffice of the Party CentralCommittee, when talking withthe press on the sidelines of theCongress.

Firstly, there are candidatesnominated by the 11th CentralCommittee, as prescribed bythe Partys Statutes.

NEW DELHI (Xinhua) --India on Tuesday displayedits military might at its 67thRepublic Day parade in thenational capital, with FrenchPresident Francois Hollandeas the chief guest.

The pa r ade s t a r t edi n t he morn i ng unde runprecedented security thatincluded deployment of 5,000

policemen and 15,000 para-troppers, anti-aircraft gunsand around 1,000 snipers amidterror threats.

The Indian Army, IndianAir Force and the Indian

Navy displayed their tanks,

guns, air craft and modelsof warships and submarineson Raj Path, an iconic roadat the heart of the nationalcapital.

Indian President PranabMukherjee took salute fromthe passing forces at the

parade, while Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and the French

India displays military might

at Republic Day paradepresident looked on.

Tableax of various Indianstates were put on display,alongside the military, as thenation glued on to TV sets towatch the celebrations.

Though the parade thisyear was shorter as there werefewer marching contingents, acontingent of French soldiersadded to the colours ofcelebrations.

The marching contingentswere led by the French 35thInfantry Regiment that wasdeployed in India between1781 and 1784.

Indian Vice President

Hamid Ansari, the countrysmain opposition Congress

president Sonia Gandhi andsenior Indian ministers allwere present on the occassion.

Gallantry awards were alsogiven to families of martyrsof the Indian armed forcesand children by the Indian

president.

COLOMBO (Xinhua) --Sri Lankan authorities onTuesday destroyed more than359 African elephant tusks(blood ivory) worth morethan 350 million Sri Lankanrupees, in the capital in afirm commitment to protect

Sri Lanka destroys elephant tusks in pledge

to protect endangered speciesendangered wildlife species.

The ivory was seizedin 2012 by the Sri LankaCustoms while it was en routeto Dubai from Kenya. Thetotal weight of the ivory wasaround 1,500 kg.

The ivory stock was

publicly destroyed at the GalleFace Green in Colombo, withreligious offerings to mark theunnecessary sacrice of thoseelephants. Several governmentofcials including Minister ofSustainable Development andWildlife Gamini JayawickramaPerera, Finance Minister RaviKarunanayake and SecretaryGeneral of the Conventionon Internat ional Tradein Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora JohnE. Scanlon were present todestroy the tusks.

The ivory was crushed usinga modified crusher and was

then transported to a cementfactory in Puttalam in the NorthWestern province, to be burned.The entire process took placeamidst tight security. MinisterPerera said that the event wouldhighlight to the world, and toeverybody in Sri Lanka, that thegovernment would not tolerateany illegal trade of ivory.

Immigration policekeeping an eye onnew Angel dollsTHAILAND (The

Nation) - Immigration

Police ofcers willbe strict about peoplecarrying Child Angeldolls due to fears theycould be used to smugglecontraband such asdrugs, the national policechief said yesterday.Police General ChakthipChaijinda said thatcriminals could hideillicit substances in suchdolls when travelling.Criminals will havea new way to smuggledrugs, the police chiefsaid. I have instructedall the immigrationcheckpoints to be strict- whether they are at

airports or the borders.They must also strictlyscreen Look Thepdolls passing theircheckpoints, he added.Chakthip also opposedallowing the dolls to betaken in to airline cabins

because of the risk ofsmuggled contraband.

Nepal to gift 2rhinos to China

Nepal (Kathmandu Post)- Nepal will provide twoone-horned rhinoceros asgifts to China upon therequest from the Chineseside. Forest MinisterAgni Sapkota said Prime

Minister KP Sharma Olihas directed to forwardthe process to gift a

pair of mammals to thenorthern neighbours.PM Oli has agreed togift a pair of rhinos toChina. The gifts will

be made after a cabinetdecision, he said.Chinese Forest MinisterZhang Jianlong andother Chinese ofcialshad requested the Nepaliside for the rhinosduring Forest MinisterSapkotas visit to China.

79 re outbreaksreported nationwide

last weekMyanmar (Eleven)- Seventy-nine reoutbreaks were reportednationwide betweenJanuary 1 and 14,with res caused bynegligence topping thelist, according to theMyanmar Fire ServicesDepartment.Included on the list are25 res caused by humannegligencesix inMagway, four in Yangon,three each in Bago andMandalay, two each inAyeyawady and Monand one each in Kachin,Sagaing, Taninthayi,

Rakhine and Shan.Electrical malfunctionscaused four res inYangon, three each inSagaing, Mandalay andAyeyawady, two each inChin, Mon and Shan andone each in Kayah and

Nay Pyi Taw.

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Vientiane Times 77Wednesday January 27, 2016 Region

JOB VACANCYCOMPANY OVERVIEW

HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION (HAC) is Japanese contractor, we had developed in Lao PDR from 1968

and had constructed Nam Ngum Hydro Power project, Naonal Highway No.9, Vienane Internaonal

Airport Expansion project and others.GENERAL

HAC is starng construcon of Vienane (Waay) Internaonal Airport Terminal Expansionproject with world class engineering and looking for Project Sta forElectrical work, Plumbing

and Air condion work for building and Accounng work . Locaon of work: Vienane (Waay) Internaonal Airport

Re : Electrical work, Plumbing and Air condion work for building

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Studies specicaons and design according to construcon stage. Check me schedule and shop drawing on construcon site.

