As South Korea seeks to diversify trade, it is offering the Laotian economy a “hand up.” But a top-down development model, social and environmental impacts, and weak regulations put Korean investors and local communities at risk.
Newly constructed dams threaten the delicate ecosystem of the Lower Mekong Basin. The solutions are available but as is so often the case, politics stands in the way.
When Thongloun Sisoulith came to power in 2016, he set out to tackle corruption. Now, two years on, his war against corruption is failing.
China has a colonial agenda with Laos. It provides aid and investment, but both come at the cost of Laotian sovereignty.
The retail ivory market in Laos has rocketed in recent years. Corruption and weak law enforcement remain an obstacle to eradicating the destructive trade.
Laos is pushing hard to meet United Nations (UN) development targets. The government risks bankrupting the nation in the process.
The Prime Minister of Laos has pledged to crack down on the millions of dollars lost in national revenue each year because of a deep-rooted culture of corruption in his country’s organisations.
Dam construction in Laos has an enormous detrimental impact on the Mekong river, and the people who depend on it for their livelihood in Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos is doing little to address the situation. Cambodia and Vietnam suffer from the drastic consequences of dam construction.
LinkedinTwitterFacebook0ASEAN countries are getting tough on drugs but as attitudes in Indonesia and the Philippines harden, Laos is playing catch-up regarding public opinion. Officials across…
LinkedinTwitterFacebook0A Thai photographer’s Facebook post drew attention to long-standing tensions between the cultures of his nation and neighbouring Lao. But is “you’re so Lao” truly…