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2 Vientiane TimesHome news Tuesday February 2, 2016

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Times Reporters

Xieng Khuang provincialauthority is continuing effortsto mobilise additional fundsfor the construction of atemple on a high mountainin Thongmixay village, Paekdistrict, with the project nowsome 30 percent complete.

President of the GoldenMountain Garden Group,Mr Phoukham Ouanouansa,who is also the head of thecommittee responsible fortemple construction, told medialast weekend that the project isnow 30 percent complete andwork will continue.

The temple was named asHai Hin Mixayaram temple. Itis one project towards culturaland tourism development inthe province.

Mr Phoukham Ouanouansa

Xieng Khuang authorities seeking

funds for temple construction

The model of Hai Hin Mixayaram temple in Thongmixay village, Paek district, Xieng Khuang province.

said once complete, it willbecome the biggest temple inthe province and have the addedattraction of being located atthe top of a mountain.

Currently the infrastructureincluding the preaching hall isalready completed and we areconcentrating on constructinga huge Buddha image afterthe groundbreaking ceremonyon December 11, 2015, MrPhoukham said.

The huge Buddha imageshall be some 39 metres talland 19 metres wide, situtatedon the top of the mountain. Itis estimated that the Buddhaimage alone will cost in excessof US$1 million or eight billionkip.

Ater coletin theconstruction of the Buddhaimage, they will also build amonastery, main hall of the

temple and other facilities.The temple is located only

around one kilometre fromthe Plain of Jars site and willoffer a view of the mysteriousarcheological site and alsoa vista of the Xieng KhuangPlain and the provincial capital.

A t e r t h e t e l e i scomplete it will become a placefor dharma and meditation

practice, while also showcasingthe culture and customs of the

people and welcoming manyvisitors.

It is expected that variousimportant festivals and eventswill also be held at the templein the years ahead.

Mr Phoukham said theauthorities are also planningdevelopment around the templearea, which could include aspecial economic zone and atourism zone.

CorrectionVientiane Ties would like to aoloise or wronly statin the nae o the Abassador-

designate of Japan to Laos on page 2 of the February 1 issue, paragraph 7 and the photo captionin the article titled Waste transfer station opens in Vientiane. The ambassadors correct nameis Mr Takeshi Hikihara.

Times Reporters

A Chinese coany and LaoState Enterprise are seekingto development a recreationalcomplex in Borikhamxay

province, featur ing a resort,golf course, and other tourismfacilities.

T h e p r o p o s e ddevelopment covers 600hectares in Huaysiat river

ba si n, about 3 ki lome tr esfrom the provinces capitaland urban centre, Pakxan.

T h e c o m p a n i e ssigned a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with the

Investors eyeing golf resort

for Borikhamxayprov ince s Depa rt ment ofPlanning and Investment lastweek for a six month feasibilitystudy for the area now knownas Pakxan Resort Project.

The proposal previously

known as Suan Koulab(Rose Garden), comprisingguesthouses and restaurants,had been previously touted bya Lao entrepreneur before itwas transerred to Korean rst,Vietnamese second, and mostrecently Chinese businessmen.

The department DirectorMr Phonephilath Sithsatonesaid the area was an attractivesite of more than 300 hectares

with a water boundary and anisland in the middle.

He said the transference ofoperations from one developerto the next had its reasons suchas the death of the Vietnamese

investor CEO.Borikhamxay provincehas an abundance of naturaland cultural tourist sitessuch as waterfalls, rapids,and temples, while there isno recreation complex in thecentral province.

More than 139,000 touristsvisited the province in 2013,and the number reached184,000 in 2014.

he said.

Health personnel workingat checkpoints have beeninforming the general publicabout MERS and its preventionwhile passengers travellingfrom outbreak countries wouldto be screened.

Borde r checkpo i n t swithout scanning machinesare advised to monitor theinbound travellers country oforigin along with suspectedsymptoms, such as fever,cough and shortness of breath.

Currently, there is novaccine to prevent MERS-CoV infection. Dr Phengta alsoadvised people help protect

themselves from respiratoryillnesses by taking everyday

preventive actions.These included washing

your hands often with soap andhelping young children do thesame; covering your nose andmouth with a tissue when youcough or sneeze, then throwing

the tissue in the trash; avoidingtouching your eyes, nose andmouth with unwashed hands;avoiding personal contact,such as kissing, or sharingcups or eating utensils, withsick people and cleaning anddisinfect frequently touchedsurfaces and objects, such asdoorknobs.

In addition, if possiblepeople are advised not to travelto MERS epidemic countriesuntil the situation returns tonormal.

Accordin to WHO, on

23 January the Omani patienttested positive for MERS-CoV. The patient, who has co

morbidities, first developedsymptoms on 14 January whilein Oman. On 18 January, hewas admitted to hospital. On21 January, against medicaladvice, the patient self-discharged from hospital. The

patient was sampled beforeleaving the hospital. The

sample tested positive forMERS-CoV on 25 January,after the patient had alreadyleft Oman.

On 24 January, the NationalIHR Focal Point of Oman wasinformed about the case for thenecessary follow up on contacts

back in Oman and investigationof history of exposure.Investigations revealed that thecase had contacts with camelsin the 14 days prior to the onsetof symptoms.

No epidemiological linkshave been established betweenthis case and the latest casedetected in Oman.

Measures are being taken to

trace all contacts of the casesin Oman, during his journey toThailand, and within Bangkok.

Globally, since September2012, WHO has been notied

o 1,633 laboratory-conred

cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 587related deaths.

Laos stepping up surveillance... fROm pAgE 1

Lao workers and labourers have constantlydeveloped their labour skills along with thedevelopment of the country in each period and

they have always shown high responsibility intheir duties.Thereore they ained the condence o party

and state organisations, civil society organisations,domestic and foreign investors, he added.

Some trade union members, workersand labourers were elected and assigned tosignificant Party and state positions fromthe central to the local level and some have

become outstanding managers at factories andcompanies.

This outcome has caused the federationto take an important role in the political,economic, social and cultural aspects of societyand has been recognised by friendly countries

LFTU needs to protect... fROm pAgE 1internationally, Mr Pan said.

Because of the outstanding outcomes overthe past years, the LFTU was awarded an

Issara Order (Class 1), a Labour Order (Class1), a Labour Order (Class 2), a Labour Order(Class 3), a Labour Medal (Class 1) and someovernent certicates o conratulations.

On todays special occasion, the Laogovernment agreed to present a National GoldOrder to the federation, Mr Pan added.

On the day, there was also a trade fair atLao-ITECC from January 26 to February 3,with each sector bringing their products toexhibit and sell.

There was also a fashion show featuringmodels wearing the uniforms of ministries,organisations, companies and factories at Lao-ITECC.

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3Vientiane Times Tuesday February 2, 2016 Home news

Weather forecast

Times Reporters

The annualDok Ngiew(kapokower) festival in Tonheundistrict, Bokeo province hasattracted over 60,000 touristsfrom Laos and neighbouringcountries to learn about theunique Lao culture.

The event took place fromJanuary 26-31 featuring anumber of activities includinga trade fair, beauty contest,food contest and other cultural

performances.The event was organised by

Bokeo provincial authoritiesand Golden Triangle Special

Economic Zone (SEZ) andattended by Deputy PrimeMinis ter Mr SomsavatLengsavad, Dok Ngiew KhamGroup President Mr Choi

Kapok ower festival attracts

more tourists to Bokeo

Mr Somsavat Lengsavad and other ofcials cut ribbons to open Dok Ngiew (kapok ower) Festival in Tonpheung district.

Wai and other high-rankingocials.

The aim was to promotetourism in the province andgenerate income for local

people while preserving thetraditional culture of local

people. The event takes placeeach year to coincide withthe blooming of the kapokowers which row naturallyin the district. Director ofBokeo provincial Departmentof Information, Culture andTour ism Mr SomphoneKeomany told Vientiane Timesyesterday that tourists fromThailand, Myanmar, China and

other European countries alsoattended the event.

The new thing for thisyears festival celebrationis that we organised a food

festival, allowing local peopleto show off how wonderfultheir foods are among foreignvisitors, he said.

The festival directlygenerated revenue for local

people and the economy whilecreating activities for tourists tostay in Bokeo province longer.

Since the opening of abridge across the Mekong Riverbetween Bokeo and Chiang Raiprovince of Thailand in 2012,more tourists have visited the

province.But the main challenge for

the province is how to keeptourists staying longer so that

local eole can benet rothe growth of the tourismindustry.

Mr Somphone said We areimproving the quality of our

Times Reporters

The ministry o Aricultureand Forestry has announced itwill pursue three focal targetsset to ensure food security,greater commercial productionand sustainable forestry

management.In i ts five-year plan

provided recently, the ministryrevealed the rst taret is tosecure food production withsucient nutrition.

