People and government
JICA provides grant for scholarships, bridge repair

The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Japan International Cooperation Agency on 8 July signed a grant agreement for two aid projects for Human Resource Development Scholarships from 2016 to 2020 and Reconstruction of Bridges on National Road No. 9, worth about 2.836 billion yen. The ...
Laos, Thailand intensify economic ties, amend MoU on labour cooperation

Laos and Thailand have highlighted areas in which they will intensify economic cooperation and signed an amended Memorandum of Understanding on labour cooperation, Thai media reported on 6 July. The agreement was reached on 6 July by the two governments as Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith led a ...
Nearly 4,000 bridges to be built in remote areas

The second phase of a bridge building programme, which aims at building nearly 4,000 bridges in remote areas, will be kicked off next month, said Nguyen Van Huyen, director of the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam. Under the programme, a total of 3,959 bridges, including ...
As war of words drags on, government in Rakhine State opts for term ‘Rakhine ethnics’

A day after thousands of Buddhist nationalists staged protests across Rakhine State, the regional government issued a statement saying it would call the state’s Buddhist majority “Rakhine ethnics”, as controversy over terminology continues to simmer. The announcement yesterday said the state government would drop the phrase ...
Govt to meet again with armed Kokang groups
The government is planning to meet with the three armed ethnic groups from the Kokang region that had been excluded from last year’s so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement, according to government peace negotiator U Hla Maung Shwe. The three groups have been fighting the Tatmadaw since ...
Fishery sees stronger seafood exports
With easing tension over labour issues in Thailand, the fishery industry expects exports of seafood products to grow by 2-3 per cent this year after a slight drop in the first half. Moreover, private enterprises expect the European Union to cancel its “yellow card” on ...
Ongoing challenges in Kingdom's efforts to end domestic violence

Slow action from courts and police, a dire lack of mental health counselling and sparse government funding were named as ongoing challenges in Cambodia’s quest to eliminate violence against women at a conference on 4 July. Minister of Women’s Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi said that while ...
Japan gives boost to human resource development in Laos

The government of Japan is providing grant assistance of 308 million yen for the continuation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Project in Laos. An agreement was signed on 4 July in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Khamphao Eunthavanh and Japanese Ambassador to Laos ...
WFP extends support for mother and child health

The World Food Programme has forecasted a budget of over US$8.5 million in assistance for the 2016-17 fiscal year to improve the health of mothers and children in Laos. This support forms part of the 12-month project “Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Programme”, which is ...
Caritas Luxembourg funds livelihood improvement in Xieng Khuang
Caritas Luxembourg has provided a grant of over 1 million euros (more than 9 billion kip) to improve the Strengthening Livelihood Systems Project in Mok district, Xieng Khuang province. The project agreement was signed recently by the Director of the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department, Mr ...