march 2016 vt issue 99

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4500 kipTUESDAY MAY 3, 2016 ISSUE 99

The First National English Language Newspaper

Vientiane Times

Times Reporters

The Nam Ou River BasinHydropower Project haslaunched its second phase ofconstruction, after completing the

Nam Ou 2, 5 and 6 hydropower plants during the rst phase.

The opening ceremony forthe second phase, comprising the

Nam Ou 1, 3, 4 and 7 dams, took place in Vientiane on Thursday.

T h e h y d r o p o w e rdevelopment project on the

Times Reporters

The International Fund forAgricultural Development(IFAD) has provided US$24million (about 195 billion kip)to support food security andnutrition in Laos.

IFAD is granting support fora new six-year project (2016-2021) following the successof 13 previous projects thathave benefited over 238,870impoverished households.

Laos has been receivingassistance from IFAD since 1980

and in 2015 marked the 35thyear of cooperation between thetwo parties, in which IFAD has

provided nancing for 13 projectsworth US$122.4 million, withUS$74.8 million in loans andUS$47.6 million as grants.

No w th e go ve rn me ntand IFAD have signed a newFinancing Agreement for theStrategic Support for FoodSecurity and Nutrition Project,which is expected to run inthe four northern provinces ofPhongsaly, Huaphan, Oudomxayand Xieng Khuang.

The document was signedin Vientiane on Thursday byDeputy Minister of Finance MsThipphakone Chanthavongsa and

Somxay Sengdara

The government intends tocrack down on corruption andother undesirable forms ofconduct, while also tackling

poverty reduction and creatingsustainable ways for people toearn a living.

This was the messagedelivered by Prime MinisterThongloun Sisoulith as the headof the new government at a

press conference following thegovernment’s inaugural meeting

on Friday.Mr Thongloun began hisaddress by saying the governmentwould first strive to maintain

political stability, social order,and security.

“Above all, we have toensure that the country has strong

political stability, security andsocial order. We will addressundesirable conduct such asdrug abuse, human trafcking,robbery, and destructive activitieson online social networks. Wewill take action to overcomechallenges, and wholeheartedlyaddress corruption.”

In addition, Mr Thonglounsaid, the government would step

up efforts to alleviate poverty andcreate sustainable methods ofincome generation. He noted thecontinuing development at thegrassroots level and widespreadrural development, which wastaking place in line with the newdirection of rural development inharmony with urbanisation.

Third on the list of thenew government’s goals werethe enhancement of guidanceand leadership to facilitatedevelopment in a green

and sustainable way on theroad to industrialisation andmodernisation. There should be astrong drive towards agriculturaldevelopment, especially cleanagriculture, along with the

promotion of small and mediumsized enterprises to boost

productivity and ensure a strongrevenue base.

Recognising human resourcedevelopment as crucial to overalldevelopment, the governmentwould expand education andhealth infrastructure in rural

areas, improve social welfareservices, and broaden people’sgeneral knowledge, MrThongloun added.

The government alsorecognised the need for thecontinuous improvement,strengthening and modernisationof mechanisms and regulationsin public administration andworking methods, as well as theamendment of laws so they weremore enforceable and wouldresult in effective economic andsocial management.

T h e g o v e r n m e n t ’ sinaugural meeting approvedthe government’s action plan,

IFAD Director of the Asia andPacic Division Ms Hoonae Kim.

Speaking at the signing, MsThipphakone said the governmentis following the 8th NationalSocio-economic DevelopmentPlan (NSEDP) by ensuring foodsecurity and nutrition for allcitizens, adding “A lack of foodand water means that people haveno life.”

In addition, Ms Thipphakonesaid the project will encouragelocal authorities to participatemore in ensuring food security

by improving harvesting methods

and ensuring the nutrition of products to add to their value andgain more market access.

“To ensure effectiveimplementation in using resourcesfor each task, we urge that allsectors work closely together tomonitor, support and rectify any

problems that may arise duringthe implementation period,” MsThipphakone said.

“We need to implementnational projects on food securitythat will yield good results. Thetarget of the agriculture andforestry sector is to grow by 3.2

percent, accounting for about 19 percent of total GDP by 2020.”

Ms Thipphakone said IFADwill continue to support Laos

in implementing the NSEDPto ensure the country movesforward and graduates from leastdeveloped status in 2020.

The aim of the project is tosupport the poverty alleviationstrategy and improve foodsecurity especially for people inrural areas. In particular it willtarget people who have low cropyields, a low income and poornutrition, especially women andchildren under 5 years old.

The project is a majordevelopment that aims to improve

productivity and improve living

conditions for all, with a focuson the disadvantaged, children,and women of reproductive age.

It will help to reducemalnutrition as well as raise livingconditions as part of a clean andsustainable development process.

The project will alsoenhance capacity building in allgovernment sectors in order to

put in place the national strategyon food security as well asadvising local authorities on itsimplementation. The signingceremony was attended byDeputy Minister of Agricultureand Forestry Dr PhouangparisakP r a v o n g v i e n g k h a m ,representatives from NGOs, andother guests.

New govt to tackle corruption,reduce poverty levels

Prime Minister ThonglounSisoulith speaks to the media.

Nam Ou cascade is located inPhongsaly and Luang Prabang

provinces.Deputy Prime Minister and

Minister of Finance Mr SomdyDuangdy, Minister of Energy andMines Dr Khammany Inthilath,General Manager of PowerchinaResources Ltd., Mr Du Chunguo,and the Consul General of Chinain Luang Prabang provinceMr Li Baoguang attended theceremony. Other ofcials fromthe government and business

sectors were also present.The project includes sevendams, with a projected totalcapacity of 1,156 MW and anannual energy output of 5,017GWh, according to PowerchinaResources Ltd.

Construction of the sevendams is divided into two phases,with an estimated total cost ofUS$2.8 billion.

In the rst stage of the project,the Nam Ou 2, 5 and 6 dams will

be developed. Their eventualtotal capacity is estimated at

540 MW, with an annual energyoutput of 2,187 GWh.

Construction began inOctober, 2012, and the rst dam

began operating in December2015.

In the second stage of the project, the Nam Ou 1, 3, 4, and 7 power stations will be developed.Their projected total capacity is732 MW, with an annual energyoutput of 2,830 GWh.

Construction of phase 2 begins this month and will end

in 2020.The concession period is 29years after the project beginscommercial operation. After thattime, the project will be handedover to the government.

Upgrading the power grid,transmitting power acrossnorthern Laos, and nationwideinterconnectivity will be easierwhen all the dams are built.Power shortages will also beeased, according to the company.

During the ceremony, Dr

Second phase of Nam Ouhydropower project kicks off

CONTINUED PAGE 3

CONTINUED PAGE 2

IFAD supports foodsecurity, nutrition project

Ms Thipphakone Chanthavongsa (right ) shakes hands with Ms Hoonae Kim after the signing ceremony.

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


2 Vientiane TimesHome news Tuesday May 3, 2016

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Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

The media has been asked to publish more information aboutways to prevent early marriageand pregnancy.

The power and influenceof the media can help to reduce

early pregnancy and empoweradolescent girls, DirectorGeneral of the Department ofHygiene and Health Preventionunder the Ministry of Health,Dr Path Keungsaneth, stated ata workshop held in Vientianeon Friday.

Speaking at the workshop,themed “Empowering girls,

preventing early pregnancy”and targeting Lao media outlets,Dr Path said the media neededto provide more information forthe public, particularly in targetcommunities.

Early marriage is common inLaos; in fact Laos has the highest

prevalence of early marriage inthe whole region.

The majority of girls haveno understanding of reproductivehealth, including family planning.

More than 1 in 5 girls aged15-19 are married and half ofwomen aged 25 had been married

by the age of 18, according to the

Times Reporters

The upgrade of a 12km stretchof Road No. 10 from Donnoun

junction to Thangone villagein Xaythany district, Vientiane,is 95 percent complete andcontractors have said the workwill be nished by the end ofJune.

Projec t manager MrTingkham Sisavath toldVientiane Times on Fridaythat work crews are currently

painting lane markings andinstalling trafc signs as well asa set of trafc lights at Nonsa-ArtMarket.

Mr Tingkham said that allthe major construction work wasdone. The road has been surfaced

with concrete, pavements built,

and streetlights installed. Otherimprovements include a drainagesystem and a median strip. Therewill also be public parking spacesand bus stops.

The project began in July2013 and comes with a price tagof US$56 million (456 billionkip), funded upfront by theThongphouphan OudomsinRoad-Bridge Maintenance andConstruction Co., Ltd. Thegovernment will reimburse thecompany after completion ofthe project.

The road has been widenedfrom the previous 10 metres to25 metres, of which 19 metreswill be sealed.

The road is heavily used on a

daily basis, especially by trucks,making it difficult for crewsworking on the upgrade.

Road No. 10 runs for morethan 30km and links Xaythanydistrict with Thoulakhom districtin Vientiane province, andcrosses the Nam Ngum River.

The road also connects toKeo-oudom and Viengkhamdistricts in Vientiane province.

When the road is nished, itwill enhance transport and trade,especially improving conditionsfor local residents and businesses.

Upon completion, the roadwill help to ease trafc ow inVientiane and will cut travel timefor people heading north, as itwill be quicker than using Road

No. 13 North.

2011-12 Lao Social IndicatorSurvey.

Laos has the highestadolescent birth rate in the regionwith 94 births per 1,000 girlsaged 15-19. Among girls withno education, adolescent birthsincrease to 190 births per 1,000

girls.Dr Path said particularattention must be paid to youngmothers and their babies asthey are at highest risk ofcomplications during pregnancyand birth.

Young mothers are alsodisadvantaged because earlychildbearing limits youngwomen’s opportunities foreducation and employment.

Dr Path said the NationalAction Plan and Strategyon Reproductive Health,Maternal, Newborn and ChildHealth addresses the criticalreproductive, maternal, newbornand child health needs and rightsof all Lao people including

adolescent girls. One of the important waysto empower girls and preventearly pregnancy is raising publicawareness of the issue as wellas providing information aboutwhere girls can access services.

The best partner to do this is themedia, he said.

Universa l access toinformation and services onsexual and reproductive healthincluding family planning canhelp young people to stay healthy,

stay in school, and contributeto the workforce, resulting insustainable development andadvancement of the country, headded.

Despite progress made inimproving women’s and girls’health in Laos over the pastdecades, challenges remain.

To further improve thehealth and well-being of women,adolescents and children, theLao government has advancedits efforts in ensuring equitableaccess to health informationand quality reproductive healthservices, he said.

UNFPA Representative toLaos Ms Frederika Meijer said“When a girl becomes pregnant,

her life changes radically. Hereducation is likely to end andher job prospects diminish. She

becomes more vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion,and subsequently her health is

jeopardised.”“ P r e g n a n c y - r e l a t e d

complications for both themother and the child are morecommon among adolescent girls,and young mothers are less likelyto know how to properly feedtheir newborn baby,” she added.

“We know the media isnot only a powerful partner inadvocating for adolescent sexualand reproductive health at the

policy level; the media is crucialin reaching out to women and

adolescent girls in communities.”“We would like to work withthe media to together empoweradolescent girls, reduce early

pregnancy in Laos and make surethat every young girl’s potentialis fullled,” Ms Meijer said.

Donnoun-Thangone roadupgrade almost complete

The Donnoun-Thangone road in Xaythany district, Vientiane.

Media urged to help preventearly pregnancy, empower girls

Dr Path Keungsaneth (left ) and Ms Frederika Meijer lead theworkshop.

Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfarehas called on families to provide more helpfor children and relatives who suffer fromintellectual disabilities, when addressing theFamily Health Forum in Vientiane on Friday.

Presiding over the forum, Deputy Director of

the ministry’s Policy for Devotee Department,Mr Sisavath Khomphonh, advised families togive disabled members more physical care andemotional support.

The forum provided a platform for familiesto learn about ways in which they could bettercare for those who lacked the means to carefor themselves. Those attending includedrepresentatives of organisations for the disabled,disabled people’s representatives, and ofcials.

Mr Sisaveth, who is also Chairman ofthe Special Olympics Committee, said thecommittee is currently training and supportingintellectually disabled people to play sports.

Many in this group live in remote areas andaren’t able to develop normally because they

are inadequately cared for and there are oftenno trained professionals in their area to provideassistance.

Mr Sisaveth said that if it were possibleto provide more information to the familiesof intellectually disabled people, they could

provide more care and support and help theirrelatives to become more independent andself-reliant.

Laos lacks the necessary funding to assistdisabled people, and the little help they havereceived has come from concerned membersof the public.

The public is very important in supportingdisabled people and enabling them to become

productive citizens and contribute to society,he added.

Mr Sisaveth said he believed that in the future itwould be possible to provide disabled people withknowledge and skills they could use to developthemselves, as was the case in other countries.

Vientiane has a centre for the rehabilitationof disabled people, and more are planned forLuang Prabang, Xieng Khuang, Savannakhetand Champassak provinces.

The Special Olympics Committee has taughtdisabled people to compete in running andfootball and they have taken part in internationalevents in past years.

Forum advises families oncare of mentally disabled

Mr Sisavath Khomphonh addresses the FamilyHealth Forum in Vientiane on Friday.

Mr SomdyDuangdy, DrKhammany

Inthilath, Mr DuChunguo, Mr LiBaoguang and

other gueststouch a crystal

ball to launchconstruction

of the secondphase of the Nam

Ou River BasinHydropower

Project.

Khammany said the Nam Ou hydropower project is endorsed by the government. The purpose of the project is to develop basic infrastructure and to eradicate poverty among the Lao people, including thosein Luang Prabang and Phongsaly provinces.

The project will also spur socio-economic development in the two provinces.Dr Khammany called for the project developer, engineers and consultants to monitor the project

closely, to ensure it meets international standards and is completed on time.The developer should also create jobs, generate income for relocated people, and improve their

standard of living, he added.

Second phase of Nam Ou hydro... FROM PAGE 1

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


3Vientiane Times Tuesday May 3, 2016 Home news

Weather forecast

Times Reporters

The Korea InternationalCooperation Agency (KOICA)has sent a group of Koreanexperts to Laos to carry out animplementation survey of a

project to create a master plan forthe Integrated Water ResourceManagement System for the

Nam Ngum River Basin in Laos,from April 24 to 29.

According to the KOICALaos Office, KOICA has

provided grant aid of up toUS$2.68 million to draw upthe master plan and provideLao government officials andengineers with fellowship

programmes in Korea from2016 to 2018.

The main objectives ofthe project are to ensure thesustainability and efciency ofwater resources management

by employing an Integrated

Times Reporters

The Ministry of Industry andCommerce will begin using theElectronic Certicate of Originissuing system (e-Co), whichstreamlines the procedures used

by exporters.The system entails the

electronic submission ofdocuments for an issuance ofPreferential Certicate of Origin,and reportedly saves exporterstime and money.

A ceremony to launch thenew system was held last Fridayat the ministry by the Departmentof Import and Export, chaired byDeputy Minister Mr SiewsavathSavengseuksa.

More than 100 representativesfrom government agencies, the

private sector and internationalorganisations attended theceremony.

Laos is open to regionaland international cooperation,

particularly trade facilitation.Since Laos is an Asean

member, it needs to implementAsean Economic Communityobligations. This means issuingElectronic Certificates ofOrigin within the cooperationframework of Asean.

To conform with the lawsand regulations of Laos - andwith international best practices -the ministry issued Decision No.0369 on the issue of ElectronicCerticates of Origin on February26, 2016. The decision speciesthe principles, regulations andmeasures relating to the issue ofElectronic Certicates of Origin.

Now the process to requestan Electronic Certificate ofOrigin is more convenient than

previously. Exporters can submitdeclaration documents online atwww.ecolao.gov.la.

Submissions can be madeanywhere, from any computer ortablet connected to the internet.

Exporters no longer need tovisit the Certicate of Origin’sAuthoriser Ofce multiple times.

Now exporters just need toregister using the e-CO systemand complete the Certicate ofOrigin (CO) form electronically.

Af t e r t he CO fo rmsubmitted is conrmed correct,it will automatically be sent toCertificate of Origin officials.Ofcials will then check the COform, certify it, and automaticallysend it back to exporters.

Now exporte rs are onlyrequired to visit the CO’sAuthoriser Office once, toshow their original Certicateof Origin certified by the COofcial with a signature and seal.Then exporters will get theirCerticates of Origin instantly.

The development of thee-CO system is supported bythe Challenge Facility FundProject and the Second TradeDevelopment Facility Project.

