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

Laos and France signed two grant agreements in Vientiane on Friday to develop the health sector, and to fund studies to build capacity and expertise in project identification.

The agreements between the Lao government, the French Embassy, and the French Development Agency (AFD), amounted to 7 million euros (about 825 billion kip, US$8.4 million), and 1 million euros (about 110 billion kip, US$1.2 million)...more

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Phongsavath Boupha, Minister of

Health Dr Ponmek Dalaloy, and the French Ambassador to Laos Mr Maurice Portiche. The governors of Vientiane and Savannakhet provinces were also present.

The first grant agreement, for 7 million euros, will allow support for the health sector by

targeting two priority areas. The first is the extension of the community-based health insurance system in Vientiane and in Savannakhet province.

There will also be support for efforts to eradicate emerging diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and avian flu. This second component will comprise, in particular, the construction in Laos of the future Pasteur Institute of Laos.

The projects are expected to better the general health of the population, by providing more equal access to quality health services and by enhancing control over emerging and contagious diseases. This will be AFD's first support of the health sector in the Lao PDR.

The second grant agreement, for a total of 1 million euros, is committed to the financing of studies and expertise for the purpose of project identification and preparation, feasibility and project assessment and auditing, in preparation for commitments from AFD.

The first studies to be financed by this study fund could be oriented to the preparation of a new project for heritage preservation and urban development in Luang Prabang province.

The second part involves studies for a railway track between Dongphosy and Sokkham villages in Vientiane , and the design of a train station at Sokkham village. The railway between Dongphosy and Sokkham is 9 km long.

This last project is not directly related to AFD commitments but is implemented within the framework of triangular cooperation between Laos , France , and Thailand .

By Khonesavanh Latsapaho
vientianetimes.org.la