In this regard, the ministrywi l l pursue the annual

producti on of 2.5 mi ll iontonnes of paddy rice viagovernment-introduced foodsecurity projects. Of which,

between 200,000 and 400,000tonnes will be stockpiled asnational reserve.

Another taret is or theproduction of the five foodgroups to reach an average of2,600 kilocalories per person

per day.

In addition, the ministryhas announced, as identifiedin the second target, to

produce more commodi tieswith better quality on acommercial basis with focuson producing clean andorganic farm products.

The ministry said organicfarm produce were in highdemand in markets of otherAsean eber countries,China, Japan and the Republicof Korea.

Foodstuffs production hasincreased in recent years pavingthe way to attain the set target,thanks to incentive policiesand regulations introduced tofacilitate production.

Nationwide production ofrice increased from just 3.06million tonnes in 2011 to 4.2million tonnes in 2015, whichenabled Laos to export some

surplus. Production of otherfoodstuffs increased from 1.23million tonnes in 2011 to 1.41million tonnes in 2015.

Domestic average annualproduction and supply of meats,chickens and eggs increasedfrom 48 kilograms per person

in 2011 to 55 kilograms perperson in 2015 meeting thetargeted plan.

As a result, the food andAriculture Oranisationof t he Un i t ed Na t i onscertified in 2015 that Laoshad achieved millenniumdevelopment goal I (MDG1) on eradicating extreme

pover ty and hunger.Zoning projects have been

established to promote cleanand organic production ofcrops such as coffee, cassava,

jobs tear, bananas, rice, andwatermelons among others.

Notably, Laos has startedto export rice to China andis expected to increase these

exports to 8,000 tonnes in theimmediate future generatingincome of US$6 million (morethan 48.4 billion kip).

Livestock farms haveincreased in number, highlighted

by a Japanese investors large andmodern farm in Xieng Khuang

province to rear thousands ofhead of cattle.

In a move to ensuresustainable management offorests, a survey has beencompleted to facilitate theallocation of 51 productionorest areas. Allocation o

production forest will assistlogging plans.

The minis t ry sa id i twould continue to complete

the allocation of productionforest areas and village forestareas across the country tofacilitate sustainable forestrymanagement.

Ariculture inistry topursue three focal targets

hotels and other facilities aswell as opening new tourismsites to welcome the risingnumber of tourists to the

province.Mr Somphone said before

the opening of the bridge acrossthe Mekong, the number oftourist arrivals in the provincewas just 70-80,000 peopleannually but the ure rose to170,000 people in 2015.

Bokeo province is an entrypoint for many tourists arrivingfrom Thailand before theymake their way to other partsof Laos and to southern China.The province lies on Road

R3A, art o the ajor hihwayrunning from Kunming inChina through the northern Lao

provinces of Luang Namthaand Bokeo to Thailand.

Temperatures to drop again in LaosTimes Reporters

The Weather Forecasting andAeronautical meteoroloyDivision of the Meteorologyand Hydrology Departmenthas updated the latest weatherforecast for the main provinces.

In Vientiane, temperaturesranging from 18-30C are

expected on February 2, 15-28Con February 3 and 4, 16-25C onFebruary 5, 13-22C on February6, and 11-22C on February 7.

In Pakxong dis t r ic t ,Champassak p rov i nce ,temperatures ranging between7-26C are expected on February2, from 7-25C on February 3,and from 6-24C on February4, from 5-24C on February 5,4-22C on February 6 and 3-22Con February 7.

The division has forecastthe minimum temperatures forthe northeast part of Laos,withtemperatures ranging from 3-21C

predicted from February 2 to7. In

the north west parts,minimumtemperatures will range from8-28C betweenFebruary 2 to7.Meanwhile in the central parts,the mercury is expected to rangefrom 11-28C over the periodfrom February 2 to7.

Minimum temperaturesfrom 12-18C are forecast fromFebruary 2 to7in the southern

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

The minimum temperaturein Vientiane during the heightof the cold snap last weekreached as low as 10.7 degrees,while Xamneua district inHuaphan province reported 2C,XiengKhuang 1.4C, Oudomxay3.5C, Huayxai 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 Vientiane

province was recorded at 10.8C,Pakxan district in Borikhamxay

pr ov in ce 8. 2C , Km 20 inKhammuan province 4.5C,Savannakhet province 11.5C,Pakxe district in Champassak

pr ov in ce 14 .4 C, Sa ra va n

province 13C, Xekong province14.5C, and Attaeu rovince15.6C.

An ocial ro the divisiondelivered the latest informationto Vientiane Timesyesterday,saying the weather shall getcolder from February5-9,especially in the north east andcentral parts of Laos.

The overnight minimum willrange from 3-5Cin the north east

parts and from 11-13C in thecentral parts and Vientiane.

The south will see minimumsfrom 12-14C and mountainousPakxong district will see themercury drop to between 3-5C.

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4 Vientiane TimesHome news Tuesday February 2, 2016

News in Brief

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Attention Vientiane Times subscribers

Northern provinces set price controls amid potential increasesThree northern provinces of Phongsaly, Xieng Khuang and Huaphan have set ceiling

prices of food items to be sold in local markets amid fears of potential food priceincreases after freezing weather damaged crops and killed livestock.The freezing weather that swept and covered northern and central regions of Laos latelast month reportedly killed livestock and damaged crops triggering fear that localmerchants could increase the price without permission from relevant authorities.Authorities o the rovinces are onitorin rices o ood ites in local arkets,Pathetlao DailyNewspaper reported recently.The Industry and Commerce Department of Xieng Khuang province has set maximum

rice or bee at 60,000 ki er kilora and 20,000 ki er kilorae or tilaia sh.Prices of other food items were also set.Huaphan and Phongsaly have also set a maximum price of 60,000 kip per kilogrammeor bee, 30,000 ki er kilorae or ork, and 30,000 ki er kilorae o sh.

Xekong sets 2016 infant mortality reduction targetThe Health Department of northern Xekong province has announced its ambition toreduce the infant mortality rate of infants under one year of age to 45 per 1,000 livebirths. It will also strive to reduce the ortality rate or inants under ve years o ae to70 infants per 1,000 live births, the Socio-Economic Dailyreported recently.To achieve such targets, provincial authorities said recently they would promote goodhealth practices among pregnant women including encouraging them to have regularcheckups and take necessary medicines. Mothers will be educated to come and deliver

babies in places where health services are available and make sure their infants arevaccinated against potential diseases such as measles, pneumonia, tuberculosis and

polio.

Vientiane court imprisons drug dealerThe Vientiane peoles Court sentenced a an to ve years in rison and ned hi

10 million kip for the purchase and sale of illegal drugs, theKhuamsangobnewspaperreported. The defendant was named as Mr Phoungeun, 28, of Sikert village, Naxaithongdistrict. He told police he had been an addict and sold illegal drugs since 2014. He

bought amphetamines from Mr Dam, 23, and Mr Oud, 29, of Sikert village and soldthem to youths. Meanwhile, the Vientiane Peoples Court recently sentenced a man fromPhonhong district, Vientiane province, to a term of imprisonment for assaulting police.The court sentenced Mr Souvandee, 30, of Phonsoung village to four years and sixonths in rison and ned hi ore than 19 illion ki.

New school and kindergarten for PakxongChildren in Pakxong district, Champassak province, now have a brand new kindergartenand primary school to brighten their learning environment. Two buildings in Km12villae were nanced by a donor oranisation in monaco, local residents and coaniesin Champassak province at a cost of more than 500 million kip, according toPasaxon.The kindergarten has two classrooms and the primary school has six classrooms, witheach room able to accommodate 30-40 children.The roject started in Auust 2014 and was coleted within nine onths.

Times Reporters

Xieng Khuang provincialauthorities will organise theMiss Xieng Khuang contestto promote the culture andtourism attractions of thenorthern province.

Since the war period,Xieng Khuang women have

been famous for thei r boldfight together with the men

Miss Xieng Khuang contest

prepares to launch

Mr Phoukham Ouanouansa.

and their good revolutionarytraditions.

A coittee oranisorof the Miss Xieng Khuangcontes t , Mr PhoukhamOuanouansa, told media last

weekend that the event willrun from March 15-25 at SuanPhou Khamin Phonsavanxayvillage, Paek district, of the

province.It is the rst tie that a

Miss Xieng Khuang contesthas been held, with ocialsdeciding they need a MissXieng Khuang to attendt o u r i s m d e v e l o p m e n tconferences and promote theculture of the province.

The contest will select 20Xieng Khuang girls to attend.The purpose of this contestis to promote tourism andthe culture of the province aswell as agriculture becauseXieng Khuang is one province

that has many agriculturalproducts.

