4500 kip wednesdAY februArY 10, 2016 Issue 34The First National English Language Newspaper

Vientiane Times

Continued page 2

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Times Reporters

A majority of people buying condo apartments at That Luang Marsh Specific Economic Zone (SEZ) in Vientiane are Lao or of Lao origin living in France, officials in charge of the project have said.

Vice President of the zones management board Mr Pheng Inthilath told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that six of the seven completed 19-storey blocks have been sold out.

One businessman from Guangzhou, China has bought one building with about 128 apartments aiming to run a hotel business. But overall I would say that not many Chinese nationals have come to buy our condos, he said.

Buyers can move in to the first seven condos by December this year and the rest are slated for completion in June 2017.

Mr Pheng said a number of services will open in May this year including restaurants,

That Luang Marsh SEZ condos have wide appeal

That Luang Marsh Specific Economic Zone will open restaurants, a shopping centre and night market in May.

Times Reporters

The unusual cold snap which hit Laos recently over the period from January 23-30 has now been calculated by agriculture and forestry officials to have cost the nations farmers some 25.1 billion kip.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the total number of livestock w h i c h d i e d n a t i o n w i d e included 1,433 head of cattle, 473 buffaloes, 215 pigs, 69 goats, 18,755 kg of poultry, 1,600 kg of frogs and 467 tonnes of fish.

Meanwhile on the cropping side of things, some 1,618 hec ta res o f c rops such as rice, coffee, sugarcane, w a t e r m e l o n s , m e l o n s , pineapples, chilli, eggplants, bananas and some fruit trees were damaged, according to official reports.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said the worst impacted provinces were Phongsaly, Luang Namtha, Bokeo, Luang Prabang, Huaphan, Xieng Khuang, Xayaboury and Borikhamxay.

D e p u t y M i n i s t e r o f Agriculture and Forestry, D r B o u n k h o u a n g K h a m b o u n h e u a n g t o l d Vientiane Times yesterday that in response the ministry will continue to coordinate with provincial authorities as well as district and village groups to collect more detail on the impacted farming families so as to provide assistance.

This will be followed with a warning to each of the

Cold weather losses to farmers estimated at 25 billion kip

Continued page 3

Times Reporters

Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department publicly announced yesterday that

any home or business in the capital should not undertake construction over public areas, particularly along roadsides.

Some construction that

has encroached on roadsides was impacting the drainage system, as soil and sand filled up drain pipes causing flooding on routes in Vientiane.

Officials of the department announced it was prohibited to fill drains with soil from home construction, keep sand and stone piles near roadsides, install non standard drainage systems or fill in any public marsh in Vientiane.

The announcement also said officials would give lawbreakers a warning and 15 days to remove sand and stone piles, illegal structures and substandard drainage.

Director of Vientiane

Vientiane warns against unauthorised construction over roadsidesPublic Works and Transport Department, Mr Detsongkham Thammavong told Vientiane T i m e s y e s t e r d a y t h a t Vientianes drainage system was facing problems because local communities had filled soil from their houses over roads blocking the drainage system causing many roads to flood especially in the rainy season.

O f f i c i a l s n o w a r e surveying target venues including houses, state and private offices and other sites located along main roads in all Vientianes districts. Many target venues have been listed to be issued with a

warning for owners to remove offending structures or soil, Mr Detsongkham said.

He explained that anyone constructing illegal structures or landfills over public areas would be forced to remove them.

We expect the campaign will be successful. Officials are working hard to resolve the problem. We would like to ask for everyones help in following this announcement because it will benefit the public, he said.

Vientiane authorities have focused on city improvement with the capital to welcome impor t an t i n t e rna t iona l conferences this year.

2 Vientiane TimesHome news Wednesday February 10, 2016

Times Reporters

A new education programme is set to improve the quality and accessibility of basic education for hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren in Laos.

Over four years and beyond, the Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos (BEQUAL) programme will help an estimated 450,000 Lao girls and boys to achieve literacy, numeracy and other life skills and give them a chance of a better future.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports, Australian Embassy, international organisations and concerned sectors met on Monday to discuss the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e BEQUAL programme.

The meeting and technical w o r k s h o p i n Vi e n t i a n e introduced key players across the programme and provided an overview of BEQUAL mobilisation activities as well

as confirm future priorities to be supported by the programme.

Speaking at the seminar, the ministrys Director General of Planning Department Mr Inpanh Xaymountry said the BEQUAL project was consistent with overall government policy and would strongly contribute to human resource development as well as respond to the demands of socio-economic development in the country.

The Party and the government recognised education policy as very important by placing it at the centre of human resource development to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and move the country out of the least developed country status by 2020, Mr Inpanh added.

The programme will also strengthen the quality of training at Lao teacher training colleges and provide basic infrastructure, including the construction or rehabilitation

of many schools.The programme will be

overseen by the Australian government and the Ministry of Education and Sports, seeking to achieve a quality primary education for all Lao children, including the most educationally disadvantaged - girls, children from ethnic minority groups and students with disabilities.

Australia has a long history and strong track record of supporting access to basic education in Laos. It has done so through bilateral support, as well as through multilateral and global partnerships, such as the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The GPE, established in 2002, is the only multilateral partnership dedicated to getting more children in school for a quality education in the worlds poorest countries. Laos, which joined the GPE in 2009, is a regional board member for the Asia Pacific.

Education programme to assist schoolchildren in need

provincial agriculture and forestry departments to direct their district offices to suggest to farmers that they need to enhance their efforts in taking care of their animals health during this season, the deputy minister said.

T h e p r o v i s i o n o f assistance will commence as soon as the ministry has completed a project plan after requesting assistance from the National Disaster Management Committee, said Dr Bounkhouang said.

R e g a r d i n g t h e assistance, we will focus on those farmers who lost larger amounts of livestock and crops and carry on to those farmers who suffered medium or smaller impacts, he explained.

Some farmers borrowed

money from the bank for their livestock or crops so the ministry should propose this issue to the government so that it might postpone the interest payments owed to the banks in question.

In regards to assistance for rice farmers, the ministry will use some of the rice stockpile for their relief and plans to supply some rice varieties and other crop seeds for planting in the next season, Dr Bounkhouang said.

The ministry also plans to supply stock and grass seeds to livestock farmers depending on how seriously they were impacted, he added.

The government recently approved 50 million kip in assistance funding for each impacted province but obviously much more assistance will

be required and officials plan to seek funding from various domestic and international organisations as well as other development partners.

Dr Bounkhouang said that the number of cattle and buffaloes which died as the result of cold weather this year was still less than in 2011 but only a few northern provinces were affected.

More than 11,000 cattle and buffaloes were killed in 2011 while no detail was recorded on crop damages.

To avoid impacts on l ivestock by unseasonal weather, the ministry has advised farmers to try to shift their methods of livestock breeding from traditional methods to more modern methods including vaccination and animal shelters.

Cold weather losses to farmers ... FROM PAGE 1

Phaisythong Chandara

The Vietnamese government has agreed to provide masters degree and PhD programme scholarships for Lao civil servants to pursue their studies in Vietnam in 2016-2017.

The programme is part of increasing cooperation in education to strengthen the human resources of Laos and Vietnam, especially for the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.

The programme is also in line with the MoU signed over past years by the two countries aiming to further d e v e l o p a c a d e m i c a n d scientific exchanges between the ministries through mutual a s s i s t ance in the a reas of education, training and research.

In an official announcement from the Ministry of Education and Sports in Laos this week, the 233 scholarship will be offered to all Lao civil servants that have completed bachelor or masters degrees.

The number of scholarships available for 2016-2017 academic year is 233 with

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

Renewable energy experts from Lao and Korean have met in Vientiane to discuss, research, publ ic-pr ivate partnerships and investment projects using the technology in Laos.

Yes t e rday s mee t i ng was attended by Director General of the Department of Technology and Innovation under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr Soumana Choulamany and Researcher and Director of the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), Republic of Korea, Dr Jeong Hyop Lee.

D u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g pa r t i c ipan t s exchanged experiences on renewable energy research and usage in countries that have successful adopted the technology including the Republic of Korea.

Mr Soumana said the

workshop was very important for renewable energy in Laos.

Renewable energy is a new challenge for Laos because the country does not yet understand how to promote and support the sector such as solar and wind power plants for connection to the grid, as well as hybrid or independent systems, he said.

