Housewives at risk to HIV infection

(KPL) The Lao National Committee Control of AIDS Bureau disclosed yesterday that only six months of this year, at least 226 Lao people infected with HIV positive nationwide.

The meeting of the Mobility AIDS Partnership (MAP) Lao PDR held at Lao Plaza hotel in Vientiane from 5 to 6 December, to call on all organisations taking part of the support’s anti-HIV...more info

This MAP meeting’s attempts to seek key mechanism to mobilise all organisations taking part of the anti-HIV, after housewives were found as a highly risky group.
The MAP Lao PDR was supported by the Canada South East Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Programme, where was attended by representatives from ministries, mass organizations, non-governmental organisations and donor agencies under chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Bounkuang Phichit.

According to the Lao National Committee Control of AIDS Bureau pointed that since 1990 to 2007, about 2,400 Lao people have been infected with HIV positive age about 25-35s, most of them being mobile workers.

Meanwhile housewives are reported that they are a high risky group of infected HIV positive from their husbands. Last years, 355 Lao people were reported that infected HIV positive.

The meeting of MAP Lao PDR followed the regional Mobility AIDS Partnership among Canada, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam (MAP-4), which took place in Vientiane, on 3-4 December 2007. MAP-4 is a main component of CSEARHAP, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency; the programme was established in four countries to implement the UN Regional Strategy on HIV Vulnerability Reduction for Migrants and Mobile Populations.

At the National level, the programme relies on a multi-sectoral mechanism of government and non-government partners to implement activities that directly reduce the HIV exposure of migrants and mobile populations. The MAP-4 meeting in early December focused on regional and national advocacy for issues of HIV and mobility.
Two-day meeting’s main objectives were to discuss the purpose, role and responsibilities of the Mobility AIDS Partnership in the Lao PDR and to promote sharing of resource invested in mitigating the HIV Vulnerability of migrants and mobile populations.

The main outcomes of the meeting included a review of the draft terms of reference of this national level multi-sectoral working group and a draft map of available resources. Discussions led by the UNAIDS Country Coordinator, Dr Michael Hahn, focused on the need to prioritize initiatives to reach the most vulnerable of the many migrants and mobile populations and their communities.

Mobile populations at high risk of HIV exposure were identified and various organizations shared their HIV-related activities for these migrants and mobile populations. By identifying existing evidence-based interventions and gaps in programming for migrants, stakeholders developed a matrix of existing initiatives to foster collaboration among stakeholders with similar interests and discourage duplication of efforts.

Source: kpl

France to grant 1m euro for Vat Phou project

The government of France has announced a grant totalling 1 million euros for a three-year project starting next year on the site of the ancient, Khmer-built Vat Phou, according to a government official on Tuesday.

The head of the Vat Phou World Heritage Site Office, which was established last month, Mr Khankham Kaenboutta, said that the agreement is under preparation and is expected to be signed later this month...more

He said that the many activities covered by the agreement would continue on the plans of the Lao government.

The project will have numerous functions, including architectural restoration, cultural activities and information management, according to the Head of Heritage Architecture of the Solidarity Priority Fund for Vat Phou, Mr Laurent Delfour.

“We are sending Lao architects and engineers to receive training at a new school in Cambodia , which runs a course on cultural heritage,” he said.

This year, two Lao architects have already attended the course, and the project plans to continue sending architects to Cambodia every year, according to Mr Delfour.

Also, this year, one Lao official will be sent to France to be trained as an information specialist and to see how this work is done in France , he said.

“We hope that after this three-year project, the office's Lao staff will be able to work unassisted,” he added.

During this time, the project will involve making the site more secure and beautifying the surroundings, as well as producing a handbook for tourists explaining what they can see, and special activities such as the baci ceremony to encourage them to spend more time at the site.

“Everything should be realised with harmony and manners, because UNESCO's plan gives us much to do but we still have to respect the site,” Mr Delfour said.

So far, many countries have provided preservation assistance, including support from the government of Italy worth more than US$150,000.

Vat Phou was built at the end of the 5 th century during the early period of the Khmer Empire in Cambodia , and is one of the oldest historic sites in Laos .

T he site was listed as a world heritage site on December 16, 2001 by UNESCO, and covers 390 square kilometres of three districts - Champassak, Pathoumphon and Phonthong.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
Vientianetimes

(KPL) The Lao girls’ dream of walking on Miss Universe’s stage may become true by selecting at the National Beauty Contest before going to international stage, said an official.

Mrs Soudala Chanthavithong, Deputy Chief of Media and Culture Department, Lao Women’s Union, spoke at a press conference on 2007 Miss Apone Lao Beauty Selection Contest last Friday.

The 2007 Miss Apone Lao Beauty Contest Project is a part of disseminating the Lao culture to outdoor and promoting valuable culture as much as possible...more

The previous contest has been held by the Lao Women’s Union and the K & C Company.