Coordinates the work with subcontractor and building users according to site condions.

Manage safety and quality control on the site. Make daily report including manpower, progress, quality control, safety control and schedule

control.JOB REQUIREMENTS

University diploma or equivalent required. Fluent wrien/spoken in English language is strong required. Hard worker and very good communicate skill as coordinator.

Procient computer skills (MS oce, AUTOCAD, MS Project). Experience of construcon work eld.

Re :Accounng workESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Daily Pey Cash transacon and record

Record and prepare monthly accounng statement Prepare monthly payroll

Any other work relang to accounng

JOB REQUIREMENTS

University diploma or equivalent required.

Work experience for accounng Capability of communicaon (speak/listen/write/read) in English language Computer skills (MS oce).

Interested candidates are asked to mail/hand delivery or e-mail their applicaon with a comprehensive

CV and cover leer explaining their movaons in English to the listed address; By Mail or Hand delivery: Please submit to HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION

An :Mr.Bounchanh (Administraon Manager) Waay Internaonal Airport

Souphanouvong Rue, Ban Waay, Sikhoabong District

Vienane Capital Lao P.D.R., P.O.BOX 3372 By e-mail: Please submit to Mr. Bounchanh (Administraon Manager) : bounchanh.c@ad-hzm.co.thThe dead line for applicant is 1st February, 2016

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Vacancy AnnouncementFor Locally Recruited Staff

The World Bank is one of the worlds largest sources of funding for the developing world. Its primary focusis on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. It uses its nancial resources, its staff, andextensive experience to help developing countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, enhanceenvironmental and social sustainability, and improve their quality of life. The World Bank continues tostrengthen its Vientiane Ofce as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the development vision ofLao PDR. The World Bank invites applications from qualied individuals for the following locally RecruitedStaff positions to join the Lao PDR Country Team in Vientiane.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT (JOB NUMBER: 160159)

Key ResponsibilitiesThe Program Assistant will:i. Provide quality administrative support to task teams in preparing World Bank documents; formatting

and editing reports, aide-memoires, letters and memos prepared by the Task Team Leaders accordingto the Bank guidelines; log incoming mail, le in the Banks electronic ling system and distribute tothe task teams; and dispatch outgoing letters in a timely manner;

ii. Provide logistical support for missions, seminars and workshops; follow up on requests fromWashington team members and correspond with them appropriately;

iii. Maintain project and other records in accordance with system in the work unit; ensure smooth owof information among other program assistants in the ofce;

iv. Provide back-up support to other program assistants as required by the work program, especiallyduring peak periods; and

v. Other ad hoc duties as assigned from time to time arising from business needs of the ofce.

Selection Criteria:i. Bachelor degree with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience or High School Certicate/Diploma

with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience;ii. Dedicated team player with excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize assignments.

Willingness to learn about the teams work, to be able to take on additional responsibility and respondto queries from external agencies. Able to handle multiple tasks with critical deadlines under minimumsupervision;

iii. Ability to draft routine correspondence and edit materials using proper grammar, punctuation andstyle;

iv. Advanced skills and experience in Microsoft software packages (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint)and Internet;

v. Effective organizational, communication, inter-personal, problem-solving skills, and ability to producehigh quality work under tight deadlines;

vi. Ability to foresee needs of the team and respond in a pro-active manner;vii. Ability to pass relevant Bank Group tests in place at time of recruitment (e.g. English language,

computer applications, etc.) as required; andviii. Prior work experience in an international environment is an advantageix. Fluent in written and spoken English and Lao language.

Details (vacancy #160159) are available in the World Bank Jobs website: www.worldbank.org/jobs. Allapplications must be submitted through this website. The World Bank Group is committed to achievingdiversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilitiesare equally encouraged to apply. Closing date is February 11, 2016

(Only shortlisted candidates will be notied)

SOUTH KOREA (The KoreaHerald) - A cruise ship carrying11 people ran aground in theHangang River on Tuesday, buteveryone was rescued safely,

ofcials said.A salvage operation was

underway after the 125-tonnevessel run by Eland Cruise

began to sink at about 2:30p.m. near the Seongsu Bridgethat links the Seongdong andGangnam Districts.

The re authorities said theyhave rescued six passengers-- including ve foreign tourists-- and another five crewmenand transported them to medicalfacilties.

The exact cause of theincident will be known onlyafter a review but it appearsto be a water leak from theengine room, according to newsreports, adding that the ship

was hauled to the Jamsil Quayin southeastern Seoul, with theengineers draining out the water.

Cruise ship stranded, allpassengers rescued

A cruise ship is being hauled after being stranded in the Hangang River on Tuesday.

PETALING JAYA (The Star) -The plane wreckage found offthe coast of southern Thailandis not from Malaysia Airlines(MAS) flight MH370, saysDatuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai(pic).

