Laos — Radio Free Asia

The Lao-China high-speed railway line is shown running through farmland in Oudomxay province in Laos in a file photo.

As Lao-China Rail Line Nears Completion, Some Displaced by the Work Still Wait to be Paid

Some villagers moved from their land have not yet been paid, while others say they are happy with the compensation they have received.

A disabled man sits in a wheelchair in his village in Ta-Oey district of southern Laos' Saravan province, where the toxic herbicide Agent Orange was sprayed, in an undated photo.

Laotians Still Affected by Wartime Use of Agent Orange, Study Finds

2021-06-12

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy vows to look into the use of defoliants in Laos during the Vietnam War.

Photo of the Hongsa Lignite Power Plant in Xayaburi province, Laos, captured by RFA's Lao Service from a NewTV video in 2017.

Hundreds of Families Forced to Move for Lao Coal Plant Expansion

2021-06-10

Villagers demand more in compensation, worry about life in a relocation village.

Thai narcotics officials arrange bags of seized methamphetamine pills during the 50th Destruction of Confiscated Narcotics ceremony in Ayutthaya province, Thailand, June 26, 2020.

UN: Southeast Asian Meth Trade Grew in 2020 Despite COVID-19 Controls

2021-06-10

Seizures of the drug in Southeast and East Asia swelled 19 percent last year – a record.

This undated photo shows an active dispute between residents of a Vientiane suburb and the developers of a highway that will displace them from their homes.

Villagers Displaced by Laos’ Nam Ngum 4 Dam Say Compensation is not Enough

2021-06-07

All land is owned by the state, and compensation is determined by the government and developers, with no input from the people.

An ethnic Hmong woman and two children are seen on a coffee plantation in Houaphanh province, eastern Laos, June 27, 2018.

Rural Poverty Drives Child Labor in Laos Despite State Laws Prohibiting The Practice

2021-06-02

Ethnic minority families can’t afford school and make kids toil in fields or watch over younger siblings.

A Lao social media user checks the news on an online site in an undated photo.

Laos Creates Task Force to Monitor ‘Misuse’ of Social Media

2021-06-01

Mixed reactions greet the move, with some in Laos expressing support and others fearing possible arrest.

A Chinese-owned banana farm in Borikhamxay province's Borikhan district, where two Lao workers died, is shown in an undated photo.

Two Lao Workers Die From Suspected Chemical Use at Chinese-Owned Banana Farm

2021-05-24

Illnesses and deaths have long been reported among workers at foreign-owned banana farms in Laos.

The Boten Check Point on the border between Laos and China is shown in a May 14, 2021 photo.

Lao Woman Who Disappeared is Believed to Have Been Trafficked to China

2021-05-18

Women continue to be trafficked from Laos into China in spite of warnings against trusting promises of well-paid work across the border.

A 2019 file photo of the Golden Triangle SEZ in Laos.

Golden Triangle Tourist Zone in Laos a Hotbed for COVID 19

2021-05-17

Hungry Cambodians risk health to scrounge for scrap metal as two more succumb to coronavirus in Vietnam.

A public health worker checks the temperature of a Lao fisherman, one of 20 who entered Thailand illegally on Dec. 17, 2020.

Laos Records Second COVID-19 Death as Number of Infections Balloons

2021-05-14

Cambodia and Vietnam also struggle with spreading outbreaks, but Phnom Penh boasts two million people vaccinated.

The Phouthtera Culture Garden and Resorts, located 20 kilometers from the center of the capital of Laos, Vientiane, is shown in an undated photo.

Lao Power Company Deep in Debt, But Managers Live Well

2021-05-10

A lack of transparency in EDL’s bidding process has led to high project costs and unmanageable levels of interest and debt, sources say.

The former Guestown-Lao Co. cement works, now owned by the Jian Qe Co. Ltd., is shown in Luang Prabang province, Laos, in an undated photo.

Lao Workers Are Paid Back Wages at Chinese-Owned Cement Plant, Ending Dispute

2021-05-03

The workers were paid by the plant's new owner, the Jiang Qe Co. Ltd., after talks with provincial labor authorities.

Laos Sees Huge Jump in COVID-19 Cases, While Lockdown in Cambodia Threatens Food Security

2021-04-26

Daily infections in Laos hit triple digits, while observers say Cambodians are starving during an extended lockdown.

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Crowd Jostles for COVID-19 Vaccine Shot in Lao Capital

Running Dry: Drought And Dams Deplete The Mighty Mekong

Laos and its Dams:
Southeast Asia’s Battery, Built by China

CHINA’S FAST TRACK TO INFLUENCE:
BUILDING A RAILWAY IN LAOS

A River in Peril

Search for Sombath

Vietnamese Civil Groups Raise Freedom of Religion, Expression at ASEAN Forum

Discrimination, Restrictions on Freedom of Expression Cited For Rights Decline in Myanmar

European Parliamentarians Accuse Lao Government of Lying Over Sombath's Case

Lao Activist Sombath May Not Be Alive: Diplomats

Mystery Over Lao Civil Society Leader's Disappearance Deepens

Xayaburi Dam

NGOs Petition Malaysian Human Rights Body Over Laos Dam

Hundreds Protest Lao Dam Project

Cambodia Lodges Dam Protest with Laos

Xayaburi Concerns Mount

International Green Group Calls Attention to Negative Impacts of Dam Projects in Laos