However, the government is now seeking support to study the development of renewable ene rgy i n t he coun t ry. Particularly publicprivate partnerships to implement research and investment projects in this sector from 2016 to 2020, he added.

Many renewable energy companies have presented investment projects to the government aiming to improve the conditions of local people but so far only solar power had been accepted.

According to the director general, the government should

increase support for the sector as part of a clean energy future because it was sustainable, economical and available.

M r S o u m a n a a d d e d that now the Department of Technology and Innovation and Ministry of Planning and Investment were cooperating with Korea to study waste power p lant projects in Vientiane, Xayaboury and Luang Prabang.

According to the Institute of the Renewable Energy Promotion Department at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Laos has considerable potential in terms of wind and solar energy, particularly in the central and southern parts of the country.

Now, Laos has completed two pre-feasibility studies in Nong and Xonbouly districts, Savannakhet province, but has yet to conduct large scale wind or solar project studies due to a lack of regulations or funding support.

Renewable energy workshop talks up research and investment

Dr Jeong Hyop Lee (left) and Mr Soumana Choulamany chair the meeting.

qualified staff not to be over 40 years of age, according to the ministry.

The scholar recipients will leave for Vietnam this September upon approval from the ministry. They will study in numerous universities and higher education institutes in Vietnam. The duration of the programmes will be three years, including one-year of Vietnamese language preparation.

Dur ing the i r s t ay in Vietnam, the staff will study in various fields including education and sports; art and humanities; social sciences, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d p r i n t ; business administration and law; technology, information a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ; production and construction; agriculture-forestry, fisheries and veterinary science; health and welfare; and services and transportation.

Teachers or civil servants who speak Vietnamese fluently will receive special priority.

The Deputy Minis ter of Education and Sports Associate Prof. Dr Kongsy Sengmany, who is in charge of the programme, to ld Vientiane Times yesterday

Vietnam providing scholarships for Lao civil servants

the scholarships would cover tuition fees, return airfares and an annual living allowance, saying Development of the skills and abilities of our people is of great importance for our progress.

Based on the cooperation, the two countries have been organising regular exchange visits for officials and experts over the past two decades, and consider their cooperation as key to national protection and development and essential to nurture their special friendship, according to the ministry.

Based on 2011-2014 figures from the student affairs section, over 8,000 students and officials left for Vietnam to pursue their studies there and more than 2,000 Lao students and officials have graduated from Vietnamese un ivers i t i e s and h igher education institutes, according to the ministry.

Vietnam provides the most scholarships for Lao students and officials to study in that country. China provides the second highest number of scholarships followed by Thailand, Japan and Australia, according to a recent report from the student affairs section.

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3Vientiane Times Wednesday February 10, 2016 Home news

Sub-editor wantedVientiane Times is seeking an experienced English language editor. Must be a native speaker of English and able to edit a wide range of articles from business to entertainment. Attention to detail is essential and familiarity with current affairs in Laos is desirable. Excellent writing skills required. Working hours approx 11am 6pm Mon-Fri plus a weekly

evening shift and occasional Sundays. Please email: chanfeature@hotmail.com or call: 55607017, 021 336047 or drop your CV off at Vientiane Times on Kamphaengmeuang Road (T4).

Times Reporters

T h e S w i s s A g e n c y f o r Development and Cooperation (SDC) will continue to provide funding worth US$250,000 annually to promote Lao Culture for Lao people after completing the first phase of support.

SDC is supporting civil society organisations in the culture industry with funding for training and development of cultural activities. Since the launch of the Lao Culture Challenge Fund (LCCF) in 2014, Switzerland has contributed US$500,000 to the sector in Laos.

During the first cycle of the LCCF, Switzerland supported 10 different organisations to strengthen their institutional c a p a c i t i e s t h r o u g h a partnership with the Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre, a department within the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Ethnic & Social Development Service Co., Ltd by providing courses on organisational development to cultural project partners.

The LCCF second phase workshop was held at the Spark Design Hotel in Vientiane yesterday to train organisation members, presided over by SDC Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook.

For the current cycle, course participants will learn

Times Reporters

Visiting Japanese experts have shared Japans good practices in relation to integrated river development as well as discussed current issues on the comprehensive development and management of dams in Laos.

J a p a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l Cooperation Agency (JICA) recently joined with the Ministry of Energy and Mines to organise a seminar on Integrated River Development in Vientiane.

Some 30 participants from the Fisheries Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Lao National Mekong River Commission S e c r e t a r i a t ( L N M C - S ) , Electricite du Laos (EDL), EDL-Genera t ion Pub l ic Company (EDL-Gen), and Ministry of Energy and Mines were in attendance.

During the seminar, JICA experts introduced several

Khonesavanh Latsaphao

Some local residents watching the Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge being built across the Mekong River to link the provinces of Xayaboury and Vientiane are questioning what kind of loads it will be able to carry.

A number of residents have commented that there are only four bridge pylons visible to them, which might be different to other bridges they have crossed, but project managers would like to stress that maybe those people dont understand steel truss bridge construction.

The project manager in charge of construction, Mr Bouavieng Champaphan, told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that the new Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge is being built to recognised standards but maybe some citizens lack knowledge of the load bearing characteristics of steel truss bridges.

People see only four bridge pylons but under the water and inside the ground there are 80 pylons supporting the bridge structure, Mr Bouavieng explained.

T h e n e w N a s a k -Khokkhaodor Bridge has the best consulting firms working on it, including companies overseeing all technical aspects and quality control.

T h e b r i d g e w i l l b e finished in June this year after construction began in 2012, and it will be able to carry trucks weighing up to

how to improve their business plans with a focus on accessing capital for future activities and organisational costs. All course modules are built on goals to achieve sustainability without reliance on outside funding.

SDC Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook said The government of Switzerland supports the promotion of cultural activities in the Lao PDR through the Lao Culture Challenge Fund.

The fund enables citizens to increase their role in society, encourages cultural expression, and strengthens cultural identify, both locally and nationally. Support for culture also develops social cohesion within civil society, and contributes to the richness

and diversity of an already vibrant local life in the Lao PDR.

The training course is being provided to eight organisations involved in performance and art, visuals and crafts, books and publications and audio-visual and interactive media industries.

The LCCF strives to support institutions in the cultural and artistic sector to enable large populations to take part in cultural life. The reoccurring fund is open to organisations, businesses or groups related to the creation, production and diffusion of cultural goods in Laos. A call for applications for the third phase of the fund will be announced at the end of this year.

Switzerland supports local cultural diversity

SDC Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook addresses the LCCF second phase training course workshop yesterday.

Japanese experts discuss integrated river development

governing laws and acts designed to promote entire river development in Japan, with an emphasis on overall outcomes and benefits for multiple stakeholders.

T h e w o r k s h o p t o o k place with an emphasis on mutual communications and cooperation among concerned ministries, agencies and local authorities.

Concepts and procedures in relation to multi-purpose dams were also introduced at the seminar.

Multi-purpose dams can be designed to serve multiple interests at the same time, i n c l u d i n g h y d r o p o w e r generation, irrigation water supply, drinking water supplies, industrial water supplies and flood control.

Multi-purpose dam projects have been developed in Japan based on benefit sharing and cost sharing principles for the purpose of pursuing the most reasonable solutions for various beneficiaries of river water use as well as utilising

hydropower potential as much as possible.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines issued a Policy on Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Lao PDR (PSHD) in 2015 to be in line with the current l e g a l a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l frameworks and to ensure effective implementation of the policy and achievement of sustainable hydropower development.

The policy states that hydropower development should coordinate with all stakeholders in the management and utilisation of water and water resources for maximum benefits.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines and JICA also conducted a training course on sustainable hydropower planning to improve the abilities of energy officials and provincial energy and mines departments.

The two week course stretched over the periods from January 18 to 22 and January 26 to February 1.

JICA experts and Lao officials at the seminar.

80 tonnes.If none of them are trucks,

the bridge can carry 10 vehicles at a time but their combined weight must be less than 40 tonnes.

Funding for the bridge has been provided through grant aid from the Netherlands of 2.3 million euros (over 20 billion kip).

The bridge itself is made of iron but the road surface is made of concrete reinforced with steel.

At 365 metres, this will be the longest metal bridge in Laos. The Thangon Bridge that crosses the Nam Ngum River in Vientiane is the second longest metal bridge, Mr Bouavieng said.