The Transport Ministersaid that the Malaysian teamcomprising of Department ofCivil Aviation (DCA), Ministry

Debris in Thailand not from MH370and Malaysian Airlines (MAS)officials found that the partassembly number, wire bundlenumber and bolts part numberdid not match those of a Boeing777. He added that the partnumbers found on the recovereddebris are not listed in the MASB777 Illustrated Parts Cataloguemanual. Based on these

identifying details, the team hasconrmed that the debris doesnot belong to a B777 9M-MROaircraft (MH370), Liow said ina statement on Tuesday.

A large piece of curved metalwashed ashore in Nakhon SiThammarat province, wherevillagers reported it to authoritiesto help identify it. Liow also

thanked Thailands TransportMinistry and the Civil AviationAuthority for facilitating theidentification process. Ourthoughts continue to be with thefamilies and loved ones of the

passengers and crew of MH370.We will continue to keep the nextof kin and public updated on anylatest developments of MH370.

CHINA (China Daily) - Chineseand American experts have lowexpectations for US Secretaryof State John Kerrys trip toChina, Laos and Cambodia,where he is seen as trying toseek Beijings support to punish

the Democratic Republic ofKorea for its latest nuclear testwhile looking for countries inSoutheast Asia to gang up onChina over the South ChinaSea issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministryspokeswoman Hua Chunyingannounced on Monday Kerrystrip to Beijing from Tuesday toWednesday, a trip that she saidChina hopes to help deepencommunications on a series ofimportant issues and promotecoordination and cooperation invarious elds.

Kerry began his tour inthe Lao capital of Vientianeon Sunday and then PhnomPenh, Cambodia. A senior State

Department ofcial on Sundaydescribed China as the dominantplayer in the two countries, botheconomically and politically.

Over the years, the twocountries have long opposedUS efforts to rally Asean(Association of Southeast Asian

Nations) against China on theSouth China Sea issue.

In a background brieng, thesenior ofcial described Kerrystrip to Laos and Cambodia aslaying the groundwork for thesummit that the US PresidentBarack Obama will be hostingat the Sunnylands retreat inCalifornia from Feb 15-16 with

Experts have low hopesfor Kerrys China trip

the 10 Asean leaders.Laos is the chair of Asean

in 2016. Obama hostedChinese President Xi Jinping atSunnylands in June 2013.

Many Chinese believe thatthe US is biased in handling the

maritime territorial disputes inboth the South and East Chinaseas. It was reported that Kerrystrip to Beijing was added afterthe DPRK declared on Jan 6that it had successfully tested ahydrogen bomb.

The US believes the testwas not a powerful hydrogen

bomb, but it has been pushingfor stronger United NationsSecurity Council sanctions on

North Korea and also hopesChina would use more of itsleverage unilaterally.

It almost goes withoutsaying that the issue of theDPRK and its recent nuclear testwill be on the top of the agenda,said the senior State Department

ofcial, adding that the SouthChina Sea is also very muchon the secretarys mind andsomething that he will certainlydiscuss in depth.

According to the official,Washington believes that Chinahas so far not exerted enough

pressure on the DPRK andthat it is important for Chinato join the US, the Republic ofKorea and Japan in presentinga unied front. Ted Carpenter,a senior fellow of defense andforeign policy studies at theCato Institute, described the US

policy as incredibly arrogant,short-sighted.

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8 Vientiane TimesWednesday January 27, 2016

World

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua)-- The UN Security Council onMonday adopted a resolution toestablish a mission to monitorthe ongoing peace process inColombia which aims to endthe 50-year conflict betweenthe government and theRevolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h eresolution, the mission will bea political mission of unarmedinternational observers, and willwork along with the Colombian

UN Security Council approvescreation of mission in Colombia

Photo shows the United Nations Security Council adopting a resolution to establish a mission to monitor the ongoing peace processin Colombia.

government and FARC as atrilateral mechanism to monitordisarmament of the guerrillagroup and the ceasere.

The 15-nation Council looks forward to thecontributions of Member Statesof the Community of LatinAmerican and Caribbean States(CELAC) to the Mission, saidthe resolution.

The mission will begin itsmonitoring and verificationactivities for a period of 12months right after the signing

of the final peace agreementbetween the two sides, it added.

The Council membersalso requests UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to startnow preparations for settingup the mission and to presentrecommendations to theSecurity Council regarding thesize and operational aspects ofthe mission. The Colombiangovernment has held severalrounds of peace talks withthe FARC since November2012. So far, the two sides have

reached consensus on land andrural development, political

participation for former rebels,combating drugs and narcoticstrafcking, and reparations forvictims of the conict.

The remaining topic is thenal accord on the end of theconict, which both sides arecommitted to reaching by Mar.23. On Tuesday, the Colombiangovernment and the FARCguerrillas agreed to request theSecurity Council to establishthe mission.

PARIS (Xinhua) -- Echoingsecurity concerns as terrorthreats resurfaced, French

President Francois Hollande isseeking lawmakers approval toextend the state of emergency foranother three months.

