Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
06VIENTIANE1141 |
A SAD ANNIVERSARY: WHERE ARE THE 26 CHILDREN AS WE [...] (U) This message contains an action request for the Department. Please see paragraph 16. 2. (C) Summary: The case of the 26 missing children has been unresolved since December 2005. Since then, there have been rumors that the children may have been secretly deported back to Thailand or ev [...] |
2006-11-28 08:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM KWMN LA PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG TH |
06VIENTIANE1232 |
REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS VICE FOREIGN MINISTER [...] (C) Summary: Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota, in her first visit to Laos, pressed Vice Foreign Minister Phongsavath to accept more of a role for NGOs, to take advantage of international respect for the ICRC by allowing it to monitor the situation of the Hmong within Laos, to resolve [...] |
2006-12-29 05:40:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG TH |
06VIENTIANE1234 |
REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS LAO VICE PRIME [...] (C) Summary: Representative Betty McCollum pressed Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad for more cooperation on dealing with unexploded ordnance, education, and health care and effectively used her attendance at Christmas Mass to indicate the importance of freedom of religion to the United [...] |
2006-12-29 05:49:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH |
06VIENTIANE298 |
DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES' LAO VISIT [...] (C) UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin's March 28-30 visit offered some promise of a positive resolution to Laos' continued detention of 27 Hmong deportees. Chamberlin met with Politburo member Pany Yathoteu, and ethnic Hmong, and with Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsava [...] |
2006-03-30 06:53:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR PREL KCRM TH LA |
06VIENTIANE302 |
THE LAO COMMUNIST PARTY'S GAME PLAN [...] (C) Summary: The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) -- the ruling Communist Party -- has absolute confidence in its ability to govern Laos well into the future. The Party believes that it is responsible for economic gains over the past decade, not comprehending that much of that progress w [...] |
2006-03-30 09:28:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINR PGOV SOCI LA |
06VIENTIANE306 |
NEW CENTRAL COMMITTEE LINEUP [...] LTG Choummaly Sayasone (3) Present position: Lao State Vice President (since 2001), Party Secretary General Previous position: -- Deputy Prime Minister -- Minister of National Defense -- Vice Minister of National Defense Age: 69 Date of birth: June 3, 1936 Place of birth: Attapeu Province [...] |
2006-03-31 08:29:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL PINR LA |
06VIENTIANE307 |
ADB EXAMINES ITS OPTIONS IN A DONOR-DRIVEN ECONOMY [...] (C) Summary. As part of a new Country Strategy and Program (CSP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to re-vamp and trim its lending and granting policies for Laos. This is partly in response to criticisms of ADB projects from development partners, but mostly due to ADB guidelines for conti [...] |
2006-03-31 09:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID EFIN PGOV PHUM ECON LA |
06VIENTIANE311 |
CHRISTIANITY IN THE LAO CONTEXT [...] (C) Summary. In a late February visit, DRL/IRF analyst Dr. Clarissa Adamson met with religious leaders and government officials to press for greater religious freedom and the release of four religious prisoners. Noting the slow pace of progress in Laos, Bishop Khamse of Vientiane,s Catholic [...] |
2006-04-03 09:09:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI KIRF LA |
06VIENTIANE312 |
LAOS' NEW PARTY SECRETARY-GENERAL CHOUMMALY [...] (C) The 8th Party Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) elected Choummaly Sayasone as its new Secretary-General on March 21. Choummaly has been a fixture in the Central Committee for more than two decades, but remains one of the least-known of the senior leaders. A long-tim [...] |
2006-04-03 09:53:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE316 |
