(KPL) Lao sports have received a boost after the country hosted the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 25), the biggest sporting event in the region.

Sports activities, especially those events in which Laos is strongest, are seeing an increase in participation at sports centres and schools nationwide.

Judo is among Laos?s strengths, garnering two gold, five silver and four bronze medals at SEA Games 25.

President of the Lao Judo Federation Khemsath Philaphandeth said that Lao judo fighters would participate in international tournaments in Bangkok, Thailand, Macau, China and Hanoi, Vietnam.

They plan to attend the 16th Asian Games in China.

Lao women?s football is also a strength, as striker Souphavanh Phayvanh, 17, and defender Suchitta Phonhalath, 18, have been invited to play for Thai clubs.

Deputy President of the Lao Women?s Football Federation Vali Vetsaphong said that this had provided a good opportunity for the players to develop their skills.

The total foreign investment in Laos has reached 6 billion USD, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Laos reported.

Top 10 list of foreign investors in Laos is as follows:
1. Thailand, (1.355 billion USD in 169 projects)
2. China, (1.138 billion USD in 237 projects)
3. Viet Nam (535.7 million USD in 120 projects)
4. France (428.2 million USD in 58 projects)
5. Japan (420.3 million USD in 33 projects)
6. India (350.2 million USD in 3 projects)
7. Australia (330.8 million USD in 27 projects)
8. South Korea (294.4 million USD in 105 projects)
9. Malaysia (135.2 million USD in 33 projects)
10. Singapore (101.1 million USD in 22 projects)

Other countries that showed high foreign investment in Laos include Canada (ranking 11), Swizerland (ranking 12), England (ranking 13), Russia (ranking 14), Norway (ranking 15), Taiwan (ranking 16), United State (ranking 17), Germany (ranking 18), Poland (ranking 19), Italy (ranking 20)

Lao agencies attributed increases in foreign investment to the country’s open policy and political stability.

According to the Department of Foreign Investment Promotion and Management under the above ministry, investors from 37 countries and territories have invested in 1,031 projects in Laos.

Source: kpl and ecom

Photo: Ms Sammi Cheung (left) and Ms Gigi Leung have fun with children in Pakxeng district.

Hong Kong singing stars Ms GiGi Leung and Ms Sammi Cheung visited Pakxeng district in Luang Prabang province as Child Sponsorship Ambassadors for World Vision last week.

The purpose of their visit was to meet sponsored children and learn more about poverty stricken communities so that World Vision can improve its services.

Upon their return to Hong Kong, Ms Leung and Ms Cheung said they will share their experiences and raise awareness amongst their fans and the people of Hong Kong to help those less fortunate around the world...more info>>

They hope to take home the message that there are many people still suffering from hunger and who have little opportunity to study or lift themselves out of poverty.

Ms Leung said there were three main things she wanted to share. “The first is to cherish all life, second is to be thankful for what you have, and third is to give generously.”

They said that they were deeply touched by the generosity and hospitality of the people in Laos , especially in the rural areas.

They added that people received them with smiles and treated them warmly, especially during baci ceremonies. “Lao people are very friendly, helpful and very honest,” said Ms Leung.

Ms Leung and Ms Cheung each shared one of their many memorable moments from their visit to Pakxeng district.

“My special moment was when I met my sponsored child, Yong. We went with him to fetch some water from down the hill. He was holding my hand, I think because he had presumed that we didn't know the place very well.”

“He is a really good boy and hardworking too; I was so glad to spend some time with him and his family,” Ms Leung added.

Ms Cheung said that her special moment was having lunch with her 10 sponsored children.

“I realised that education is really important as it can give children the confidence to face the future. I would like to continue to help people and have good relationships with my sponsored children in the rural communities,” she said.

This was Ms Cheung's first visit to a developing country and her time in Laos had a great impact on her.

She knew that this opportunity had taught her many lessons and transformed her life. She said she would give a helping hand to more people in the years to come.

The two women also visited some of the projects sponsored by World Vision and learnt about its combined work with the government of Laos in poverty alleviation projects for the diverse population of the country.

World Vision is an international NGO working in 31 districts across 6 provinces, whose goal is to uplift the living standards of the poorest people in society.

World Vision is implementing a number of projects in areas such as mother and child health, water and sanitation, education, food and child sponsorship that focus mainly on the well being of children.

By Ms Vanhlee Lattana, Communication Associate, World Vision Lao PDR

A new feature film, entitled Sabaidee Luang Prabang , a collaboration between Lao Art Media and Thailand 's Spata, will soon be enthralling audiences with colourful images of Laos .

Work on the film began in December, with three of the 70 scenes filmed in Vientiane and the rest in Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces. It will be released ahead of Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) in April.

After approval by the various sectors, the producers expect to feature their film at the National Culture Hall and Lao-ITECC; at the same time it will be screened in theatres in Thailand .

The film tells the real-life story of a young man of mixed Lao-Australian parentage, who grew up in Australia immersed in a culture very different to that of his parents. But he falls in love with Lao charm and hospitality - and a beautiful girl - during a visit to his mother's home in Luang Prabang province...more info and photos>>

Thai actor Ananda Everingham, who was happy to contribute his time, play's the lead role, falling in love with a local Lao beauty, the daughter of a Luang Prabang souvenir shop owner.



“We didn't encounter many difficulties during shooting and our team was determined to produce a good film,” said the President of Lao Art Media, Mr Anousone Sirisackda, on Monday.

He was unable to calculate the overall cost of the production, but explained that everyone involved had tried to make the best film they could within budget, to capture the beauty of Laos for local and foreign audiences alike.

“The film won't just showcase the beauty of our nature and culture, but will also help to promote and develop the entertainment industry in Laos , particularly if it is successful in foreign cinemas,” Mr Anousone said. “After this release, I hope that Lao films and filmmakers will become more well-known and have the chance to work on further productions.”



The producers will be adding subtitles in English so that overseas visitors can follow the story and gain an insight into Laos .

By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
Vientianetimes

More photos at:
http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=98894&p=3&topicID=15155300

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

China Southern to launch Guangzhou-Vientiane flight

China Southern Airlines will launch direct flight service between Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, and Vientiane of Laos from November 6.

This will be the only flight linking Guangzhou and Laos.

With the flight dubbed CZ3057, Airbus A319 aircraft will take off from Guangzhou at 8:50 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday, and reach Vientiane at 10:20 a.m. The returning flight CZ3058 will take off at 11:20 a.m. from Vientiane and arrive in Guangzhou at 14:40.

China Southern is one of the top three airlines in China. The other two are Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

Xinhua