In a press release issued byhis ofce on Friday, Hollandeannounced a bill to prolongthe state of emergency would

be presented during a cabinetmeeting scheduled for Feb. 3,hoping to win large endorsementof his draft law on protection ofthe nation.

On Nov. 19, the NationalAssembly voted for thegovernments proposal to extendstate of emergency to threemonths which is expected toexpire on Feb. 26.

To his followers, prolonging

state of emergency was theadequate measure to ensuresecurity at home and foil any

potential terrorist attack in thecountry which is among the toptargets of militant cells due to itsmilitary offensive in Syria, Iraqand Sahel region.

I think prolonging state ofemergency is a good idea andits useful right now, because itcontributes to our security. Weneed to constantly be vigilantagainst everyday threats,French Defene Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France 24.

After gunmen stormedsimultaneously restaurants,

Hollande seeking to extendFrances state

of emergency for 3 monthscoffees shops, theatre halland stadium in Paris on Nov.13, 2015, killing 130 people,

Hollande declared a state ofemergency a day later.

Speaking to the BBC fromDavos, French Prime MinisterManuel Valls said, we cannotalways live all the time in a stateof emergency. But, as long as thethreat is there, we must use allavailable means.

By intensifying air strikesagainst Islamic State targetsin Syria and Iraq, Hollandeannounced a war againstterrorism and boosted securitymeasures at home.

According to a YouGovsurvey for iTele new channel

published earlier this month, 77percent of respondents reportedthey are in favor of the state of

emergency which empowers thepolice to conduct house searcheswithout judicial warrants andarrest suspects.

Since November 2015, thepolice have conducted morethan 3,800 raids seizing 500weapons. Some 300 people were

placed into custody, according toofcial gures.

However, the proposedconstitution reform to makeit easier to impose a state ofemergency also gives fuel toHollandes domestic critics whosay the law would undermine theRepublic values and freedom ofexpression and gathering.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) --Unlike similar brazen escapeswhere inmates fled remote

prisons into rural areas, thethree men who broke out ofa Southern California lockupescaped in the middle of densely

populated Orange County where hundreds of ofcers arecentreing the search.

T h e i n v e s t i g a t i o nwas focused on suburbancommunities where the mencould be hiding among friends,family or fellow gang members,

authorities said Monday, thethird full day of the manhunt.

They looked in particularto Orange Countys hugeVietnamese population, amongthe largest in the US, in GardenGrove and Westminster just afew miles from the Santa Ana

jail where Fridays escape tookplace.

Two of the inmates, JonathanTieu, 20, Bac Duong, 43, havedeep ties to the community, andsheriffs ofcials put out a callin both English and Vietnameseon Monday for help in ndingthem.

Sheriffs Lt. Dave Sawyerwho is leading the investigation,said the two may be embedded

there.We sincerely need input

from the community to help us,Sawyer said.

The two men and the thirdinmate, 37-year-old Hossein

Nayeri , are bel ieved to bedangerous and all were awaitingtrial for separate violent felonies,authorities said. They have now

Authorities search SouthernCalifornia areas for 3 escapees

each been charged with anotherfelony for the escape.

They were gone for as longas 16 hours before their escapewas noticed in the commondorm they share with more than60 other inmates, with a Fridayevening head count delayed byhours because of an attack ona guard.

The three men sawedthrough a quarter-inch-thickgrill on a dormitory wall andgot into plumbing tunnels beforesawing through half-inch-thick

steel bars as they made their waybehind walls to an unguardedarea of a roof atop a ve-story

building. There, they movedaside razor wire and rappelled tothe ground using the bed linen.

It was eerily similar to theNew York escape, where twoinmates cut through a portionof wall hidden under a bunk

bed and used piping and tunnelsinside the facility to reach theoutside, though the search forthose inmates focused on nearbywoods instead of a dense urban

population.A major question for

investigators will be how themen were able to plan andexecute their ight with such

precision, said Kevin Tamez,a managing partner for MPMGroup, a Philadelphia-basedfirm that consults on prisonsecurity, management andinfrastructure.

Lt. Jeff Hallock, OrangeCounty sheriffs spokesman,said there is no evidence so farthat the trio had help from the

inside but authorities know itsa possibility.

Its likely someone slippedthem blueprints or told themhow the bowels of the jail werelaid out, he said.

If I were whoeversinvestigating, there are some

people who would be on apolygraph, I guarantee you,Tamez said. They had to havehad some inside help.

Motion sensor cameras available for US$55 and oftenused as baby monitors can be

installed along interior tunnelsand pipes to catch inmates,Tamez said.

Thorough searches of dormslikely would have discovered thetools used or damage to the ventgrill, he said.

It was the first escape innearly three decades from theCalifornia facility built in 1968.It holds 900 men and is locatedin Santa Ana, about 30 milessoutheast of Los Angeles.

Hallock said the facilitysgeneral policy is to do walk-throughs every hour to check oninmates. More involved searchesare done randomly, he said, butdeclined to be more specic.

Its also unclear why the

inmates who were chargedwith violent felonies werehoused in the common dorm withdozens of others. Assignmentto a large, busy room likelymade it easier for them to avoiddetection, said Martin Horn, a

professor of corrections at JohnJay College of Criminal Justiceat City University of New York.