The contest committee willselect Miss Xieng Khuang

by testing her knowledge oftourism, culture, history andagriculture.

The auditions will start on

march 15 until the nal roundcontest on March 25.Besides that the event

will also include a singingcontest, traditional dances,and a concert featuring famoussingers from the province andother parts of Laos.

Deputy Head of theInformation, Culture andTourism Department inXieng Khuang province, MsMuansy Sitthivong, who isalso a committee organiserfor the contest, said that theevent will be held to review therevolutionary traditions of XiengKhuang province and promoteits artists, culture and tourism.

The event will also mark

the upcoming of InternationalWomens Day on March 8.

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Vientiane Times Tuesday February 2, 2016 Photo news 5

Vietnaese Abassador to Laos mr Nuyen manh Hun (third right) proposes a toast with DeputyPrime Minister and Minister of Education and Sports Mr Phankham Viphavanh (third left) at theVietnam Embassy in Vientiane last Thursday to celebrate Vietnamese New Year.

The Chinese Culture Centre to Laos organised a two day celebration of 2016 Chinese New Year atthe Vientiane Centre from January 30-31 in Vientiane. The art performances from China featureda lion dance, songs and traditional dances to celebrate the New Year.

Electricite du Laos recently presents educational equipment and sports items including blankets andcold weather clothing for schoolchildren in remote areas of Khammuan provinces Bualapha district.

Deputy Director of the Childrens Hospital in Vientiane, Dr Sommanikhone Phangmanixay (frstleft) explains the treatment of childhood cancer at the hospital to representatives from the KoreaFoundation for International Health Care last week. --Photo Phetphoxay

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Region

S

In brief from AsiaNews Network

IBP offers to helpOmbudsmanprosecute corruptpolsmANILA (philiine

Daily Inquirer) -- The66,000-strong IntegratedBar of the Philippines(IBP) has volunteeredto hel the Oce oOmbudsman prosecutecorrupt politicians by

providing free manpoweror its act-ndininvestigations.In a statement, Josedela Rama Jr., CentralLuzon IBP governorand former BulacanIBP president, said thegroup is prepared tosign a memorandumof agreement withOmbudsman ConchitaCarpio-Morales.

Nepal runs Zikarisk post-monsoonNEpAL (The KathanduPost) -- With Zika virusspreading rapidly inthe Aericas, there is adanger of it travelling to

Nepal, particularly in thepost-monsoon season,given the presence ofthe mosquito that carriesthe virus in Nepalsmajor cities includingKathmandu, expertswarn. Accordin tothe Epidemiology andDisease Control Division(EDCD), the mosquitolinked to the spread of

Zika in the Aericas,Aedes aeyti, is already

present in Kathmanduand other major cities.Once the temperaturesrise above 15 degreesCelsius, the mosquitowould have a conduciveenvironment for

breeding.

NAY pYI TAW (Xinhua) --Myanmars new parliamentMonday elected U WinMyint of the National Leaguefor Democracy (NLD) asSpeaker of the House ofRepresentatives (LowerHouse) and U Ti Khun Myatof the Union Solidarity andDevelopment Party (USDP) asDeputy Speaker of the House.

The election took place atthe rst session o the arliaentthat bean a new ve-year terfrom 2016.

U Win Myint, an NLD MP

Two lawmakers (centre), pose for a photo before taking their seats to participate in the inauguralsession of Myanmars lower house parliament. --Photo AP

Myanmar new parliament elects speaker

of House of Representativesto the House of Representativesfrom Pathein constituency in thelast term of the parliament, wasre-elected to the same Housefrom Tammwe constituency inthe 2015 general election.

U Ti Khun Myat is a Kachinethnic parliament representativeelected from Kutkai constituencyrepresenting the USDP.

T h e n e w l y - e l e c t e dpar liament sta rted its fir stsession with the House ofRepresentatives in Nay Pyi TawMonday morning, two days afterthe expiry of the previous term

of the parliament.The summon for the first

session of the new parliamentcame nearly three months afterthe end of the general election on

November 8, 2015, in which theNLD, led by Aun San Suu Kyi,won the absolute majority of the

parliamentary seats.Attendin the rst arliaent

session were a total of 430 MPsto the House of Representativesdominated by the NLD.

The session of the House ofNationalities (Upper House) isscheduled to start on Wednesday.

MELBOURNE (Xinhua) --Australian scientists have

witnessed the rare eruption ofan Antarctic volcano o thecoast of the frozen continent.

The scientists, fromAustralias CoonwealthScientific and IndustrialResearch Organisa t ion(CSIRO), led the volcanicevent by chance while aboardresearch vessel Investigators tudying the f r inge ofAntarcticas Heard Island.

The crew, working inconjunction with the Universityof Tasmanias Institute formarine and Antarctic Studies(ImAS), were actually lookinto study underwater volcanoes

before the land-based varietycaught their attention.

Heard Island, a remotesub-Antarctic reion, is hoeto Big Ben, an active volcanowhich is believed to have onlyerupted three times since theturn of the century.

Gi ven t he i s l and sisolation, viewing Big Ben -which is mostly covered in icethroughout the year - duringan eruption is considered ageoscientific rarity. Often,

Australian scientists lmrare eruption of remote

Antarctic volcanosatellite images provide theonly evidence that an eruption

has occurred.Chief scientist aboard TheInvestiator, ImAS roessorand eohysicist mike Con,said on Monday it was a greatthrill to l the 2,745-etrevolcano in action, becomingone of the few people in humanhistory to have witnessed iterupting.

We have 10 excitedgeoscientists aboard Investigator,and our enthusiasm has spread toour 50 shiates, Con saidin a CSIRO press release onMonday.

The crew, based 4,100km southwest of the WesternAustralian city o perth, areonly three weeks into their

58-day research voyage.Despite the trip barelyge t t i ng unde rway , t heresearchers claim to haveal ready uncovered 50

p o t e n t i a l u n d e r w a t e rhydrothermal plumes, whichmay help establish whetheractive underwater volcanoes- which create these plumes -form the foundation for life inthe Southern Ocean.

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Vientiane Times 77Tuesday February 2, 2016 Region

WASHINgTON (Ap) --Fifteen years into the warthat ew Aericans talkabout any more, conditionsin Ahanistan are ettinworse, preventing the cleanending that President BarackObama hoped to imposebeore leavin oce.

Violence is on the rise,the Taliban are staging newoffensives, the Islamic Stategroup is angling for a footholdand peace prospects are dim.

Ahanistan reains adanger zone. Its hobbled by aweak economy thats sappingublic condence in the new

Afghan security forces patrol in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan. (File photo AP)

Violence in Afghanistan forcesObama to rethink troop levels

overnent. Ahan oliceand soldiers are strugglingto hold together the country13 months after the US-ledmilitary coalition culled itsnumbers by 90 percent.

The bottom line: For asecond time, Obama isrethinking his plan to dropUS troop levels from 9,800 to5,500 beore he leaves ocein January 2017.

I d o n t s e e a n ydrawdowns in the near future,said James Dobbins, Obamasformer special envoy forAhanistan and pakistan. He

predicted that Obama would

leave the decision to the nextpresident.

They are just hopingthat things hold togetherand they wont have to facea decision on whether toactually implement the forcereduction theyre talkingabout until late summer,early fall, by which time theadministration will be on itslast legs, Dobbins said.

Top military officials,as well as Republicans andDemocrats in Congress,think that trimming the forceany more during Obamas

presidency is a bad idea.

WUHAN (Xinhua) -- Rareheavy snow hit severalcentral and eastern Chinese

provinces Sunday, disruptinga pre-holiday travel rush thatinvolves millions of people.

Heavy snow blanketed

cent ra l Chinas Hubeiprovince early Sunday, closingdown a pivotal airport inits capital Wuhan, delayingtrains and causing standstillon expressways, the localgovernment said.

The Tianhe Airort inWuhan was closed at midday.Sixteen deartin ihts werecanceled, while 18 incomingflights were forced to landin the neighbouring cities of

Snow disrupts Chinaspre-holiday travel rush

Nanchan or Chansha . Atleast 2,000 passengers werestranded at the airport.

The railway networkwas a l so unde r heavy

pressure, as large crowds ofasseners, rustrated by iht

cancellations and road blocks,ocked into train stations.

We put four additionaltrains in service for passengerst ravel ing wi thin Hubeiprovince, said an ocial withthe Wuhan Railway Bureau.But the snowy weather sloweddown most trains, causingan average delay of 30 to 50minutes.

The weather bureau inWuhan said the snow would

last in most parts of theprovince until Tuesday.

In east Chinas JiangxiProvince, snowy weathercaused serious congestions oninterprovincial expressways.On one of the most congested

sections of an expresswaylinking Jiangxi and HubeiProvinces, motor vehicles

piled up 3 km in a standstill.The provincial weather

bureau has forecast snow insix cities and a temperaturedrop of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.