Launch of e-Co systemstreamlines export process

Mr Siewsavath Savengseuksa cuts a ribbon to launch the new export system.

Water Resources Management(IWRM) framework, to maximisethe benefits by optimisinghydropower generation and oodcontrol through interconnectedreservoir operations, and tostrengthen basin management

capacity through IWRM based policies and regulations.During their visit, the Korean

experts went to Nam Ngum1and 2, Nam Song, and NamMang 3 and also had a series ofdiscussions with the Ministryof Energy and Mines andMinistry of Natural Resourcesand Environment to nalise thescope of work between KOICAand the Ministry of Energyand Mines for the successfulimplementation of the project.

As a part of in-depthd i s c u s s i o n s , R e s i d e n tRepresentative of the KOICALaos Office, Mr Kim Hahng-

joo, together with the group of

experts paid a courtesy call on theMinister of Energy and Mines,Dr Khammany Inthilath.

Mr Kim said “Given thatLaos has plenty of waterresources in the Nam NgumRiver basin, this can be developed

as a driving force of nationaleconomic development undercarefully a designed master planfor Integrated Water ResourcesManagement.”

Dr Khammany said “Sincethe Lao government plans to

build more dams in the Nam Ngum river basin, this projectis very important for integratedwater resource management.Successful implementation ofthe project would contributeto sustainable development bymeans of optimised hydropowergeneration, disaster riskmanagement regarding oodingand drought, and effective watersupply along the river basin.”

KOICA to support water managementin Nam Ngum River Basin

Koreanexpertsgather withMinister ofEnergy andMines DrKhammanyInthilath(fth left )during theirmission inLaos.

Khonesavanh Latsaphao

The sweltering heat across Laoshas left many people feelingdrained, short of breath, listless,and complaining of headaches.

Director General of theHygiene and Health PromotionDepa r t men t unde r t heMinistry of Health, Dr PhathKeungsaneth, told VientianeTimes that during extremely hotweather people could fall ill ifthey had too much exposure tothe sun.

“People should monitor

their activity levels and takecare not to spend too muchtime in the sun. It is possible to

become ill if the body undergoestoo much exertion,” he said.

Temperatures started to riselast month, bringing furnacelike afternoons with the mercuryhitting 39 to 42 degrees Celsius,and some people claiming it hasrisen to 44C.

Excessive heat can reduce people’s energy levels and inextreme cases cause nausea

and convulsions. Heatstrokecan occur if the body becomestoo hot, caused by failure of the

body’s temperature-regulatingmechanism.

Dr Phath advised that peopleshould not expose themselves tothe sun unnecessarily, and shoulddrink more water to lower their

body heat and replace uids lostto sweating. Elderly and unt

people are particularly at risk inhot weather as weakened bodyorgans are less able to cope withthe strain placed on physiologicalsystems.

It’s best to wear light clothesthat release the heat, stay indoors,and use the airconditioning whenin a vehicle.

Many people in Vientianesay that eating sh rather thanmeat during extremely hotweather makes them feel morecomfortable and helps them tosleep better at night, as sh islighter and lower in fat.

Nobody likes feeling hot andsweaty, especially women, andmany people prefer to stick to

light food in the hot season.“I hate the hot weather

because my husband gets sweatyand when he comes home fromwork his unpleasant bodyodour gives me a headache,”complained Mrs KhamlaDaengphasouk from Naxayvillage in Xaysettha district.

It’s not just Laos that’ssuffering from above averagetemperatures. Thailand, Vietnam,Cambodia, and Myanmar aresimilarly affected. A recentreport by Xinhua cited the Indiangovernment as saying that 330

million people in the countrywere affected by an ongoingdrought.

A global call for support andaction for 22 affected countrieswas announced last week inGeneva, Switzerland. The

prevailing drought conditionsand hot weather are being

blamed on the EI Nino weather phenomenon, a climatic cyclethat originates in the PacificOcean and has a global impacton weather patterns.

Heatwave leaves people hot and bothered

working methods and style, and assigned duties and responsibilities to the prime minister, deputy prime

ministers, and ministers to the Prime Minister’s Ofce.A clear denition of the roles and responsibilities of ministries and government agencies should

be outlined, Mr Thongloun said.Concerning foreign affairs, the government reafrmed the country’s unchanged policy of

peace, independence, friendship, and cooperation with other nations.At the press conference, Prime Minister Thongloun spoke about areas of work that would be

bolstered in the near future. He highlighted a crackdown on undesirable social conduct, moreefcient revenue collection and expenditure management, improved coordination betweenministries and local administrations, and addressing the possible impacts of climate change andnatural disasters.

New govt to tackle corruption... FROM PAGE 1

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


4 Vientiane TimesHome news Tuesday May 3, 2016

News in Brief

Times Reporters

Eleven lecturers from theUniversity of Health Sciences(UHS) have successfullycompleted an 18-month

postgraduate training course atthe Seoul National UniversityCollege of Medicine in theRepublic of Korea.

They were by supported by the Korea Foundation forInternational Health Carethrough the Dr Lee Jong Wook-Seoul Project.

The teachers recentlyreturned to Laos after completingtheir training. At the 8th UHS-SNU Scientic CommunicationWorkshop held in Vientianeon Friday, the group deliveredtalks on the work they had donein Korea.

They described the topicsof their master’s theses andother knowledge acquired while

at the university, as well astheir experiences in Korea. Thetopics included health policy andmanagement, and healthcaresystems.

Vice President of theUniversity of Health Sciences,Dr Aloungnadeth Sitthiphanh,said “The vision of ouruniversity is to be recognisedin the region as an institute ofhigher learning that contributesto the knowledge and educationof high quality health personnelmotivated to serve the people ofthe Lao PDR and committed tolifelong learning.”.

“UHS has cooperated with

Farmers cut down rubber trees, growcardamom instead Many farmers in Phongsaly province have started

growing cardamom plants after the market price of

rubber dropped, the Pathetlao Daily newspaper reported.

Agriculture and Forestry ofcials said the price of

cardamom was at a high of around 200,000-300,000 kip

per kilogram. Cardamom growers can earn 20-40 million

kip a year per family so many farmers are cutting downtheir rubber trees and planting cardamom instead. They

will sell the crop to Chinese vendors.

Saravan reports on revenue collectionRevenue collection in Saravan province totalled more

than 40 billion kip in the rst six months of this scal

year, the Social-economic Newspaper reported.

The provincial Finance Department reported recently

that most of the revenue collected comes from taxes,

government property, and enterprise management.

In the rst six months of this scal year, Saravan collected

more than 192 billion kip using its new taxation rules.

Vientiane court sentences drug dealer The Vientiane court sentenced a drug dealer to ve years

in prison last week and ned him 20 million kip, the

Khuamsangob newspaper reported.

Police arrested Mr Tom Dala, 27, of Chalernxai village,

Xaythany district who confessed to trading in drugs since

2014. He also confessed to buying drugs from Mr Toulor

and to selling drugs to young people in his village and

neighbouring villages. Police conscated 0.441 grammes

of crystal methamphetamine found in his possession.

In related news, another drug dealer was arrested in

Champassak province recently after police found more

than 1,000 amphetamine pills in his possession. The

dealer was named as Mr Soulisak, 32, of Nongnam

village, Pakxe district.

many international institutions.Of these, our cooperation withSeoul National Universitythrough the Dr Lee Jong WookSeoul Project is the mostoutstanding and exceptional

partnership we have had in the

history of our university.”

“This training programmeaims to educate UHS facultymembers in a range of medicalknowledge and skills,” DrAloungnadeth said.

The project also includes provisions to dispatch faculty

advisors from Seoul National

University and to provideequipment and devices foreducation and research at UHS.

The project started six yearsago and has produced somespectacular results.

At least 52 UHS lecturershave trained in Korea. Theirtraining covers all essentialmedical subjects, rangingfrom basic sciences to clinical

practice in the elds of medicine,dentistry, nursing, and medicaltechnology.

UHS staff who have trained inKorea and returned to Vientianeto work in the university andcentral hospitals have proven to

be very progressive in their workand teaching.

Their knowledge and skillsin teaching and practice inhospitals is very much improvedand they enthusiastically sharetheir experience, knowledgeand skills with their students and

colleagues.

Lecturers complete postgraduatemedical training in Korea

A teacher gives a talk about what she learned in the Republic of Korea.

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7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times Tuesday May 3, 2016 Photo news 5

Lao journalists and staff from the United Nations Population Fund and media outlets in Vientianelast week pose with the Director of the Department of Hygiene and Health Prevention underthe Ministry of Health, Dr Path Keungsaneth ( front row, fourth left ), after a workshop titled"Empowering girls, preventing early pregnancy" to inform reporters about the topic.

Asean journalists and Indonesian ofcials set off on a trek on Wayag Island in Raja Ampat, WestPapua, Indonesia during a visit from April 10-21 under the Journalist Visit Programme 2016.

These two boys in Samphan district, Phongsaly province, are very fond of their pet duck. Theyhug it and play with it after school is over for the day. Of course, they have material goods andcan play computer games like children in cities, but these boys have an extra dimension ofhappiness in their lives.

TechniciansfromElectricite duLaos carryout repairsto electricitycables inSomvang

Neua village,Hadxaifongdistrict,Vientiane.--Photo Phetphoxay

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


6 Vientiane TimesTuesday May 3, 2016

Region

In brief from AsiaNews Network

Seoul bans smokingnear subwaystationsKOREA (The Korea Herald)-- A new anti-smokingregulation that bans smokingnear subway exits went intoeffect Sunday, the SeoulMetropolitan Governmentsaid.The regulation forbidssmoking within 10 metresof all subways exits inSeoul. Violators will bened 100,000 won startingin September after a grace

period of four months.The tough anti-smokingmeasure comes afterthe Seoul governmentdesignated 362 nonsmokingzones in the capital city,which includes major plazas,

public parks and bus stops.Seoul City Hall has placed8,000 red signs throughoutthe city to mark these newnonsmoking zones. Thesesigns will be attached towalls and stairs, as well as tothe borders of the 10-metrezones, according to cityofcials.

Thousands ofhotspots detected in

peatlands this year INDONESIA (The JakartaPost) -- Thousands ofhotspots have been detected

by the government this year,an early warning sign of therampant forest res whichhave in the past caused

massive losses in Sumatraand Kalimantan. National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration( NOAA ) satellites,currently operated fromSingapore, detected 1,075hotspots between Januaryand April, a decrease from3,411 hotspots in the same

period last year, says theEnvironment and ForestryMinistry.

BANGKOK (AP) -- The ferris wheel at a newly opened dinosaurtheme park in Bangkok caught re on Saturday, but the park

said no one was on it at the time, and no injuries were reported.The re broke out following an afternoon thunderstorm in

the Thai capital.“At the time of the incident, no one was on the ferris wheel,”

the park said in a statement on its Facebook page. “As standard protocol, we stopped all operations of the Dino Eye before therain, which is one of our safety measures for Dinosaur Planet.”

The statement did not include details on how long it took toextinguish the re on the ferris wheel, called the Dino Eye. Itsaid the park was investigating the cause of the blaze.

Photographs posted on social media showed re rising fromone of the capsules toward the top of the ferris wheel, as blacksmoke billowed up.

Dinosaur Planet has been a popular attraction with residentsand tourists since it opened a month ago in central Bangkok. GUANGZHOU (Xinhua) --

Malaysian police repatriated 97telecom fraud suspects, including32 from Taiwan, to the Chinesemainland on Saturday.

The 97 arrived in southChina’s Guangzhou City around8:00 pm, all shackled and wearing

black hoods.In late March, Malaysian

and Chinese mainland policecooperated in an investigationinto f ive t ransnat ionaltelecommunications fraud casesinvolving victims from across themainland, and arrested a total of117 Chinese suspects, including65 from the mainland, 52 fromTaiwan.

Among the 52 from Taiwan,20 were transferred to Taiwanauthorities by Malaysian policeon April 15.

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun

Sen on Sunday warned foreign countries not to interfere in

the country’s internal affairs over recent arrests of opposition

politicians and human rights activists.

“Foreign countries must respect Cambodia’s independence,

sovereignty and territorial integrity and must not interfere in

Cambodia’s internal affairs (because) Cambodia has never

meddled in their internal affairs,” he said during the celebrations

of International Labor Day at the Sihanoukville Autonomous

Port in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province.

“We just take action against the anarchists,” the prime minister

said. “Lawbreakers must take responsibilities before the law.”

Hun Sen also rejected a report by the opposition

lawmakers claiming that Cambodia was in chaotic situati on

after the recent jailing of opposition politicians and human

rights defenders.

“It is an untrue report,” he said, referring to the report that

some 53 lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National

Rescue Party wrote to King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday.

Hun Sen said Cambodia is now full of peace and stability

and does not have any political crisis.

“People are living happily because they do not make any

mistakes, but you have committed crimes, so you must sleep at

the Prey Sar (prison),” he said, referring to those jailed politicians

and activists.

The Chinese governmentrequested Malaysia to transferthe rest of the suspects to themainland as all the victims of thefraud trap are mainland residents.

The mainland has invitedTaiwan police to cooperate inhandling the case, according tothe Ministry of Public Security(MPS).

In recent years, syndicates led by Taiwanese suspects and basedin Southeast Asia, Africa andOceania have been rampantlyextorting money from people onthe Chinese mainland throughtelephone calls by pretending to

be law enforcement ofcers.Kenyan police also deported

77 suspected telecom scammersin another two fraud syndicates,including 45 Taiwanese, to theChinese mainland this month.

In one case cited by theMPS in a statement, a personsurnamed Yang from Duyun Cityof Guizhou Province was cheated

by a Taiwanese-led syndicate

of 117 million yuan (US$18million) in December 2015.Victims included migrant

workers, teachers, students andelderly people from the mainland,and some of them committedsuicide after being cheatedof a large sum of money, thestatement said.

Following Saturday’srepatriation, An Fengshan, amainland spokesman with theState Council Taiwan AffairsOfce, “strongly required” theTaiwan authorities to strengthencrackdown on telecom scamsand measure harsh penalties forthe crime.

97 telecom fraud suspectsrepatriated from Malaysia

Chinesetelecom fraudsuspects areescorted off

an aircraft bythe police atGuangzhou

BaiyunInternational

Airport in

Guangzhou,capital ofsouth China’s

Guangdongprovince.

--photo Xinhua

Bangkok ferris wheelcatches re, but no

injuries reported

Cambodian PM warns

foreign countries not tointerfere in internal affairs

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times 77Tuesday May 3, 2016 Region

Vacancy AnnouncementIn January 2015, the Faculty of Forestry Science, NUoL began implementing an

ambitious project (Human Resource Development for Protected Area and Wildlife

management Project orH-PAWP) to improve its own training capacity and academic

programs in order to improve Lao PDR country systems for managing protected

areas and wildlife laws. The project has received approval for nancing of roughly

USD 2.3 million over the next 4 years, with the possibility to apply for additional

nancing support from the World Bank and the Environment Protection Fund (EPF).

H-PAWP is currently seeking qualied candidate for the following position:

1. National Consultant for Developing the Research Strategy for the National

University of Laos Faculty of Forestry Science

Duration of assignment:30 days (intermittent) with expecting from June to July 2016.

2. National consultant for Technical Audit and Program Evaluation of ProtectedArea and Wildlife Law Enforcement Training Program by Third Party

Duration of assignment:25 days (intermittent)with expecting from June to July 2016.

3. International consultant for Technical Audit and Program Evaluation of

Protected Area and Wildlife Law Enforcement Training Program by Third Party

Duration of assignment: 25 days (intermittent) with expecting from June to July

2016.

The selection process will be in accordance with World Bank Guidelines. Any

individual expressing interest in more than one position must demonstrate

complementary.

Interested individual should send their application (including update CV and cover

letter) to H-PAWP , Faculty of ForestScience, National University of Laos, Dongdok

Campus, Lao PDR P.O.Box: 7322, Vientiane, Laos, Tel/ Fax:(+856-21) 771 752,

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

The full TORs of these positions can be obtained at http://ffs.nuol.edu.la/ or by

contacting above emails.

Closing date for application: May 25th, 2016

(Only short list candidate will be contacted for interview)

PATNA, India (AP) -- Withsizzling temperatures claimingmore than 300 lives this monthin India, officials said theywere banning daytime cookingin some parts of the drought-stricken country in a bid to

prevent accidental res thathave killed nearly 80 more

people.The eastern state of Bihar

this week took the unprecedentedstep of forbidding any cooking

between 9 am and 6 pm, afteraccidental res exacerbated bydry, hot and windy weatherswept through shantytownsand thatched-roof houses in

villages and killed 79 people.They included 10 childrenand five adults killed in are sparked during a Hindu

prayer ceremony in Bihar ’sAurangabad district last week.