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Vientiane Times 9

Euro 50-500 8,812 8,856

Foreign Currencies Buying Selling

US Dollar 50-100

Thai Baht

8,133

226.71

8,173

228.4

Exchange rates as of January 26, 2016Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

BusinessRead more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Wednesday January 27, 2016

Times Reporters

L

aos should prioritise

trade facilitation

when it comes to

integrating with

Global Value Chains (GVCs)bec ause hig h expor t costs

will not be advantageous

for the country, a UN expert

has said.

A senior ofcial from the

United Nations Economic and

Social Commission for Asia

and the Pacic (UNESCAP),

Dr Witada Anukoonwattaka,

said the operation process

in value chains in Laos is

cheaper in terms of labour

costs but export operations

are expensive and the cost of

services is also high.

That is the reason why

trade facilitation is an initialpriority for Laos at the early

stages ahead of entering

GVCs, she said, adding that

Laos is one of the countries

that is dependent on agro-

business and also should pay

attention to the importance of

the rules of origin.

In her brief presentation at

Dr Witada Anukoonwattaka (back) gestures during her presentation at a seminar on AEC regionalvalue chains in Vientiane yesterday.

Focus on boosting trade,UN expert advises Laos

a seminar on AEC Regional

Value Chains: Laos Gateway

into the Asean Single Market,

Dr Witada noted that Laos

could be strong in the trade

of organic products from the

agriculture sector but it stillneeds to consider international

standards.

Dur ing the one-day

seminar, she explained the

concept of regional value

chains and their relevance and

characteristics in Asia as well

as talking about the impact of

the AEC on the development

of regional value chains in

Asean.

Laos rapid growth of

exports in 2014 stood at 17.1

percent compared to the rate

of growth in recent years; it

was about 11 percent from

2010-14.However, Laos is still not

rmly participating in GVCs.

At present it can only be a raw

materials supplier because the

rate of goods against exports is

42 percent and is higher than

that of countries in Asia and

the Pacic at 18 percent.

In 2014, foreign direct

i nves t men t (FDI ) was

recorded at 68.9 percent, up

by 26. 8 per cen t compar ed

to the years 2010-14. This

is because of an increase in

foreign investors from China,

Thailand, Malaysia, and othercountries.

It is believed that one

of the biggest AEC-related

oppor tuni t ies for Laos

consists of attracting more

foreign direct investment

and strengthening integration

into regional value chains,

especially in agro-business

and the manufacturing and

service sectors.

The potential of several

sectors would be a particular

attraction for international

investors, who may locate

part of their regional or global

value chains to Laos.The seminar was hosted

by the Regi onal Economic

Integration of Laos into Asean

Trade and Entrepreneurship

Development Project of

the German Development

Cooperation, and the European

Chamber of Commerce and

Industry in Laos.

BEIJING (China Daily,ANN) -- Chinese authoritieswill launch a campaign toregulate Internet finance,which isgrowing rapidly butthreatens social stability dueto illegal activity.

Departments of politicaland legal work at all levels willwork with banking regulatoryauthorities to establish amonitoring and warning systemagainst financial risks andenhanceinformation sharingamong different regions anddepartments, according toa statement released at the

central conference on politicaland legal work held Friday toSaturday in Beijing.

Internet finance refers toloans, investments and otherfinancial services throughonlinechannels rather than

banks and other traditionalnancial institutions.

Growing Internet financeindustry has helped reduce tradecosts and made investmenteasier.But risks have surgedas some people have beendiscovered to be raisingfunds illegally.These crimes,involving many people and alarge amount in assets, maycause social risks.

China to crack down on Internet

nance-related illegal activities

An advertisement of Alibabas financial arm Ant Financial in

Hangzhou, capital of East ChinasZhejiang province.

Authorities will crackdown on illegal activities while

protecting the legitimate rightsof citizensand enterprises andmitigating investor losses. Theywill also educate the public onrisks,according to the statement.

Police are investigatingthe Beijing-based E-Zubao, alarge online nancing platform,and associated companies forsuspected illegal activities,authorities said.

China has seen increasedonline fraud, particularly in

peer-to-peer lending, in thepast year, according to a report

published by online securitycompany Liewang, whosename translatesto Web Hunt.

The company handled24,886 reports of online fraudin 2015, up 7.96 percent fromlast year.The claims wereworth a total of 127 millionyuan (US$19 million). Percapita claims were 5,106yuan,about 1.5 times the number in2014, it said.

Statistics show China hasabout 2,595 P2P platformsacross the country, an increaseof1,020 compared with the2014 gure.

DAVOS, Switzerland (Xinhua)-- We will continue to seedown pressure on oil pricesin 2016 because there is alot of oil in the market andnot so much demand, saidExecutive Director of theInternational Energy Agency(IEA) FatihBirol in Davos,Switzerland.

Demand is getting weakerbecause economy of majo rcountries slows down, Fatihtold Xinhua in an interview.

We will see down pressureon oil prices in 2016, but wemay see the price will start toincrease in late 2017, saidFatih.