Snow hit at least 12 cities ineast Chinas Jiangsu provinceSunday. Local authoritieshave closed down fourinterprovincial expresswaysfor safety considerations.

Snow or sleet also hit therovinces o Henan and Anhui,while rain soaked Guangdong,Fujian, Jiangxi and Yunnan

provinces as well as GuangxiZhuan Autonoous Reion,

according to the NationalMeteorological Centre.

This round of rain andsnow will last for three days,according to the centre.

The bad weather is anuisance for the early birds whohave embarked on their once-a-year Spring Festival travelfor home. The 40-day travelrush, which began a week ago,was a major event in China.Students, migrant workers andother passengers take trains,

buses and planes to head homefor the Spring Festival, or theLunar New Year, which fallson February 8 this year.

Tourists visit the snow-covered Huangshan Mountain, east ChinasAnhui province. --Photo Xinhua

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 027

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World

DUBAI, United Arab Eirates

(Ap) -- The Saudi-led coalition

striking Shiite rebels inYemen says it is setting up anindependent committee to probethe forces actions amid criticismover its military operations in theimpoverished nation.

Coalition spokesman Brig.gen. Ahed Asiri was quoted

by the offic ial Saudi Pres s

Aency early monday as

saying the team is tasked withexamining military activitiesin civilian areas.

A searate stateent

from the Saudi Embassyin Washington says thecommittee will assess thecoalitions rules of engagementinvolving civil ians andwill offer conclusions and

Saudi-led coalition sets up body

to probe actions in Yemen

Shiite tribesmen, known as Houthis, hold their weapons as they chant slogans during a tribal gatheringshowing support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen. (File photo AP)

recommendations to betterrespect international andhumanitarian law.

A docuent by a United

Nations panel leaked lastweek urged the UN SecurityCouncil to consider creatingan international commissionto investigate alleged humanrights abuses by all sides inthe conict.

LONDON (Xinhua) -- VisitingEuropean Council PresidentDonald Tusk said no dealhad been reached yet over

Britains future in Europe afterhis talks with British PrimeMinister David Cameron atDowning Street on Sunday.

Cameron and Tusk metand held talks over dinner atDowning Street on Sunday,seekin to nalize a ackae

of measures over Britainsrelationship with the EU.

No deal yet. Intensivework in next 24 (hours)crucial, Tusk tweeted afterhe left the crunch talks withCameron.

Cameron, on his part,announced on his Twitteraccount that he had a good

meeting with Tusk, who hasagreed to another 24 hours oftalks before publishing thedraft of British renegotiationtext.

Ater the eetin, a

Downing Street spokespersonsaid the two leaders had a

productive working dinner.Much progress has

been made, par ticularly inthe last 48 hours since thePrime Ministers meeting withPresident of the EuropeanCommission Jean-ClaudeJuncker on Friday, but there is

European Council president says Nodeal after talks with British PM

still more hard work required,the spokesperson said in astatement.

On welfare, the European

Commission have tabled a textmaking clear that Britainscurrent circumstances meetthe criteria for triggering theemergency brake, accordingto the statement.

This is a significantbreakth rough, mean ing thePrime Minister can deliveron his commitment to restrictin work benefits to EUmigrants for four years, thespokesperson noted.

The statement added: Butthere are still areas where thereis more to do and both agreedit was therefore worth takingthe extra time to make further

progress.Such areas, according tothe spokesperson, include theissues of economic governanceand abuse of free movement.

In t he sp i r i t o f aconstructive meeting, Tusksignaled that he plans tocirculate a draft text to allMember States on Tuesday,spokesperson said.

Ea r l i e r on Sunday ,Tusk said he would presentsolutions to Cameron onall baskets, but agreementmust be acceptable for al 28

EU member states, and therewould be no compromise onfundamental freedoms.

As art o his key deands

to renegotiate a better deal forBritain in the EU, Cameronhas been pushing for a ban onthe in-work benets or EU

migrants for four years.But EU officials have

hinted that Britain could onlyadopt an emergency brakeon EU irants benets or

up to four years under thecondition that it could proveits welfare system was underexcessive strain.

Accordin to the current

EU proposal, the emergencybr ake coul d be imposedwithin three months afterBritain applies and other EU

members states agree.Cameron said the EUproposal is not good enoughand wanted the brake to beenforced right after BritainsEU referendum with no timelimit.

Cameron has pledgedto hold an in or outreferendum on whetherBritain should withdrawfrom the EU by 2017. He

promised to campaign for hiscountry to remain in the blocif the EU agrees to refo rm asBritain has requested.

ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua)

-- Heads of states andovernents o the Arican

Union (AU) deliberated on

alternative sources o nancin

for various developmentproj ec ts and prog rammesade by the an-Arican bloc.

The AU heads o states

on Sunday wrapped up their26th ordinary session at theAU headquarters in Ethioiascaital Addis Ababa.

The heads of states onSaturday looked at the study

report on alternative sourcesof funding, said ErastusMwencha, Deputy Chairpersono the AU Coission when

addressing the press Sundayon the sidelines of the 26thAU suit.

AU summit deliberates on alternative sourcesof funding to development projects

Yesterday, there was avery extensive exchangeof the heads of states andgovernments on this verysubject when the heads ofstates and governmentslooked at the budget of 2016which they have approved

bu t al so approved on thecriteria for sharing on howto contribute on that budget,he said.

Mwencha said the historyof the subject of alternativesources of financing goes

back to 2003 when AU wasestablished.

This subject was restatedwith a new dimension, a newdimension being, we nowhave our Aenda 2063; and

Aenda 2063 envisaes that

Arica ust seek to have a

transformation of its economyif we are going to addressthe challenges that face ourcontinent, he noted.

The deputy chairpersonadded that Arican countries

can seek suppor t f romtechnology development,foreign investment and

partnerships in various ways.But, Arica ust be the

primary agent that owns andnances its own aenda, he

underlined.mwencha stated that AU

has a number of programmesunder the Aenda 2063 to

support member countries,including areas in agriculture,infrastructure, democracy andgovernance among others.

RAmALLAH (Xinhua)

-- Palestinian Presidentmahoud Abbas told US

Secretary of State John Kerrythat it is important to back the

French initiative for holdingan international conferencefor peace in the Middle East.

A reort ublished by the

Palestinian state-run newsaency (WAfA) quotedNabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to

president Abbas as sayin that

Kerry telehoned Abbas, who

Abbas welcomes and backs Frenchpeace initiative: report

is currently in Aan.Abu Rdineh stated to Waa

that the telephone conversationbetween the two men focusedon the French Initiative.

president Abbas stressedto Kerry that he welcomes theinitiative and it is necessaryto back it, end the currentstalemate and create the properatmosphere to end the Israelioccuation, said Abu Rdineh.

The Palestinian Presidencyhad earlier on Friday welcomed

the declaration of FrenchForeign Minister Laurent Fabiusthat his country will soon renewits efforts to move up its projectof holding an international peace

conference to succeed the two-state principle between Israeland Palestine.

Israel criticised the Frenchinitiative and said that it wouldencourage the Palestiniansnot to make concessions for

peace, where the United Statesexpressed reservations.

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 027

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Vientiane Times 9

Euro 50-500 8,798 8,842

Foreign Currencies Buying Selling

US Dollar 50-100

Thai Baht

8,128

227.9

8,168

229.6

Exchange rates as of February 1, 2016Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

BusinessRead more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Tuesday February 2, 2016

Advertorial Desk

Leasing company

BNK Capital Lao,

formerly known

as Lao PDR, BS

Capital, under the umbrella of

BNK Financial Group of the

Republic of Korea, has made a

school donation as part of their

corporate social responsibility

programme.

The donation was made

under the slogan BNK

Capital Lao Leasing Co.,

Ltd. - Sharing happiness

with the Lao PDR and

was the companys third

donation to a primary school

in Nongthaneua village,

Chan t habou l y d i s t r i c t ,

Vientiane, on January 29.

The handover ceremony

for paint took place at the

school and was attended by

Managing Director of BNK

Capital Lao Mr Ryu Hui-

Seok, the village Chief Mr

Settha Soundala, the schools

pr inci pa l Ms PhonsavanhInsisouphan, teachers and

students, and as well as

representatives from BNK

Capital Lao.

Mr Ryu said his company

was very pleased to make the

donation to the school as he

thought the contribution went

to a school in need and would

help the school to look more

attractive and ensure a safe

environment for children.

Our firm was very happy

to be part of helping Lao

local society, especially local

schools and children.

During the meeting with

the school director, Mr Ryu

thanked local authorities and

the school for giving them the

opportunity to support their

schools needs and promised

that more donations would

follow in the near future.