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL INFO ON LOCATION OF MISSING [...] (C) Amnesty International analyst Brittis Edman (please protect), in Thailand recently to gather details about the deportation and subsequent disappearance of the 27 Hmong, called us from Bangkok March 30 to report on her visit to Petchaboon province, where she met with family members of the c [...] |
2006-04-03 10:50:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PREF KCRM TH LA |
06VIENTIANE321 |
MORE DETAILS ON LOCATION OF MISSING HMONG CHILDREN [...] (C) Embassy spoke to two sources today who provided additional details about the location of the missing group of 27 Hmong deported from Thailand (reftel). Although there are inconsistencies between the two reports, together they lead us to believe that the 22 girls in the group are likely stil [...] |
2006-04-04 10:39:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREF PHUM PREL KCRM TH LA |
06VIENTIANE326 |
MINE AWARENESS DAY: LAO UXO NATIONAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY OFFICIALLY OPENS [...] No summary [...] |
2006-04-06 08:09:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PHUM KHDP LA |
06VIENTIANE331 |
GOL HOLDS UP US-FUNDED NGOS' MOUS [...] (SBU) The DCM met with MFA Deputy Director General of the International Organization Phonesavanh on April 5 to raise our concern about the delays in approval of MOUs for several USAID-funded NGO projects. The DCM pointed out that these MOUs have been pending for over two and half years and [...] |
2006-04-07 09:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM LA |
06VIENTIANE332 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT NO.27 [...] (U) During the visit of Dr. Nabarro, FAO Representative Leena Kirjavainen on behalf of Lao Agriculture Minister Siene announced to the donors that Dr. Webster's group had found the H5N1 virus in some Vientiane ducks. Although the Minister has not heard this directly from Dr. Webster, he said [...] |
2006-04-07 09:57:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO ECON SOCI PREL LA KFLU |
06VIENTIANE335 |
SCENESETTER FOR DAS ERIC JOHN'S VISIT TO LAOS [...] (C) You are visiting Laos at a time when Lao-U.S. relations are at their lowest ebb since 1999, when two Lao-Americans disappeared on the border between Laos and Thailand. The Lao government's detention of 27 Hmong deported from Thailand in December has much to do with the strain, but there a [...] |
2006-04-10 04:25:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE360 |
REPORTS OF MASSACRE OF HMONG CIVILIANS IN NORTHERN [...] (U) Suggested press guidance is provided at the end of this cable. 2. (C) Two separate Hmong sources have provided details of an alleged attack by Lao People's Army (LPA) forces against an insurgent group in northern Vientiane Province in which 26 people, almost all women and children, were [...] |
2006-04-20 09:25:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | PINR PINS PHUM PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE364 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 21 [...] (SBU) AI in Ducks: New information from Dr. Webster provided in a summary of a manuscript being submitted to "Nature" indicates that the number of H5N1 infected ducks his project documented in Laos exceeded 30. These findings resulted from a joint project between St. Jude Hospital and that [...] |
2006-04-21 06:29:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TBIO ECON SOCI PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE367 |
LAO MFA REACTS TO MASSACRE REPORT [...] (C) This morning PolOff passed on to MFA's Human Rights Unit details from unclassified sources of the reported massacre of 26 Hmong civilians April 6 in northern Vientiane province (reftel). We encouraged the Lao government to take the reports seriously, emphasizing that they came from a numbe [...] |
2006-04-21 08:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PHUM PREF PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE386 |
DAS ERIC JOHN VISIT: PREDICTABLY, LAO MFA DENIES [...] (C) During his April 25-26 visit to Vientiane for ASEAN-related meetings, DAS Eric John met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who categorically denied Laos faced any human rights problems in the areas of religious freedom or treatment of the ethnic Hmong minor [...] |
2006-04-27 10:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PREL TH LA |
06VIENTIANE390 |