People were instead told tocook to night.

Hoping to prevent moreres, ofcials have also barred

burning spent crops or holdingreligious re rituals. Anyonedefying the ban risks up to ayear in jail.

“We call this the re seasonin Bihar,” Vyas, a state disastermanagement ofcial who goes

by one name, sai d Fri day.“Strong, westerly winds stokeres which spread easily and

YANGON (Xinhua)-- MyanmarPresident U Htin Kyaw onSunday called on workersin the country to strive forensuring national developmentthrough cooperation among thegovernment, employees and

employers based on social justice.In his message on the

occasion of the InternationalWorkers’ Day, U Htin Kyaw

pledged that he would put allenergy into the task of ensuringsocial protection and safety ofall people including workers.

Current ly , laws are being promulgated to create peaceful working environmentwith good relations among

KUMAMOTO, JAPAN (The Yomiuri Shimbun,ANN) -- Many evacuees in Kumamoto city’sshelters said they cannot go back home due tofear of aftershocks and would prefer to remain

in the shelters for a while, according to a surveyconducted by the city.Based on these results, the city government

expects evacuees to stay in the shelters for a prolonged period and is working to improve theliving conditions there.

Two weeks have passed since the rst powerfulearthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture and thesurrounding areas. More than 1,000 earthquakeshave been recorded in the area and the tremors havenot yet stopped. Kumamoto city has the largestnumber of evacuees among the areas hit by theKumamoto Earthquake.

The survey was conducted on April 23-25 onthe 37,362 evacuees who were living in the 247shelters in the city as of the night of April 23. Atotal of 9,176 households, or 19,605 evacuees,responded to the survey.

the tripartite force of thegovernment, employees andemployers to guarantee legalrights of workers, he said.

The president stressed theimportance of eliminatingforced labor. Ward and village-

tract administrative law wasamended in conformity withForced Labor Convention29 of the international LaborOrganization (ILO) and a work

plan has already been laiddown. Myanmar Program onthe Elimination of Child Laboris also being launched.

With the establishmentof ASEAN Community onDecember 31. 2015, which

facilitates workers’ migrationfrom one country to another,there is an increasing need forskilled labor in various elds inMyanmar, U Htin Kyaw said.

The president said hisgovernment would work

toward draf t ing a newconstitution that will lead tonational reconciliation, internal

peace and democratic federalunion as well as improvementof people’s living standard.

Myanmar saw 1,917 labourorganizations at basic level,105 at township level and 14at regional or state level, sevenlabor federations and one laborconfederation.

cause great damage.”Much of India is reeling

under a weekslong heat waveand severe drought conditionsthat have decimated crops,killed livestock and left at least330 million Indians withoutenough water for their dailyneeds.

Rivers, lakes and damshave dried up in parts of thewestern states of Maharashtraand Gujarat, and overallofcials say that groundwaterreservoirs are at just 22 percentcapacity.

In some areas, the situationis so bad the government

has sent tankers of water foremergency relief. Monsoon

rains are still weeks away,expected to start only in June.

At least 300 people havedied of heat-related illnessthis month, including 110in the state of Orissa, 137 inTelangana and another 45in Andhra Pradesh wheretemperatures since the startof April have been hoveringaround 44 degrees Celsius(111 Fahrenheit).

This week, more than 150leading Indian economists,rights activists and academicsexpressed their “collectiveanxiety about the enormoussuffering of the rural poor”

in an open letter to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Asked why they have evacuated from theirhomes, with multiple answers allowed, “fearof staying at home since aftershocks are stillhappening” accounted for the highest percentage

of 69.5 percent, or 6,375 households.Evacuees who said their “house was partiallyor totally destroyed” accounted for 14 percent, or1,286 households.

Among evacuees who felt they could notreturn home even though they wanted to, 6,530households answered questions about what theyhoped for. Evacuees who wanted to “remain inthe shelters for a while” accounted for 69 percent,or 4,507 households, while those who wanted to“move to any vacant house, such as municipalityhousing or privately owned housing” accountedfor 22.7 percent, or 1,480 households.

Following the recovery of essential services,including the water supply, the city has seen agradual decline in the number of evacuees livingin the shelters. As of Thursday, however, about17,000 evacuees were still staying in 231 shelters.

70 percent of Japanese quakeevacuees fear aftershocks

On Thursday night, a large number of residents stay in a primary school gymnasium that has beendesignated as an evacuation shelter in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto. --Photo The Yomiuri Shimbun

Myanmar president calls on workersto strive for national development

Parts of India ban daytimecooking as hundreds die of heat

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99



World

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 94 countries,as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.Since 2009, the Oxfam confederation has accelerated its harmonisation process working towards‘one voice and one programme’ in a single management structure.Oxfam has a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, and works to deliver the country strategythat focuses on sustainable livelihoods, humanitarian assistance, governance and civil society,and gender and diversity.

Oxfam is currently looking for a: Project Manager - TransitionOverall ResponsibilitiesThe role of the Project Manager will be to ensure the compliance with the change process and toassist the Management Team and Country Director with preparation and nalisation of all requiredtransitions plans, as described in the Oxfam Transition Guidelines, with appropriate contextualinput, ensuring critical reection and progress towards the Oxfam2020 goals and vision. TheProject Manager in collaboration with the change manager will also ensure the alignment with

the global and regional change management plan/approach where appropriate.

The project manager is working closely with the Country Director CD), the project manager willbe responsible for supporting the CD to enable the Oxfam 2020 transition from current 2 Oxfamstructures in Lao PDR, to one single Oxfam team. This position is expected to be short term4 months full time, starting as soon as possible and be completed by the end of August 2016

Required qualications• Experience in project management and implementation within deadlines: strong planning

capacities, ability to dene action plans, monitoring, reporting, etc.• Organisation: ability to manage multiple components of a project, at different speeds, but

without losing the global vision, respecting pre-xed results and deadlines.• Excellent coordination skills• Excellent working and writing skills in English• People-oriented: Facilitator, mediator, able to put forward and nd solutions and proposals

for action.• Active listener with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to respond to cultural

sensitivities.• Knowledge of the state of political and cultural affairs in Laos.• Ability to work in complex circumstances• Ability to work with teams in distance, often through skype, emails and phone.

• Management or other related eld is highly regarded.

More information and application procedure:For further information, please refer to the website: www.directoryofngos.org and go to DirectoryNews/Job Openings.

Are you interested in this position? Send your application in writing, including a motivation letterand curriculum vitae to [email protected] no later than 08 May 2016.

We promote diversity and practice equityOnly short-listed applicants will be contacted for a personal interview

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 94 countries,as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.Since 2009, the Oxfam confederation has accelerated its harmonisation process working towards‘one voice and one programme’ in a single management structure.Oxfam has a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, and works to deliver the country strategythat focuses on sustainable livelihoods, humanitarian assistance, governance and civil society,and gender and diversity.

Oxfam is currently looking for a: Finance Manager Overall ResponsibilitiesTo ensure the nance function within Oxfam in Laos efciently and effectively supports the countryprogram in both short and longer term by:• Take a leading role in identifying and implementing nancial strategy which is ensuring the

successful of the Oxfam country strategy (OCS) and the sustainability of the ofce• Advise the Country Director and Senior Management Team on all budgetary, nancial matters

and donor requirement compliance.• Oversee the programme nancial management and ensure that policies and guidelines arefollowed.

• Oversee the nancial activities of the different functions within the ofce and Oxfam Partnersto ensure they meet quality requirements.

appropriate

Required qualications• Experience in auditing, accounting and nance Management or post graduate qualication

in the related eld of study or at least 5 years of experience in the management position• Ability to manage/administer a nance unit, ability to rationalize work, delegate tasks, apply

advanced system to simplify work and making suggestion for systems improvements, proposesolution to make best use of staff and nancial resources

• Ability to prepare and administer budgets• Demonstrated ability to work with multi disciplinary teams and stakeholders (internally/

externally) in management and control of nance policies and guidelines;• High analytical/negotiating/communication/inter-personal kills• Ability to work under highly stressful conditions• Sound understanding and compliance of safety and security issues relating to development

and humanitarian work;• Supervisory responsibilities• Good Accounting and Microsoft Ofce skills, particularly Word and Excel;

• Qualications in Finance Management or other related eld is highly regarded.

More information and application procedure:For further information, please refer to the website: www.directoryofngos.org and go to DirectoryNews/Job Openings.

Are you interested in this position? Send your application in writing, including a motivation letterand curriculum vitae to [email protected] no later than 08 May 2016.


CAPE TOWN (Xinhua) --

The South African cabinet hasapproved the recommendationsagainst lifting a ban on tradingin rhino horns, Minister in thePresidency Jeff Radebe said onThursday.

The recommendations willserve as one of the options to

preserve the country’s rhino population, which is to keepthings as they are, Radebesaid at a press brieng in CapeTown after a fortnightly cabinetmeeting.

The recommendationswere endorsed by theInterdepartmental TechnicalAdvisory Committee and the

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- A building that collapsed amidheavy rains in Nairobi, killingat least 12 people and injuringat least 134, did not have an

occupancy permit, ofcials saidSaturday as they ordered itsowner to turn himself in.

Details about the residential building emerged a day after itscollapse on Friday, after whichcrowds of onlookers gatheredto try to help pry victims fromthe rubble.

Police Inspector GeneralJoseph Boinnet ordered theowner of the building tosurrender himself to the policefor questioning.

The building did not havean occupancy permit, whichis a government requirementfor all buildings, said StephenOundo, chairman of the NationalConstruction Authority.

The Kenya Red Cross said150 building units and adjacenthomes were affected. Rescuerssaid they could hear voicesof five people trapped in the

building and said it will bedifcult to remove the concreteslabs using heavy machinerywithout endangering those stuckin the rubble, said nominatedlegislator Johnson Sakaja.

Live TV footage showedthe National Youth Service andfirefighters removing stones

by hand and a crowd cheeringas a child was removed fromthe rubble. President UhuruKenyatta visited the scene.

Inter-Ministerial Committee

appointed to investigatethe possibility of legalisingcommercial international tradein rhino horn, Radebe said.

The recommendationsendorse South Africa’s integratedstrategic management approachto resolving the poaching of rhinoand illegal trade in rhino, he said.

The committee recommendsthat the current mode of keepingthe country’s stock levels be keptas opposed to the trading in rhinohorns, according to Radebe.

The cabinet appointed aCommittee of Enquiry in 2015to investigate, amongst othermatters, the feasibility of a legal

rhino horn trade.

The country’s strategicapproach entails security;community empowerment;

bi ol og ic al ma na ge me nt ;responsive legislative provisionsthat are effectively implementedand enforced; and demandmanagement, Radebe said.

His remarks indicatedthat South Africa will not

propose ending the ban on theinternational rhino horn trade atthe next major meeting of theConvention on InternationalTrade in Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora (CITES),the body that regulates theworldwide wildlife trade.

S. African cabinet approves recommendationsagainst lifting ban on rhino horn trade

Firemen stand by at the ready as pyres of ivory are set on re in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. --Photo AP

Hours-long traffic jamscaused by ooded roads delayedrescue teams trying to reach thescene, said Japheth Koome,

Nairobi’s police chief said. The

134 injured were rescued fromthe rubble, Koome said. Kenyais in the midst of its April-Mayrainy season.

President Kenyatta lastyear ordered an audit of all the

buildings in the country to seeif they are up to code after eight

buildings collapsed , kill ingat least 15 people. The reportfrom the audit by the National

Construction Authority foundthat 58 percent of buildings inthe capital were unfit to livein. The majority of Nairobi’s4 million people live in low-

income areas or slums.The heavy rains have

caused other fatalities. Four peop le di ed when a wa llcollapsed Friday in the afuentHurlingham area and two

people drowned when theywere swept away by floodwaters in the capital’s industrialarea, said Nairobi police chiefKoome.

Collapsed Kenyan buildinghad no occupancy permit

Personal belongings lie on the right as Kenyan National YouthService personnel remove stones to make way for large machineryat the site of a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya. --Photo AP

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times 9

BusinessRead more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Tuesday May 3, 2016

Euro 50-500 9,189 9,235

Foreign Currencies Buying Selling

US Dollar 50-100

Thai Baht

8,092

231.7

8,132

233.43

Exchange rates as of April 29, 2016

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

Times Reporters

Banana crops toppedthe l i s t of Laoagricultural exportsa s t he h i ghes t

revenue earner in the rst sixmonths of this scal year after

plantat ions expanded in thenorthern provinces.

Laos exported almost400,000 tonnes of bananas,worth over US$190 million,most of which were sold toChina and some to Thailand,according to the Plant

Protection Centre of theDepartment of Agricultureunder the Minis t ry ofAgriculture and Forestry.

Other major agriculturalexport earners were sweetcorn,at 830,000 tonnes worth overUS$122 million; cassava ataround 350,000 tonnes, worthUS$66.5 million; rubberat 314,000 tonnes, worthUS$57.4 million; and coffeeat 24,000 tonnes, worth US$51million.

These gures relate onlyto exports going through plant

protection checkpoints aroundthe country; the numbers from

Bananas become Laos’

top export earnerother sectors could be similaror different.

The value may be higherif the authorities were ableto get accurate details of thevolume of agricultural produce

pa ss in g th ro ug h va ri ou schannels. Also, some figuresare unobtainable as there isstill illegal trading along the

borders.Some plant protection

checkpoints have not yet senttheir figures to the Centre.

In the first six monthsof last fiscal year 2014-15,

rubber was the top earner butthis year dropped to fourth

place as the price fel l andsome farmers began growingother commercial crops.

Bananas and sweetcornare the main commercialc rops i n t he no r t he rn

provi nces, while cassava isthe major crop in the central

provinces and coffee in thesouthern provinces.

Despite banana plantationi n v e s t m e n t s h a v i n gcontributed to economicdevelopment, they are havingincreasing negative impactson health and the environment,

according to studies done bythe National Agriculture andForestry Research Institute incooperation with the NationalUniversity of Laos.

Some northern provincialg o v e r n o r s a n n o u n c e dthat they would suspendconcessions for banana crops

but in fac t planta tions arestill expanding in some areasas investors have signedcontracts directly with thelandowners.

Exports of Lao bananashave grown tenfold from

more than 30.8 billion kip(US$3.8 million) in 2011-12to more than 324.8 billion kip(US$40 million) in 2014-15.

Banana sales to Chinaincreased from 42 percentof total banana exports in2011-12 to 88 percent in 2014-15 and are expected to risefurther.

T h e c o m m e r c i a l production of bananas could bean important source of incomefor poverty reduction in ruralareas if banana cultivation ismanaged in line recommended

practices as well as Lao lawsand regulations.

MANILA (Philippines DailyInquirer) -- The Philippinesand the four member statesof the European Free TradeAssociation signed last weeka free trade agreement aimedat boosting the commercialand economic relations ofthe two parties.

The FTA was signed by

Trade Secretary Adrian S.Cristobal Jr. on behalf ofthe Philippine government,and by Johann N Schneider-A m m a n , P r e s i d e n t o f

The free trade agreement is signed between the EFTA states and the Philippines in Bern, Switzerlandlast week. --Photo AP

Philippines signs free tradeagreement with Europe

Switzerland and Head ofthe Federal Departmento f E c o n o m i c A f f a i r s ,Education and Researchof Swi tzer land; Mar t inEyjólfsson, Ambassador,Ice land; Aurel ia Fr ick ,Minister of Foreign Affairsof Liechtenstein; and DilekAyhan, State Secretary of

Ministry of Trade, Industryand Fisheries of Norway.

The signing of the FTAwas said to represent animportant step in further

strengthening the relationship be tw ee n th e Ph il ip pi ne sand EFTA. The preferentialmarket access and the rulesand disciplines governingthe economic re la t ions

bet ween the Par ties underthe FTA will supplement theeconomic cooperation andexchanges provided under the

existing Joint Declaration onCooperation, thus providinga stronger stimulus for thefurther development of tradeand investment.

KUALA LUMPUR (TheStar) -- SP Setia Bhd has

bought a 1.02-a cre sit e inMelbourne – the largesteast-end Central BusinessDistrict (CBD) developmentsite in the city to be soldin over a decade – whereit will undertake a mixeddevelopment project with anestimated gross developmentvalue (GDV) of A$640mil(RM1.91bil).