Mr Ryu also asked Ms

Phonsavanh about the school

and childrens needs and said

BNK Capital Lao makes thirddonation to primary school

he would make a consistent

donation plan as long as BNK

Capital Lao Leasing Company

operated within the Laos.

The managing director

said their passion was sharing

with the local community and

showing the level of their love

for Laos and how well they

have planned their operations

along with the donation plan.

M r R y u a d d e d t h e

company had plans to make

more donations to other

schools in the future, all

aimed at helping Lao children

to have access to a better

schooling environment.

While thanking BNK

Capital Lao Leasing for the

materials they provided,

other i tems, inc luding

roofing, hardware and other

school equipment were still

needed, Ms Phonsavanh said.

BNK Capital Lao Leasing

did not take long to gain the

trust of local people and

their success in business

will bring more prosperity tocommunities in Laos.


officially began operations

last year after celebrating

their grand opening on June

8.

B N K C a p i t a l L a o

Leasing made their first

donat ion to a pr imary

school in Kang village in

Hadxaifong district, Vientiane,

on July 31, providing basic

stationery supplies including

pens and textbooks to support

the childrens academic

endeavours, as well as different

types of balls and nets for their

physical education needs.

The company made

their second donation to

No ng vi en gk ha m Pr im ar y

School in Xaythany district,

Vientiane, on Auust 31.

On September 30, the

company also awarded Korean

language scholarships for

two students at the National Schoolchildren show appreciation after receiving the new paint.

Mr Ryu Hui-Seok (right) and Ms Phonsavanh Insisouphan (centre) and Mr Settha Soundala at the painthandover ceremony.

University of Laos. The

scholarships have covered

the students fees for the

duration of their courses

and have been awarded to

outstanding students as part

of the companys corporate

social responsibility scheme.

T h e c o m p a n y h a s

formally begun operations

by co nc en tr at in g on ca r

and motorcycle loans in

the early stages. Once fully

established, BNK Capital

Lao Leasing plans to extend

its services into areas such

as light/heavy equipment

leasing and more financial

products for business owners.


Co., Ltd. is located on the 2nd

Floor of the Premier Building

on Setthathirath Road in

Phiavat village, Sisattanak

district, Vientiane.

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 027

10/24

10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Tuesday February 2, 2016

IN BRIEF

Times Reporters

MMG LXML Sepon releasedits fourth quarter 2015

production results, reportingabove guidance copper cathode

production for the year-to-dateand record milling tonnes.

Sepon produced 20,559tonnes of copper cathode in thefourth quarter contributing tofull year production of 89,253tonnes, a 1 percent increase on2014 production.

MMG LXML Sepon GeneralManager, Mr Suresh Vadnagra,said the result demonstratesstrong achievement despite

challenges processing lowergrade, more complex ore types.

We continue to focuson improving performancethrough plant optimisationand asset utilisation to ensure

MMG LXML Sepon has recorded strong copper cathode production numbers over the last year.

MMG LXML Sepon achievesstrong production in 2015

we can offset the impact ofharder, high carbonate, ores on

production he said.I would like to highlight

the hard work by the Seponteam in delivering substantialimprovements which haveallowed us to produce aboveguidance of 80,000-87,000,he added.

MMG expects to produce80,000-85,000 tonnes ofcopper cathode in 2016.

On social development,LXML has cont r ibutedsignificantly to economicdevelopment with over US$1.3

bil lion in direct revenue in

taxes, royalties and dividendspaid to the Lao Governmentsince operations commenced atSepon and hundreds of millionso dollars in indirect benets

through local contractors,

employment, training anddevelopment.

MMG LXML Sepon isextending a unique partnershipwith the Lao Ministry ofHealth, the Lao WomensUnion and UNICEF in the1000 Day Programme tosupport maternal and childnutrition in key provincesincluding several districts inSavannakhet province wherethe mine is located.

MMG LXML Sepon isworking in close partnershipwith all our stakeholdersthrough targeted communitydevelopment programmes,

and in education, training, andemployment, to support theLao PDRs goal of graduatingfrom Least Developed Countrystatus by 2020, said MrVadnagra.

Maruti Suzukis sales dip 2.6 percent in JanuaryINDIA (The Statesan, ANN) -- maruti Suzuki India reorted a 2.6 ercent decline in totalsales in January at 1,13,606 units as against 1,16,606 units in the same month in 2015.The company said its domestic sales increased marginally by 0.8 percent to 1,06,383 unitsas against 1,05,559 units in January 2015.Sales of passenger cars declined 1.4 percent to 87,757 units compared with 89,014 units inthe year-ao onth, the caraker said in a BSE lin.The company said sales of utility vehicles, including Gypsy, Grand Vitara and Ertiga,

jumped 26.2 percent to 8,114 units last month from 6,432 units in the corresponding period

last year.

Banks reach US$154.3 million settlement on dark pool fraudWASHINgTON (Ap) --Two major global banks, Barclays and Credit Suisse, are payinga combined US$154.3 million to settle government investigations that they misled clientsabout bein able to saely trade on their dark ool nancial exchanes, the Securities andExchane Coission and the New York Attorney generals oce said on Sunday.The banks left their customers on these private exchanges vulnerable to predatory, high-requency traders that could intercet and rot o their nancial transactions, desiteassurances by Barclays and Credit Suisse to the contrary, according to a statement the NewYork Attorney general.

Asian stocks uneven as China data, Japan policy weighedSEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Chinese stocks fell on Monday after a weak manufacturingreport while Japan extended gains following its central banks introduction of a negativeinterest rate policy to boost lending and spur growth. Other markets were mixed.Japans Nikkei 225 rose 2.1 percent to 17,883.66 and South Koreas Kospi added 0.3

percent to 1,916.78. Hong Kongs Hang Seng fell 0.6 percent to 19,567.54 and theShanhai Coosite in ainland China lost 1.5 ercent to 2,696.99. Australias S&p/ASX

200 ained 0.8 ercent to 5,043.60. Stocks in Taiwan and Southeast Asia were lower.

Over 10 mln foreign tourists visit Indonesia in 2015, exceeding targetJAKARTA (Xinhua) -- As any as 10.41 illion orein tourists visited Indonesia last year,exceeding the 10-million target, the statistic bureau said on Monday.In Bali, the centre ofcountrys tourism industry, foreign tourist arrivals rose by 6.65 percent from a year earlierto 363,800 in December, said Suryamin, head of the national statistic bureau.The Indonesian government estimates 12 million foreign holidaymakers will visit thecountry this year, accordin to Touris minister ArieYahya.

NAgOYA (Kyodo) -- ToyotaMotor Corp. said on Mondayit will suspend all domestic

production of its vehicles fromFebruary 8 through February 13as an explosion at a steel plantin central Japan in January has

caused parts shortages.It will be the first timethe Japanese automaker hasstopped all production withinthe country since 2011, whenthe massive earthquake andtsunami hitting northeast Japandisrupted its supply chain.

Production lines at a total of16 factories will be suspended,including those producingToyota vehicles at the plantsof subsidiaries Daihatsu MotorCo. and Hino Motors Ltd.

Operations are expected toresume on February 15, Toyotasaid, adding that production atits overseas plants will not beaffected.

Toyota will continue totake any measures necessaryto minimise the impactof the incident on vehicle

producti on, the automaker

Toyota to suspend domestic productionfrom Feb. 8 after explosion

Toyota Motor Corp.s Motomachi Plant, where the luxury sedanCrown is produced, in the central Japan city of Toyota.

said in a statement.The explosion occurred

on January 8 at a steel plantin Tokai, Aichi preecture,oerated by Aichi Steel Cor.The Toyota aliate is workinto resume plant operations bythe end of March.

The worlds top automakerusually produces around13,000 to 14,000 vehicles a

day in Japan.While Toyota recently

be ef ed up it s pr od uc ti onamid robust orders for newmodels, including the fourth-generation Prius hybrid

released in December, the blasthas prompted the automaker tocancel overtime work at all ofits plants in the country duringweekdays this week.

CHINA (China Daily, ANN)

-- Construction, real estatedeveloent, nancial services

and consumer services will

beincluded in Chinas corporatetax reform programme.

The reform seeks to replacesales tax with value-addedtax or VAT - that is, tax on

outputminus tax on input - thusremoving duplication of taxesand easing financial burdenonenterprises.

Under the new system,companies no longer need to

pay sales tax based on theirrevenue.

Tax burden would be easedto the extent of 600 billionyuan (US$91.26 billion) thisyear, saidtaxation expert HuYijian, a roessor o nance

and economics at ShanghaiUniversity.

Premier Li Keqiang saidin a recent meeting that a pilotrorae involvin VAT in

place ofbusiness tax has beenrunning effectively.

