Laos

6 tourists in Laos have died after drinking tainted alcohol

11:26am November 22, 2024

Tourists from the U.S., Australia, Denmark and the U.K. have died. A tourism police officer said a "number of people" had been detained in the case but that no charges have yet been filed.

View of a collection of defused cluster bombs and grenades used by an international bomb disposal group for training in Savannakhet, Laos, on May 2, 2006.

The U.S. promised Ukraine cluster bombs. In Laos, they still kill civilians

12:37pm July 11, 2023

by Lewis M. Simons

The U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance on Laos, including cluster bombs, in the 1960s and '70s. To this day, many people are killed, crippled and disfigured by them, writes Lewis M. Simons.

Smokes and flames billow from burning narcotic drugs during a destruction ceremony of seized narcotic drugs in outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar on June 26, 2018.

World News

1 billion pills: The number of seized drugs reaches ominous record in Asia

5:39am May 30, 2022

by The Associated Press

A U.N. official calls for new policies across East Asia to halt the soaring production of methamphetamines.

A shopper buys vegetables last month in Vientiane, Laos. The government announced that some offices and businesses will resume normal operations on Monday. The country has confirmed 19 COVID-19 cases and no deaths.

With 19 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases And No Deaths, Laos To Loosen Lockdown

8:01am May 17, 2020

by Ashley Westerman

Starting Monday, the Southeast Asian country will open some schools and more businesses. It will also allow its citizens to travel domestically.

Ka Lo, a member of the Marathon County Board in Wausau, Wis., spoke about the Trump administration's immigration policies at a Feb. 13 rally in the city.

National

Hmong Leaders Rally Against Trump Administration Deportation Push

5:00am February 24, 2020

by Rob Mentzer

The State Department is negotiating with Laos to deport thousands of Hmong who broke the law in the U.S. — even if they've already served their time.

World News

Thai Dissidents Disappear Or Turn Up Dead, Even After Escaping Nation

4:47pm May 27, 2019

by Michael Sullivan

Thailand's ruling junta has enacted harsh laws aimed at punishing those who "defame" the country's monarchy. That's led many dissidents to flee the country, but that hasn't guaranteed their safety.

Queue Listen Now

'A Million Elephants' No More: Conservationists In Laos Rush To Save An Icon

8:01am May 12, 2019

by Ashley Westerman

The Laos government and conservationists estimate there are only about 800 elephants left in all of Laos, just half of them living in the wild.

Giant concrete pylons rise from the Mekong River north of Luang Prabang, where a bridge is under construction.

World News

In Laos, A Chinese-Funded Railway Sparks Hope For Growth — And Fears Of Debt

10:02pm April 26, 2019

by Ashley Westerman

The more than 250-mile, $6 billion railway is set to cut through the northern part of Laos and is primarily financed and built by the Chinese. So far, the project has mostly employed Chinese workers.

Queue Listen Now

Children and a woman sit on a locally made vehicle in Laos as they travel during flooding caused by the collapse of a dam in the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydroelectric project in Attapeu Province.

Huge Flood From Failed Dam In Laos Has Now Spread To Cambodia

10:54am July 26, 2018

by Bill Chappell

The flooding has killed at least 27 people in Laos. In Cambodia, the Sekong River rose to nearly 12 meters (almost 40 feet) on Thursday — a height that flooded 17 villages.

World News

Hundreds Of People Missing After Dam Collapses In Laos

12:16pm July 24, 2018

by Bill Chappell

The failure of the hydropower dam flooded several villages and forced thousands of people to flee, state media report.