If well maintained, the Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge should last for 100 years.

Vientiane is 204km from the Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge, which is reached via Road No. 11.

It connects Nasak village in Paklai district, Xayaboury province, to Khokkhador village in Xanakham district, Vient iane province, and is the third bridge linking Xayaboury with neighbouring

provinces.The other two are the

bridge spanning the Mekong River between Thadeua village in Xayaboury province and Pakkhone village in Luang Prabang province, while the third crosses the Mekong at Pakbaeng, linking Xayaboury and Oudomxay provinces.

The Nasak-Khokkhaodor Bridge will ease tourist travel from Loei province in Thailand to Vientiane via Road No. 4 in Xayaboury province and Road No. 11 on the left side of the Mekong River.

National Road No. 11 along the Mekong also links with Road No. 13 North at the Lao-Thai border crossing in Vang village, Vientiane province.

According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Netherlands Development Assistance (NEDA) helped with consultancy on the survey and design of an additional section of Road No. 11 from the Namsang Bridge in Sangthong district, Vientiane, to the Nasak-Khokkhaodor Br idge in Xanakham district, Vientiane province, over a distance of about 150 kilometres.

Steel truss bridge structure unfamiliar to residents

shopping centre and night market. The restaurants will feature a variety of foods including Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese dishes.

Our night market will initially open on Fridays only and if there is good demand, we can open it on other nights. Concerning our shopping centre, it will sell goods produced in all countries including Thailand, China and Vietnam, he said.

Currently the zone is open for the general public to cycle and jog around the 50-hectare lagoon into which tonnes of fish have been released.

That Luang Marsh SEZ is one of the mega projects built in Laos with investment coming from Chinese developer, Wan Feng Shanghai Real Estate Company.

The developer has decided to increase its investment capital from US$1.6 billion to US$5 billion. So far, over US$200 million has been spent on building infrastructure, facilities and condos at the zone.

The Chinese developer is also working to attract other entrepreneurs to operate businesses in the zone.

T h a t L u a n g M a r s h SEZ began construction in December 2012, covering an area of 365 hectares. The government in tended to promote the development of this project as a model for SEZ development in Laos aiming to attract more foreign investment to the country.

Wan Feng Shanghai Real Estate Company has said it expected to spend between

15 to 20 years working on the project.

When finished the project will include a large residential area, public parks and green spaces, a lake, roads and drainage, a sports complex and a commercial centre. There will also be five-star hotels, shopping centres and entertainment venues.

The government said That Luang Marsh SEZ would contribute to further boosting the coun t ry s economic growth and generate job o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r l o c a l people.

The Chinese developer said it aimed to turn That Luang Marsh into a liveable town that has an environmental friendly atmosphere with various tree species to be planted in the zone.

That Luang Marsh SEZ... FROM PAGE 1

4 Vientiane TimesHome news Wednesday February 10, 2016

News in BriefLuang Namtha needs over 6 trillion kip to fund development plan Luang Namtha province will need over 6 trillion kip to fulfil its socio-economic development plan for 2016-2020 and achieve 9.5 percent economic growth, the Socio-Economic Newspaper reported recently. The province plans to implement 410 projects in the five-year period, with 12 percent of investment relying on government budget, 15 percent on donations and loans, over 31 percent from local and foreign private investment, and over 41 percent from bank credit.

Fire damages Km20 market in Borikhamxay A fire that occurred on Friday burned down eight stores at the Km20 market of Khamkeuth district in Borikhamxay province, though no deaths or injuries were reported.Losses amounted to more than 533 million kip from the eight stores, with 164 million kip the biggest single loss and the smallest loss being 1 million kip.Police are investigating the case in order to determine the cause of the fire, Khuamsangob Newspaper reported recently.

Xekong transport services surpass 92,000 passengersMore than 92,000 passengers have used the two passenger stations in Xekong province in the past year, after their construction was completed, Pasaxon Newspaper reported recently. The province has 68 public transport vehicles: 18 buses and 50 pick-up taxis, carrying local and foreign passengers on the routes between the province and Champassak, Saravan , Savannakhet and Vientiane.Head of the transport sector said they cooperated with traffic police to promote road safety and install road signs on Road 73.

Vientiane rebuilds Thin-Soy stupa Vientiane authorities decided to rebuild the 400 year old Thin-Soy stupa in Pakngum village, Pakngum district, Vientiane Mai Newspaper reported recently.Authorities inspected the stupa last week and are preparing a project that aims to restore its original figure.The restoration project will be undertaken in three steps. The first step will be to stop the stupa from leaning, second will be cleaning, and the third step will involve technical consultation with the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to ensure the restoration is completed correctly.

Times Reporters

The Japanese Embassy has issued a special decoration to a Lao official in recognition of his significant contribution to the enhancement and promotion of economic relations and mutual understanding between Japan and Laos.

T h e A m b a s s a d o r -designate of Japan to the Lao PDR Mr Takeshi Hikihara, on Monday hosted a reception to celebrate the conferment of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, on Mr Bouakham Sisoulath, Governor of the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA).

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e decoration, the medal was awarded in recognition of his significant contribution to the enhancement and promotion of economic relations and m u t u a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g between Japan and the Lao PDR.

A t t h e c e r e m o n y , A m b a s s a d o r H i k i h a r a congratulated Mr Bouakham on the conferring of the decoration for the role he has played in various fields, especially in promoting investment by Japanese companies in Laos.

Ambassador Hikihara said in his remarks, He has made three major contributions in particular: his promotion of investment in SEZA, his facilitation of joint dialogue between the Lao and Japanese private and public sectors, and

his overall contribution as a Japanese alumnus of Laos.

I very much hope that the encouragement of this decoration will inspire him to carry out his important duties with even greater enthusiasm and to further contribute to strengthening the friendship of cooperation between Japan and the Lao PDR, Ambassador Hikihara said.

Mr Bouakham Sisoulath said that currently there were 12-13 factories run by Japanese investors within the SEZA and most of the

investment centres on the industrial sector. Currently, the investment by Japanese factories is valued at upwards of over US$ 40 million.

The Japanese investors in the zone have tended to increase, especially the industrial sector and related companies,Mr Bouakham said.

Mr Bouakham Sisoulath was born in Savannakhet province in 1950. After he graduated from Utsunomiya University in Japan with a bachelor's degree, he worked

Japanese Ambassador decorates Lao official

as an official in Savannakhet province for more than 20 years and was appointed Governor of SEZA in 2006.

He is also a member of the Japanese Alumni of Laos and has promoted the relationship between Japan and Laos through his involvement in various exchange programmes.

T h e r e c e p t i o n w a s attended by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr Kikeo Chanthaboury, MrBouakhams f ami ly, friends, and business people from Japanese companies.

Ambassador-designate of Japan to the Lao PDR Mr Takeshi Hikihara (second right) hands over a medal and some documents to the Governor of Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone Authority Mr Bouakham Sisoulath (third right) in Vientiane on Monday evening.

Vientiane Times Wednesday February 10, 2016 Photo news 5

Savannakhet provincial Deputy Governor, Mr Thonekeo Phouttakayalath (right) received medical equipment including oxygen apparatus and other essential items, valued at US$20,000 from, MMG LXML Sepon Director Mr Saman Aneka (left) on Monday in the province. The additional equipment will enhance the hospital's capacity to respond to emergencies, particularly road accident trauma. The event was witnessed by Deputy Director of Savannakhet provincial Hospital, Dr Bounnak Koulavongsa along with employees from LXML, Savannakhet Provincial Office, and Savannakhet Hospital.

(From left) Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel Assistant General Manager Mrs Jena Kwan, Vice President of Lao Journalists Association Mr Somsanouk Mixay, Chinese Restaurant Executive Chef Mr Jiantu Liang, the hotels Director of Sales and Marketing Mr Ryoji Suganuma, Marketing Manager Mrs Anumainthavong and Acting Editor in Chief of Pasaxon Daily Newspaper Mr Douangchit Savatbounmy, attend a special Chinese New Year dinner at the hotel in Vientiane on Tuesday night. --Photo Khamphan

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara (left) receives a donation of 300,000 Baht (69 million kip) from Toyota Motor Thailand Company Limiteds Deputy Head of Operating Office for the Mekong Division Mr Kumphol Akameteepan (right) during the recent charity football match between Lao Premiere League All-stars and Buriram United from Thailand. The money will contribute to the construction of new accommodation for rural school children in May district, Phongsaly province.