The programme wi l linclude more sectors this year,

Govt to ease tax burdenon four industries

Xinhua News Agencyreported.Analysts said sectors

where input taxes are high,including construction, real

estate andconsumer services,will benet the ost.

A reort ro gf Securities

Co Ltd said land is a large partof property developers costsandimpacts on input tax. But,under the new syste, rot

margin may widen greatly ifthe landcost is regarded as partof input tax.

Even for developers withdeductible taxes on othercost items such as decorationandinstallation rojects, rot

margin may widen after thereform, the report said.

Zhu Weiqun, an experton scal systes at Shanhai

Finance and EconomicsUniversity,said tax burdenon es tabl i shments tha t

prov ide consumer serv ices ,such as restaurants,hotels,entertainment centres andtourism destinations, will bereduced greatly after thereform.

Current sales tax on these

enterprises is about 5 percento their revenue. Ater the

reform, itis estimated thatthe VAT will be 6 ercent or

general taxpayers in this sector,and 3 percent for small-scaletaxpayers, according to Zhu.

A l t h o u h e n e r a ltaxayers anticiated VAT at

6 percent is higher than thecurrent sales taxof 5 percent,the actual tax paid may not behigher after deduction of inputtax, said Zhu.

for roviders o nancial

services, such as banksand brokerages, the impactof the fiscalreform maynot be immediate becausededuction of input items needsto be further clarified,andconsultation among the partiesconcerned is required to dene

deductible input items.A reort ro Beijin

Gao Hua Securities said the

iact o the scal reor ondomesticbanks and brokeragesmay be mild and manageable inthe short term.

Based on the analysis oftheir nancial erorance in

2014, banks and brokeragesrotsbeore tax are estiated

to narrow between 0.5 percentand 1.7 percent as a large partoftheir current sales revenueis not regarded a deductibleinput item.

However, in the longerterm, players whose personaloperating expenses are higherthaneers, ay benet ore

from the reform as these costs

ay be dened as deductibleitems.

A research note by pwC

China said that detailed rulesor the scal reors coverin

fourmore sectors are likely tobe introduced by March-end,and may take effect by the endof thisyear.

A property construction site in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province.

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Vientiane Times 11

Asean Economic Community

11Tuesday February 2, 2016 Business

Lao stock market report

Times Reporters

Senior ocials, business

people and experts fromLaos and the Republic

of Korea gathered last week todiscuss the current investmentclimate in the sectors ofagricultural products, food

process ing and agr icul turaldevelopment.

Meeting at the Laos-Korea Investment Forum,

the Korean participants hadbeen offered an oppor tunityto establish networks with

business representat ives andofficials in Laos through aone-on-one business meeting.

The forum was held inVientiane by Asean-KoreaCentre in collaboration withthe Ministry of Planningand Investment. The debatewas inaugurated with theopening remarks of theSecretary General of theAsean-Korea Centre mr KiYoung-sun and followed

b y t h e c o n g r a t u l a t o r yremarks of the Minister ofPlanning and Investment MrSomdy Duangdy, as well as

Abassador o the Reublicof Korea to Laos Mr KimSoo-Gwon.

In his remarks, Mr Somdynoted that the country has

Mr Kim Soo-Gwon (fourth left) Mr Somdy Duangdy (fourth right) and Mr Kim Young-sun were amongthose present at the forum.

Lao-Korean business peoplediscuss investment climate

put spe cia l effor ts int o itssocio-economic development

policy based on agriculturaldevelopment and will supportit through the National Socio-Economic Development Plan(2016-2020).

T h e m i n i s t e r a l s oexpressed his interest inthe New Village Movementof Korea, which enabledKorea to achieve notableeconomic development based

on development in rural areasand also his willingness tofurther enhance cooperationwith Korea through variouswork roraes. Accordinto Mr Somdy, a businessdelegation composed ofleading businessmen fromLaos plans to visit Korea thisyear.

Laos is the chair o Aseanin 2016, a historic year forthe launch o the AseanCommunity, and has great

potential in terms of economic,social, and cultural cooperationwith Korea.

Last December, KoreasPrime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn visited Laos and met

with his Lao counterpart, MrThongsing Thammavong.The two parties agreed to

boost bil ate ral cooperati onin the fields of politics,

diplomacy, trade, investment,infrastructure, and energy.

The forum was held aspar t of the Invest ment andMarket Research Mission

prog ramme in the fiel ds ofagricultural development, foodand beverages.

In order to obtain rst-handinformation on the investmentenvironment and exploreopportunities in Laos, Koreandelegates visited special

economic zone (SEZ), Kolao,the rst Korean coany inLaos that has listed stock,and Charoen Pokphand (CP)in Laos, one of the worlds

biggest agrofood companies.Asean-Korea Centre also

held the Product DevelopmentSeminar for Handicraft SMEsin Laos from January 27-28, incooperation with the Ministryof Industry and Commerce ofLaos.

A r o x i a t e l y 7 0participants from the handicraftSMEs learned from theexperiences of Korean expertsthrough presentations on thedesign of Korean handicraft

pr odu ct s and ma rk et ing

strategies for commercialisingthe products. Industrial visitsto the Lao handicraft SMEsfor on-site support were alsoconducted.

PHILIPPINE (PhilippineDaily Inquirer, ANN) -- Chea

oil augurs well to domesticmanufacturing even as it puts

jobs of millions of Filipinosworking in oil-producingcountries at risk, according tothe Department of Financeschief economist.

The slumping oil pricemay continue for quitesome time and enable local

producers to produce moregoods at a lower cost, FinanceUndersecretary Gil S. Beltransaid in an economic bulletin lastweek, noting that the producer

price index, which measuresmanufacturers costs, declined

by 7 percent in November lastyear.

The latest government datashowed that imports jumped10.1 percent to US$6.1 billionlast November, bringing theimport bill for the first 11months of 2015 up by 4.5

percent to US$62.6 billion.The National Economic and

Develoent Authority (Neda)

had attributed the strong end-November import performanceto higher purchases of capitalgoods, consumer products aswell as intermediate goods andraw materials.

The robust import growthof intermediate goods andcapital equipment indicate thatlocal rs are takin advantae

of robust domestic demandby utilising to the maximumtheir rated capacities and areexpanding these further withnew equipment purchases,

Beltran noted.In th is regard , the

government can ride onthis wave of optimism by

promoting the country as aninvestment site in internationalroadshows, the nance ocial

said.G e n e r a t i n g m o r e

employment opportunitieslocally would compensate for

potential job losses in overseasFilipino workers (OFWs)destinations hurting due to thedrop in oil prices, Beltran said.

For Beltran, improvingthe ease of doing business toattract more investors will

enable the country to createmore jobs and ease the impactof the possible return of 2.3million OFWs in the MiddleEast that may be affected by

political turmoil and massivedecline in petroleum prices.

The Department of Energyagreed that while it was a boon

to motorists, the continuingdecline in oil prices was acause for concern becausefurther reductions coulddiscourage investment in oilexploration and affect Filipinoworkers based in oil-producingcountries.

I am not completely happy

[with the oil price decline]because, for one , prices ofcommodities and services thatare supposedly benchmarkedon oil prices such as goods andtransport fares are not comingdown as much as oil prices.But pump prices are goingdown, benettin those with

vehicles, Energy SecretaryZenaidaMonsada said in aninterview.

The other side of the lowoil price scenario is that oilexploration and developmentcompanies are more cautiousabout investing, which couldleave nontraditional areas such

as the Philippines even lessattractive to those investors.

Another undesirable iact

of the continuing decline in oilprices was that Filipino workersin oil-producing countriescould get laid off, which wouldaffect their families in thePhilippines, Monsada said.

Cheap oil puts OFW jobs inMideast at risk

HCm CITY (VNS, ANN)-- Vietnamese textile andgarment companies face ahuge challenge with the marketset to be ooded with iortsfollowing the countrysaccess ion to the AseanEconoic Counity (AEC)

and Trans-pacic partnershi(TPP) treaty.I realise that customers

will support domestic goods,but the most important factorto retain Vietnamese clientsis to assure quality, NguyenThiDien, chairwoman andexecutive director o the AnPhuoc Shoes Sewing and

Vietnamese garment rms prepare for

tough battle at home as trade deals loom

Embroidering Company, hasbeen quoted as saying on thegovernment website.

Since 1995 Viet TienGarment Joint Stock Corporationhas set up a distribution chainwith 1,390 shops and agentsaround Vietnam. Besides the

famous Viet Tien brand name,the corporation also ownsvarious fashion brands for bothadults and children.

With over 200 shops, BlueExchange has a big marketshare of garments for young

people.In recent years demand

for garment products has

increased by 10 15 percentannually, Hong Ve Dung,deputy general director of theVietnam Garment and TextileCorporation, said.