The property developertold Bursa Malaysia that ithad secured its fifth site inAustralia, 308 ExhibitionS t r e e t , i n “ a h i g h l y

competitive InternationalExpression of Interest biddingexercise” from Australiantelecommunications companyTelstra Corp Ltd.

Its Australian propertydevelopment arm Setia(Melbourne) Development CoPty Ltd has inked a conditionalagreement to acquire thef reehold land opposi tethe Carlton Gardens for

A$101mil (RM300.96mil).SP Setia president and

chief executive officer DatukKhor Chap Jen said thatonce transformed by thecompany, the site would bethe epicentre of MelbourneCBD’s cultural, commercial,education and city gardenhubs.

“This development will boast a combination of multi-level retail, prime A-gradeoffice space and luxuriousapartment towers and will seta new precedent for premiered e v e l o p m e n t s a c r o s sMelbourne and revolutioniseits urban landscapes,” he saidin a statement.

SP Setia buys land in Melbourne

Big project: A model of the proposed mixed development plannedby SP Setia in Melbourne.

BEIJING (China Daily) --China’s tallest building, a127-story super skyscraper indowntown Shanghai that cost14.8 billion yuan (US$2.27

billion) to build, opened itsdoors to the public on April 27.

The opening ceremonyfor the Shanghai Tower’s

basement, which will housean exhibition on skyscrapers,and a ve-story annex signifythe upcoming completion of a

building that has taken nearlyeight years to complete.

At 632 meters, i t isthe world’s second-tallest

building, after the 828-meterBurj Khalifa in Dubai. TheShanghai Tower will houseoffices, a hotel, museum

and art gallery, and will bea venue for conferences andexhibitions.

“Tens of thousands of people are expected to work,visit and shop in the buildingwhen it is fully open,” saysJian Danian, deputy headof Shanghai’s Pudong NewDistrict.

Ge Qing, deputy generalmanager of Shanghai TowerConstruction and DevelopmentCo, the building’s owner anddeveloper, says an observationdeck on the 119th oor willopen in a few months, ahead ofthe building’s ofcial openinglater this year.

The wor ld’s fas tes televators, which can travel at

speeds of more than 18 meters per second, will carry touriststo the observation deck inless than 55 seconds. Ticket

prices for the deck, whichwill provide a bird’s-eye viewof the city, have yet to be set,Ge says.

The bui ld ing’s f ive-

story annex is designed forconferences.

The Shanghai Tower willalso house China’s highestrestaurant on the 120th oor,the highest hotel lobby on the101st floor, and the highestswimming pool, with a viewfrom the 84th oor. More than20,000 pieces of glass covering220,000 square meters wereused on the building’s exterior.

Public gets rst look inside China’stallest tower in Shanghai

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Tuesday May 3, 2016

IN BRIEF

SEOUL (The Korea Herald) --Samsung SDS, an informationsolutions developer afliated

with Samsung Group, has sa idit has inked a partnershipwith India’s mobile bankingservice giant EdgeVerveSystems.

The Korean firm said itwill provide faster, easier andmore secure authenticationsystems for EdgeVerve’sInfosys Finacle, the global

No . 1 ba nk in g so lu ti on s pr ov id er wi th so me 54 7million users in 84 countriesaround the world.

The solutions will be based on fingerprint scanning,facial recognition or other

biometric authenticators suchas voice and iris detection, anemerging area amid growing

security concerns about thecurrent password-basedonline banking.

The company is also amember of Fast IdentifyOnline, or the FIDO Alliance,a global consortium seekings tandardiza t ion amongdifferent authenticationdev i ce s f o r b i ome t r i cauthentication.

“The partnership will allow

Samsung SDS,EdgeVerve team up forsafer online banking

customers to experience moreconvenient and safer nancial

services,” said Kim Ho, headof the company’s advancedmobile solutions business.

Samsung SDS, which hassupplied its authenticationsystems to Samsung Pay,Samsung’s mobile paymentssystems, said the latest dealwould also pave the way for itto further expand its presencein the global market.

“We want to enable banking

without passwords wherein pe op le ca n au th en ti ca te

transactions by using exible biometric options such as facialrecognition and ngerprints,”said Andy Dey, president ofEdgeVerve’s customer andoperations.

“Our partnership withSamsung SDS achievese x a c t l y t h i s k i n d o ffrictionless banking, allowinggreater customer retention,engagement and loyalty.”

SEOUL (Xinhua) -- South Korea’s exports posted a double-digit fall last month, keeping the

longest monthly decline for 16 months in a row, a government report showed.Exports, which account for about half of the economy, slumped 11.2 percent over a year earlier

to US$41 billion in April, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The falling rate slowed down from 18.9 percent in January to 12.2 percent in February and

8.1 percent in March each, but it resumed a double-digit reduction in just two months.It marked the country’s longest monthly slide in exports for 16 months in a row, topping the

previous high of 13 months tallied from March 2001 to March 2002.Trade surplus reached US$8.8 billion in April, staying in the black for 51 months from February

2012 thanks to faster fall imports than exports.Imports plunged 14.9 percent from a year earlier to US$32.2 billion in April. Both exports

and imports declined for 16 straight months.

Samsung SDS’ authentication systems in Samsung Pay.

WELLINGTON (Xinhua)-- New Zealand is to host the13th round of negotiations forthe Regional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership (RCEP)in Auckland from June 12to 18, Trade Minister Todd

McClay has said.Once completed, RCEP

would be the largest trading bloc in the world in terms of populat ion, covering a total popula tion of more than 3 billion people in 16 countries,McClay said in a statement.

“RCEP aims to broadenand deepen existing freetrade agreements betweenAsean and six other countries,including New Zealand,” saidMcClay.

“It is important for New

New Zealand prepares to hostRCEP trade talks in June

Zealand to play its part inthese negotiations which offerus significant opportunitiesto increase our trade andeconomic links with thedynamic Asia region.”

The RCEP countries

accounted for around 27 per cen t of gl oba l tr ad eand had a combined grossdomestic product of US$23trillion.

C r i t i c a l l y f o r N e wZea l and , t he 15 o t he rcountries covered 55 percentof its goods export marketslast year and six of its top 10trading partners.

“It would not be in NewZealand’s interests to standaside from a negotiation thatcovers at least 55 percent of

our merchandise exports,” saidMcClay.

“ N e w Z e a l a n d ’ s par t i c i pa t i on i n RCEPcomplements New Zealand’sexisting free trade agreementsin Asia, and will help New

Zealand build new FTArelationships, notably withIndia.

It will help to make theregion’s ‘noodle bowl’ ofrules operate better together,reducing the costs for NewZealand’s businesses tooperate in the region.”

The government intendedto provide further details aboutopportunities for stakeholdersto present views and relevantinformation in connection withthe RCEP negotiations.

S.Korea’s exports post double-digitfall in April at US$41 b

SU:M37 opens frst store in ChinaSEOUL (The Korea Herald) -- SU:M37, a natural cosmetics brand operated by Korea’s

LG Household & Health Care, has said it has opened its rst store in China in Hangzhou

Linping Intime Department Store.

Launched in 2007, SU:M37 is a skin care cosmetics brand that utilizes naturally fermented

ingredients in its products. It is considered one of LG H&H’s most successful brands, with net

sales growing by about 73 percent on-year to 190 billion won (US$170 million) in 2015.

SU:M37’s Chinese entry was propelled by its growing popularity among Chinese shoppers at

Korean duty-free stores, according to LG H&H. Around 20 percent of the brand’s sales

are generated via duty-free channels.

Govt urged to protect rights of Indonesian migrant workersJAKARTA (The Jakarta Post) -- Workers’ rights NGO Migrant Care says Indonesian

workers are still facing restrictions in expressing their opposition to the vulnerability and

oppression they face in their workplaces.

The NGO said in a statement issued to mark International Labor Day, or May Day,

which is celebrated across the world every May 1, that Indonesian workers cannot enjoy

freedom to celebrate May Day despite the government making it a public holiday for the past two years.

“Through statements conveyed by its ofcials, the Indonesian government has tended to

narrow the celebration of the International Labor Day into merely a ceremonial event. In

fact, May Day must be celebrated as a declaration on the political stance of workers over

the conditions they face,” Migrant Care said in a statement on Sunday.

Internet care services ready to ourishBEIJING (China Daily) -- Technology rms are revolutionising the sector by partnering

with public hospitals and acquiring private ones.

Like many people in China, Chen Hua (not her real name), a 60-year-old from

Guangdong province, used to hate visiting hospitals because every time she had to wait

in long lines to see a doctor, pay medical bills and buy the prescription drugs.

Now, she has found a better alternative: She visits a nearby drugstore where she can

interact with doctors at major hospitals via video link.

Recently, Chen had backache and had an online consultation with a doctor at Guangdong

Internet Hospital, which is operated by the Second People’s Hospital of Guangdong

province. “He prescribed medication online, which I could buy immediately (at the

drugstore),” she says. “Previously, it took four hours to see a doctor, but now the entire

process takes less than 10 minutes.”

MYANMAR (The Eleven) -- Myanmar’s agriculture sector faces development challenges andit received no signicant inows of foreign investment in the past ve years, according to theMyanmar Rice Federation.

The Directorate of Investments and Company Administration said agricultural foreign directinvestment (FDI) was US$7.2 million during the 2015-16 scal year.

The sector received US$138.8 million in 2010-11 and nothing was recorded the following year.In 2012-13 the sum was US$9.7 million, US$20.3 million in 2013-14, US$39.7 million in

2014-15 and US$7.2 million in 2015-16. Since 2010, FDI totalled US$215.5 million.

Rice bosses bemoan lack of investment

Les numéros du journal Le Rénovateur dumois de janvier 2011 à février 2015 sontdisponibles sur CD-ROM au bureau de laPresse lao en langues étrangères (serviceVientiane Times), Ban Phonpapao, unité 32,

arrondissement de Sisattanak, Vientiane.BP : 5723.

Contact Tel : (856-21) 33 60 42 ; 33 60 48Fax : (856-21) 33 60 41.

Courriel : [email protected]

Le magazine Le Rénovateur

disponible en CD-ROM

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times 11

Vacancy Announcement

The Lao PDR – U.S. International and ASEAN Integration (LUNA II) project is funded by USAID. It seeks to improve theoverall business-related legal and regulatory environment in Lao PDR by supporting efforts to meet the country’s commitmentsunder the WTO, the AEC, and the U.S.-Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement.

LUNA II is currently seeking a qualied Lao candidate for a long-term position as an Ofce Assistant. The hired candidate would initially work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, obtaining greater independence and responsibilitycommensurate with professional development.

Starting Date: 01 June 2016Duration of Assignment: Full time (01 June 2016 – 20 September 2018)

Work Location: Vientiane Capital (with occasional trips to other parts of the country)Main tasks and responsibilities:• Manage all logistics for local and expatriate experts, including coordinating travel and hotel arrangements, transportation

and in-country logistics.• Coordinate project car arrangements• Maintain record of project contacts (phone, email, fax, photo if possible, etc.)• Maintain project asset registry • Assist with the organization of workshops and seminars, including sending out invitations and traveling to provincial

workshops as necessary to collect participant information, assist with workshop implementation, etc.• Assist the Project Coordinator to work on VISA and ID card for the COP and experts, as necessary.

• Prepare participant feedback forms and sign-in sheets for events (as directed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Ofcer).• Tallying and reconciliation of M&E data and verication data (including sign-in sheets, per diem receipts, etc.) Upload

digitized back-ups onto the project management software.• Work with technical staff to ensure accurate and timely collection of data and information, and input all relevant data in

order to monitor progress of project indicators;• Provide M&E input for project annual work plans, reports, and technical instruction, as needed and requested by the

M&E Ofcer and the Chief of Party;• Under the supervision of the Ofce Manager, monitor the internal ofce calendar system for all LUNA II staff meetings,

and LUNA II project events calendar. Work with the Counterpart Liaison Team to ensure that all upcoming events arereected on the calendar.

• Upload all completed approvals onto the project management software.• Draft approval requests to both USAID and the Chief of Party.• Support other ongoing programmatic issues, as necessary, and as requested by the COP, M&E Ofcer, and Ofce Manager.Experience, qualications and characteristics of an ideal candidate:• Bachelor’s degree.• Effective written/verbal communication skills, in English and Lao.• Laotian Nationality.• At least 2 years of administrative experience, preferably on a donor funded project. Exposure to USAID and/or U.S.

government policies and procedures preferred.• Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities with

attention to detail.• Ability to travel as necessary within Lao PDR and abroad. Valid passport preferred.• Ability to work outside of normal work hours occasionally required.• Ability to be on-call in case of emergencies (especially with logistics for local and expatriate experts).• Good interpersonal skills, leadership, and results-oriented approach.• Strong organizational and planning skills. Proven ability to multi-task and• Knowledge of MS ofce suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)• Knowledge of Google Docs, Sheets, and Calendar preferred• Knowledge of Teamwork project management software preferred

LUNA II is an equal opportunity employer. Women and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.If i nterested, please send your CV along with a cover letter that would convince us to call you in for an interview. Send bothto the USAID LUNA II Project at Green Building, 5th Floor, Ban Naxay, Saysetha District, Vientiane Capital, Tel: (856-21)454 923, Fax: (856-21)454 924, or by email to: [email protected] with the subject matter line: “TranslatorPosition.”The closing date for submission of CV and letter is13 May 2016. All applications will be treated condentially. Onlyshort-listed candidates will be notied.

Vacancy Announcement

The Lao PDR – U.S. International and ASEAN Integration (LUNA II) project is funded by USAID. It seeksto improve the overall business-related legal and regulatory environment in Lao PDR by supportingefforts to

meetthe country’s commitments underthe WTO, the AEC, and the U.S.-Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement.LUNA II is currently seeking a qualied Lao candidate for a long-term position as a translator/interpreter. Thehired candidate would initially work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, obtaining greaterindependence and responsibility commensurate with professional development.

Starting Date: 01 June 2016Duration of Assignment: Full time (01 June 2016 – 20 September 2018) Work Location: Vientiane Capital (with occasional trips to other parts of the country)

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Provide consecutive interpretation, from English to Lao and vice versa, primarily for meetings with Laogovernment counterparts and long- and short-term foreign consultants, both within and outside of Vientiane.

• Translate from English to Lao and vice versa, laws, implementing regulations; memos, PowerPointpresentations, reports, and other key documentation.

• Translate key communications materials produced by LUNA II.• Provide other translation and interpretation services as necessary.

Experience, qualications,and characteristics of an ideal candidate:

• A degree in Law, Economics,Political Science, or Business Management.• Complete uency in both written and spoken English and Lao.• Lao nationality.• At least three years experience in document translation and consecutive interpretation.• Previous experience in translating and interpreting international trade, legal, or economic growth topics as

an advantage.

• Understanding of the WTO, the AEC, and other international trade institutions as an advantage.• Ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities while maintaining attention

to detail.

• Willingness and ability to receive and absorb feedbacks in order to improve performance.• Ability and willingness to travel as necessary within Lao PDR.• Ability and willingness to work outside of normal work hours as occasionally required.• Good interpersonal skills, team-player attitude, and results-oriented approach.• Comfortable in working on several matters at the same time(multi-tasking).• Knowledge of Apple computers and MS ofce suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).• The potential to make up for any gap in the above by other substitutable attributes or, by hard work, talent,

patience, and perseverance.

LUNA II is an equal opportunity employer. Women and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

If interested, please send your CV along with a cover letter that would convince us to call you in for an interview.

Send both to the USAID LUNA II Project at Green Building, 5th Floor, Ban Naxay, Saysetha District, VientianeCapital, Tel: (856-21) 454 923, Fax: (856-21)454 924, or by email to:[email protected] with thesubject matter line: “Translator Position.”The closing date for submission of CV and letter is 13 May 2016. All

applications will be treated condentially. Only short-listed candidates will be notied.

Asean Economic Community

Tuesday May 3, 2016 Business

Lao stock market report

Trade Summary

On Friday, the LSX leapt 2.29 points to 1,123.41 points with a trading volume from EDL-Gen,BCEL and PTL. The highest volume was from PTL on dividend payment date trading 7,900shares, gaining 100 kip to close at 2,700 kip after staying stable for a week. However, the twomain stocks BCEL and EDL-Gen traded 5,000 shares and 900 shares respectively, closing atunchanged prices. LWPC and SVN saw no trading in around 3 weeks with constant prices.

Daily Turnover by Investor Types (LAKm)

Last 7 days Trading Information

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

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post) -- The Association of Asia Pacic Airlines ( AAPA ) will focus onsafety issues in its programme this year.

AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said the association would prioritise safety alongsidesustainability, aviation infrastructure and regulatory issues.

To achieve these goals, the association works with many airlines throughout the region.“A number of Asean carriers already participate in our activities and we encourage more

active involvement, as aviation safety is a common priority for all,” he told thejakartapost.comon Wednesday.

From the 16 members of AAPA, seven of them are a part of Asean, namely Garuda Indonesia,Bangkok Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airand Thai Airways International.

Andrew underlined that the association is open to all carriers, not only to full-service airlinesor ag carriers, but also low cost carriers.

A Garuda Indonesia stewardess checks a seat in Garuda’s latest airplane, the Airbus 330-300, atTangerang, Banten, on Feb. 1. (ANTARA FOTO/Lucky R)

AAPA to focus onaviation safety this year

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Vientiane Times 13Tuesday May 3, 2016

Department of Custom, Ministry of FinanceCustoms and Trade Facilitation Project – Additional Financing

IDA Grand No. H843 - LA, Project No. P144992

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTERESTNational Project Analyst, based in CTFP Ofce, Vientiane Capital

( ref. no.: CS-003-CTFP-2016 )The Lao PDR has received nancing of US$ 12.5 million equivalent from the International Development Association (IDA)to support the Customs and Trade Facilitation Project (CTFP), which has two main components:(a) Automation Support focused on progressively shifting responsibility for the support and maintenance of the ASYCUDAsystem from heavy reliance on UNCTAD to the Customs Department’s own personnel and on building a strong in-housecapacity to effectively manage current and future ICT systems and related infrastructure; and,

(b) Organizational Development designed to consolidate and further extend the improvements achieved in customs workpractices, procedures and organization that have progressively been implemented over the past ve years.

The project builds on reforms implemented as part of an earlier World Bank nanced project and will assist the Lao CustomsDepartment (LCD) to simplify customs procedures, eliminate duplication and redundancy; reduce transaction costs andtime to clear goods; and increase transparency and accountability. The Customs Department, which is responsible forimplementation of the project,

The LCD now intends to hire a National Project Analyst to provide coordination and liaison assistance to project teamto carry out their tasks. The Project Analyst will have the overall responsibility of ensuring that the Project is executed inaccordance with the Financing Agreement. In this regard, he or she will assist the Project Director & Project Task TeamLeader in the overall coordination and management of the project implementation. He/she will work closely with ProjectImplementation Unit and the Customs Reform and Modernization Team (CRMT) to assist the project implementation inan effective and efcient manner, and ensure that integrity and transparency are maintained in all activities of the Project.

The National Project Analyst will be a full-time position and expected to commence by end of May or early June 2016through the initial 12-months contract. In order to be considered for the position, the candidates should meet the followingqualications and experience requirements:

Minimum master’s degree in international trade, public sector/customs administration development economics or arelevant discipline;

Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience with proven project management skills; Prior work experience with government organizations, international agencies or technical assistance projects is an

asset; Familiarity with government structure, customs and public sector development issues; Capable of strategic thinking and have the ability to advocate and engage in policy discussions with senior

representatives of the government and private sector; Excellent communication skills, including speaking and writing in both English and Lao languages; Excellent analytical and presentation skills; Computer literate (Microsoft Ofce package); Good interpersonal skills and result orientation.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employmentof Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011 (“ConsultantGuidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conict of interest. The Consultant will be selected based on IndividualConsultants selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

The Customs and Trade Facilitation Project (CTFP) of the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, now invites interestedapplicants to provide information indicating that you are qualied to perform the services (curriculum vitae with expressionsof interest and references). Interested Applicants may obtain further information at the address below. Expressions ofinterest must be delivered to the address below or no later than May 16, 2016, 16:00 o’clock (submissions via email arealso acceptable). Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Athsaphangthong Siphandone (PhD.)Director General, Customs DepartmentMinistry of Finance, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDRTel. & Fax: +856 (21) 254034E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in94 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from theinjustice of poverty.Since 2009, the Oxfam confederation has accelerated its harmonisation processworking towards ‘one voice and one programme’ in a single management structure.Oxfam has a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, and works to deliver the countrystrategy that focuses on sustainable livelihoods, humanitarian assistance, governanceand civil society, and gender and diversity.

Oxfam is currently looking for a: Finance Ofcer Overall Responsibilities• In collaboration with Programme staff and partners, ensuring that project nance

management is effective and efcient.• Manage the day to day and ongoing disbursement of funds

• Ensuring partners are informed and understand the nancial requirement of Oxfamand donors

• Ensuring partners are enhanced in their ability to manage funds in an effective andefcient way while ensuring compliance with donor requirements

• Assist the FM in development of the nance strategy.

Required qualications• Experience in auditing, accounting and nance or Qualications in Finance

Management or other related eld is highly regarded• Ability to prepare and administer budgets• Demonstrated ability to work with multi disciplinary teams and stakeholders

(internally/externally) in management and control of nance policies and guidelines;• High analytical/negotiating/communication/inter-personal kills• Ability to work under highly stressful conditions• Sound understanding and compliance of safety and security issues relating to

development and humanitarian work;• Supervisory responsibilities• Ability to speak and write English uently;• Good Accounting and Microsoft Ofce skills, particularly Word and Excel;

More information and application procedure:For further information, please refer to the website: www.directoryofngos.org and goto Directory News/Job Openings. Are you interested in this position? Send your application in writing, including amotivation letter and curriculum vitae to [email protected] no later than 15 May 2016.


Job Announcement (Lao national)

Good Neighbors International (GNI) is an international humanitarian and development NGO in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and SocialCouncil (UN-ECOSOC).Since 2012, Good Neighbors Laos (GNL)began implementing the project in Meunand Mok Districts (Vientiane Province) with an emphasis on integrated community-

based education and Community Development.

- Project Education Ofcer:Based inVientiane CapitalResponsibilities:- Assist Project Manager in coordinating the implementation of the annual plan by

ensuring that Community based Education Project operate smoothly and achievethe project goals and objectives.

- Assist the Project Performance, Monitor and Evaluate implementation of Educationactivities to ensure that the project system.

- Develop and improved the Education Volunteer’s Program and Activities.- Support the Volunteers Organizing to encourage the sustainable project.- Reporting, information management and sharing- Develop and maintain good relations with government, district, community and

village leaders and NGOs in the project target areas.- Other tasks required by Project Manager

Requirement:- Bachelordegree majoring in Development Studies, Social Science or other related

elds- Minimum 3 year experience in a relevant position or INGO experience is preferred- Good level of English and Computer skill (Microsoft Ofces)- Excellent organizational and communication skills- Ability to work effectively with diverse multicultural and multidisciplinary teams- Honest and trustworthy, hardworking and willing to learn

Application InformationAll interested candidates are required to submit their Cover Letter and CVvia email([email protected])or post by delivery to Good Neighbor ofce in Vientiane: BanSisangvone, Saysettha Dist. P.O Box 11920 Vientiane Lao PDR Tel & Fax: 021 415711. Please mention your expected salaryon your cover letter or CV and include withthree references. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview. Thedeadline for application 20May 2016.

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Vientiane Times 19

Vacancy Notice

The World Health Organization has a vacancy for a Lao National the position of:

National Technical Assistant forEmerging Diseases, Surveillance and Response

To provide technical support to the Ministry of Health, National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), andDepartment of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC), in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluationof emerging diseases surveillance, risk assessment and response activities in Lao PDR.

Duties:

1. Assist in planning of activities in the national work plan for emerging infectious diseases with focus on diseasessurveillance, risk assessment and response work area in line with APSED and IHR requirements, and participateactively in the implementation of the annual activity work plan;

2. Assist in inuenza and other infectious disease surveillance by combining information between the epidemiologyand laboratory, planning for and undertaking combined analysis of laboratory and epidemiology data, andsupporting to produce joint laboratory and epidemiology data for sharing information;

3. Assist Emerging Diseases Surveillance and Response (ESR) team and the Ministry of Health, National Centrefor Laboratory Epidemiology in implementing Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) active surveillance and perform

eld monitoring as necessary.4. Assist NCLE in regular monitoring and maintain notiable diseases surveillance database, particularly indicator

and event based surveillance under national surveillance system.5. Assist in maintaining, updating and monitoring all ESR project activities and generate reports as required;6. Provide ESR team with administrative support, if necessary7. Perform translation any other tasks as requested by WHO ESR ofcer.

Project duration: 1 year from June 2016 with possible one year extension.

Education:Essential: University degree in medicine or related public health or equivalent professional training.

Knowledge & skills:• Knowledge and experience in epidemiology, outbreak investigation and response, and communicable disease

control.• Skills in planning, training and implementation, and in the development of locally adapted tools and instruments.• Good communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to interact with health professionals at various levels and

to do work with national counterparts.• Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.

Experience:Essential: At least 1 year working experience in the eld of public health.Desirable: Experiences in epidemiology or disease surveillance and response.

Language: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and the local language. Other Skills (e.g. IT): Prociency in standard MS Ofce applications and other data base.

Interested and qualied candidates are invited to submit applications in the English language, with curriculum vitaeand photograph,by 10 May 2016 to:

The World Health Organization 125 Saphanthong Road, Unit 5 Ban Saphanthong Tai, Sisathanak District. P.O. Box 343, Vientiane, Lao P.D R. Tel: (856) 21 353902-904, Fax: (856) 21 353905

Tuesday May 3, 2016

REQUEST FOR EXPRESS OF INTEREST

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICMINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

Small and Medium Enterprises Access to Finance ProjectCredit No. 5471-LA, Grant No. H958-LA

International Consultant for the Developmentof a Strategy and Action Plan for the Collection and Analysis of SME Data

The Government of Lao PDR is receiving US$20 million nancing from the World Bank Group’s InternationalDevelopment Association (IDA) for the Small and Medium Enterprise Access to Finance Project (SME A2F). TheProject’s development objective is to provide long-term funding sources for banks to provide long-term credit tosmall and medium enterprises (SMEs). The project will support the growth of privately-owned SMEs by increasingthe supply of long-term nance provided by commercial banks and by strengthening the capability of Department ofSME Promotion to formulate and implement public policies that promote access to nance for SMEs. The Projectincludes three components: 1) A Line of Credit Facility; and 2) Technical Assistance.

Under Component 2, DOSMEP intends to recruit an International Consultant to provide technical assistance todevelop a strategy and action plan for the collection and analysis of data on the SME sector. The assignment is ona part-time basis and will involve working from home as well as in Lao PDR.

The estimated inputs for this assignment are for 3 months to be provided part-time over a 12-month period. Itis expected that the majority of inputs will be delivered in Vientiane, Lao PDR working alongside governmentofcials. During the remaining time the consultant will ensure periodic contacts with her/his counterparts in Lao

PDR and continued supervision and monitoring of the work program distantly. The Consultantwill be supported bythe DOSMEP team during his assignment in Vientiane Capital and in the provinces.The full text of the ToR can be accessed at the NIU’s website: http://t4dlaos.org/index.php/en/work-with-us/vacancies.

In order to qualify for this assignment, the candidates shall meet the following experience and competencerequirements:

• Masters Degree in Statistic Economics, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering or related eld.• Minimum 5 years of experience in statistic and data collection for development projects, including planning,

coordination, technical and eld surveys.• Experience with similar assignments in ASEAN countries will be an advantage.• Knowledge and experience with SMEs promotion and development will be an advantage.• Knowledge of Computer Information Systems including packages such as Microsoft Ofce, Database, etc.

would be an advantage.• Ability to communicate effectively, in writing and orally in English is essential.• Excellent interpersonal skills and willingness to work as part of a team.• Excellent analytical and presentation skills.• Ability to work in a complex, cross-cultural working environment.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection andEmployment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January2011 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conict of interest. The Consultant will

be selected based on Individual Consultants selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

The NIU now invites interested applicants to provide information indicating that you are qualied to perform theservices (curriculum vitae with expressions of interest and references). Interested Applicants may obtain furtherinformation at the address below. Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below or no later than May31, 2016, 16:00 o’clock (submissions via email are also acceptable). Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Attn: Mr. Sengphanomchone Inthasane, NIU Manager CC: Mr. Keophouthone Inthivong, Procurement Ofcer Ministry of Industry and Commerce, National Implementation Unit (NIU)Ban Phonxay, Xaysettha District, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR Tel: +856 (21) 41 39 16 – 45 39 82; Fax: +856(21) 41 39 16,E-mail: [email protected]; cc [email protected]

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Vientiane Times

Asian Development Bank (ADB)Lao PDR Resident Mission

Invitation for Bids

The Asian Development Bank now invites sealed bids from eligible and qualied bidders forthedemolition of an existing building and construction of a new ofce block within the compoundof ADB at Vientiane. The construction work is to be completed within 8 months from the dateof notication of contract award.

National Competitive Bidding (NCB) will be conducted in accordance with ADB’s Single-Stage:One-Envelope procedure. The NCB is open to all Bidders from eligible countries as describedin the Bidding Document.

Only eligible Bidders with the following key qualications should participate in this bidding:(i) Should be a reputable rm with independent legal existence for a minimum of three(3)

years and registered with the Ministry of Public Work and Transport;(ii) Have a minimum of three(3) years’ construction experience related toinfrastructure buildings

located in urban areas (ie. institutional and commercial ofce projects);(iii) Have an average annual construction turnover of at least US$ 400,000 over the past three

(3) years from 2013 to 2015;(iv) Have successfully completed at least one similar project in Lao consisting of demolition

and reconstruction of ofce block to showcase company’s expertise/capability inthis kind ofproject which require environmental control and pollution prevention while some buildingsin the compound are used for business operation;

(v) Should be a rm with a business license providing only building construction servicesinvolvingexterior and interior architectural, civil, and structural engineering works; and

(vi) Should not be under a declaration or record of ineligibility for corrupt and/or fraudulentpractices issued or kept by ADB.

To obtain bidding documents, further information and inspect the bidding documents, Biddersshould contact:

Senior Finance/Administrative Ofcer Asian Development BankLao PDR Resident MissionCorner of Lanexang Av. &Samsenthai Rd.P.O. Box 9724Vientiane, Lao PDRTel: 021 250 444E-mail: [email protected]

From 8:30-11:30 and 13:30 – 16:00 hours, Monday to Friday, from09May 2016 to 26 May 2016.

Deliver your bid• Address to: Country Director

Asian Development BankLao PDR Resident Mission

Corner of Lanexang Av. &Samsenthai Rd. P.O. Box 9724 Vientiane, Lao PDR• On or before 27May 2016 at 14:00 pm• together with a Bid Security as described in the Bidding Documents.

www.adb.org/lrm

23Tuesday May 3, 2016 23

Culture

KOREA (The Korea Herald,ANN) -- The creative culturefestival “C-Festival 2016”will be taking place at theConvention and ExhibitionCentre in Samseong-dong fromMay 4-8.

The annual festival, jointlylaunched by Coex and theWorld Trade Centre Seoul in2015, will present events and

programmes featuring K-pop,art, culture, and technology. Itwill also feature programmesthat cater to specific needssuch as family time, romance,exhibitions and conventionsand healing. More details can be

Fascinating culturalexperiences await at the

centre of Gangnam

The C-parade passes by the Convention and Exhibition Centre inSamseong-dong. --Photo Gangnam-gu Ofce.

viewed on its website www.c-festival.com.

Throughout the five-dayfestival, exhibitions based onvarious themes spanning fromdesserts to technology will

be held at Coex Halls and thelobby.

The C# exhibition willshowcase unique themes,creating a venue for culturaland artistic experiences. Duringthe exhibition, there will besweet treats and desserts, popart by renowned artists, rookiedesigners’ newly launched

br ands , as well as Arabicculture.

Press photos taken by about

500 photojournalists last yearwill also be on display at thelobby under the title “Capturethe Movement & the Times.”

Photo and video equipmentwill be also showcased on therst oor, including cameras,camcorders, lenses and memorycards.

The festival will also caterto K-pop fans.

As part of the grand naleof the festival, hallyu stars,including Psy, 11-member girlgroup I.O.I, and boy bands iKONand Winner, will perform atYeongdong-daero at 7 pm onMay 8.

Moreover, for those whowant to explore the world ofK-pop, SM Entertainment will

be offering a studio experience atthe SMTOWN Open House. Theagency will provide visitors withhair and makeup styling, danceand vocal training, and photoshoots -- just like K-pop stars.