He predicted the oil pricemay increase to US$80 per

barrel in the next four or veyears.

Low oil price is good newsfor some countries which areoil importer. But it is bad news

IEA Executive Director sees downwardpressure on oil price in 2016

for oil exporters, especiallymiddle east countries andRussia, he added.

The 46th World EconomicForum (WEF) annual meetingconvened from January 20to 23 in Davos-Klosters,Swi tzer land, under the

theme Mastering the FourthIndustrial Revolution.

Fatih said that far frombe in g a ro mant ic dr ea m,renewables were central tomeeting the energy demandsthat the Fourth IndustrialRevolution would bring about.

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10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Wednesday January 27, 2016

IN BRIEF

LG Electronics posts 4Q loss as mobile business strugglesSEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- LG Electronics reported an unexpected loss in the nalquarter of 2015 as its smartphone business struggled.South Koreas second-largest consumer electronics company said on Tuesday it had a net

loss of 140.4 billion won (US$116.4 million) for the October-December period, comparedwith a net loss of 205.7 billion won a year earlier.A survey of analysts by nancial data provider FactSet forecast a net prot of 134 billionwon.Quarterly sales fell 5 percent to 14.6 trillion won. Operating income jumped 27

percent to 349 billion won.Net prot for the full year halved to 249.1 billion won.LGs air conditioner and home appliance businesses accounted for the biggest chunk of

prot and its TVbusiness contributed about a third. LGs mobile business posted a secondstraight quarterly loss.

French companies to invest US$10 bn in India: MinisterINDIA (The Statesman, ANN) -- French companies will be investing US$10 billion inIndia over the next ve years mainly in the countrys industrial space, Frances FinanceMinister Michel Sapin said here on Monday.Over the past ve years, French companies invested more than US$1 billion per yearin India. In my assessment, they will continue to invest at least US$10 billion over thenext ve years, Sapin told a business meeting at the Federation of Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry.The minister, who is in India accompanying President Francois Hollande on his ofcial

visit with a large business delegation, also said the bulk of the investments would gotowards Indias industrial sector as part of Prime Minister NarendraModis Make inIndia campaign.

Hyundai Motors prot hits 5-year low in 2015SEOUL (Xinhua) -- Hyundai Motor, South Koreas top automaker, saw operating protfall to the lowest in ve years in 2015, a regulatory ling showed on Tuesday.Operating prot tumbled 15.8 percent from a year earlier to 6.36 trillion won (US$5.3

billion) in 2015, the lowest since 2010 when Hyundai recorded 5.92 trillion won inoperating prot.

Net prot declined 14.9 percent to 6.51 trillion won last year, but revenue increased 3percent to a record high of 91.96 trillion won thanks to robust auto sales.Hyundais globalauto sales reached 4,963,023 units in 2015, the largest annual shipment in the companyshistory.

Danish roong manufacturer Icopal to be soldCOPENHAGEN (Xinhua) -- Danish roong manufacturer Icopal will be sold to NorthAmericas largest roong manufacturer GAF for approximately 1 billion euros, thecompany said on Monday.The deal means GAF and Icopal will now comprise the worlds largest roong andwaterproong company with 65 manufacturing facilities and 6,500 employees worldwide,and an annual combined turnover of nearly US$4 billion across more than 80 countries.GAFs long tradition of innovation, commitment to top quality and customer focus willcomplement Icopals strengths and values. Our customers will benet from enhancedscale, greater breadth of products and services, improved product innovation and anunparalleled global distribution network, said Icopal CEO Miguel Kohlmann in a pressstatement.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)-- South Koreas economicgrowth slowed in the finalquarter of 2015 as a dropin construction investmentoutweighed an improvementin consumer spending, thecountrys central bank said onTuesday.

Asias fourth-largesteconomy expanded 0.6 percentin the fourth quarter fromthe previous quarter, Bankof Koreas preliminary datashowed. It was a slowdown

from the 1.3 percent growth inthe third quarter.

Construction investmentdeclined 6 percent, offsetting1.5 percent growth in consumerspending. Exports, whichdeclined in the previousquarter, turned positive in the

Workers stand on a building under construction in Seoul, South Korea.

South Koreas 4Q growthslows as construction

spending dropslatest quarter, thanks to highershipments of chemicals andmobile devices, the bank said.

For the entire year, Asiasfour th- larges t economyexpanded 2.6 percent, thelowest level since 2.3 percentgrowth in 2012.

Growth of exports stayednearly flat in 2015, offsettingimprovements in consumerspending. Manufacturing,which is reliant on foreigndemand, posted the slowestgrowth in six years.

The latest figures showedthat governments stimulusmeasures in early 2015 gaveonly a temporary boost to theeconomy. China, which isSouth Koreas largest exportmarket, faced a slowdown andkey South Korean exporters,

such as shipbuilders andsteelmakers, struggled withweak global demand andheightened competition.

South Koreas centralbank cut its key policy ra testwice in 2015 to a recordlow of 1.5 percent and thegovernment increased itsspending. Such measuresgave a boost to the housingm a r k e t a n d c o n s u m e rspending, which led to a

big gain in the third-quarte rgrowth.