Dien said since competitionwi th garment productsro other Asean countries

would be unavoidable, localcompanies should improvetheir quality and expandmodels to strengthen theircompetitiveness.

Despite the fact that themarket is set to become morecoetitive, An phuoc haskept its growth target of 15-17 percent.

Trade Summary

The LSX fell further on Monday after EDL-Gen shed 50 kip to 5,850. The Lao Stock Exchange

closed at 1,168.18 points, 8.18 points or 0.70 percent lower, with 90,100 shares traded.EDL-Gen closed down 50 kip to 5,850 kip. The stock opened 5,900 kip for the matching

of 16,500 shares but lost 50 kip to 5,850 kip to smooth out the exchange of 3,100 shares.

BCEL closed unchanged at 4,800 kip with 12,100 shares traded. The market also saw the

trading of 58,400 shares of PTL at 2,850 kip after four days of stagnation. SVN and LWPC

had no trade, closing at 3,400 kip and 7,100 kip respectively.

Daily Turnover by Investor Types (LAKm)

Last 7 days Trading Information

BCEL-KT Securities Company Limited Email: [email protected]

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Vientiane Times 13Tuesday February 2, 2016

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Lifestyle

SINgApORE (The StraitsTies, ANN) -- many eolehope that, one day, they will

travel the world/write a novel/learn to surf/(insert dreamhere).

Jewellery designer CarolynKan, 43, went further.

In 2008, she embarkedon what she calls a one-daysabbatical.

She quit her high-octanejob as managing director ofto advertisin aency m&CSaatchi. For a year, she pursuedwhat she had always wanted todo, one day.

I took my gap year at 36years old. If I didnt, I would bein advertising forever. I wantedto learn and explore, saysMs Kan, who founded artisan

jewellery label Carrie K after

11 years in advertising.During her year-long

hiatus, she hosted dinners for asecret supper club that she hadco-founded with friends a fewyears earlier. At Lollas SecretSuppers, strangers mingledover meals where menus andvenues were disclosed only aday before.

S h e d a b b l e d i n abusiness importing boutiquechampagne, which took herto France.

She also travelled to Britainand Italy. While taking Italian-language lessons in Florence,Italy, she was introduced to asilversmith and decided to doa month-long apprenticeship

with her.As she ade her irst

jewellery item, a silver ring,she felt a lump in her throat.It was the moment I knew Iwanted to be a silversmith anda designer. In my mind, thatwas when Carrie K started.

It was an epiphany thatpaid off.

She launched Carrie Kthe following year, sinking inUS$200,000 of her savings.The label took in US$19,000in sales in 2009.

More than six years on,Carrie K has reached newheights.

Last week , the brand inkeda deal with Disney for a year-

long collaboration to design aseries of jewellery.

While she declines to revealnancial details, other brandsthat have designed Disney

jewellery include Irish designerTom Binns eponymous label,whose statement necklaceshave been worn by AericanFirst Lady Michelle Obama;as well as Pandora, a Danish

brand known for its charmbracelets.

Unbeknownst to her, whatshe terms her second lifehad been waiting in the wingsfor years. It emerged as a

possibi lity in her mind onlywhen she was freed from theconstraints of her job.

It was almost like all myinterests had been bottled up

because I was focused onadvertising, on work. That yearwhen I went on a sabbatical,the valve opened up, she says.

It was one of thosesubconscious things that fellinto place.

Go-getter who wants to

Carrie K founder Carolyn Kan took one-daysabbatical and found passion in jewellery design

give backBefo re she wen t t o

Florence, she was already

a jewellery junkie whohad amassed a collection ofhundreds of pieces, rangingfrom Peranakan brooches tovintae and Art Deco ites -enough to start a shop.

Studying in the Conventof the Holy Infant Jesus inVictoria Street, before theschool moved to Toa Payoh,she was fascinated by thecraftsmanship shown by a nunthere, who made handicrafts toraise funds, such as a hangingmobile using a feather andcork.

In university in Melbourne,Australia, where she ajoredin psychology, she starteda sketchbook of jewellery

designs, the eventual basis forCarrie K creations.

At a job interview in her20s, when asked what job shewould do if she was not inadvertising, she replied shewould be a silversmith andforgot about it for 10 years.

Returning to Singaporefrom Italy, she enrolled in atwo-year part- time jewellerydesign programme at theNanyan Aca dey o fineArts (Naa).

In July 2009, she startedCarrie K by working from thekitchen table of her terracehouse in Opera Estate, whichshe shares with her husband,Mr Chiew Huan Chong, 49,

who is head of productionat Carrie K. They have nochildren.

A year later, her label wonElle Singapore magazinesaward for Jewellery Designerof the Year and her star startedto rise.

Carrie K is sold in sevencountries besides Singapore,where it is carried in storessuch as Tangs Orchard.

The label, whose piecesare priced between US$90 andUS$50,000, has appeared ininternational magazines suchas Vogue Italia and HarpersBazaar Australia, and has beenseen on celebrities such asactress and odel Anelababy

and tennis player CarolineWozniacki.

To build the business, shecourted local magazine editors

by send ing them photos ofCarrie K pieces. She attendedtrade shows held during ParisFashion Week, Seoul FashionWeek and New York FashionWeek.

One of the strengths of MsKans quirky style is herability to translate everydayelements in to wearable

jewel lery , says Ms JoanneLow, founder and principaldesigner of Singapore jewellery

brand Joanne L.C a r r i e K s R e b o r n

collection, launched in 2011,

features safety pins and nails.Cartier launched its Juste UnClou collection, which featuresnail rings and bracelets, laterand the pieces were inspired

by its 1970s collections.Hong Kong lifestyle brand

Kapok is showcasing a CarrieK capsule collection inspired

by wi nd ow ho ok s fo un d

on the shutters of heritageshophouses.

Aart ro ms Kan and

her husband, Carrie K hasfour other full- time staff.The couples two schnauzers,who wear crystal-studded dogcollars, are xtures at Carrie KAtelier, a 990 sq t work studio-cum-showroom in Bukit TimahRoad, which they moved to in2011.

Ms Kan also has a villageof about 50 suppliers andcraftsmen around the world,from whom she sourcesmaterials such as gemstones.

She says her supportivehusband of 16 years has beensucked into the business.

M r C h i e w u s e d t obe the genera l manage r ofthe Shanghai branch of an

international aluiniu r.In Singapore, he set up a

photography business beforeassuming his role in CarrieK, where he is in charge of

production and photography.He says: I was 25 years

in the metal industry; theresnot a huge difference betweentwo slightly different kinds ofmetal, for example. Id always

been interested to know a littlebit more.

My taking a supportingrole in Carrie K works better

bec aus e she s st ro ng atmarketing. We bounce ideasoff each other, says MrChiew, who took the same

Nafa jewellery design course

that his wife did.Ms Kan says her husband

is a better craftsman thanher, although he disagrees.He says: Carrie has always

been an easy-going person.Working with her is like secondnature. Its no different fromus deciding where to go onvacation or which restaurantto eat at.

Nevertheless, Ms Kan saysit took a year for her to adjust totheir different working styles.She had to learn to give himspace to formulate his ideas.

When Im focused onsomething, Im tenacious untilI get to a solution, she says.He lets things percolate and

Taking a year-long sabbatical to pursue the things she hoped to do one day reminded Carolyn Kanshe wanted to be a silversmith.

explores options.Besides her husband, she

credits her mother and oldersister for giving her courageto take the plunge at key

junctures of her life, such asstarting Carrie K and, earlier,accetin the job to head m&CSaatchi at the age of 29.

Her mother, a retiredoptometrist, and her father,a retired finance director, arein their 70s. She has a publicrelations consultant sister, 48,and a brother, 42, who works innance.

Mum always encouraged usto try things out, to experiment,says Ms Kan.

She recalls her mother, MsMary Chew, telling her abouthow her maternal grandfatherfrom Malaysia, a clerk, used tocycle between Ipoh and Penangfor work. He started a businesssupplying steel ropes only afterhe retired.

Thats probably why Ihave this notion ingrained in methat nothing is impossible, thatage is not relevant, she says.I explored and threw myselfinto things that I found I was

passionate about.In her late teens, an

inspirational teacher who

taught ancient civilisationshad her devouring all the booksin the library on Mycenaeand Troy. This interest latertook root in Carrie Ks 2012Odyssey collection.

Inspired by mythologicalfigure Odysseus journeys,the pieces in this collection aredesigned to look like antiques.

This way of learning throughtrying things out, however, meantthat for a couple of years as ayoung adult, she absolutely didnot know what I wanted to do.

She worked in retail and

events management beforesettling on advertising.

Advert is in heavilyinfluenced me. I went from

being in a business to runninga business, she says, recallinghow she had to manage about50 sta at m&C Saatchi, soeof whom were older than her.

Her early rise there waspartly fuelled by a go-gettingattitude.