Members from trainee organisations attend the second phase training course workshop of the Lao Culture Challenge Fund at the Spark Design Hotel in Vientiane yesterday. The workshop aimed to assist cultural organisations with business skills and was presided over by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Communication and Culture Officer Mr Touravanh Hook.

6 Vientiane TimesWednesday February 10, 2016Region

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In brief from Asia News Network

No deal yet on Russian tanks, govt saysBangkok (The Nation) -- The Defence Ministry says it has not decided if it will buy T-90 and T-14 tanks from Russia.Ministry spokesman Major-General Kongcheep Tantrawa-nich said Prawit and Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusri-pitak would visit Russia ahead |of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's visit in March, but there was no plan to discuss the purchase of Russian tanks during the visit. However, he said the Army needed to procure new tanks and there were several countries, including Russia, proposing to sell their products. Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said an Army committee was working on the specifications of suitable tanks, which would be procured to replace ageing ones, but it had not yet made a decision.

Traffic building up on major roadsMALAYSIA (The Star) -- The post Chinese New Year traffic has already started building up, with crawls of up to 10km on some major roads.Star Traffic team head Priscilla Patrick said the traffic Tuesday was mainly made up of those who are not celebrating Chinese New Year but had travelled out of the city on holiday.These are those who had taken the weekend off and travelling back to start work tomorrow. As for those who are celebrating, we feel that most of them are going to take the rest of the week off and start their visiting from today, she said adding that it was the possible cause for crawls heading up north.

Court told Rathupaswela ground water not of recommended standardSRI LANKA (The Island) -- The Central Environmental Authority on Monday informed the Court of Appeal that the ground water at Rathupaswela, Gampaha was not within the recommended PH range.The Wenigross factory was removed from its earlier location about two years ago in response to a Writ Application filed by the centre for Environmental Justice and the Jala Surakeema Sangamaya of Siyana Korala, Gampaha. The complaint says Wenigross factory released untreated effluents which caused ground water pollution.Deputy Solicitor General Arjuna Obeysekera appeared for the respondent, the Central Environmental Authority.

INDONESIA (The Jakarta Post, ANN) -- Dengue fever cases in North Jakarta have drastically increased in the first week of February and hospitals in the municipality have started to be flooded with dengue fever patients.

An official has guaranteed, however, that most city-owned hospitals still had vacant beds ready to accept new patients.

In January, there were 82 recorded cases of dengue fever. Since early February, 52 new dengue fever cases have been reported, said Muhammad Helmi, the head of North Jakartas health office, in Jakarta on Monday.

Altogether, the number of dengue fever patients has reached 134, Helmi said as reported by beritajakarta.com.

Helmi stressed that the government in cooperation with various stakeholders

Dengue fever cases drastically increase in North Jakarta

Many patients, mostly dengue fever patients, wait for treatment in the emergency service waiting room at the Cengareng city-owned hospital (RSUD Cengkareng) in West Jakarta. --Photo JP

was intensifying its effort to curb the spread of dengue fever by carrying out fogging activities in residential areas and eliminating mosquito

nests so that the mosquitoes could not lay their eggs.

Meanwhile, Jakarta City Health Agency head Koesmedi Prihatmo said on Tuesday that

JAPAN (The Yomiuri Shimbun, ANN) -- The government will introduce numerical targets in a bid to reduce the number of excessive drinkers, according to the draft of a plan to deal with alcohol-related health problems.

The draft plan says the government will establish at least one medical institution specializing in alcoholism, or a consultation center for the disease, per prefecture. It will also introduce numerical targets to lower the rate of excessive drinkers, who are highly likely to develop lifestyle-related diseases.

According to the draft plan, the government aims to reduce the percentage of excessive drinkers among male adults to 13 percent by fiscal 2020, from 15.8 percent in 2014. It also seeks to lower the percentage among female adults to 6.4 percent by the same fiscal year from 8.8 percent in 2014.

The yardstick for excessive drinking is at least two go (one go equals 180 milliliters)

SUVA (Xinhua) -- Fiji has received guns and ammunition worth around US$8.8 million from Russia, a senior Fijian government official confirmed Tuesday.

While responding to a question from a government MP at the parliament, Minister of Defense Timoci Natuva said the guns and ammunition shipped to Fiji recently and received by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces are part of a memorandum signed by the Fijian and the Russian governments in 2013.

The weapons are expected to strengthen capabilities of Fij ian troops on UN peacekeeping duties, sources said.

TAINAN, Taiwan (AP) -- Rescuers using cranes, dogs and electronic devices searched for survivors Tuesday in a high-rise apartment complex in southern Taiwan that was toppled three days earlier by a powerful earthquake.

The death toll in Saturdays disaster stood at 40, while 320 people had been rescued, the Tainan city government said on its official website.

More than 100 people are believed to still be under the debris following the tragedy that struck during the most important family holiday in the Chinese calendar - the Lunar New Year.

All but two of the casualties in the quake were recorded in the collapse of Tainans Weiguan Golden Dragon 17-story complex. Although the shallow 6.4-magnitude quake was potentially devastating, few buildings were damaged as a result of strict construction standards in force on an island that is frequently struck by quakes.

Most of those who survived were rescued in the hours immediately after the quake, in which the building collapsed onto itself before toppling.

Ko Ching-chung said he had propped himself against a wall to avoid falling onto his girlfriend after the quake hit just before 4 am. But after 20 hours, he could no longer hold on and collapsed

there were still 445 vacant beds in several city-owned hospitals (RSUD) across the capital as of Monday, 4:30 pm.

Koesmedi said that the

of sake for men every day, and one go or more daily of sake for women, according to the draft.

The government plans to endorse the basic plan at a Cabinet meeting in May. It will also urge each prefectural government to formulate original plans based on the particular situation in its area.

The government aims to promote the spread of knowledge about the risks of drinking. For example, excess ive dr inking can increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, and women tend to become alcoholics more quickly than their male counterparts.

A s o n e m e a s u r e t o deal with alcoholism, the government plans to establish within five years local mental health and welfare centers, and local public health centers, as consultation bases where people with alcohol-related problems and their family members can easily seek advice at an early stage of the disease.

Meanwhile, around 20 Russian soldiers, believed to be weapon experts, arrived in Fiji on Tuesday under tight security, according to local magazine Island Business.

The Russian soldiers landed at Fijis Nadi International Airport onboard a commercial airliner and were whisked through the VIP channels normally used by diplomats and dignitaries, said the report, adding that after meeting Fijian military officials, the Russian soldiers were driven away in waiting transport.

With the Look North policy in effect, Fiji has been expanding ties with non-traditional partners all over the world.

onto her.She would have soon not

been able to breath. I said to her I had to lay on top of her and she said to me its OK, Ko told reporters at the hospital where he was recovering.

Five survivors were believed to have been pulled out on Sunday, and at least four on Monday. One of them, Tsao Wei-ling, called out Here I am as rescuers dug through to find her.

She was found under the body of her husband, who had shielded her from a collapsed beam, the government-run Central News Agency reported. Tsaos husband and 2-year-son were found dead, and five other members of the family remained unaccounted for, it said.

Teams also rescued a 42-year-old man on Monday, and, later, an 8-year-old girl, who had been trapped for more than 61 hours.

Mayor Lai Ching-Te told reporters he briefly exchanged words with the girl, Lin Su-chin.

S he i s aw ak e , bu t looks dehydrated, lost some temperature but shes awake and her blood pressure is OK, he said. I asked her if theres anything wrong with her body. She shook her head.

Shortly afterward, rescue workers also pulled out a 28-year-old Vietnamese woman, identified as Chen Mei-jih, who had been trapped

hospitals that still had vacant beds included RSUD Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, RSUD Pasar Rebo in East Jakarta, RSUD Budi Asih in East Jakarta, RSUD Tarakan in West Jakarta and many other smaller hospitals at the district level.

Hospital management can transfer dengue fever patients to other hospitals if their hospitals no longer have vacant beds, though many patients prefer to be treated at a hospital near to their house.

At RSUD Cengkareng in West Jakarta, for example, all beds are occupied, but many new patients still prefer to be treated in the hospital corridors rather than be relocated to another hospital.

