Stories from Quick Reads and Laos
VIDEO: How a Laos Dam Project Could Endanger Communities in Cambodia
EarthRights International has uploaded a video about the threat posed by a mega dam construction in Laos to communities situated along the Mekong River in Cambodia. Laos and Cambodia are neighbors in the Southeast Asian region.
Video Animation Explains How Principle of “Free Prior and Informed Consent” Can Empower Indigenous Peoples
The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact has uploaded a video animation explaining the principle of “Free prior and informed consent” or how communities should have the right to decide for the development of their lands.
Search and Destroy Mission for the 80 Million “Bombies” in Laos
Al Jazeera's 101 East episode tackles the efforts of women workers in Laos to find and destroy unexploded cluster bombs dropped by the United States during the Vietnam War era. The U.S. dropped 260 million bombs in Laos but about 80 million bomblets did not detonate which posed a continuing...
Sexual Abuse of Children in Tourism in Southeast Asia
The Project Childhood Prevention Pillar, an initiative of the Australian government, has released a study about the prevalence of sexual abuse of children in the Southeast Asian region. It cited social factors such as “poverty and marginalisation, as well as lack of family support, education, opportunity, and protective factors” for...
Interview with Wife of Laos NGO Leader Sombath Somphone Who Went Missing in 2012
Writing for the Southeast Asia Globe, Kearrin Sims interviewed Shui Meng, wife of the disappeared Laotian development worker Sombath Somphone. Sombath, a prominent NGO leader in Laos, went missing in 2012. Various global groups suspect that local state forces have something to do with his mysterious disappearance. In the interview,...
Laos Development NGOs Silent on Human Rights
Writing for The New Mandala, Randall Arnst bemoaned the silence of Laos devleopment NGOs over the disappearance of prominent NGO worker Sombath Somphone: …while UN rights bodies have repeatedly raised concerns, their sister agencies working in development have said virtually nothing. At the bi-lateral level, while diplomats have spoken up,...
Human Rights Situation in Laos
The International Service for Human Rights has prepared a briefing paper on the human rights situation in Laos: Human rights defenders prefer to be known as ‘community workers’ and are afraid of reprisals if they are associated with regional and international human rights organisations. As Laos is scheduled to undergo...
Video Shows How the U.S. Dropped 2.5 Million Tons of Bombs on Laos
Mother Jones uploaded a video which simulates the 600 bombing missions conducted by the United States in Laos between 1965 to 1973 during the Vietnam War era.
Laos Landmine Victims Appeal for Help
Landmines planted during the Vietnam War era continue to hurt and kill Lao residents today HI's Phongsavath Manithong is challenging the int'l community to support UXO/mine victims in #Laos #Commit2Complete pic.twitter.com/hXI659LRfu — ICBL (@minefreeworld) March 11, 2014
One Year in Asia
Antoine Lavenant, with his girlfriend spent a year in Asia – China, Laos, Cambodia, Thaïland, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka. The video is a brief record of their exciting journey.
Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development has published a policy briefer that tackled the extent of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Many Southeast Asian countries are at the bottom of a lot of the world's supply chains, including for food, garments, and technology. Yet few countries in...
Popularizing the Hmong Qeej Musical Instrument through YouTube
Catherine Falk studied how Chinese and Laotian Hmong diaspora groups maximized the YouTube to preserve and popularize their culture, in particular the playing of qeej, an iconic Hmong reed mouth organ.
Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos
The group CleanBirth.org is committed to improving the maternal health care situation in several Laos rural villages by providing birth kits, training of new nurses and mobilizing village volunteers. In a recent update, the group highlighted why many rural Laotians are choosing homebirths over delivery at health centers. Among the...
Sticky Rice is Bad for Babies, Lao Mothers Told
@LaotianMama reminds Lao mothers not to give sticky rice, a traditional Lao food, to hungry babies: Sticky rice for infants is the Laotian equivalent to what we know as rice cereal in Western culture. The idea is the same as well where the introduction of solid foods will fill out...
Why Laos Has High Maternal And Infant Mortality Rates
Dee Harlow cites several factors that explain why Laos has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in Southeast Asia: Many factors contribute to the inaccessibility of the care expectant mothers need including, geographic remoteness, lack of infrastructure and seasonal limitations for travel on rough roads, lack of transport or...
Gender Inequality in Laos and Cambodia Schools
Laurence Bradford studied some statistics about female education in Southeast Asia. She highlighted the problems and discrimination faced by young girls in Cambodia and Laos. For example in Cambodia, 50 percent of young girls are laborers instead of students. In Laos, male literacy rates are 20 percent higher than those...
Laos Defines National Dress
To further promote Lao culture, the government has organized a seminar which defined the country's national dress to be used during formal events. For men the suit will be made from Lao silk fabric and cut in a Lao style. The women’s suit is also from Lao silk fabric cut...
Helping Laos Recover from Cluster Bombs
Bryan Thao Worra, a Laotian American writer, reflects on his last trip in Laos where he witnessed the impact of cluster bombs in rural villages. Laos was one of the most heavily bombed countries during the Vietnam War and thousands of unexploded bombs continue to be a threat today.
Traveling in Pre-Modern Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia Visions is a collection of historical travel narratives of pre-modern Southeast Asia from Cornell University Library's John M. Echols Collection. The digital collection includes 10,000 images, drawings, photographs, prints and maps.
Lao Startup Wins ASEAN Award
Lao IT Dev, a startup based in Laos, has won the 1st Asean ICT Award in the Digital Content category. It publishes the e-corner magazine which is the major source of IT-related news in Laos.
Laos: Low Power Rates but Many People Still in the Dark
Despite the presence of several large hydro power plants in Laos, electricity access remains a problem for many people in the country. Power rates, however, are lower compared to other countries