AS HMONG INSURGENT NUMBERS DECLINE, GOL UPS THE [...] (C) Since early March, Lao People's Army (LPA) forces have conducted a dry season mopping-up operation against remnant insurgents, leading to numerous civilian casualties. Sustained military pressure in Bolikhamsai province has decimated insurgents there, with hundreds of mostly women and chil [...] |
2006-04-28 08:57:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PHUM PREF PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE396 |
LAO GOVERNMENT REPORT ON INTERVIEW WITH 22 HMONG [...] (C) Embassy has come by a copy of a Lao government report on the interrogation of 22 female members of the group of 27 Hmong deported from Thailand in December. Because of its style and content, we believe the document to be authentic. The hand-written report provides brief biographical backgr [...] |
2006-05-02 09:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PHUM PREF PREL KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE400 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT MAY 3 [...] (SBU) Possible Human Case: We have heard from the Australians of a possible human AI case in Houaphan Province (near Vietnam). Embassy's CDC representative is checking with the UN agencies and GOL on this. 2. (SBU) Announcing AI in ducks: The GOL finally notified the OIE of Dr. Webster' [...] |
2006-05-03 09:14:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TBIO ECON SOCI PREL KFLU LA |
06VIENTIANE404 |
LAO RESPONSE ON PSI INITIATIVE [...] (C) Embassy demarched the MFA's International Organizations Department on March 31 and again on May 4 regarding the PSI initiative, conveying the talking points contained in reftel. International Organizations Director Saleumsai Kommasith told us that the GoL was "closely following" discussio [...] |
2006-05-04 09:32:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | MNUC PARM PHSA PGOV PREL KNNP LA |
06VIENTIANE405 |
THE EU AND THE WAGES OF FECKLESS AID IN LAOS [...] (C) Summary: Feckless aid has long provided a life-line to the Lao government, despite its failure to meet conditions set for certain projects and its regular violations of human rights. Major donors such as the Japanese look set to continue to bankroll the regime unconditionally, and the EU [...] |
2006-05-04 09:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECON PGOV PHUM LA |
06VIENTIANE413 |
AMBASSADOR RAISES HMONG MASSACRE WITH VIENTIANE [...] (C) Amnesty International has issued a statement condemning the April 6 killing by Lao soldiers of Hmong civilians in northern Vientiane province (ref A). Ambassador called on Vientiane province's Governor May 4 to discuss the killing; the Governor professed ignorance of the event but at least [...] |
2006-05-05 09:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PHUM PREF PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE433 |
HOW TO RUN AN ELECTION IN A ONE-PARTY STATE [...] (C) Communist Party members dominated the slate of candidates in the April 30 National Assembly elections: only two candidates of the 175 standing were "independents," and that by a stretch of imagination. The government touted the improved qualifications of the 115 newly-elected representati [...] |
2006-05-15 09:18:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE434 |
THREAT TO DEPORT LAO HMONG GROUP FROM PETCHABOON [...] (C) Summary: Several sources reported to us over the weekend that Thai authorities had arrested a group of 24 Lao citizen ethnic Hmong in Petchaboon province on May 11 and had threatened to deport them to Laos. According to these sources the Hmong were "remote people" who had fled Laos as a r [...] |
2006-05-15 10:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREF PHUM PREL KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE443 |
PROSPECTS FOR A JOINT DEMARCHE ON MISSING HMONG [...] (C) The "like-minded" Embassies in Vientiane have agreed that a joint demarche to the Lao government on the missing Hmong children should be the next step in ongoing efforts to secure the release of the group. The decision whether to deliver the demarche will depend on the outcome of ongoing [...] |
2006-05-17 10:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE447 |
DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY: LAOS REWRITES ITS [...] (C) Laos isn't unique among countries whose governments rewrite history to serve their own ends, but the Communist leadership here has taken the process to its extreme. The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has concocted a black-and-white version of the recent past that is designed pure [...] |
2006-05-19 04:30:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | SOCI PGOV PINR LA |
06VIENTIANE463 |
LAO RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE IN ADVANCE OF NAM [...] No summary [...] |
2006-05-26 06:17:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | PREL AORC IAEA KNNP UNSC IR LA |
06VIENTIANE489 |
LAO REACTION TO U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN [...] (C) Ambassador delivered reftel announcement orally to Director-General of Europe-Americas Department Southam Sakhonhninhom this afternoon, emphasizing the need for the GoL to issue a public statement of support for the U.S. initiative and to use whatever contacts it might have with the Irania [...] |
2006-06-01 07:59:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV LA |
06VIENTIANE492 |
LAO PRESS CONFERENCE ON HMONG MASSACRE DIRECTLY [...] (C) In a hastily organized press conference this afternoon, MFA's Press Spokesman called allegations of a massacre of Hmong civilians April 6 (reftels) a fabrication, and directly accused the Ambassador of having "threatened a high-ranking government official" during the course of an (actually [...] |
2006-06-01 11:18:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINR PHUM PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE496 |
PLANS FOR JOINT DEMARCHE ON MISSING HMONG CHILDREN [...] (U) This is an action cable. Please see para 11. Summary ------- 2. (C) With no sign of the Lao intending to release the 26 Hmong children held since December, the "like-minded" group in Vientiane plans to jointly demarche the Lao government as soon as modalities can be arranged, perhaps a [...] |
2006-06-02 04:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE500 |
MORE ON MISSING CHILDREN [...] (C) Further to our cable earlier today regarding the joint demarche on the missing Hmong children (reftel), this afternoon UNDP ResRep Finn Reske-Nielsen informed us that UN New York had urged him to be "pro-active" about the case, and agreed to have him write the Foreign Minister to solicit a [...] |
2006-06-02 09:40:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PGOV KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE509 |
ROK EMBASSY ASKED TO APPROACH GOL ON 10 DPRK [...] (C) Summary: The ROK Foreign Ministry has asked its Embassy in Vientiane to approach the GoL to seek a "humanitarian" solution for 10 DPRK citizens currently imprisoned in Luang Prabang province. The ROK Embassy intends to raise the case of these 10 with the Deputy Foreign Minister, but -- lik [...] |
2006-06-06 09:08:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KN LA |
06VIENTIANE512 |
LAO MFA ON TIP REPORT FOR LAOS [...] (C) Ambassador briefed MFA's Europe-Americas Department Director-General Southam Sakhonnhinhom today on the TIP report for Laos, conveying the talking points and Action Plan contained in refs A and B. 2. (C) Southam, who had already read the TIP Report for Laos and ref talking points we had [...] |
2006-06-06 09:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREF PREL KTIP LA |
06VIENTIANE519 |
SURRENDER, FLIGHT OR DEATH -- THE HMONG "REMOTE [...] (C) Summary: More than 600 Hmong "remote people" have turned themselves in to Lao authorities since mid-2005, but the GoL has not permitted international access to any of their resettlement areas; their welfare and condition are unknown. Other Hmong have gone to Thailand, accounting in part fo [...] |
2006-06-07 09:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR PHUM PREF PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE526 |
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY "ELECTS" A NEW PRESIDENT AND [...] (C) Summary: In its inaugural session June 8, the newly-elected National Assembly selected a new President, Vice President and Prime Minister and approved the Prime Minister's cabinet. Party Secretary Choummaly Sayasone takes over as President of Laos, while former PM Bounnyang Vorachit has be [...] |
2006-06-08 10:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PINR PGOV PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE536 |
