The government plans to shutdown discotheques nationwide after finding out these entertainment venues are degrading the values associated with Lao culture, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Information and Culture.

Mass Culture Department Director General, Mr Sipheng Vongpanya said on Wednesday the Minister of Information and Culture had signed a notice to all cultural officials nationwide to shut down discotheques around the country.

However, the ministry would compromise in the capital as the city is a gathering place for foreign tourists. In Vientiane, authorities will allow one discotheque in each district to remain open...More>>

The authorities hope to ensure the closure of unlicensed discotheque venues by the end of the year.

In Laos, there is a differentiation between the definition of discotheque and nightclub.

The ministry only allows establishment of nightclubs, defined as those venues which stage a live musical band.

Discotheques, on the other hand, are defined as those venues at which music is usually provided by DJ's playing recorded music. The styles found there are usually western electronic music and associated dancing, seen as encouraging immorality.

The discotheques also typically had limited lighting, against the requirements of Lao nightclub regulation, he said.

According to the Ministry of Information and Culture, establishment of discotheques is illegal in Laos.

However, several business people have opened discotheques in Vientiane using the Lao-style night club licenses after finding that the demand for such entertainment service had been increasing.

Mr Sipheng said the discotheque owners who wanted to keep their entertainment venues open must agree to host live music bands in accordance with the regulation on entertainment venue management.

He said the ministry made the decision to shut down discotheques in the country because it wanted to protect Lao culture.

The move came after officials found that a number of teenagers used discotheques as a place to engage in illicit love affairs.

He also said the discotheques were places where young people practice unacceptable behaviour.

If the authorities allowed them to continue, the younger generation would be influenced by unacceptable foreign culture.

Mr Sipheng expressed confidence the ministry would carry on its policy, although it could face strong opposition from owners of discotheques in Laos.

“We keep close eyes on local authorities to enforce the notice, if they have problems with business people, the ministry will take responsibility over people's complaints,” he said.

He said the ministry had urged local authorities to host meetings with owners of discotheques first so as they can get informed about the government policy and to ensure sufficient time to transform their own entertainment venues into new businesses by the end of this year.

“If they fail to transform their discotheques into new businesses or Lao style night clubs, they will be ordered to shut down,” he told Vientiane Times.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes

(KPL) Ancient mine shafts suspected to be thousands of years old were found at the Sepon Gold and Copper Operations on 11 April 2009. The artefacts were discovered while miners were excavating the Khanong copper pit which is near the known historic site called the ?Dragon Field? (Thong Na Nguak). The artefacts are constructed in a style very much like that of local fish-traps, According to the source from OZ LXML.

Although not dated yet, it is possible these mine shafts are several thousands of years old. These mine shafts have been extremely well preserved because they have been soaked in saturated soils and not exposed to air since they were abandoned...more info>>

OZ LXML Sepon and the government archaeologists from the Archaeology and Museum Department from the Ministry of Information and Culture are closely working together for the past 12 months to protect the cultural heritage of Lao PDR and follow the national law of Cultural Heritage. The established internal reporting system through the OZ LXML Sepon Cultural Heritage officer worked well and thereby ensured that these remarkable relics of an ancient industrial civilization, which have been hidden for so long, do not vanish again. Dr Thongsa Sayavonkhamdy, Director of the National Heritage Department from the Ministry of Information and Culture and his staff regard the find as ?unique? and praised the good cooperation between his department and OZ LXML Sepon. It is a race against time to properly excavate artefacts before the wet season sets in. Currently, the archaeologists are studying the finds to determine their age and possible uses in the past.

Little is known about the early history of eastern Savannakhet but this is changing rapidly.Early in 2008, a magnificent bronze drum dating back at least two thousand years was found at the Sepon area while the company?s UXO team was searching for UXO. At present, the drum is on display at the National Museum in Vientiane. This find led to several excavations being commenced, all of which have revealed ancient mine workings and smelting in the area.

Crucibles for moulding copper, ancient mines shafts and adits have been found at Peun Baolo on Thengkham and work has begun on excavating what is thought to be the site of an ancient settlement of copper miners at the Dragon Field.An area unknown to history before OZ LXML Sepon?s arrival is now turning out to be a major prehistoric industrial site which may well have traded its products across the whole of Indochina well over a thousand years or more ago. The mining company is proud to work closely with Dr Thongsa and his dedicated team; the operation is happy to provide the Lao PDR with evidence of the cultural wonders of its past and to contribute to the country?s economic development.