Well known Korean pop idols Paran melted spectators' hearts on Saturday at celebrations in Vientiane to mark the first anniversary of Tigo, a mobile phone operator.

The exciting concert took place at the Lao-ITECC in front of a crowd of more than 7,000 fervent spectators, with free games, activities and give-aways.

The concert kicked off with some of Vientiane 's top acts, such as Idols, Punky Dolls, LOG, Overdance, Moderndance, A Pact, Nalin, Aluna and Sam, and hard rock groups Uluvus and The Cells before the appearance of Korea 's grooviest band.

The audience raised their voices like a siren and the ground before the stage shook when Paran appeared for their provocative song and dance act, and greeted the audience with a burst of Lao...more info>>

The band played hit songs from their first two albums, such as Five Steps, First Love and others before the concert had to be stopped because of strong winds on stage.

Tigo staff gathered on stage to blow out candles on their birthday cake in between acts.

The name Paran (which means blue in Korean) is an acronym comprised of the members' stage names. The band has five singers: Joo Jong Hyuk also known as Ryan, Yang Seung Ho or Neo, Lee Soo In or P.O., Choi Sung Wook or Ace, and Kim Jae Sub or A.J., who also raps for the group. They are all aged between 15 and 23.

“We are so happy and exited, because this is our first time in Laos , and it is great to perform in concert to commemorate Tigo's first anniversary,” said Ryan at a media conference at Green Park Hotel on Friday.

The band's first album was entitled I Hold My Breath , and came out in September 2005. Their follow up release was called Beyond the Blue Sky , in September 2006.

“Since I've been here one night, I only have two impressions: one is that the weather here is better than in the Republic of Korea now, where it is still cold, but here it's neither very hot nor cold, which is more comfortable,” said Ace.

“Besides that, Laos still preserves a lot of its nature. I saw green mountains as our flight came across from Vietnam , and now I can also say that here it is peaceful and there is very little traffic.”

“Another thing is the warm welcome we're received from people here, especially the smiles of the Lao women which make me want to stay longer,” Ace said.

Before the band arrived in Laos they toured countries such as Thailand , Taiwan , Singapore , Vietnam and Indonesia .

This is the second time the Millicom Lao Company has brought a Korean band to Laos . In December they presented one of Korea 's most famous girl bands, Baby Vox Re.V, to perform in concert to welcome in the International New Year.

By PHOONSAB THEVONGSA
Vientianetimes
http://samakomlao.blogspot.com

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Several thousand local and overseas visitors travelled on long and winding roads from various parts of Laos to Paklai district in Xayaboury province over the weekend, to view the impressive sight of dozens of assembled pachyderms.

Xayaboury provincial authorities organised the festival in conjunction with the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) and French organisation ElefantAsia in the home of most of the country's domestic elephants, with a programme of activities taking place from February 15 to 17...more info and photos>>

This was the second such festival, and built on the success of the first, staged last year in Hongsa district in the same province.

On Friday morning, the main streets of the small mountainous district were jammed and police had to stop vehicles entering the town, where the official ceremonies were taking place. About 10,000 people turned up to take part in the festival.

The opening ceremony was held in the district's Sports Stadium, where several processions gathered, including schoolchildren waving national flags and flags symbolising the LNTA and the festival.

There was also a procession of 59 elephants, a parade of young women dressed in ethnic costume, rocket-launching, and boat racing. Several people appeared in the guise of Pheekhol , a familiar ghost.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Governor of Xayaboury province Dr Lien Thikeo, LNTA President Somphong Mongkhonvilay and a number of ministers and high ranking officials attended the event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr Lien said the festival was part of efforts to incorporate elephants into the tourist industry, generating income for elephant owners and helping them to continue raising the giant animals.

He also said the festival served to create awareness among the younger generation about the virtues of these enormous beasts.