Although there are still vacant beds at other hospitals, many patients at RSUD Cengkareng do not want to be relocated, he said.

on what was the buildings fifth floor.

F a m i l y m e m b e r s o f the missing flooded into the information center in search of their loved ones or to wait anxiously.

Tensions rose as some relatives, losing patience, demanded to speak to rescue workers directly to get the latest information.

A couple sitting in a small room where officials release information said they had heard no news about their daughter-in-law and two young grandsons.

Does that mean we are here to wait for bodies? grandfather Liu Meng-hsun cried out angrily.

Earthquakes rattle Taiwan frequently. Most are minor and cause little or no damage, though a magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.

The spectacular fall of the high-rise, built in 1989, raised questions about whether its construction had been shoddy. The government says i t will investigate whether the developer cut corners.

The extended Lunar New Year holiday officially started Monday, but celebrations were subdued and both President Ma Ying-jeou and President-elect Tsai Ing-wen canceled the traditional handing out of envelopes of cash in their hometowns.

Government to set targets to fight heavy drinking

Fiji receives US$8.8m worth of weapons from Russia

Search for life continues at Taiwan complex toppled by quake

As night falls, emergency rescue workers continue to search the rubble of a collapsed building complex in Tainan, Taiwan. --Photo AP

Vientiane Times 77Wednesday February 10, 2016 Region

SYDNEY (Xinhua) -- A French-made robot bus is set to be trialled in an Australian state as part of wider preparations into the use of autonomous vehicles on local roads.

A French-made driverless electric shuttle bus will carry 15 passengers at speeds up to 45 km per hour in the Western Australia state capital Perth using three-dimensional sensing technology that allows the bus to avoid obstacles and detect and read road signs.

We s t e r n A u s t r a l i a s Transport Minister Dean Nalder on Tuesday said the trial would help test the concept of automated vehicles on the states roads, however having driverless public transport options are some way away.

It is a trial, and at the end of the day trials have ups and downs. There will be things that dont work that well learn from, but its all about learning so were better prepared for the

INDIA (The Statesman, ANN) -- Prominent Muslim leader Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said innocent Muslims must not be harassed in the name of fighting the Islamic State terror group.

Security agencies must be more transparent while detaining terror suspects, the Shahi Imam of the 17th-century Jama Masjid here told Modi during their half-hour meeting at the prime ministers residence.

I urged the prime minister that while detaining people for terrorist activities or suspected links with the Islamic State, special care must be taken to ensure that the lives of innocent Muslim youth and their families are not ruined,

future, Nalder said.Royal Automobile Club

(RAC) of Western Australia chief executive Terry Agnew said the staged trial, which is being conducted by RAC, wou ld he lp l awmake r s understand the legislative and practical challenges posed by autonomous vehicles.

Not only are we thinking about regulation and how it might work operationally, but importantly we can start understanding the human fac to r o f how Wes te rn Australians will embrace and use this innovative technology, Agnew said.

The development of self driving technology has become the latest battleground in the technology market with global automotive manufacturers snapping up software experts in the race to develop a self-driving car for the consumer market.

U . S e c r e t a r y o f Transporta t ion Anthony

Bukhari told IANS.Dont spare those who

have actually indulging in terror activities, but there is no point detaining people on the basis of mere suspicious social media activity.

Instead, if a youngster appears to be getting attracted to the IS through his social media activity, he should be counselled and not just put behind bars, he added.

He said a large number of Muslim youth were languishing in jails on terrorism charges.

The prime minister assured to look into the matter and said he will not let injustice done to anybody. He liked my proposal on lectures in universities and colleges to sensitise youngsters on the evils of terrorism, the Shahi Imam said.

Robot bus to be trialled on Australian roads

Dont harass innocent Muslims, Bukhari tells Modi

HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kongs Lunar New Year celebration descended into chaotic scenes as protesters and police, who fired warning shots into the air, clashed over a street market selling fish balls and other local holiday delicacies, leaving dozens injured and arrested.

The violence is the worst in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2014, leaving a growing trust gap between the public and authorities.

Activists angered over authorities attempts to crack down on the food hawkers in a c rowded Kowloon neighbourhood held running battles with police into the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Protesters pelted officers

with bottles and pieces of trash. Some threw garbage cans, plastic safety barriers and wood from shipping pallets at them. They also set fires on the street.

H o n g K o n g s C h i e f Executive Leung Chun-ying told reporters a mob had attacked police officers and journalists, and said the perpetrators would be prosecuted.

Police cars and public property were damaged, fires started and bricks and other objects thrown at police officers, including those already injured and lying on the ground, Leung said.

I believe the public can see for themselves from TV news reports the seriousness of the situation. The (Hong Kong) government strongly condemns

such violent acts. The police will apprehend the mobs and bring them to justice, Leung said.

Officials said they were investigating whether the violence had been organised in advance.

At one point, a protester tried to tackle a traffic police officer from behind before both sides rush in to the melee in the middle of a busy street, according to footage shown by local news channel Cable TV. Moments later, another officer appeared to fire two warning shots into the air.

Hong Kong police said in a statement that the protesters had ignored their warnings to get off the street and shoved officers, who responded with batons and pepper spray.

Hong Kong activists, police clash over holiday food stalls

Rioters throw bricks at police in Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. --Photo AP

Bukhari also took up the issue of the minority character o f the Al igarh Mus l im University and the Jamia Millia Islamia.

He told Modi that the governments stand in the Supreme Court on their minority character had created grave concern among the Muslims.

We urged the prime minister that the government should review its stand. He promised to consider the issues, and said his government wont take any step that may put communal harmony at stake, Bukhari said.

Bukhari said he would lead a delegation to meet the prime minister on the Jamia and AMU issue after the budget session of parliament.

Foxx, on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Auto Show in September last year, said he expected driverless cars to be widespread operation throughout the world within 10 years.

H i g h - e n d e l e c t r i c automotive manufacturer Tesla has taken the realisation of that expectation a step further by releasing a software upgrade for the Model S four-door saloons autopilot system that was released in October. The upgrade allows its cars to automatically change lanes by the touch of the indicator, managing speed and even hit the breaks, though its not recommended for use in urban areas.

H o w e v e r m a n y o f the wor lds automot ive manufacturers are catching up, with suggestions they will have roadworthy autonomous cars before 2020. Mercedes, Audi and Google all have working prototypes.

D H A K A ( X i n h u a ) - - Bangladesh law enforcers in the past three years seized gold weighing nearly 3,000 kg, said a minister on Monday.

Gold, gold bars and gold jewellery weighing 784.17 kg were seized in 2015, 1,539.628 kg in 2014 and 620.41 kg in 2013, Bangladeshi Finance Minister

YANGON (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organisation and UNAIDS has called for strong collaboration between national Tuberculosis and AIDS programmes in Myanmar aimed at strengthening the mechanisms for delivering integrated TB and HIV services, according to a press release of WHO and UNAIDS on Tuesday.

In an in-depth review of

AMA Muhith said replying to a scripted question in the parliament on Monday.

He informed the house that the seized gold has been deposited to the central bank of Bangladesh.

In the recent months, almost every day Bangladesh law enforcers seized gold, gold bars and gold jewellery which

the current status of TB and HIV in Myanmar by WHO and UNAIDS, both organisations also stressed to reduce the burden of TB in HIV-infected individuals, said the release.

M y a n m a r h a s m a d e impressive progress in the fight against HIV and TB, successfully halting and reversing the spread of the diseases in line with the 2015

Bangladesh seizes nearly 3,000 kg gold in 3 yrs

WHO, UNAIDS collaborate in AIDS programmes in Myanmar

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were being smuggled into the country through airports.

Sources said organised gangs of local smugglers having link with their foreign sidekicks are increasingly using Bangladesh as a route for the illegal transportation of gold, foreign currencies, c o n t r a b a n d d r u g a n d medicines.

Millennium Development Goals, according to the review.

Myanmar Ministry of Health is stepping up efforts to tackle the combined epidemic of HIV and TB in the country.

Meanwhile, co-infection of TB and HIV was responsible for around 4,100 deaths in Myanmar in 2014 out of the estimated 32,000 deaths for all TB forms.