Meanwhile, in celebrationof Children’s Day, a parade withgiant balloons featuring variouscharacters and the traditionalcultures of 50 countries willtake place along the Coex

building from 2 pm to 4 pmon May 5.

SINGAPORE (The StraitsTimes, ANN) -- Continuing lastyear’s theme of presenting newwork, this year’s SingaporeInternational Festival of Arts(Sifa) has 15 creations in itsmain season line-up of 20shows.

Among the productionsrunning between Aug 11and September 17 are eightcol labora t ions betweenSingaporean and internationalartists, in keeping with thefestival theme of Potentialitiesand the potential inherent in the

individual in today’s globalisedworld.Israeli architect Ron Arad

and Singapore’s Brian GothongTan will create a cinema-theatrehybrid at Gardens by the Baycalled Tropical Traumas: ASeries Of CinematographicChoreographies, which runsfrom September 2 to 4. Aradwill first create his crowd-

pleas ing interactive outdoorinstallation, 7200, previouslyshowcased in London andJerusalem. The cylinder, 18min diametre, is made of 5,600suspended silicon cords thatserve as the screen for film

projections. It also houses arunway across its centre.

This is the stage on whichTan will direct a 70-minute play inspired by the writingsof Victorian- era explorersincluding Sophia Rafes. Six

performers will interact withone another as well as withTan’s multimedia creations.

Tan, 36, is no strangerto directing theatre; this ishis fourth outing. But thestage in Gardens by the Bay

presents challenges includingcompetition from the nightlysound-and-light show.

Still, he says, he is excited.“Doing something for thefestival, there’s no limit to theimagination.”

Festival director Ong Keng

Sen says: “We are movingtowards an entirely creation-driven festival. We are refusingto be a glamorous shoppergoing around the worldshopping for productions, butinstead, we’re investing in theartists and the process.”

This edition’s focus onthe future follows from the

15 new works for

Singapore’s festival of arts

Five Easy Pieces by Swiss director Milo Rau/IIPM – International Institute of Political Murder and Campohas children talking about adult issues.

2014 theme of examining20th-century legacies such asapartheid and last year’s theme,Post-Empires. The latterhad 12 critically acclaimedhomegrown productions re-examining Singapore’s historyand present- day issues such asimmigration and housing woes.

Ong adds: “We’ve lookedat global issues in the last twofestivals. In this edition, wehave to bring attention t o theindividual who is changingthe world in his context.This is very important in

Singapore, which alwayst a l k s abou t t he l a rge ,engineered plan, but notthe individual in this large,engineered plan.”

Other commiss ionedworks in the US$5-millionfestival include I Am LGB,a r t i s t Loo Z i han ’ s r e -examination of America-

bor n Ray Lang enba ch’ s per formance art created inSingapore in the 1990s - workswhich included drinking hisown blood. Loo, 33, will useTheatreWorks’ space at 72-13Mohamed Sultan Road forthe four-hour performancetailored for 60 viewers at atime. He pored over a decade

of footage and archivalmaterial for I Am LGB andalso speaks regularly withLangenbach, now a professorat the University of Arts inHelsinki.

Loo says: “It’s probablythe most ambitious work I’vetaken on. He was ahead of histime, talking about politicalideology and indoctrination,and the audience was notready for it.”

Also pushing the envelopeis the festival co-producedFive Easy Pieces, directed

by Switzerland’s Milo Rau.Performers are aged eight to13, but perform for adults in ascript about taboo topics such

as paedophilia. Ong says heis curious how the MediaDevelopment Authority willrate this show; not all showsunveiled at the press previewyesterday have been rated.

He adds: “Will children be all owed to see it? I t dea lswith the fact that children areharnessing power from a very

young age. They know if theycry, their parents will react, forexample. It’s important that wedon’t shy away from that.”

Also making its Asiandebut is Egyptian play TheLast Supper, a comedy abouta family after the Arab Spring,the wave of protests thatstarted in Tunisia in 2010and spread through the Arabworld. Ong says that amongthe potentialities the festivaladdresses are the post 9-11fears of terror and the Arabworld.

Similarly, the pre-festival prog ramme The O.P.E.N. ,from June 22 to July 9,features talks, works and

pe rf orma nces from li tt le -heard communities, including

Newsha Ta vakol ian , anIranian photojournalist, andPerhat Khaliq, a rock starfrom the mainly MuslimUighur community in China.

The main season featuresinnovations in traditionaltheatre. The opening actat Drama Centre Theatreis Canadian theatre-makerRobert Lepage’s Hamlet/Collage with Russia’s TheatreOf Nations. This adaptationof the Shakespeare play is

a one-man show performed by Ev ge ny Mi ro no v in aspinning, suspended open-sided cube.

W i t h S h a k e s p e a r eon many minds this year- the Bard’s 400th deathanniversary - Ong will directSandaime Richard (Japanesefor Richard III), a playful takeon the play, from September8 to 10 at Victoria Theatre.Shakespeare himself is put ontrial with Singaporean JaniceKoh playing his prosecutorMaachan of Venice (a play onThe Merchant Of Venice) and

professional Kabuki onnagata( f ema l e i mpe r sona t o r )K a z u t a r o N a k a m u r a

as R i cha rd Sanda i me .The script is from well-known playwright Hideki

No da , wh os e pl ay ab ou txenophobia, Red Demon,has been staged here at leasttwice, but has been trimmedand will be performed inJapanese, English as well asBahasa Indonesia.

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99



Travel

Ounkham Pimmata

Jeju Island of the Republicof Korea inspires Asiantourists to follow the

beautiful scenes of theirfavourite TV drama series

by visiting some of the lmlocations for themselves.

In 2010, “ Chuno” is the plot of a drama about chasingservants who ed away duringthe Joseon Dynasty. Thedrama attracted many viewers

due to the rapid progressionof its story and spectacularcamerawork.

In particular, a duel be tween Taeha (Oh, ji -ho)and Cheol woong (Lee, Jong-hyeok) on Yongmeori Beach isan unforgettable scene. Besidesthat, the drama captures scenicviews of Jeju by lming JejuOlle, Sanbang, Mountian, andBijarim.

As the “Chuno” drama became popular among Asianaudiences, it later inspiredmore drama and lmmakers totravel to the lming locationsof Jeju and each year there are alot lms and dramas producedhere.

Jeju: Heaven for filming, sport, adventure and landscapes

The growth of the filmindustry and Korean dramaseries becoming so popular isa positive for the Jeju tourismindustry, which receives alarge number of local touristsfollowed by Chinese visitorswho have fallen in lovewith the Korean series andfollowing the beautiful placesin the scenes.

Jeju is located southwestof the Korean peninsula; it has

been designed as Jeju special

self-governing province, andit is Korea’s largest island. Aworld-famous volcanic islandwith more than 90 percent of itstotal area covered with basalt,it is a strategically locatedisland which connects thecontinental nations (Russiaand China) to island nations(Japan and Southeast Asia)with magnificent views.

Jeju is an oval-shapedisland that is 73 km fromeast to west and 31km fromnorth to south, with HallasanMountain in the centre. Theisland has a coastal ring roadof 176 km and 530.09 km ofcoastline. It has a temperateclimate with temperatures that

rarely drop below zero degrees.Jeju Island has developed

many fun activities to attracttourists, not just sitting towatch the sky and the sea orfollowing places in dramaseries, it offers leisure sports,

be au ti fu l la nd sc ap es an dmuseums.

Jeju also offers touristsconvenient options to makevacations here with friends, asa couple, and with children oreven alone.

Travel with friends.You could be building better

friendships through MunseomScuba Diving; this area is a

popular destinat ion for scubadivers because it has manycolonies of fish living in thesoft coral habitats.

Zipline Jeju – you canenjoy this thril l ing anddynami c z i p l i ne wh i l eappreciating the great viewsof the mountains and oceansat Daheeyeon; it is designedto offer views of the greentea farms and various naturalattractions that will leave you

breath taken.Iho Taewoo beach offers

you windsurng, jet skiing or

playing beach volleyball. Ofcourse you and your friendcan also have fun togethercatching fish such as sea

bream, large-scale blackf ishor sand smelt. There are alsotwo log houses shaped likered and white horses which

provide an additional attractionat the beach.

Travel as a coupleSehwa-Seongsan Coastal

Road is a fantastic drivingcourse where the beautiful bluesea and the sky are in harmony.The entire course is 12 km andit is refreshing to drive on the

straight coastal road. Duringtravelling, don’t miss stoppingat the Byeolbangjiseong,Seokdawon and the HadoriSanctuary for Migratory Birdsas well.

Seopjikoji is a famouslming location for the Koreandrama “All In”. In spring it hasmagnificent coastal sceneryand yellow rape owers withthe backdrop of Seongsan(Sunrise Peak). In the fall it hasa romantic atmosphere whenthe wildowers bloom and thegold reeds blow in the wind.

Honinji pond is the placewhere three princesses fromthe Byeokrangguk Kingdom

bathed before their wedding

Asian tourists ock to Jeju to witness the places they see in their favourite drama series.

Tourists ride bicycles on Jeju Island as one of the leisure sports which it offers.

A couple make a romantic scene on Jeju Island.

and caves that served as the bridal chambers remain intact.The area is famous for its

beautiful red lotus blooms inthe summer.

Jeju Love Land is a themesculpture park, which presentsaccurate information andwisdom about sexual values.

Vacation with childrenAqua Planet Jeju is the

largest aquarium in Asia; it is arepresentative tourist attractionthat you must see in Jeju that

prov ides chil dren and thei r parents with the opportunityto witness various marine life

such as sea elephants, mantarays and dolphins.The Trick Art Museum

exhibits reproductions ofartworks painted by 50masters of western ar t ,including KlimT and VanGogh but adds a little extra.The two-dimensional worksare expressed in three-dimensions and visitors cantouch them. IUt also createsillusions and allows visitorsto take various pictures and

paint ings.Jeju Horse Race Park is a

designated natural monumentto mark the importance of

prot ecting the island’s localhorses. The venue not only has

a horse racetrack but also a zoowhere children can get closeto the animals, and children’s

horse riding, so the wholefamily can enjoy themselves.

Traveling aloneSinyang beach is located on

the cape near Seopjikoji and isa perfect place for windsurng

because the cape protects the beach from sea waves. There isa training centre for surfers andit also holds the internationalwindsurng championships.

The Museum of Sex andHealth has six exhibit hallswhere you can hear aboutdiversified sex culture,including various adultgoods and the pornography

production process, and lookaround at sculptures of maleand female body parts in theoutside garden.

Gwakji Gwamul Beachis calm and quiet. Even insummer, the water is coldso it is perfect on hot, sunnydays; singles can freshen upafter swimming by washingin the yongcheonsu (springwater) open-air baths next tothe beach.

How to get to Jeju IslandThere are many direct

flights from Seoul to JejuIsland every day, with flightstaking about 50 minutes

befo re ar ri va l. Tax is , city buses and intercity buses are

standing ready to serve youfrom the airport with otherdestinations on Jeju Island.

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Tuesday May 3, 2016

Opinion

S tree t wiseS tree t wise

Times Reporters

Ms Souphalath Xayxana,

a student at the Institute of

Banking: This year is the

130th International Labour

Day and is a very important

occasion, especially for

people in less developed

or developing countries. It

makes everyone aware thatworkers have rights that

should be respected. In Laos

people work hard but don’t

get much money. Some

companies require their staff

to work more than eight

hours a day and workers are

unable to protest or have their

rights upheld in the event of

unfair treatment or a dispute.

Workers should do more

to exercise their rights by

stopping work in the face of

unreasonable demands. Then

the authorities would have

to step in and take action.

Many countries around theworld are now paying more

attention to this issue. The

Lao government should open

their eyes to this problem

and check up on companies’

operations to monitor how

employees are treated.

Ms Phoneviva Vongsomphu,

a college student in

Vientiane: In Laos a lot of

workers remain poor because

Are workers fairly treated by their employers? International Labor Day is globally recognised on May 1 and has its roots in worker protests

that demanded fair working conditions. But many workers in Laos still suffer at the hands of

their employers as they not only have to work hard but are not paid a decent wage. Vientiane

Times went out and about to test public opinion on the issue.

the wages are so low. Even

though the government has

stipulated that the minimum

monthly wage is 900,000

kip, many people are still

paid less. And many people

have to work seven days a

week and sometimes they

don’t get a holiday unless it’san international holiday. Of

course, some people like to

work hard and work every

day, including at weekends

and on holidays, because they

want to get more money but

it’s not good for them because

they need a break sometimes.

And workers’ rights dictate

that they should not work on

a holiday. The government

should do more to improve

living standards, especially

as the cost of living is rising

every year. I hope the new

government will pass laws

that will protect workers’

rights and ensure they cangrow and prosper.

Mr Souphasith Nunthavong,

a businessman in

Khamhoung village,

Xaythany district, Vientiane:

Workers are fundamental to

the country’s development.

What the government

needs to do now is improve

workers’ skills by building

vocational training centres

around the country so that

more people gain more skills.

I really think the government

should pay more attention

to this issue. I think workers

and employers need to have

more respect for each other.

Welfare is also important for

workers and they need more

benets than they have at present. This would make

them value their jobs more

and be more diligent in their

work. Employers should not

require people to work too

long or too hard. The law sets

limits on the number of hours

that people can work in a day,

including overtime. Many

companies and factories

disregard the rules, both in

the government and private

sectors, and some people

have to start work early and

nish late.

Mr Vandy, a companyemployee in Vientiane: To

ensure workers are treated

fairly, the government

should help them to build

up a good relationship

with their employers and

enforce the law with regard

to working conditions and

pay. Many workers in Laos

are disrespected by their

employers as they have to

work hard but are poorly

paid. Sometimes they don’t

get paid until long after

their wages are due but

there’s nothing they can do

about it, and those with a

low level of education are

especially downtrodden. Of

course workers have rights

but unfortunately in Laosthese are often ignored and

people cannot protest and

feel they lack government

support. In any business

operation, the owners and

managers will try to make as

much prot as possible. The

government should do more

to uphold workers’ rights and

employers should be forced

to comply with the law.

Mr Sonesuksith

Xaysomphaeng, a student at

the Panda Chinese Training

Centre in Vientiane:

Many people want to get

a job with the government

because the benets and

other aspects of work are

better. Working for a private

company is sometimes not

very good, and workers are

not always treated well. I

know that many people who

work in factories say they

have to work overtime if

their employer needs a job

completed quickly. This

mainly happens at the end

of the month or when acompany has an order that

must be filled in a rush.

Some days they don’t go

home until almost midnight

and then they have to go

to work early the next day.

They only get one day o ff a

week. They say they don’t

like working like this but they

have to because it’s the same

in other factories. I think they

have a tough life and in some

cases I’m sure their rights are

infringed.

We at Vientiane Times would like to

inform our subscribers that we now

offer newspaper boxes for use in homes

and ofces. The boxes, each of which is

equipped with a lock and key, help protect your paper from inclement weather.

Those interested in obtaining a box should contact the Vientiane Times ofce or

call us at: Tel: 336042; Fax: 336041

Attention Vientiane Times subscribers

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


26 Vientiane Times

Business Plan Contest at Laos-Japan HumanResource Development Institute

To support Lao entrepreneurs in writing business Plan, Laos-Japan Human Resource

Development Institute, NUOL will organize the Business Plan Contest to select the

winner(s) to participate in Regional Business Plan Contest among 3 countries: Laos,

Cambodia and Thailand as in the following:

Date: 24 June 2016

Time: 9:00 am to 16:00 pm

Venue: Laos-Japan Institute, National University of Laos (NUOL)

Therefore, Laos-Japan Institute would like to inform the entrepreneur who is interested

in this contest to submit your business plan to Laos-Japan Institute no later than 17 June

2016. If you are selected, you will have an opportunity to join the study tour in Japan.

• Business plan development guideline:

Each business plan to be sent to the contest should cover following minimum main

contents:

Corporate Philosophy

Positioning/Differentiation (4Cs, X-Y axis, value)

Information Gathering

Analysis (SWOT)

Strategy and 6W2H

Operations

CSFs

Business Flow

Organization

Assumptions

Financial Appraisal

Contact Phone number: 030- 5841519, 020 2222 5303; Email: [email protected]

Opinion Tuesday May 3, 2016

CHINA (China Daily, ANN)-- How to deal with theunprecedented security threatsthat Asia faces tops the agendaat the two-day Conference on

Interaction and ConfidenceBuilding Measures in Asia,which opened in Beijing lastweek.