The project is running till 2010.More than 50 people from Lao Media, representatives of Lao Brewery Company, K&C Company, Lao Women’s Union took place at the press conference on 2007 Miss Apone Lao Beauty Selection Contest, under the sponsorship of the Lao Brewery Company.“

Once day we do hope that Lao girls’ dream may become true if all of them are supported by society, however they must be self-confident with knowledge, ability of performances and talent, all of them should be the first thing before reaching achievement,” said Mrs Soudala.

Meanwhile observers believed that Miss Apone Lao Contest Project is very important to the economic and social development involve in entertainment, fashion or even dressing style and to raise the reputation of country to overseas.

The 2nd round of 2007 Miss Apone Lao Beauty Selection held in early this month, as a result has already got 50 girls out of 350 candidates across the country.

The 2007 Miss Apone Lao Selection Contest was co-hosted by four provinces of Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces to search the most beautiful Lao girls.

Source: kpl.net.la

Laos provides an abundant habitat for wildlife species. Often new species are found, but they become endangered relatively quickly because people have inadequate information on how to protect them from exploitation.

Laos , the least densely populated country in Asia , has produced several wildlife discoveries in recent years, including the rock rat, found last year in Khammuan province.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) notes that nine amphibians have been discovered in Laos by scientists Mr Bryan ... more

Stuart of Chicago 's Field Museum and his collaborators since 2002, but these are threatened by habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade.

Six new species of frogs have been discovered in Laos over a recent two-year period, according to the Bronx Zoo-based WCS.

Three newly discovered frog species are described in the recent issue of Copeia, the journal of the American Society of Herpetologists and Ichthyologists. WCS says little is known about the new frogs, other than where they were found and how they compare to similar species.

“Now that these species have been documented we can go back and start to learn something about their biology,” said Mr Stuart. Scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and the Russian Academy of Sciences were also involved in the new study.

Biologists are regularly finding new species of amphibians in Laos , as once-isolated and scientifically unexplored areas are investigated.

“ Laos often finds new species because we don't have a large population, we don't use many chemicals in agriculture and the important aspect is we don't have a lot heavy industry. Moreover, some areas are untouched and green, proving an essential home to sustain biodiversity and wildlife species,” said Dr Niane Sivongxay, the Head of the Zoology unit in the Faculty of Biology at the National University of Laos (NUOL).

“But as fast as we describe new species we also identify new threats,” she said.

“Traditional hunting is an important threat but often it is not the greatest. New industries, logging, agriculture, dams and forests if not planned properly can be a greater threat. Climate change is killing salamanders – the dramatic global decline of amphibians may be directly connected to global warming and natural disasters,” she said.

She is concerned that hunting is decreasing the numbers of salamanders. They may become extinct due to over-hunting. Salamanders are now an endangered species. Villagers sell them to foreign visitors for only 5,000 kip but foreigners sell them on in their own countries for as much as two million kip (US$200), said Dr Niane.

“Some villagers hunt them for medicine, as they believe these strange animals can heal rheumatism and relieve physical pain. But we think they could be poisonous because they smell bad and are sticky when we touch them,” she explained.

“However, we're trying to determine whether they are poisonous or good medicine. NUOL and the WCS are working closely together in effort to gather information, identify the biodiversity of this new species and prevent it from exploitation,” she said.

A good example is a new species of salamander discovered and documented last year by Mr Stuart. This salamander, known by local villagers as Phatin, is gaining attention from foreign scientists, drawn to Lao zoological hotspots. NUOL teachers are now focusing on the species, and are assigning it to students to conduct further research.

A rare and unusual animal, the new species of salamander, called Paramesotriton Laoensis by the scientists, has already been found for sale in foreign countries as pets.

Dr Niane took time out to mark Wildlife Conservation Day by explaining the details of the salamander family. A salamander, she said, is group of animals which have legs and a tail like a lizard, but skin like a frog. Like frogs in the tadpole stage, they breathe through gills.

Dr Niane and a team from WCS have gone to several parts of the country in search of salamanders. She explained that the amphibian mainly resides near water and in mountain areas 10,000 feet above the sea level in temperatures ranging from 18 to 23 Celsius. Because it is a new species, information temperature and habitat and information may not be entirely accurate.

According to Dr Niane, many salamanders have been found in Xieng Khuang province. They have also been discovered in Xayaboury and Khammuan provinces.

“The new species of salamander is in fact a tadpole gone wrong,” said Australian environmentalist Mr Ian Tait. “Evolution finds many ways to produce new species. In the case of the salamander we have an amphibian that got stuck in the tadpole stage. Instead of losing its tail when it started to grow leg s and turn into a frog it kept the tail and stayed in or near water.”

Source: Vientianetimes