8 Vientiane TimesWednesday February 10, 2016World

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A UN panel on Monday proposed long-sought greenhouse gas emissions standards for airliners and cargo planes, drawing praise from the White House and criticism from environmentalists who said they would be too weak to actually slow global warming.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation said the agreement reached by the agencys environmental panel requires that new aircraft designs meet the standards beginning in 2020, and that designs already in production comply by 2023. There is also a cutoff date of 2028 for the manufacture of planes that dont comply with the standards. The standard must still be adopted by the agencys 36-nation governing council, but substantive changes arent expected.

The standards would be the first ever to impose binding energy efficiency and carbon dioxide reduction targets for the aviation sector. When fully implemented, the standards are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040, equivalent to removing over 140 million cars from the road for a year, according to the White House.

The s tandards would require an average 4 percent reduction in fuel consumption during the cruise phase of flight starting in 2028 when c o m p a r e d w i t h p l a n e s delivered in 2015. However, planes burn the most fuel during takeoffs and landings, while cruising at high altitudes is already the most fuel-efficient period.

The agreement is the first of two important opportunities this year to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. The second opportunity will come later this year when ICAO tries to reach an agreement on a market-based approach that would use economic incentives to further reduce aviation carbon emissions.

Todays agreement is an important signal that the international community is well-positioned to rise to the

T E H R A N ( X i n h u a ) - - President Hassan Rouhani awarded the Iranian nuclear negotiating team on Monday with medals of honor for clinching an historic deal with world powers in July last year.

He awarded the f irs t class medals of Merit and Courage to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Head of Atomic Energy Organisation

ANKARA (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Germany agreed to launch a diplomatic initiative for ending Russian backed military operations in Aleppo of Syria, the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.

Turkey and Germany would launch diplomatic i n i t i a t i v e t o g e t h e r f o r compliance of every side to 2254 resolution of United Nations Security Council, in a bid to end Russian and other forces attacks, on Aleppo, the Turkish prime minister said in a joint press conference with his visiting German counterpart Angela Merkel.

Inhumane attacks on Aleppo should end, said Davutoglu, accusing Russia and other forces of supporting Syrian regime of being insincere.

Russia has caused civilian deaths. There is a tragedy in Aleppo, he added.

ATHENS (Xinhua) -- Greek government said on Monday all five hot spots, centers where migrants are registered, will be ready on Greek islands before February 15, a deadline it agreed with European partners in autumn 2015.

M e a n w h i l e , i t a l s o announced two relocation centers on the mainland will be ready by the deadline, despite protests from local communities.

The country will fulfill the commitments, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told a press briefing in Athens on Monday.

He added the government was open to dialogue, but there was no time for lengthy discussions, as people are dying in the Aegean Sea and survivors need aid with no more delays. According to the government, all the hot spots are temporary structures.

Kammenos statement was made as construction work in old military camps was underway

UN agency proposes greenhouse gas emissions rules for planes

Iran president honours nuclear team for historic deal

Turkey, Germany agree to end Russia-backed attacks on Syria

Greece promises to set up hot spots on time

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 painted with the airlines new tail logo and livery takes off above an Alaska plane with the old livery. --Photo AP

challenge of implementing a global market-based approach to reduce aviation emissions, the White House said in a statement.

The standards announced Monday dont set the bar high enough, sa id Dan Rutherford, aviation direction of the International Council on Clean Transportation, since they require reductions of only about a third of what is expected to be technically possible with the more fuel-efficient planes that will be in production when the standard takes effect.

The newest Boeing and Airbus designs already meet the proposed eff iciency standards, due to demands for fuel savings from the airlines, environmentalists said. In the meantime, the manufacturers get to continue selling older, less efficient designs for years to come. Airliners in use now are exempt from thenew standards altogether, meaning even dirtier planes can continue to fly.

B o e i n g c a l l e d t h e agreement real progress beyond industry steps already taken to reduce aviation emissions. ICAO council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said the agencys goal is ultimately to ensure that when the next generation of aircraft types enters service, there will be guaranteed reductions in international carbon emissions.

Environmentalists also complained that ICAO has

of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, and to Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan. Today is the day to express gratitude to the devoted chiefs who defended the (rights of) nation in the international arena, Rouhani said in the awarding ceremony.

The deal, reached on July 14 last year between Iran and five permanent members of theUnited Nations Security

There are some 30,000 Syrians waiting near Turkish border fleeing the Russian-backed air strikes, according to Davutoglu.

Merkel, for her part , said thousands of people are exposed to Russian bombardment.

She recalled that Russia earlier agreed on UN Security Councils resolution of 2452, saying all parties pledged to end any attacks against civilians.

Turkey and Germany also agreed on an action plan which aims to support Syrian refugees fleeing civil war in their homeland, also prevent illegal crossings of them in Turkish-European border.

T h e t w o c o u n t r i e s would call on NATO to get involved in efforts against human trafficking with use of the Alliances observation capabilities in Aegean Sea, the Turkish prime minister said.

They would discuss the and hundreds of protesters were on the streets of Kos island, as well as the Piraeus suburb of Keratsini and a district in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where the two relocation centers will be set up.

In most cases, municipal authorities and residents protest that the plan went ahead without prior consultation with local communities.

Cabinet ministers have dismissed the reactions as xenophobic outbreaks by a minority of locals. Among protesters at Keratsini on Monday were ultra-Right Golden Dawn party MPs and members, but in several cases demonstrators have rejected any affiliation with the party.

The government has also accused critics of undermining the establishment of the registration centers for financial reasons.

Kammenos has openly talked about the flourishing of a black market on the islands in

been working on international standards for 18 years and is now proposing to give aircraft manufacturers another dozen years to comply.

T h e s e d a n g e r o u s l y weak recommendations put the Obama administration under enormous pressure to take greater action, said Vera Pardee, a Centre for Biological Diversity attorney who has sued the US government over aviation emissions.

Last June, the Obama administrat ion proposed regulating aircraft emissions, saying they are a threat to human health because they contain pollutants that help cause global warming. But a final US decision on adoption of international standards is likely to be left to the next presidential administration. EPA officials said at the time that the earliest the agency is likely to propose adoption of ICAO standards would be in 2017.

Boeing is the United States largest exporter as measured in dollar value. The company vies with Airbus for the title of worlds largest aircraft maker.

Aviation accounts for about 5 percent of global greenhouse emissions, according to environmentalists. ICAO says its actually less than 2 percent.

But that share is expected to grow as aviation grows. We also recognise that the projected doubling of global passengers and flights by 2030 must be managed responsibly and sustainably, said Aliu.

Counci l p lus Germany, or P5+1, ended a decade-long dispute over Tehrans controversial nuclear program.

The agreement resulted in the lifting of international and Western nuclear-related economic and f inancia l sanctions on Iran in exchange for wide-scale limitation on the countrys nuclear activities for specific period of time.

issue in the next meeting of NATO, Merkel stated.

S y r i a n a r m y h a s reportedly become only 13 km from Turkish borders on Sunday, following military operations supported with Russian airstrikes against militant groups in the northern countryside of the northern province of Aleppo.

The Syrian armys wide-scale offensive in Aleppo aims at cutting the rebels supply lines from Turkey and separate the northern countryside of Aleppo from its city to further isolate the rebels, as a step to retake Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

The mi l i ta ry forces campaign in Aleppo is taking place with the backing of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group and heavy Russian air cover, both key elements behind the sweeping advance of the Syrian army against the Turkey-backed militants in Aleppo.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Experts say 2015 saw a record-setting 98 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, including 30 in Florida alone.

The Florida Museum of Natural History released the numbers Monday. Scientists say the previous record was 88 attacks in 2000.

International Shark Attack File curator George Burgess says attacks are expected to continue to increase as human populations grow and shark populations recover.

Of the six fatalities last year, two happened off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion; the others occurred off Australia, Egypt, New Caledonia and the United States.

recent months.A minority of locals exploits

the needy refugees, overcharging products and services, as long as the assistance from the state mechanism is insufficient, he said. Only one hot spot is running so far on Lesvos island.

A total of 960,000 refugees entered Greece via Turkey on their way to other European countries since early 2015, according to the latest official data.

The cost of supporting the incoming refugees and migrants over the past two years and a half reached 2.7 billion euros(US$3.02 billion) for Greece, said Kammenos.