I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h eshadows of war loomingover the Korean Peninsula,as a result of the repeatednuclear and missile tests

by the Democratic People’sRepub l i c o f Korea i ndefiance of the latest UNSecurity Council resolution,and the tensions buildingup in the South China Seaas a result of the frequent“freedom of navigation”operations being conducted

by the United States, whichchallenge China’s maritime

sovereignty, pose severe andworsening threats to regional peace and st abilit y.

T h e y a l s o r i s kcompromising economic

prosperi ty in Asia , whichaccounts for more than one-third of the world’s GDP andis home to 60 percent of theworld’s population.

Failures to solve theseand other issues have partlystemmed from a lack oftrust among the countriesinvolved, and each pursuingits own national interests.

P a r t i c i p a n t s a t t h econference should make the

best use of the plat form totry and build up trust andexplore ways to set up anew framework that definesregional security cooperationon a larger scale.

Addressing the openingceremony of the fifth CICAforeign ministers’ meeting,President Xi Jinping stressedChina’s resolve to prevent“war or chaos” on the KoreanPeninsula and to achieveits denuclearisation throughdialogue and consultation.

And he reiterated that,while China will firmlysafeguard its sovereignty,rights and interests, it is

willing to engage in friendlyconsultations and dialoguesto make the South China Sea“a sea of peace, friendship andcooperation”.

China, the largest countryin Asia and a UN SecurityCouncil permanent member,now holds the rotating

presidency of the CICA, andit is determined to play itsdue part in safeguarding and

promoting security in Asia ina responsible way.

As Xi said, China iscommitted to forging a newkind of international relationsfeaturing cooperation andreciprocity.

Security threats call forAsia to come together

President Xi Jinping greets delegates at the opening ceremony of thefth meeting of foreign ministers of the Conference on Interactionand Condence Building Measures in Asia at the Diaoyutai StateGuesthouse in Beijing on Thursday. --Photo Wu Zhiyi / China Daily

SINGAPORE (The StraitsTimes, ANN) -- The launch ofMediShield Life last year was

a major milestone in healthcarefor Singapore.

With it, for the rst time,every Singaporean and

permanent resident is assuredinsurance coverage to protectthem against large hospital

bills, from the time they are born till the day they die. Thisis especially crucial for peoplesuffering from chronic ailmentsthat require lifetime care, suchas heart or kidney failure, andcertain cancers.

The Ministry of Health(MOH) must be applaudedfor taking this major step.But it should not stop there.By underwriting the majorhealthcare cost of everyone,

it is certainly in MediShieldLife’s interest to keep people ashealthy as possible for as long as

possible, as this is the only wayto ensure that healthcare billsremain manageable.

It is time for MOH toconsider making healthscreening compulsory withinthe MediShield Life framework.This is one good way to controlrising hospital bills.

Already, the Life InsuranceAssociation says that in recentyears, claims for B1 and Aclass wards have increased by12 per cent a year while thosefor private hospitals have risen

by 17 per cent a year. Higherclaims inevitably lead to higher

premiums that everyone willhave to pay.

Many studies have shownhow proven health screeningcan catch diseases early, and as aresult, reduce treatment costs aswell as suffering by the patient.

This is where MediShieldLife can come in - since it is theone that will bear a large part ofthe cost of treatment. It shouldmake it compulsory for peopleto screen for certain diseases atcertain ages.

Screening, for example,can dramatically reduce theincidence of some cancers.This not just results in betterlives for the patients, but alsosignificantly reduces the cost

of healthcare treatment to thenation.

The case for mandatoryscreening

This is why, in the UnitedStates, most health plans mustoffer preventive services suchas vaccinations and screeningtests, at no additional cost to theinsured.

Insurers there know that it isto their benet to pay for suchscreening as it will reduce theamount they would need to payout if the disease is caught late.

The US National CancerInstitute says 59 percent of adultsaged 50 to 75 have screened forcolorectal cancer according toits guidelines. Cases of colon

cancer there have fallen from 51to 37 per 100,000 people from2003 to 2013.

If polyps in the colon andrectum are discovered andremoved, they do not becomecancerous.

Whi le t rea tment forthis cancer has improvedtremendously, preventing it is

Make health screeningcompulsory and free under

MediShield Lifealways better. Today, this isthe most common cancer inSingapore, with close to 2,000

people diagnosed a year.Other cancers with high

screening rates in the USinclude cervical and breast,and deaths from these cancershave also gone down.

While the actual costeffectiveness of nationalscreening varies because suchcosts will take into accountnot just the cost of treatment,

but also loss of working years,there is no doubt about the

benef its in terms of humansuffering.

This is why countries push for certain diseases to be screened. Not all diseasescan be screened for. But wheresuch screening is effective and

available - such as for diabetes- they can go a long way incurbing rising incidence andhealthcare costs.

Why make screeningmandatory, when there arealready heavily subsidisedones, you may ask.

It is true that Singaporealready has national screening

programmes that are heavilysubsided or even free. Forsome, Medisave can be used.Yet the take-up rate remainslow.

As a resul t , Heal thMinister Gan Kim Yong toldParliamentearlier this monththat a third of diabetics heredo not even know they have

the disease.Diabetes is a terrible disease,

largely because it is silent tillthings go wrong - and when thathappens, it can affect many partsof the body.

In Singapore, diabetes is thetop cause of kidney failure - thenumber of people on dialysismore than doubled from 2,764in 2000 to 5,912 in 2014, and thenumber continues to rise everyyear. It is also one of the topcauses of blindness and resultsin at least two amputations a day.

To make things worse,Singapore has one of thehighest rates of diabetes amongdeveloped countries, secondonly to the US.

And that’s just diabetes.Based on national healthcare

surveys by the MOH, one in four people here with hypertensionand almost half of those withhigh cholesterol levels don’tknow they have these conditions.Both are major risk factors inheart disease and stroke.

Being unaware, they donot take steps to prevent theirconditions from becomingsevere.

The bottom line is thatscreening tools exist that canalert people in the early stagesof a disease, be it diabetes,cancer or cardiovasculardisease. Whatever the reason- fear, ignorance, apathy -

the fact is that people aren’tmaking use of them, even whenscreening programmes are freeor heavily subsidised.

But, of course, people cannd out they have a diseaseand still not do anything aboutit. Mr Gan shared that of the

people who know that theyhave diabetes, one in three have

poor control over their bloodsugar levels. But the rst step isto make sure that people know

that they have, or are headingtowards, a serious medicalcondition.

And the only way to do thathere, it appears, is to make suchscreening tests compulsory.

It would be best if thesetests are provided free ofcharge. There are many studiesthat show it is far cheaper toscreen and to catch a diseaseearly, rather than not screen andto pay for treatment later.

US insurers - hard-headed businesses - obviously believethis to be true as they provideselected free vaccinationsand health screening to their

policyholders.But offering free screening

tests alone will not be enough,as there will always be peoplewho would rather not know,or nd it too much of a hasslesince they are not feeling sick.

So MediShield Life shouldimpose a penalty on peoplewho refuse to screen - such asadding a loading to their annual

premiums which will remain in place until they get screened.

There will, of course, beexceptions, such as people whohave already been diagnosedwith the disease. It no longermakes sense for them toscreen, and it would be unfairto penalise them for havingthe disease. Those who screenunder private schemes can

simply get their doctor to letMediShield Life know that thetest has been done.

To prevent concern that people would be disadvantagedif their insurance company oremployer nds out they haveserious medical conditions,the results of the tests shouldremain confidential betweendoctor and patient.

MediShield Life only needsto know that the test has beendone and the patient informed.

What to screen forExactly what diseases

MediShield Life should screenfor and when they should bedone, can be determined bya panel of medical experts,

drawing from the ample poolof studies available.

It will be tedious work butnot rocket science to suss outwhich screening might be cost-effective.

For example, cancer,cardiovascular disease anddiabetes together account foralmost half the years of illnesssuffered by people here. Today,Singaporean men live aboutnine years with poor health, andwomen, almost 11 years.

The idea is to ensure that people discover such conditionsearly, so that they are able to nipthem in the bud, or get theircondition treated so it doesnot become a major problem

that will result in high hospital bills. Early treatment can alsospare them suffering for weeks,months or years.

It would be a massive boon- to individuals and potentiallyto the Budget - if the number ofunhealthy years can be reducedthrough health screening andearly care.

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times 27

Arts & LeisureArts & Leisure

Tuesday May 3, 2016

Arts & LeisureArts & Leisure

Sisouphan Amphonephong

A fashion show jointly organised

by Banque Franco-Lao (BFL)and Lao Fashion Week took

place on Thursday night at theSettha Palace hotel, marking yetanother milestone in the growthof the Lao fashion scene.

The event served to introduceBFL’s xed term deposit accountand showcase the collections ofLao Fashion Week designersKhang and Voravaj.

The evening was sponsored by the Lao Brewery Group,Aenoteca, Yves Rocher and NewWave Hair Studio.

Advertising its services, BFLsaid it makes it a point of honourto provide products that meetcustomers’ needs.

With this in mind, the bank

innovates in term of its servicesand offers a Visa package thatincludes insurance and a savingsaccount. The bank says the

best way to build a future isto save every month throughfixed amounts, which aretransferred automatically. Itsxed term deposit offer is namedFashion Fixed Term. BFL offersa Longchamp bag to anyoneopening such an account.

In addition, BFL supportsassociations in several sectorsas well as young entrepreneurs,as the bank believes Laoswill develop if we provideopportunities for all talents togrow.

BFL said it was proud to

sponsor Lao Fashion Week. MsPany Saignavongs and her teamallowed young talents to realisetheir dreams by giving them theopportunity to go to France tostudy fashion design.

Speaking at the event, BFL’sManaging Director said he wasconstantly reminded of how wellregarded Laos is when it comesto Lao fashion and the impactthat Lao designers and fashionretailers have on Lao culture.

He said the track record infashion really highlights theinnovative and unique nature ofLaos’ traditions and culture andthis has signicant benets forthe nation.

“I am here today to

represent BFL’s commitmentto Lao business. BFL recentlycelebrating its fth anniversaryand is now planning for thenext ve years. One of the mainobjectives is to support womenin business,” he added.

“We tailor our products and

Fashion designers partnerwith bank for protable future

Owner of the Khang collection, Ms Viengkham Nanthavongdouangsy,strikes a pose during an auction in support of the Lao YoungDesigners project.

Models display items from the Khang collection.

promotions to serve the marketaccordingly. One of them, asyou may have noticed today,is what we call Fashion FixedTerm Deposit with our bank.I am honoured to have thisopportunity to come and talk toyou all and I am condent thatthis fashion week will play animportant role in helping to raiserecognition of Lao fashion.”

The founder of Lao FashionWeek, Ms Pany Saignavongs,expressed her sincere gratitudeto all the sponsors including theLao Brewery Group, the FrenchEmbassy, Campus FranceInstitut de France, and EsmodInternational among others.

She also took the opportunityto tell everyone about LaoFashion Week, which will take

place from September 12-16.It will be a week full of art,culture and fashion activitieswith more designers from Laoand the international stage

participating.By mid May,the top ten Best

Young Designers and the winnerof Lao Young Designers 2016

will be announced. They willreceive full scholarships to studyfashion design at Esmod in Paris.

Speaking about the LaoYoung Designers Project, MsPany said she was very proudto be able to achieve the goal ofsupporting and promoting young

talents in Laos.M r Bi l l y S i amphan

Chanthavichit, the winner of theLao Young Designer 2015, isnow studying at Esmod and willnish his six months intensivecourse in July.

Ms Pany said she hoped to be able to send more young Laodesigners to study abroad in thefuture.

The fashion show featureda collection by Khang from thePhaeng Mai Gallery and the Thaidesigner of the Voravaj brand.

A fashion auction took place afterwards to raise moneyin support of the Lao YoungDesigners Project.

Tot Vilouna, Lao Fashion Week’sambassador, wears a dress fromthe Khang collection.

Visith Teppalath

Innovative handicraftscreated under the OneDistrict, One Productscheme are attracting a

large number of followers and piquing curiosity.

A group of villagers fromKeokou village in Keo-oudomdistrict, Vientiane province, iscreating colourful items fromthe silkworm cocoons they

produce, which feed on theleaves of the mulberry treesthey grow.

They do not have muchexperience as artists but areinnovative and have been

inspired to turn the cocoonsinto work of art.

By gluing them togetherthey have produced imitationowers, fruits and other itemssuch as garlands, all made in

bright colours.They also make miniature

markbeng , the pyramid shapedcentrepiece used in Buddhistrituals.

Because of the uniquenature of their handicrafts, thevillagers have attracted a lot ofattention.

Last week the groupexhibited their products ata fair held to mark World

Intellectual Property Day atLao-ITECC in Vientiane.The group was one of severalOne District, One Productexhibitors at the event.

They have been growingmulberry trees and keepingsilkworms for a long time.

Cocoon art weaves a spell

with exhibit visitors

The group’s main work isto distribute and sell silkworms

and silk, but decided to recyclesome of the used cocoons and

put them to good use. Now they have found an

additional source of incomefrom their customary line ofwork as silk producers.

T h e g r o u p h a soccasionally representedVi en t i ane p rov i nce bydisplaying its cocoon artat exhibitions around thecountry, and has generateda large number of fascinatedfollowers.

The head of the group,Mr Somphone Chanthadala,told Vientiane Times he was

pleased that their handiworkhad so much public exposureas it helped to boost interest ininnovative art forms in additionto the commercial productsusually made under the OneDistrict, One Product scheme.

He said the group turned the

Schoolgirls are especially attracated to the garlands.

Cocoons are cleverly assembled to form markbeng , the centrepieceof traditional religious ceremonies.

cocoons into decorative itemsas a means of producing a new

art form, using an otherwiseuseless natural material, andreminding people how manythings can actually be recycled.

“Our group has exhibitedtheir work in Laos and othercountries several times. We tryto keep on improving to makethe items neat and attractive.They are environmentallyfriendly and we feel the pricesare reasonable. We make awide range of items and lotsof people are interested inthem. They buy them to giveas presents or display in theirhomes. Of course, we plan tocome up with new designs in

the future.”B u t t o m a k e r e a limprovements and rise tointernational standards, weneed more public support andask everyone to help us by

buying one of our very specialhandicrafts,” he added.

Colourfulgarlands,imitation

fruits andother

innovative

itemsmade from

silkwormcocoons.

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


28 Vientiane Times

ClassifedTuesday May 3, 2016

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Vientiane Times on CD-ROM

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times 29

VacancyAnnouncement

Eastern Star Bilingual School islooking for staff for various positions.Below are the open positions andtheir duties.Staff Director: Following up andmanaging cleaners. Responsiblefrom hygiene of the school English

speaking candidates are more preferred.

Technician: Responsible frommaintenance of the school ground.Candidates must have knowledgeand skills of electrical, plumber andcarpenter.

Cleaners: Clean classroom,hallways and school yard.

Contract: 021 261615

Tuesday May 3, 2016 Classied

Lao People’s Democratic RepublicPeace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity

Department of Custom, Ministry of FinanceCustoms and Trade Facilitation Project – Additional Financing

IDA Grand No. H843 - LA, Project No. P144992

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTERESTNational Financial Management Assistant, based in CTFP Ofce, Vientiane Capital

( ref. no.: CS-013-03-CTFP-2016 )The Lao PDR has received nancing of US$ 12.5 million equivalent from the InternationalDevelopment Association (IDA) to support the Customs and Trade Facilitation Project(CTFP), which has two main components:(a) Automation Support focused on progressively shifting responsibility for the supportand maintenance of the ASYCUDA system from heavy reliance on UNCTAD to theCustoms Department’s own personnel and on building a strong in-house capacity toeffectively manage current and future ICT systems and related infrastructure; and,(b) Organizational Development designed to consolidate and further extend theimprovements achieved in customs work practices, procedures and organization thathave progressively been implemented over the past ve years.

The project builds on reforms implemented as part of an earlier World Bank nancedproject and will assist the Lao Customs Department (LCD) to simplify customsprocedures, eliminate duplication and redundancy; reduce transaction costs and time toclear goods; and increase transparency and accountability. The Customs Department,which is responsible for implementation of the project,

The CTFP is seeking a dynamic and experienced full-time national consultant to llthe position of Financial Management Assistant to assist the LCD by providing supporton nancial management operations and administrative matters for the project(s)implemented by the CTFP. The Financial Management Assistant will be a full-timeposition and expected to commence by early June 2016 through the initial 12-monthscontract, with possibility of extension based on satisfactory performance and availabilityof funds. In order to be considered for the position, the candidates should meet thefollowing qualications and experience requirements: Bachelor in accounting, nance or business administration related areas with Lao

CPA status or equivalent; Three (3) years of working experience in Accounting, Auditing and Finance areas;

previous experience within a similar organization/donor projects is an asset; Familiar and experienced with the project auditing process, Familiar with National Treasury, Ministry of Finance payment and/or World Bank

procedures will be highly benecial,

High degree of computer literacy, and intermediate to advanced knowledge ofMicrosoft Ofce Package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and have some experiences inusing accounting software such as Accpac or Quick Books would be an advantage.

