Laos

Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine 
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine 
Southeast Asia doesn’t much matter to the outcome of a war far away in Europe. Yet Southeast Asian countries responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offer an insight into the…
Kip-to-currency?
Kip-to-currency?
A rare spate of headlines out of Laos last month trilled about a new bullet train that runs from the capital Vientiane to China, with the government heavily in debt after the…
Bad news for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Bad news for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
The release of recent research from the Netherlands adds an additional insight into what is happening in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the country’s all-important food producing region…
Jagged sphere
Analyses
Jagged sphere
China’s quest for infrastructure and influence in mainland Southeast Asia
Chinese dams and the Mekong drought
Chinese dams and the Mekong drought
The latest reports from the Lower Mekong Basin are cause for growing concern that another period of drought will succeed that of 2019, affecting Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and…
What’s the secret to Southeast Asia’s Covid success stories?
What’s the secret to Southeast Asia’s Covid success stories?
After almost seven months, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to challenge the world, but some places seem to have managed surprisingly well. Thailand has not reported any local…
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
Just over a year ago, I reported on the uncertain future of the Khon Pi rapids, located near the Thai town of Chiang Khong and lying in the riverbed between Thailand and Laos. At…
Another dam on the Mekong
Another dam on the Mekong
Since the announcement in July last year that the Lao government was notifying the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its intention to proceed with the construction of a dam due to…
The fight to preserve the Khon Pi Luang rapids
The fight to preserve the Khon Pi Luang rapids
In 2000, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand concluded an agreement to begin clearing the Mekong River of obstacles so that cargo vessels could travel from southern Yunnan to…
Laos dam collapse and stress on the Mekong
Laos dam collapse and stress on the Mekong
Beyond concern for the undoubted human costs of the collapse of Xepian-Xe Nam Noy dam in Laos, this event once again focuses attention on the long-term effect of the massive…