LAO RELEASE 10 NORTH KOREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS AND TWO [...] (C) Summary: The South Korean Embassy has told us that the Lao police in Luang Prabang had released 10 North Korean asylum seekers and their two South Korean escorts detained since last week (reftel). The two South Koreans have already departed Laos for Thailand; the 10 North Koreans are in Vi [...] |
2006-06-12 10:02:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KN LA |
06VIENTIANE542 |
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON JOINT DEMARCHE ON HMONG [...] (C) The like-minded missions and UN will seek to deliver their joint demarche on the missing Hmong children by the end of June, with the UN playing the coordinating role. The group awaits the outcome of a UN coordination meeting to be held tomorrow to determine the timing of the demarche. The [...] |
2006-06-14 09:31:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PREL KIRF LA |
06VIENTIANE544 |
LAO MFA COMMENTS ON NAM/G-77 UN REFORM [...] No summary [...] |
2006-06-15 04:27:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | AMGT AORC UNGA PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE561 |
MURDER OF HMONG MAN IN SAISOMBOUN -- ANOTHER CASE [...] (C) Summary: The murder of a Hmong farmer outside of Muang Cha, the capital of the former Saisomboun Special Zone, on June 8 appears to have been an example of local police eliminating a perceived security threat. Unusually, the government has gone out of its way to report that the motive for [...] |
2006-06-22 07:54:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE564 |
USTR VISIT TO LAOS [...] Summary. On June 21 and 22 USTR Director for Southeast Asia and Pacific, David Bisbee, met with GoL officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), Customs and Tax Officials from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the IPR officers in the Science, Technology and Environment Section in t [...] |
2006-06-22 09:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ETRD KIPR EFIN LA |
06VIENTIANE565 |
REAFFIRMING THE "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP," NEW LAO [...] (C) Summary: In his first major act since taking office Jun 8 (reftel), newly-selected President Choummaly Sayasone traveled to Vietnam June 19-22, meeting with the senior Vietnamese leadership. Almost immediately after his return to Laos, the President will turn around to travel to Beijing. T [...] |
2006-06-23 01:34:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL CH VM LA |
06VIENTIANE596 |
THE GREAT LAND GRAB [...] (SBU) Summary: Economic development is spurring a land grab in broad areas of the country, and the poorest Lao are paying the price. What is feeding the frenzy is a boom in the mining industry and in agricultural commodities, principally rubber and eucalyptus. Foreign investment projects are [...] |
2006-06-30 06:10:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV SOCI PHUM EAGR PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE632 |
MOVING LAOS INTO CHINA, TRUCK BY TRUCK [...] (SBU) Summary: Laos has mineral resources and China wants them. A regional mining conference in Vientiane shows the deep penetration of the Chinese into the mining sector, and the GoL's preferential treatment of its Chinese investors. Anxious to attract the investment, the Lao have little capa [...] |
2006-07-07 03:01:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EMIN ENRG ETRD LA |
06VIENTIANE636 |
AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH LAO WOMEN'S UNION [...] (SBU) Summary: Ambassador met with newly-elected Lao Women's Union (LWU) President Sisay Leudetmounsone July 6 to discuss Embassy cooperation with the LWU across a range of issues. The LWU has played a prominent role on TIP issues, and Ambassador used the occasion to explain Laos' recent Tier [...] |
2006-07-07 06:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL PINR KWMN LA |
06VIENTIANE646 |
LAO PRESIDENT PAYS HOMAGE TO CHINA [...] (C) During his June 27-July 2 visit to China, Lao President Choummaly met with the senior Chinese leadership and signed an agreement for a low-interest loan for 280 million Yuan (about $35 million) that we understand will be used in part to fund the purchase of construction equipment. The Chin [...] |
2006-07-10 09:15:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE655 |