In 2016, South Koreaseconomy will likely improve,expanding 3 percent, the

bank said earlier this month.Consumer spending willcontinue to fuel the economicexpansion as exports will likelysee a slow recovery.

TOKYO (Jiji Press) -- Japanscustoms-cleared trade decitshrank to 2,832.2 billion in2015 from the record high of12.8 trillion in the previous

year, mainly thanks to cheapercrude oil prices, a governmentreport showed on Monday.

Although its trade balancestayed in the red for the fthconsecutive year, the countryenjoyed the rst decrease inits deficit since 2011, whenits imports of fuel for thermal

power plants began to surgefollowing the nuclear accidentat Tokyo Electric Power Co.sFukushima No. 1 plant.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h epreliminary Finance Ministryreport, annual exports grew 3.5

percent to 75,631.6 billion,gaining ground for the third

straight year chiey owing tobrisk automobile exports to theUnited States.

Imports fall 8.7 percent

Imports dropped 8.7percent to 78,463.7 billion,the rst fall in six years, aslower imports of crude oil,liqueed natural gas and otheritems reflecting price falls

Trade decit shrinks to 2.8tril. on low oil costs

helped offset the impact ofthe yens depreciation againstother major currencies.

By trade partner, Japanbooked a surplus of 7,171.7

billion with the United States,up 17.4 percent from the

previous year, with exports up11.5 percent and imports up6.8 percent.

In trade with mainlandChina, however, Japan incurreda record deficit of 6,191.1

bill ion. Exports slipped forthe rst time in three years ona slowdown in the Chineseeconomy, while imports hit arecord high.

Japans deficit with theEuropean Union expanded 9.5

percent to 638.8 billion, thefourth successive loss, withexports growing 5.3 percent

and imports rising 5.6 percentto a record high.In December alone, Japan

logged a trade surplus of140.2 billion, compared witha decit of 665.6 billion a year

before, the ministry also said.The December result

outpaced the median forecastof a surplus of 110 billion in

a Jiji Press poll of 21 researchinstitutes.

Monthly exports down

Monthly exports fell 8.0percent to 6,337.6 bill ion,

down for the third consecutivemonth. Imports dropped 18.0

percent to 6,197.3 billion.In trade with the United

Sta tes , Japans surplusexpanded 2.7 percent to 758.3

bill ion. Exports were down3.4 percent, and imports weredown 10.1 percent.

With mainland China,Japan posted a decit of 402.8

billion, compared with 446billion in decit a year before.Exports fell 8.6 percent, andimports were down 8.9 percent.

Despite the overall surplusin December, We dont thinkthe trend in trade balance

has fully changed to theblack, Toru Suehiro, seniormarket economist at MizuhoSecurities Co., said, referringto the continued fall in monthlyexports.

A red-ink trend couldstrengthen if crude oil prices

begin to pick up after the recentsharp losses, Suehiro added.

LONDON (Xinhua) -- British

Chancellor George Osborne

and Microsoft founder Bill

Gates announced in Liverpool3 billion pounds (US$4.27

billi on) in funding over the

next ve years for research and

efforts to eliminate Malaria.

The fund would be made up

of 500 million pounds a year

from Britains overseas aid

budget for the next ve years,

as well as US$200 million this

year from the Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation, of which

Bill Gates is the co-chair.

The Gates Foundation will

continue its support with a

similar amount over each of the

following four years.

Speaking at the worldfamous Liverpool School of

Tropical Medicine (LSTM),

Osborne, Gates and government

International Development

Secretary, Justine Greening,

revealed a signicant funding

package to ramp up efforts to

ght malaria.

British govt, Bill Gates announceUS$4.3 bln to ght malaria

They said the path to a

malaria free world will be

centered on a three billion

poun ds commit me nt ov erfive years and a mission to

support the World Health

Organisations goal of reducing

malaria deaths by 90 percent

by 2030.

I am determined that our

overseas aid budget is spent on

the challenges people in Britain

want to see addressed -- and

those that threaten global and

national security, Chancellor

Osborne said.

Across the globe over

a billion people are infected

with malaria and its a cause

of both untold misery and lost

economic potential, he said.Thats why, working with

Bill Gates, Im determined

that Britain leads the world in

the ght against this disease.

Gates said, Britain is

a global leader in the fight

against deadly diseases like

malaria -- a disease that still

claims the life of a child every

minute.

According to Secretary

Greening, Malaria still causesone out of ten child deaths

in Africa and costs Africas

economy billions every year.

D i r ec t o r o f LSTM ,

Professor Janet Hemingway,

said that as the worlds oldest

Tropical Medical Institution

dedicated to improving health,

LSTM is delighted to see the

growing partnership between

British government and Bill

& Melinda Gates Foundation,

providing leadership and support

to the ght against the global

health challenges of malaria.

Mondays announcement

build s on the new 1 bill ionpound Ross Fund announced

by the government and the

Gates Foundation in November

-- named after Sir Ronald Ross,

the British Nobel Laureate

recognised for his discovery

that mosquitoes transmit

malaria.