As the flow of refugees continues unabated this year despite bad weather in winter time, Greece requests more help from European partners and neighbouring countries to face the challenge, as the debt laden country is threatened with an expulsion from the Schengen passport free travel zone.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 painted with the airlines new tail logo and livery takes off above an Alaska plane with the old livery. --Photo AP

2015 sets record for most shark attacksThe US led the world with

59 attacks, including those in Florida, eight in each of the Carolinas and seven in Hawaii. California and Texas each had

two attacks, and New York and Mississippi each had one.

Australia and South Africa followed the US with 18 and 8 attacks, respectively.

Vientiane Times 9

Euro 50-500 9,074 9,120

Foreign Currencies Buying Selling

US Dollar 50-100

Thai Baht

8,112

229.14

8,152

230.85

exchange rates as of february 9, 2016Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

Business Read more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Wednesday February 10, 2016

Times Reporters

Champassak province has approved a total of eight investment projects for both domestic and foreign investors worth a combined total of some 4,500 billion kip (US$562 million) over the first three months of the year, according to a recent report.

The summary of the first quarters report highlighted the significant achievements and outlines its plan for the second quarter and the whole years plan.

In the first quarter, two domestic investment projects have been approved by the provinces Planning and Investment Department, worth a total of 57 billion kip.

In addition to that, a total of six foreign investment projects valued at more than US$557 million (over 4,457 billion kip) have also been given the go ahead.

So far, the funds for investment projects processed through the banking system amount to US$870 ,000

The rapid growth and advancing socio-economic development in Champassak province is obviously attractive to both domestic and foreign investors in the province.

Champassak sees investment spike in

recent months(almost 7 billion kip) while a total of US$710,000 (about 5.7 billion kip) has changed hands in cash transactions, and about US$160,000 has been spent on materials (1.3 billion kip).

The report also noted that the banks also loaned a total of 141 billion kip or about 25 percent of the yearly plan, of which 42 percent of the loans went to the agriculture and forestry sector, 20 percent went to the industrial sector while the small industry and handicrafts sector received some 5 percent of loans.

In the second quarter o f th i s f i sca l year, the province wi l l carry out t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f investment projects worth a total of 1,941 billion kip.

These investment projects will include government funds of 66.4 billion kip, funds from Official Development Assistance (ODA) of about 381.1 billion kip and funds from domestic and foreign investment projects worth over 1,352 billion kip.

In addition, a total of 93 projects worth over 66.46

billion kip will be carried out utilising both domestic and foreign investment funds.

Champassak province has an obvious potential for investment projects as local authorities in the province have recently granted approval for the establishment of the Pakxe-Japan SME Specific Economic Zone in the province last year.

The establishment of th i s spec i f i c economic zone is aiming to facilitate development and attract more foreign direct investment, especially that of companies and enterprises from Japan.

The zone is also expected to boost local employment prospects as well as attract workers from the outlying districts of Champassak province while a focus will be placed on preserving the environment.

As a result, the province i s a l so se t to p romote more domestic and foreign investment projects in different fields including the agriculture, tourism and industrial sectors in the years ahead.

Times Reporters

Vendors at markets across Vientiane last week witnessed a slight decrease in sales for the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year compared to the same period last year.

A pork vendor at Khuadin market pointed out that sales had decreased from 50-60 kilos to 30-40 kilos this year during the three day lead up (February 5-7) to the Lunar New Year.

C l o t h i n g v e n d o r s likewise reported slower sales, especially for red traditional suits popular with Vietnamese and Chinese people.

Vendors put the slight decrease down to economic conditions and some prices were higher than last year.

H o w e v e r , s a l e s o f New Year staples such as vegetables, rice, candles, and incense sticks had increased slightly as their prices were the same as last year.

An official at Khuadin marke t sa id p r ices had remained the same even though i t was a special occasion for Vietnamese and Chinese.

M e a n w h i l e , a L a o

Chinese New Year sales down slightly

Some products on sale at ITECC Mall for the Lunar New Year.

A i r l i n e s p l a n n i n g a n d marketing official said flights to Kunming, Quangzhou, Chengdu and Jinghong in China were fully booked last week.

Last year, Lao Airlines opened direct f l ights to the four Chinese c i t ies making it easier for Chinese bus inesspeople in Laos to make the t rad i t ional pilgrimage back home to celebrate with their families.

He explained that with

the new flights Chinese New Year business was up and from February 11-14, flights returning to Vientiane from Chinese cities were fully booked.

An official at the Southern Bus Station said buses to Vietnam cities had sold out every day before Vietnamese N e w Ye a r a n d s t a t i o n authorities had scheduled additional buses to meet passenger demand when necessary.

TOKYO (Xinhua) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that its had halted production at all of its domestic factories owing to a shortage of steel in the wake of an explosion last month at a steel plant in central Japan, where the company is headquartered.

Local media reported that the Aichi Prefecture-based automaker wil l suspend production lines at all 16 of its factories here staring on Monday, with the suspension likely to continue through Saturday.

T h e w o r l d s t o p automaker said it expects operat ions to resume as normal on February 15.

A c c o r d i n g t o l o c a l reports, the production halt will affect up to 80,000

Toyota suspends production at all domestic factories

veh ic l e s , based on the automakers daily production levels of 13,000 vehicles.

O n J a n u a r y 8 , a n e x p l o s i o n a t To y o t a s affiliate Aichi Steel Corp. in the Tokai region of the prefecture knocked out a furnace essential to the No.2 Bar Mill Shop of the Chita Plants steel production. The explosion has impacted the automakers ability to source steel for its production lines, it said.

Aichi Steel Corp. has said production at its plant would not resume until March 29.

The production halt is expected to deal a significant blow to Toyota who last week announced record profits for the April-December period last year.

The maker of the popular Prius hybrid and Corolla sedans said its profits had leapt 9.2 percent on year to 1.89 trillion yen (US$16.12 billion) as brisk sales in its North American market helped widen its margins.

It also said its operating profit jumped 9 percent to 2.31 trillion yen on sales of 21.43 trillion yen, climbing 6.5 percent compared to the same period a year earlier and marking a new record for the manufacturer.

Based on the figures, Toyota upwardly revised its net profit projection for the business year ending March 31, by 4.4 percent compared to last year, from initial estimates of 2.25 trillion yen, to 2.27 trillion yen.

10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Wednesday February 10, 2016

In BRIEF

BEIJING (China Daily, ANN) -- Chinas outbound tourists are expected to spend at least 10,000 yuan (US$1,590) percapita during the February 7-22 Spring Festival holiday season of 2016, which will once againmake them the most powerful group of buyers around the world this winter.

Ctrip -- a major online travel agency in China -- anticipated that the total number of visitsconducted by Chinese tourist overseas would reach a high of 6 mil l ion during the busy holidayseason.

Thats perfectly good news for places which are high on the list of Chinese tour i s t s favor i t ewin te r d e s t i n a t i o n s , w i t h t h e Top Ten including Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket Island, Singapore,Hong Kong of China etc, according to Ctrip.

They and others, which also want a share, have prepared wi th s tandard Chinese speakingshopping guides, hot drinking water s e rv i ce s and d i scoun t s fo r ho lde rs o f Ch inese passportsor Unionpay cards.

The break of the first seven days of the Spring Festival for most Chinese i n t h e h o l i d a y s e a s o n , traditionally a period of time for family reunions, now sees a new fashion of peoplespending time and

Chinese tourists ask a sales assistant for directions at a Lotte department store in central Seoul, SouthKorea.

Chinese tourists expected to become most powerful buyers

money overseas.Global retai lers have

found that the enormous purchasing power of Chinese shoppers maystem from needs behind every single customer, who buy for their families and friends asmany brands have wide pricing discrepancies in different countries.

Li Fu, a Shanghai girl, who spent around 20,000 yuan (US$3,180) in her trip to Japan, stuffed 30kg of cosmetics, watches and small appliances into her luggage back to China. Many of myfamily members and friends heard my plan to travel and asked me to buy goods for themoverseas, she said.

According to Japans tourism agency, Chinese

touris ts vis i ts to Japan topped 4.3 million inthe first 10 months of 2015 and their per capita consumption increased to US$2,490 in 2015 fromUS$1,878 in 2014.

Chen Xi, a young business woman from Beijing, rushed to Ginza after landing at TokyosHaneda International Airport on Thursday, joining in numerous Chinese tourists shuttlingbetween department stores and specialty shops in the well-known commercial zone.