LAO REFUSE JOINT DEMARCHE, LIKE-MINDED GROUP LOOKS [...] (C) The Lao Foreign Minister has refused to receive a joint demarche on the missing children, the GoL saying the President's June 22 letter to the UN Secretary General provided the government's final word on the matter. The UN's Department of Political Affairs (DPA) was not pleased with that r [...] |
2006-07-13 09:26:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PREL KIRF TH LA |
06VIENTIANE660 |
AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES MISSING CHILDREN WITH MFA [...] (C) As a follow-up to the July 13 like-minded group meeting on the missing children (reftel), this morning Ambassador met with MFA Europe-Americans Department DG Southam Sakhonnhinyom to convey our continued concern about the children's situation. Ambassador first reminded Southam of the case [...] |
2006-07-14 04:37:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF KIRF PREL TH LA |
06VIENTIANE670 |
GOL PURSUES REMAINING INSURGENTS [...] (C) Summary: In spite of the onset of the rainy season, Lao military forces are pressing remaining insurgent pockets, especially in Bolikhamsai province. Those groups left in the forest are dispersed in the remotest areas, suffering from possible starvation as LPA forces cut them off from food [...] |
2006-07-18 07:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PINS PREL LA |
06VIENTIANE674 |
TAKE ALL THE TREES, PUT 'EM IN TREE MUSEUM: [...] (U) Summary: Laos' hardwood forests are rapidly being depleted ravaged by timber interests from three adjacent economies, with Japan and China as the largest final destination markets. The GoL does not have the capability or the will to manage the country's natural resources responsibly. So-ca [...] |
2006-07-19 06:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENIV ETRD PGOV LA |
06VIENTIANE696 |
PROBABLE OUTBREAK OF AVIAN FLU IN LAOS [...] Post has received information from FAO regarding a probable outbreak of Avian Influenza in Dong Bang Village, Xaythang District, about 20 kilometers north of Vientiane City, in Vientiane Province. The outbreak was reported to FAO and WHO on July 14, but information was withheld from the wider [...] |
2006-07-25 08:11:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TBIO ECON KFLU PREL SOCI LA |
06VIENTIANE756 |
FOLLOW UP ON HMONG MINORS ISSUE - EMBASSY [...] (C) Post highly appreciates the efforts of the Department and USUN to engage UNICEF and UNDPA on behalf of the captive Hmong children in Laos. UNICEF's assertion that their Vientiane RESREP has left for East Timor is not correct, as she visited us as recently as last Friday and told us she wou [...] |
2006-08-11 04:31:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PHUM LA UNICEF |
06VIENTIANE757 |
LAOS WEEKLY AVIAN INFLUENZA REPORT [...] Summary: The GoL says it has succeeded in controlling AI - the kind of statement that suggests that they do not fully appreciate the seriousness of the situation. Public reporting on AI has improved somewhat, due to GoL nervousness about recent outbreaks, but the fact is the response was too li [...] |
2006-08-11 07:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO ECON SOCI PREL KFLU LA |
06VIENTIANE894 |
CASE OF 26 MISSING HMONG CHILDREN STILL OF CONCERN [...] (C) This cable requests the Department pass an action request to Embassy Luxembourg; please see paragraph 14. It also has kudos for USUN and Embassy Sweden which we request the Department pass on; please see paragraph 15. 2. (C) Summary: &Like-minded8 senior diplomats met to discuss the c [...] |
2006-09-14 10:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM KWMN LA PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG UNDP |
07VIENTIANE110 |
DIPLOMATIC TOUR OF RESETTLED HMONG; WHERE ARE ALL [...] (C) Summary: An MFA-led February 8 tour of one Hmong area near Vientiane proved little about the situation of resettled Hmong in Laos -- especially former insurgents. Only one family of five from the group of 52 economic migrants had been returned to the well-to-do area visited. However the [...] |
2007-02-12 10:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM KWMN LA PGOV PHUM PREF SMIG TH |
07VIENTIANE12 |
REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM MEETS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY [...] (C) Summary: During her first visit to Laos, Representative Betty McCollum met with a series of senior Lao National Assembly (NA) officials, including Madame Pany Yathotu, NA Vice President as well as member of the ruling party's Politburo, members of the NA,s Foreign Affairs Committee, and th [...] |
2007-01-08 10:31:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA OREP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG SOCI TH |
07VIENTIANE125 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA: AI FOUND IN BIRDS IN VIENTIANE (WEEKLY [...] SUMMARY: The Lao government's avian influenza (AI) coordinator told donors on February 13 that two wild ducks in Vientiane had tested positive for avian influenza. Tests on two possible human cases are underway; initial results are negative. END SUMMARY. Reports of H5N1 Positive Ducks in [...] |
2007-02-14 11:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO KFLU SOCI SCUL PREL AMED AMGT CASC EAGR EAID |
07VIENTIANE133 |
LAOS INSTITUTES "SLOWDOWN" FOR NEW MINING APPROVALS [...] In a press conference Friday February 16 the vice-president of the Committee for Planning and Investment (CPI), Mr. Bounthavy Sisouphantong, announced a "slowdown" in the approval of new mining concessions. He also indicated the Government of Laos (GOL) would be developing new technical guid [...] |
2007-02-16 10:15:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV EMIN KIDE LA |
07VIENTIANE137 |
SEAS-2007 BULLETIN NO. 2 - NOMINATIONS DUE 20 FEB 07 [...] (U) Embassy Vientiane is pleased to nominate Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Europe and Americas Department Director General (DG) Southam Sakonhninhom to attend this course. Our alternate candidate is Mr. Khamvone Phanouvong, MFA Asia-Pacific and Africa Department Deputy DG. Their personal [...] |
2007-02-20 10:20:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE139 |
CORRUPTION IN LAOS: THE CLOSER YOU LOOK, THE [...] (C) Summary. Corruption in Laos is endemic. At a recent governance and anti-corruption workshop in Vientiane, sponsored by the World Bank, donor and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives met to discuss the current situation. While there are some positive trends, such as the w [...] |
2007-02-20 10:34:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM PGOV KFRD CASC SNAR LA |
07VIENTIANE143 |
2007 SPECIAL 301 REVIEW:POST RECOMMENDATION FOR [...] (SBU) Post recommends that the Lao PDR not be designated as a country of special concern under Special 301 due to absolutely low levels of piracy, past actions taken by the IPR authorities, and the elevation of the Science, Technology and IPR Office to the status of a ministry, which may enhan [...] |
2007-02-22 09:12:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD EAID KIPR LA |
07VIENTIANE144 |
UNHCR AND ICRC REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador met with Bangkok-based representatives of both UNHCR and ICRC to review the recent spurt of issues relating to the problems the Government of Laos (GOL) has with its Hmong minority. Both UNHCR and ICRC help hold keys to resolving Hmong issues, from the decades-old [...] |
2007-02-22 09:29:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SMIG |
07VIENTIANE154 |
GOVERNANCE, WOMEN'S ISSUES, AND IRI'S EFFORTS TO [...] (SBU) Summary: Ms. Johanna Kao of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and embassy officers met with government officials, women's groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Laos from February 4 - 7. NGO representatives informed Ms. Kao of the difficult operating environmen [...] |
2007-02-23 10:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KWMN PREL PHUM SCUL SOCI EAID LA |
07VIENTIANE159 |
NAS VIENTIANE: REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE ON CONTINUING [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see Paragraph 6. 2. (U) Under the direction of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision's (LCDC) Programme Facilitation Unit (PFU), opium treatment programs in Laos reduced the addict population by more than 80% in 5 years, based [...] |
2007-02-26 02:44:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR LA |
07VIENTIANE163 |
VIENTIANE EAC MEETING - HUMAN CASE OF AVIAN INFLUENZA [...] (U) SUMMARY: Embassy Vientiane EAC met February 26 to discuss a WHO report of first-ever case of probable human infection of avian influenza (AI) in Laos. Samples from the patient have been sent for H5N1 confirmation, which is still pending. The Lao press is already highlighting this first "s [...] |