At the ul t ina t iona ladvertising agency, she recallsasking for more responsibilitieswherever she found a chanceto contribute, such as whenshe asked to present pitchesfor new business as a juniorexecutive, a task often given

to senior personnel.In 2011, she initiated

Keepers, a quarterly gatheringof designers, artisans andartists to raise awareness ofhoe-rown desin. Aonthose whom she hosted in theearly days were a milliner, a

patissier and a terrarium-maker.I thought, if I dont do it,

nobody will. Its up to us todevelop the design community,she says.

When she was showing atParis Fashion Week, she wasstruck by how people did not

know Singapore had designersand thought of the city only as anancial centre.

A desire to ive back alsostemmed from the fact that many

people had helped her in settingup Carrie K, she says.

In 2014, she co-organised,with the Textile and FashionFederation, a 16-month pop-up space, Keepers: SingaporeDesigner Collective. It was thelargest showcase yet of home-grown products by more than50 Singapore designers rangingfrom fashion to architecture tofurniture. The 4,300 sq ft spaceat the junction of Orchard andCairnhill roads recently endedits run.

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 027

16/24


Feature

Times Reporters

More donations

o f w i n t e r

c l o t h e s a r eowin into the

three northern provinces of

Xieng Khuang, Huaphan, and

Phongsaly, which has been hit

by an unprecedented cold snap

recently.

Big hearted people are

now donating winter clothes

after they saw shared pictures

on social networks recently

showing children in remote

areas hugging their chests

wearing thin clothes after

temperatures dropped to -1

degrees Celsius in Huaphan.

The temperatures dropped

to freezing point in some placeslast week leaving many people

affected by the sight of poor

children htin o the cold

in threadbare clothes, causing

the concerned sectors to solicit

donations from members of

the public.

Last week, social network

users smiled when they saw

the spirit of private donors,

offering money or donating

winter clothes to help poor

Spirit of warmth extended to the northpeople, especially children in

remote areas who cant access

them.

The project Presenting

warmth from Lao people toLao people, was launched

with cooperation between

the Lao Front for National

Construction, Lao Buddhists

Fellowship Organisation and

the foundation or Assistin

Poor People of Laos.

The project collected winter

clothes from donors to present

to poor people in remote

areas of Huaphan province,

while other charitable efforts

were also made by various

organisations both private and

state, showing Lao peoples

solidarity with each other.

The Minister of Educationand Sports announced that

schools in Vientiane and the

provinces should conside r

closing at the start of the second

semester if temperatures

remain exceptionally low to

ensure that children stay well.

Phongsaly authorities said

that if the province experienced

more extreme cold weather,

schools there would close

temporarily until warmer

weather returned.

It was a pleasure to

provid e aid and ass ist ance

without getting anything in

return while we are proud to

be able to share the affected

victims pain, a representative

of the project said.

For example, some people

in the team never expected to

be part of this donat ion but

Representatives of the Lao Front for National Construction, Lao Buddhists Fellowship Organisation, and Foundation for Assisting PoorPeople of Laos pose together before departing to present winter clothes in Huaphan province.

it made them aware of how

lucky they were and proud to

be able to provide help whilst

receiving nothing in return.

I had a heavy heart

and cried some silent tears

in my head as I saw some

children without winter clothes

to wear, said a donor who

pr es en te d wi nt er cl ot he s

through her Facebook account,

demonstrating the inequality

between children in the capital

and remote areas.

However she answered

comments that she was pleased

had she become a part of

efforts to provide few winter

clothes via an organisation

even though it was not a large

donation.

Some people are now

sleeping in small houses and

the walls are not enough strong

to protect them from the wind.

I cant imagine how children

and their family members feel

when they dont have blanketsand winter clothes, said anocial who works in reote

areas.

Another oicial ro

the social welfare sector in

Huaphan said it was true that

there are rural children htin

the cold without adequate

clothing but they are lighting

res to try and kee war.

Some poor children stood

outside their school and looked

at it but they could not attend

class because they didnt want

to get sick from the cold, he

said.

However, officials said

presently, there has been more

spirit from several companies,

organisations, residents and

even monks in working to raise

donations.

Dona t i ons t o a s s i s t

are flowing in to the rural

communities but it is still

not enough if compared to

local needs and they could use

further assistance.

A cold weather syste

originating in China will again

affect Laos this week after

the system weakens over the

weekend, according to the

Meteorology and Hydrology

Department.

Temperatures around thecountry will rise from January

28-31 after the cold snap

which lasted from January

24-27 but temperatures will

fall again from February

1-4, department official Mr

Bounterm Sisouphanthavong

said recently.

The mercury will not drop

as low as it did two weeks ago,

although people should still

dress warmly, he added.

This year the cold weather

lasted for a shorter time and

the minimum temperature

recorded was -1.5 degrees

Celsius in Phongsaly province,

according to the Meteorology

and Hydrology Department.Northern children sit waiting for donors to present winter clothes. --Photo Pakaad facebook page

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Opinion

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Times Reporters

Mr SonethasaKeokanya, acompany employee in

Sikhot tabong distr ict,

Vientiane:Its possible that

the roads will be completed

by the end of the year if

the contractors speed up

their works. Recently, many

road projects have started

and some roads are almost

complete. On the other

hand, some roads have

still not started yet. This

is a problem that projects

are starting late and so

then late to finish. They

often stop when the rainy

season comes. So I think

its a good time to hurry upwith the work because it s

the dry season now and I

think the roads will be of

a better quality if they are

completed before the rains

come.

Mr KhomsunKeomongkhoun, abusinessman in Xaythany

district, Vientiane:There

are many roads in Vientiane

being improved th is year.

Its like the authorities

are paying very much

attention to repairing and

constructing good roads like

concrete roads. Tha-ngone

Road in my village, it looks

like it will be completedsoon. However I worry

that they will have a break

when the rainy season

comes as its difficult for

them to keep work moving.

So I would like to call on

the contractors to hurry up

What is your opinion of Vientiane authoritiesplans to resurface a number of major roads

before the end of the year?Vientiane authorities say they plan to resurface all roads in the capital that are in need of repair, withwork scheduled for completion by the end of this year. Authorities say they have been working on roadrepairs since the end of the rainy season last year but the work had ground to a halt because of budgetconstraints. Vientiane Times reporters asked some members of the public what they think of this plan.

as now is the dry season.

Slow construction makes a

lot of problems for people

who are using or live along

the roads in question. The

authorities have to pay

attention to this problem.

Ms Phetsamone Souk-kaserm, a student atthe Institute of Banking:

Its good to hear that all

roads in Vientiane are

scheduled to be resurfaced

by the end of this year

because the capital should

have convenient roads and

avoid traffic congestion

and accidents. However

I worry that they will not

be completed on t ime as

there are many kilometres

of roads to fix and there

are many obstacles. The

authorities are working hard

to improve some roads,

or exale Asean Road

is much better now and

thats great because it is a

major road. However many

roads are still waiting to be

resurfaced before the rainy

season and I think works

will go slowly once it starts

raining.

Mr ThotsakhanhOudomphatthana,a company employee in

Vientiane:It will be quite

difficult to completelyresurface all of the roads

in Vientiane by the end of

this year. I think we dont

need to rush the work

because I would ra ther

see good quality. Many

roads break up not long

after they are laid and this

makes it more difficult

to repair. I heard that the

authorities are focusing

on resurfacing roads in

four districts of Vientiane,

especially Sithong Road,

the road from Dongnaxokto the Northern Bus Station,

and Nongbuek, Phonpapao,

Sokpaluang, Sisavath and

other important roads.

Mr SoulixaySoukkaserm, astudent from Champassak

province:Road construction

in Vientiane should be

completed according to

the target plan but this will

require the authorities to

work harder. It would be

good if they could work

at night because there

would be less danger to

the workers and less traffic

problems. The contract ed

companies should have

enough workers on site

as well as the necessary

technology and equipment

to finish the job properly

and on time.

7/25/2019 2016 VTN Issue 027

18/24

18 Vientiane TimesOpinion Tuesday February 2, 2016

What the Lao papers sayWhat the Lao papers say

Convenient roads key toboosting development

Translated by Times Reporters

Road access is an important factor to boosting development and

changing the living standards of local people for the better.

Last week this reporter went along Road No 9 from the area of

Xeno throuh Xeon district in Savannakhet rovince. Alon

the roadside we could see many houses, shops and factories so

this shows that convenient road access can boost development.

In the fiscal year 1976-77, it was difficult to travel along Road

No 9 and it took many days before ar riving in nearby provinces.

The area was also full of unexploded ordinance, especially from

Xepon district to Dong village until the Vietnamese border.

This reporter did not go to visit this area for over 30 years but

be

Documents

2016 VTN Issue 027