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 022

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Vientiane Times 11

Asean Economic Community

11Wednesday January 27, 2016 Business

CARE international humanitarian organization ghting global poverty with a special focus on assisting women

and girls to lift their communities out of poverty. CARE International in Laos PDR (CARE Laos) workswith the poorest and most marginalized communities to address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability.

VACANCIES ANNOUNCEMENT

CARE Laos is looking to recruit qualied and motivated Lao national to full the positions as following

1. Senior Facilitator to be based at Soukhouma District, Champasak province (LONG TERM CONTRACT)

From September 2014 to December 2016 CARE will be implementing the Social Protection Activity (SPA) as a sub-contract of the AustraliaDFAT project initially in Soukhouma District (and latterly Mounlapamok District) in Champasak province. The SPA is a sub-componentof the DFAT Social Protection and Sustainable Livelihoods (SPSL) which will be implemented through the Maxwell Stamp PLC. SPA forCARE includes a Resilient Livelihoods for the Poor (RLP) activity and innovation activities.The positions is required to co-ordinate Facilitators and GoL District ofcials and support them to effectively carrying out their duties; Overseeand report back on all project activities in the District and villages, including village meetings, Participant selection, enterprise training andhousehold visits and monitor receipt of transfers.Reporting to:Operations ManagerStaff reporting to this postFacilitators; oversees work of external Technical Trainers.Duties:

Supervise assigned Facilitators; Undertake own assigned family case load; including regular house to house visits, in addition to supervisory activities. Hold weekly team meetings with Facilitators to ensure implementation progress, cross-learning, feedback and improvements in

methodology; Create schedules and ensure implementation of family mentoring visits and enterprise training; Ensure that enterprise training sessions are high quality, relevant, and tailored to program participants; Ensure Facilitators are effectively coaching RLP Participants on enterprises, creatively delivering nancial literacy training,

developing nancial and business plans with participants;Selection Criteria

At least 3 years experience in a rural development project; Background in social and livelihoods activities; Good planning and coordination skills and administration skills; Excellent communication and facilitation skills; Financial literacy techniques; Familiarity of local languages and culture as applicable; Strong understanding of rural poverty in Laos; experience working with local communities and in villages University graduate and/or degree holder

2. Community Development Ofcer to be based at Khua, Phongsaly Province (TEMPORARY CONTRACT- 4 MONTHS)

The Community Development Ofcer (CDO) has responsibility for planning and implementing various activities with a focus on foodand nutritional security including maternal and child health as well as hygiene and sanitation. Together with her/his assistant the CDOwill build the capacity of communities, and women in particular, to engage in local level decision-making processes affecting theirhealth and nutrition.

Duties:

Planning and implementing various project activities with a focus on food and nutritional security including maternal and childhealth as well as hygiene and sanitation.

Implementing project activity plans with a focus on food and nutritional security including maternal and child health Contribute to annual, monthly and weekly planning as well as to regular reection and monitoring within the project team and as

program team Provide monthly report of the activities progress to the project manager Be able to facilitate action to provide gender equality, rural development, and health care training to the villager level Coordinate with GoL counterparts, timely implement activities such as arranging and facilitating community meetings, supporting

for monitoring change at community level. Participants and implement the project activity together to support and develop the nutrition and health activities including maternal,

child health, and gender equity.Selection CriteriaDegree in a related eld preferred, e.g. agriculture, environment or public health Degree or Bachelors degree related to

health and public health is highly valued Willing to spend long periods in remote areas working with poor communities Ability to speak and understand Khmou and/or Akha is highly valued. Experience working with NGOs with related Good communications skills Demonstrate ability to work as part of a team in diverse professional backgrounds.

Application Submission

Qualied candidates should submit a CV and a letter of application that address the Qualications and Experience required to lao.jobs@careint.org or Maiyu.thao@careint.ord before the dateline: January 30th, 2016CARE Laos is committed to working towards equitable relationships and opportunity for women and men. We seek to create and

maintain an organization environment that is free of harassment and exploitation of children. Members of ethnic groups of Lao PDR,

women and people living with disabilities, who meet the selection criteria are strongly encouraged to apply.

(Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. CVs and other documents submitted to CARE will not be return)

SINGAPORE (The StraitsTimes, ANN) -- Singaporesmanufacturing output fell7.9 percent year-on-year inDecember, the 11th month ofcontraction and slightly worsethan analysts had expected.

For the full year, outputcontracted by 5.2 percent, therst annual contraction since

the financial crisis year of2009, reversing the 2.6 percentexpansion seen in 2014.Singapores manufacturingoutput fell by 4.2 percent for

both 2009 and 2008.

Singapores manufacturing output fell 7.9 percent year-on-year in December.

Singapores manufacturing outputfalls 5.2percent in 2015, rst yearly

contraction since 2009Exc l ud i ng t he more

volatile biomedical segment,output in December fell bya sharper 13 percent, datafrom Singapore EconomicDevelopment Board (EDB)showed on Tuesday.

O n a s e a s o n a l l yadjusted month-on-month

ba si s, De cemb er s ou tput

was 2 percent higher thanNovember s. But excludingbiomedical production, outputfell 2.7 percent.

The important electronicscluster continued