Language skills: Candidate should be uent in Laotian and English and have strongwritten and spoken skills in both languages;

Reliable, independent and dynamic worker with high social competence and goodteam spirit

Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to function effectively and collaborativelyin a group and in multicultural team environment.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’sGuidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDACredits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011 (“Consultant Guidelines”),setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conict of interest. The Consultant will beselected based on Individual Consultants selection method set out in the ConsultantGuidelines.

The Customs and Trade Facilitation Project (CTFP) of the Customs Department, Ministryof Finance, now invites interested applicants to provide information indicating that youare qualied to perform the services (curriculum vitae with expressions of interest andreferences). Interested Applicants may obtain further information at the address below.

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below or no later than May16, 2016, 16:00 o’clock (submissions via email are also acceptable). Only Short-listedcandidates will be contacted.

Athsaphangthong Siphandone (PhD.)Director General, Customs DepartmentMinistry of Finance, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDRTel. & Fax: +856 (21) 254034E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected] and [email protected]

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99



What’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s OnWhat’s On

The Vientiane Times welcomes notices from

members of the public for announcement on

this page. Any events or functions open to

the general public are suitable for publishing.

Contact: [email protected]

Come along for aerobics!

When: Every evening, 5-6pm

Where: Chao Anouvong Park, Mekong River, Vientiane

B14BodyslamWorld Tour

B14 Bodyslam World Tour

in Vientiane. Don’t miss

this ultimate concert of Laoand Thai bands, including

Bodyslam from Thailand

and Black Eyes, Sack

Cells, DJ Faahsai + Mc

Pam.

Tickets and T-shirts on sale

at M-Point marts. Tickets

100,000 kip. Starting on May 3, T-shirts will be on sale for

69,000 kip.

Where: Parking lot at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane.

When: Saturday, May 14, starting at 6 pmEuropean Food Festival

5th European Food Festival featuring chefs, European food,

and live music.

When: Saturday May 7, 10am-10:30pm

Where: Parking lot at the National Culture Hall

Contact: +856 021 255 575

Appeal for volunteers

Ban Asa (Volunteer House) is asking for Lao people (no age

limit) to volunteer to help with activities over one weekend.

It will involve painting school walls, donating food and

educational equipment, and assisting with eld and survival

trips, camping and adventure activities.

When: Register now or before departure on May 7-8 to BanMai in Keo-oudom district, Vientiane province.

Where: Ban Asa (Volunteer House) in Tanmixay village,

Xaythany district.

Contact 020 5675 1611, 030 5945 656

Almsgiving at Hor PhakeoMuseum

An almsgiving ceremony to mark the second phase of the

restoration of the Hor Phakeo Museum.

When: May 20, in the early morning.

Where: Hor Phakeo Museum, Setthathirath Road, Vientiane.

Rocket festival in Pakxe

Pakxe district in Champassak province is holding its annual

rocket festival. Everyone welcome.

When: Middle of May

Where: Nahaed village, Pakxe district

Mini Thailand Week

Shoppers are invited to browse and buy

a wide selection of goods on sale at the

Mini Thailand Week.

Where: Sanamdaeng Stadium in Pakxe

district, Champassak province

When: April 29-May 5.

Fanglao dance classes

Children and young people who love modern dance are invited

to register for the following weekend sessions: Kids Class, Hip-

Hop, BBoy and K Pop.

Where: Fanglao Dance Company at the Asean Mall.

When: Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 7pm.

For more information call: 020-77527911 or 020-52262111.

Rocket festival inVientiane province

Viengkham district, Vientiane province, will stage its annualrocket festival (Bang Fai Lan, Bang Fai Saen) to provoke

rainfall and celebrate fertility.

Locals will gather in elds on

the outskirts of villages and

towns to launch the rockets

they have made.

Activities: Street fair and

performances by popular

singers

When: Middle of May

Where: Pakkayoung village,

Viengkham district, Vientiane

province. The village is about 60km from Vientiane.

Love Art Festival

The festival is a lot of fun and involves making kites!

When: April 29-May 3, from 10am-9pm

Where: Vientiane Centre, Khouvieng Road

For more information: 020 5405 7999

Chinese Singing Contest

Don’t miss the nal round of the Chinese Singing Contest!

Where: National Culture Hall.

When: May 10 at 7pm.

Free Rescue Services Three free rescue teams are available on24 hour standby in Vientiane :1. Lao Red Cross is providing free

emergency assistance, includingat road accidents, for members ofthe public who need help. For more

information call: 020 59966111 Where: Xiengyeun village,Chanthabouly district, Vientiane.

2. People who need help after a roadaccident or in any other situation wherethere is danger can contact the RescueHotline Number of the Foundation for Assisting the Poor People of Laos, Tel:1623

Where: The Rescue Centre is locatedat Nonghay village, Hadxaifongdistrict, in front of Nonghay temple, onKamphaengmeuang Road.

3. People who need help after a road

accident or other urgent assistance,please call the rescue hotline numberof the Association of Voluntary Rescueof Vientiane Tel: 1624

Where: The Association of VoluntaryRescue of Vientiane is located inNongsangthor village, Xaysettha district.

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


Vientiane Times

VacancyDistrict Team Leader

CARE is an international humanitarian organisation ghting global poverty, with a vision towhich focuses on empowering women and girls to ght poverty and bring lasting change totheir communities. We work in over 80 countries around the world. We work with partnersto achieve lasting results for marginalized communities.

We are looking for a District Team Leader to join our team based in Mai/SamphanhDistrict, Phongsaly Province.

The District Team Leader is based in Samphanh and/or Mai District Phongsaly Province (worklocation), conducting activities in the district level. The District Team Leader is responsiblefor management of the Climate Change Adaptation activities in accordance with projectdesign, and coordinates with relevant government line ofces such as District Ofce ofNatural Resource and Environment (DONRE),District Agriculture and Forestry Ofce (DAFO), and District Lao Women Union (DLWU).Your major responsibilities will be varied and will include:• Provision of technical input for activity design, implementation, and monitoring and

support team in eld assessments• Ensure compliance to internationally recognized and acceptable standards.• Participate in the monitoring and reporting of utilized budget lines and achievements.• Ensure budget expenditure at district level is in line with approved budgets and CARE

and donor nancial policy and procedure.• Timely preparation of project report, expenditure and work plans.• Join implementation of all monitoring and evaluation activities• Give input on how to improve the project based on lessons learned, best practices,

technical advances• Identify training needs for staff and counterparts• Ensure the effective and efcient implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Project

(CCA) activities according to the activity plan and the budget.Required qualifcations:• University graduate, in a related eld preferred.• At least 3 years experience in project and supervising staff.• Demonstrated interpersonal, planning, team building and facilitation skills.• Demonstrated ability in facilitation / conducting participatory training/ Participatory

Planning• Strong presentation skills and good analytical and communication skills• Oral and written English communication skills are preferable.• Competence in Microsoft ofce including Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint.• Physical Requirements/Work Environment

Application SubmissionQualied candidates should submit a CV and a letter of application that address the

Qualications and Experience required to [email protected] before the deadline: 15

May, 2016

CARE is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. Women, ethnicminorities and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

CARE is committed to protecting the rights of children. CARE reserves the right toconduct screening procedures to ensure a child safe environment.

The detailed Job Description can be provided upon request.(Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. CVs and other documents

submitted to CARE will not be return)

ANZ Bank (Lao) Ltd. Looking for a job opportunity with an international bank?

ANZ is growing in Lao PDR. Join us on our journey!

As a fast growing organization, ANZ Bank (Lao) Limited is looking for customer-orientatedand motivated individuals who would like a career with one of the world’s leading nancialservices businesses.Working for ANZ, you will receive the following:• Competitive salary and other benets including health cover, staff study support, staff

banking and so on• On the job training will be provided at our Head Ofce in Vientiane and regional training

opportunities may be available if required• Salary increases based on performance, including annual bonusesFluency in English and Lao is essential for the following roleEven if you have never worked for a bank before, if you have the r ight attitude and desireto be successful you should consider applying.

Senior Risk Analyst

This role is responsible for providing support to Relationship Manager (RM) by implementing,retaining and growing the Business customer base, sustaining and increasing protability,

and efciently and effectively assessing and managing credit risk and costs.

Main Duties• Assist line manager in preparing Annual Review Credit Memorandum, or increase facilitylimit for existing customers• Join customer visit with Relationship Manager when it is due for annual review, or newcomplex deal• Assist RM to complete report related to customer performance management• Prepare nancial models/ sensitivities to facilitate assessment of proposals• Liaise with customers to obtain/ interpret nancial data and information and discuss issues,if required support by RM• Proactively liaise with Relationship and other product specialist personnel to dene/ establishcredit requirements and structure proposals• Manage credit exposures through monitoring and ongoing assessment, including covenantand other compliance checks• Ensure appropriate records, les and documentation are established and maintained inaccordance with Group standards/ policy in support of credit facilities• Provide necessary information and discuss all risks inherent in credit exposures with linemanager, ensuring quality judgements are made• Liaise with Audit team Requirements:• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills• Sound nancial analysis and interpretation skills• Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills in English and Lao• Good organizational and time management skills

• Good management & leadership skill• Attention to details and accuracy

If you have proven ability in all of the criteria for this role, please email your resume, clearlyoutlining your work experience to [email protected], or contact us at ANZ Building,33 Lane Xang Ave, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Tel: 021-222 700 ext: 191 or 199; Fax: 021-213 513

Applications close Wednesday, 4th May 2016Only short listed candidates will be contacted for interviewAll submitted applications are kept condentially and will not return

ANZ Valuing everyone between A aNd Z

31Tuesday May 3, 2016 Sports 313131

LONDON (AP) -- Less than 24hours before the global soccerspotlight falls on Leicester inits bid to win the top tier forthe rst time, Newcastle cameout best in the scrapping at

the other end of the EnglishPremier League on Saturday.

The Magpies moved outof the drop zone for thefirst time since Februaryafter midfielder AndrosTownsend’s superb free kickgave Newcastle a 1-0 winover Crystal Palace.

“The victory means alot, it gives us momentum,confidence and a connectionwith the fans,” said Newcastlemanager Rafa Benitez.

Sunderland again had torely on its top scorer JermainDefoe, with the striker grabbinga last-minute equaliser fromthe penalty spot in a 1-1 drawagainst Stoke, which took the

lead through striker MarkoArnautovic.

“Where would we bewithout Jermain Defoe?” saidSunderland manager SamAllardyce, before answeringhis own question. “Relegated

probably.”D e s p i t e d r a w i n g ,

Sunderland dropped into therelegation zone, one point

behind 17th-place Newcastleand one point ahead of 19th-

pla ce Nor wich, whi ch los t1-0 at Arsenal after DannyWelbeck’s goal in the 59th.

“The last thing you cando down in the dogfight is

feel sorry for yourselves,”said Norwich manager Alex

Neil. “We didn’t get what wedeserved.”

Both Sunderland and Norwich have thr ee gamesleft while Newcastle hastwo. Aston Villa is alreadyrelegated.

At the top, leader Leicestercan win the title by beatingManchester United on Sunday.

The victory for Arsenal

puts the Gunners provisionallyin third place, three pointsahead of Manchester City,which plays at Southamptonon Sunday.

But the win is unlikely toquell protests against Arsenalmanager Arsene Wenger.

“ E v e r y o n e i s v e r ydisappointed. It was a greatopportunity for us to go forthe title this season and it isdifcult to handle the way it

With spotlight on top, Newcastlemoves out of EPL drop zone

Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow saves a penalty from Crystal Palace’s Yohan Cabaye, duringthe English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, at St James’Park, in Newcastle, England on Saturday. --Photo AP

is ending,” Welbeck said. “Weknow as a club that we should

be doing better than this.”West Ham still has an

outside chance of a top-fourfinish after an easy 3-0 winagainst West BromwichAlbion. Mark Noble scoredtwice for the Hammers, whoare now provisionally fth on59 points, the same as sixth-

place Man United ahead ofSunday’s game.

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- GerinaPiller took a two-stroke leadSaturday in the LPGA Tour’sVolunteers of America TexasShootout, putting her in

posit ion for a breakthroughvictory in her home event.

Winless in 123 careerstarts, the 31-year-old Pillershot a bogey-free 4-under 67to reach 14-under 199 at LasColinas Country Club.

“It is a big deal, but to meit’s not a big deal,” Piller said.“The golf ball doesn’t knowthat I’m in the lead. So I justtry to kind of dumb it down formyself and control the things Ican do and that’s myself, and

being calm and being condentand committed. ... I still havethe same mentality. “I’ve gotto go out there and I’m goingto play aggressive, play smartand play committed.”

South Korean players heldthe next four spots on theleaderboard. Amy Yang (65)and Mi Jung Hur (66) weretied for second at 12 under, andJenny Shin (65) and Sei YoungKim (68) were 10 under.

Piller lives in Plano, about20 miles from Las Colinas.The long-hitting US SolheimCup hero grew up in Roswell,

New Mexico, and played at theUniversity Texas-El Paso.

A number of friends fromhigh school and college joinedher family — led by herhusband, PGA Tour playerMartin Piller — on the course

following her. Martin Pillerwas back in town after missingthe cut in the Zurich Classic inLouisiana.

“It would be awesome,

it would be ideal,” Piller saidabout the possibility of winningin front of her family and friends.“But the cool thing about it is nomatter how I play tomorrow, Iknow that they’re going to be

proud of me and we’re going togo back and hang out and they’renot going to think anythingdifferent of me, so it’s pretty coolto have that support.”

Piller hit to 4 feet to set up a birdie on the par-4 second, then birdied three straight par 5s —two-putting No. 3 and making a5-footer on No. 7 and a 10-footeron No. 10. She parred the naleight holes.

“I felt like I gave myselfopportunities,” Piller said. “Had

some great shots, just couldn’tget some putts to fall. Thesegreens are pretty tricky and theyhave a lot of slope to them soyou definitely have to givethem respect. But I don’t feellike I kind of like barely got

by with eight pars, I felt like Icould have been a lot lower. So,denitely a lot of condencegoing into tomorrow.”

Piller has hit 52 of 54greens in regulation, withthe two misses coming in therst round. She tied for thirdlast week in California in theSwinging Skirts for her thirdstraight top-six nish.

Gerina Piller takes2-stroke lead in home

event in Texas

7/26/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 99


32 Vientiane Times

SportsSports

Tuesday May 3, 2016

SportsSports

WASHINGTON (AP) --Badou Jack retained his WBCsuper-middleweight title witha 12-round majority draw with

Lucian Bute on Saturdaynight.

Judge Stephen Radosscored the fight 117-111 forJack, and Omar Minton andGlen Crocker both had it114-114.

Jack (20-1-2) had wonfour fights in a row headinginto his second title defense.

Jack said he still plansto move on to a unification

bout wi th James DeGa le ,who defended his IBFsuper-middleweight title byunanimous decision againstRogelio Medina earlier at the

Jack retains WBC title withmajority draw against Bute

Badou Jack(right ) throws aright at LucianBute duringa boxingmatch earlyon Sunday.--Photo AP

DC Armory.The Roman i an -bo rn

Bute (32-3-1), a former168-pound champion, had

lost to the British DeGalein his previous bout andappeared to think he hadsuffered another loss.

Bute opened the 12thround swinging, and did soagain following a timeoutwith 55 seconds left to fixtape on Jack’s right glove.

As the final bell sounded,Jack raised his hands inanticipation of victory whileBute only turned and headedto his corner.

After cautious openingexchanges, Jack came to lifein the fifth, landing several

blows clean, including a long,looping left hook with under50 seconds left in the round.

A similar connection to

start the 11th commenced onof the ght’s liveliest rounds,one that ended with a sectionof Romanian fans chanting“Bu-te! Bu-te!”

DeGale (23-1) survived atough challenge from Medina(36-7), who outpunchedthe defending champ by analmost 2-to-1 margin despiteconnecting on fewer overall.DeGale’s most memorablesequence may have comein the sixth round, when heconnected clean on all three

punches of a left -right- lef thook combination.