Dr Lien said Laos had a long connection with elephants and that Laos had once been named “The Land of a Million Elephants”, reflecting the fact that Laos had been home to large numbers of the animal; now, however, the population was in decline.

He said Xayaboury province had only 488 domestic elephants and few of them regularly produced young as they spent all their time working and had little opportunity for reproduction. The authorities were trying to reduce the workload of these elephants in hopes that their numbers would increase.

Mr Somphong said the LNTA would continue to cooperate with ElefantAsia and the Xayaboury authorities to organise another festival next year as part of efforts to promote tourism in the northern provinces of Laos .

He said these provinces had considerable tourism potential due to the area's untamed nature, cultural diversity and long history. He pointed out that Paklai district was a transit point on the road to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang for tourists coming from Vientiane and Thailand .

After listening to the opening address, visitors stood and admired the slow procession of elephants, some of which were painted and decorated with the Lao flag.

The elephants performed for the visitors, charming onlookers with their size and grace, perhaps already in the initial stages of training for a greater role in tourism.

Dr Lien led leaders and visiting guests in a tour of the 87 exhibition booths, displaying both local and overseas products and services.

Tourists were offered the chance to ride the elephants and were also able to see them hauling logs and bathing in the river. At night, fireworks exploded skywards in celebration of the festival.

Visitors also enjoyed performances of traditional music and dance and circus acts from Vientiane .

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes

Big crowd expected at next Elephant Festival

Organisers of next year's Elephant Festival, to be held in February, expect more than 15,000 visitors to attend the parade of 70 elephants in Paklai district, Xayaboury province.

During the first Elephant Festival, held over two days in February this year in Hongsa district of Xayaboury province, close to 50 elephants took part, mostly from Viengkeo village, the largest population centre in Hongsa district, and more than 10,000 local and foreign visitors attended the event...more info>>

Next year's festival will run for three days, from February 15 to 17, as a joint project between ElefantAsia and the Lao National Tourism Administration.

“Our first festival was such a success, and attracted so many people, that we decided to make it a three-day event next year,” said ElefantAsia's Programme Manager, Mr Sebastien Duffillot, at a press conference at the Lao Journalists' Association yesterday.



“The event will not only aim to raise awareness of the importance of protecting elephants, but also to promote tourism and benefit local villagers, who will prepare home-stays, food and local products to sell to visitors,” he said, adding that the festival's primary purpose was to rekindle an interest in elephants, and to encourage their care and preservation.



During the festival, visitors will be able to take elephant rides around the village and explore the natural surroundings. Trainers will demonstrate how elephants take part in logging projects, and there will also be a short circus performance .

The 70 elephants will be blessed by monks in a traditional baci ceremony, and experts from organisations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society will give a lecture on elephant conservation.

Gender awareness will also be taken into consideration. “There was a competition last year to select three male elephants as the most gentle and friendly, but this year both female and male elephants will be chosen,” Mr Duffillot said.



Visitors can travel to the festival site by boat and bus from Vientiane and from Luang Prabang province, and 12 guesthouses will be available, as well as home-stay accommodation costing 25,000 kip a night.


By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
Vientianetimes

Photo: Ting Phylavanh and Ardsana Jantarsi, member of OVerdance.

The queen of Lao pop star: Ting Phylavanh and Ardsana Jantarsi, the member of Overdance, became the highlight of the 1st Laos Festival in Japan 2007.

This is the first ever Laos Festival 2007 in JAPAN and it is an ideal occasion to further promote Lao culture and tradition in Japan and strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and Lao PDR as a member of ASEAN.

　The Laos Festival2007 is a part of the series of the events to mark the commemoration of the 40th Founding Anniversary of ASEAN in Japan. Tokyo Kokusai Gakuen High School is also the fifteenth anniversary.



As expected, the event will feature Lao food, music, dance, products and a flea market. Proceeds will go to funding being raised by the Tokyo Kokusai Gakuen High School to build a school in a rural area in Laos.

To watch video clips from this event, click at the link below

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