Although a majority of Chinese visitors in Japan spent their money mainly in shopping, anincreasing n u m b e r a r e b e c o m i n g keener than others to spend more time in self-guided t o u r s e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e archipelago country.

(AP) -- Global markets sank on Tuesday, led by a 5.4 percent slide in Tokyo, as renewed jitters about the global economy set off a wave of selling in banking stocks.

Equity markets have been in a slump so far this year after a lackluster 2015. Several factors have kept investors in a selling mood, including falling crude oil prices, waning growth in China and increased risk of recession in other major economies if market volatility takes a toll on business confidence and investment.

L o s s e s o n Tu e s d a y were less severe in Europe than Asia. In early trading, Frances CAC 40 was down 0.7 percent at 4,038.41 and Germanys DAX fell 0.5 percent to 8,933.11. Britains FTSE 100 eased 0.1 percent to 5,638.21.

Futures augured more downside on Wall Street. Dow futures were down 0.5 percent at 15,915.00. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.5 percent to 1,843.90.

There i s a genuine concern that stress in asset markets will start affecting real economics, said Chris Weston, chief market strategist at IG in Melbourne, Australia.

This period of sustained volatility and deterioration in credit will impact businesses and one has to be concerned about how many households are feeling this drawdown in

World stocks down on growth jitters, Japan

dives 5.4 percentthe financial markets, he said in a market commentary.

The prospect of Federal Reserve rate increases after several years of ultra-easy monetary policy had also unnerved markets. But the prospect of hikes in the near term has faded because of the market turmoil.

In Asia, Japans Nikkei 225 dived 5.4 percent to close at 16,085.44 and Australias S&P/ASX 200 fell 2.9 percent to 4,832.10. Markets also fell in Southeast Asia. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea were closed for Lunar

New Year holidays.Banking s tocks were

hammered by concerns that profits wi l l suffer f rom another downturn in the global economy. National Austral ia Bank dropped 4.8 percent in Sydney and Mizuho Financial slid 6.2 percent in Tokyo.

Benchmark US oil was up 73 cents at US$30.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell US$1.20, or 3.9 percent, to close at US$29.69 a barrel in New York on Monday. Brent crude was 53 cents higher at US$33.42 in London. The contract dropped US$1.18, or 3.5 percent, to close at US$32.88 a barrel in London.

T h e e u r o r o s e t o US$1.1177 from US$1.1186 on Monday. The dollar fell to 115.37 yen from 115.58 yen.

Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japans Nikkei 225 (left) at a securities firm in Tokyo.

TOKYO (ANN, The Yomiuri Shimbun) -- The nations workers barely got a pay rise in 2015, with a 0.1 percent increase in cash earnings slower than the 0.4 percent bump in 2014.

Total wages havent risen more than 1 percent since 1997 and they fell for the past four years once inflation is accounted for, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said on Monday.

H i g h e r w a g e s a r e considered crucial to generate growth and consumption and for the Bank of Japans efforts to spur inflation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly called for companies to boost pay, and the central banks Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has said that the level of increase is somewhat slow considering the nations low unemployment and companies profits.

Workers barely get pay hike in 2015The pace of wage gains

has been very slow when you think about how much labor shortage there is, said Hisashi Yamada, chief economist at the Japan Research Institute in Tokyo. The BOJs latest move was to support wage gains by boosting stocks and weakening the currency, but Yamada wasnt sure how much impact that will have.

Weak pay increases are feeding through to poor consumption, with domestic consumption shrinking 0.6 percent in the final three months of last year from the previous quarter, according to the median estimate of 19 economists. That would be the second contraction last year after falling in the April-June period.

The economy contracted an annualised 0.8 percent in the period, according to

forecasts ahead of data due next week.

Wages need to rise at a 3 percent annual pace to achieve stable 2 percent inflation, BOJ board member Yutaka Harada said last year. Such wage gains would reflect a 2 percent increase in the cost of living and a 1 percent gain in labor productivity, he said. Harada voted for the banks most recent stimulus, when it introduced negative rates in January.

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, is seeking an increase of about 2 percent in monthly base wages for the fiscal year starting in April 2016, after falling short in 2015 in a push for gains of at least that amount. Finance Minister Taro Aso had said that unions should seek a 3 or 4 percent pay hike.

ROME (Xinhua) -- Italys agriculture sector suffered another blow last week when police seized thousands of kilograms of green olives tainted by a toxic substance.

Reports on the size of the bust vary: media reports say the figure could be as high as 85,000 tonnes of olives, though Gianni Cantele, president of the Apulia chapter of agricultural industry group Coldiretti said the accurate figure is around 10,000 kg.

About 40 percent of Italys olive production comes from the Apulia region in southern Italy, which produced at least some of the tainted fruit in the latest case.

Even if the lower figure is accurate, it is the latest public relations problem for a sector that in recent years has already weathered image problems tied to multiple cases of counterfeit or contaminated wine, bogus olive oil, and unsafe mozzarella cheese.

High-end food products are among Italys most important economic sector, one of the few parts of the economy that has proved resilient during Italys long economic malaise.

Key observers say that while no single scandal could hurt such a large sector, over time, repeated scandals can have an impact on public opinion.

Olive oil scandal hits Italys agriculture sector

KIEV (Xinhua) -- Ukraines vehicle production plunged 17 percent year-on-year in January, marking the first month of decline since October 2015, official data showed on Monday.

Last month, Ukrainian carmakers produced only 293 vehicles compared with 1,852 units in the month before and 1,167 vehicles in November 2015, according to a report, published by the Ukravtoprom Analysis Group.

Only one-third of automotive plants functioning in Ukraine have manufactured vehicles in January, the report said.

According to it, the countrys commercial vehicle production fell by 41.3 percent in January from the same month a year before to 64 units and that of buses dropped by 73.7 percent to 5 units. In the same time, the passenger car output remained unchanged at 224 units.

Ukraines vehicles production has been declining since 2012 as a result of economic slowdown, poor consumer purchasing power and curtailing loan programs for car purchases.

In December 2015, the auto production had increased three-fold from the same month a year earlier after surging 95.5 percent in November, raising the hopes that the industry started recovering from the crisis.

Ukraines auto production drops again in January after

2 months of growth

Frances central bank sees 0.4 percent growth in economy in Q1PARIS (Xinhua) -- France, Europes second biggest economy, should post an economic growth of 0.4 percent in the first three months of the year, French central bank, Banque de France (BdF) said on Monday.The Bank of France said its monthly business climate survey in January showed accelerated industrial business and improved deliveries thanks to dynamic automobile, chemicals, electrical equipment and food processing industries.The capacity utilisation rate was almost stable at 78 percent, it added in its first quarterly growth estimate.Based on business leaders sentiment, BdF expected industry to slow in short term.

Indias GDP grows 7.3 percent in Q3 of FY 2015-16NEW DELHI (Xinhua) -- Indias gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.3 percent in the third quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to official data on Monday.This was short of the 7.7 percent expansion in the previous quarter.The Central Statistics Office put growth rate of the 2015-16 fiscal year, which ends March this year, at 7.6 percent.As per the official data released by the Central Statistics Office, the growth was pulled down by lower production in agriculture, forestry and fishing, electricity, gas and water supply and other utility services, financial, real estate and professional services.

Spains industrial production rises by 3.2 percent in 2015MADRID (Xinhua) -- Spains industrial production rose by 3.2 percent on average in 2015, according to the Index of Industrial Production (IPI) published on Monday by Spains Statistical Office.The country industrial production grew for the second year in a row in 2015 following a 1.5 percent rise in 2014, when it recorded the first growth since the financial crisis in 2007.In 2015, production of consumer goods grew by 1.3 percent, with production of durable consumer goods and production of non-durable consumer goods rising by 3.2 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.

Vientiane Times 11

Asean Economic Community

11Wednesday February 10, 2016 Business

Vacancy AnnouncementFor Locally Recruited Staff

The World Bank is one of the worlds largest sources of funding for the developing world. Its primary focus is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. It uses its financial resources, its staff, and extensive experience to help developing countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, enhance environmental and social sustainability, and improve their quality of life. The World Bank continues to strengthen its Vientiane Office as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the development vision of Lao PDR. The World Bank invites applications from qualified individuals for the following locally Recruited Staff 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 according to the Bank guidelines; log incoming mail, file in the Banks electronic filing system and distribute to the task teams; and dispatch outgoing letters in a timely manner;

ii. Pr