2007-02-26 10:18:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TBIO KFLU SOCI SCUL PREL AMED AMGT ASEC CASC EAGR |
07VIENTIANE184 |
VIENTIANE EAC MEETING -- AVIAN INFLUENZA [...] (SBU) Summary: On March 5, the Emergency Action Committee met to discuss the developing situation regarding avian influenza (H5N1) in Laos. The Lao government announced on March 4 that a probable second case of avian influenza in humans had been identified, with confirmation pending further [...] |
2007-03-05 10:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ASEC TBIO KFLU SOCI AMED AMGT CASC EAGR KPAO |
07VIENTIANE185 |
SEVENTH ANNUAL TIP REPORT FOR LAOS [...] (SBU) Summary: Laos is overwhelmingly a sending country for trafficking, although on a small scale it is also a receiving country. The vast majority of Lao who seek work abroad, including those who are victims of trafficking, go to Thailand, where cultural and linguistic similarities and an a [...] |
2007-03-05 11:15:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC PREF KFRD PREL |
07VIENTIANE205 |
LAO GOVERNMENT AGREES TO LET 21 HMONG GIRLS RETURN [...] (C) Summary: During bilateral talks in Luang Prabang on March 8, the Lao Foreign Minister told his Thai counterpart that twenty-one girls from the Petchabun settlement in Thailand had been &found8 living with relatives in Laos and would be allowed to return to their families if they wished. T [...] |
2007-03-13 11:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PGOV PREL LA TH |
07VIENTIANE213 |
DEMARCHE ON UN REFORM: INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION OF [...] No summary [...] |
2007-03-16 09:09:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | AORC APER LA PREL |
07VIENTIANE219 |
EAP/MLS DIRECTOR,S MEETING WITH MFA DIRECTOR [...] (C) Summary: Visiting EAP/MLS director Robert Rapson met with Europe and Americas Director General Southam at the foreign ministry. Both Rapson and Southam expressed general satisfaction about improving U.S.-Lao ties, despite what Southam characterized as ups and downs over the years. Raps [...] |
2007-03-19 09:20:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PREF CASC PHUM PGOV LA |
07VIENTIANE220 |
WORLD BANK OFFICIAL EXPRESSES CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM TO [...] (SBU) Summary: During a March 2 meeting, World Bank country manager Patchamuthu Illangovan told visiting EAP/MLS office director Rapson that he is more optimistic than he used to be about prospects for progress in Laos. The World Bank's major hydropower project, Nam Theun 2, has brought dyn [...] |
2007-03-19 09:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAGR EAID EAIR ECON EFIN ELAB EMIN ENRG ETRD |
07VIENTIANE228 |
CHINA'S GOLDEN CITY IN NORTHERN LAOS [...] (C) Summary. The recent opening of a Chinese casino and hotel complex in Luang Namtha Province along the Lao-China border is symbolic of growing Chinese influence in northern Laos. Although only 20 percent of the planned ten-year project has been completed thus far, this first phase amounts [...] |
2007-03-20 10:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EINV KCRM ECON ETRD SMIG SOCI ELTN ECIN PREL |
07VIENTIANE25 |
NEW INFORMATION ON NORTH KOREANS DETAINED IN LAOS: [...] (C) Summary: South Korean Embassy Counsellor Lee told Poloffs January 11 that five North Korean refugees detained almost a month in northern Laos had been released by local authorities. The five are on their way to Vientiane from where the South Korean Embassy expects them to depart quietly t [...] |
2007-01-11 08:45:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC KN KS LA PHUM PREF PREL SMIG |
07VIENTIANE257 |
NAS VIENTIANE: UPDATE ON METHAMPHETAMINE IN LAOS [...] (SBU) Summary. Almost everyone in the Lao lowlands, from the Prime Minister in Vientiane to street vendors in Pakse, is keenly aware that methamphetamine trafficking is on the increase and that the lives of thousands of Lao citizens have become more precarious as a result. Lao law enforcemen [...] |
2007-03-29 08:17:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM SNAR XC CH |
07VIENTIANE259 |
CHINESE RUBBER, SINO-LAO SCHOOLS, AND OTHER [...] (C) Summary: Due to what one NGO director in Luang Namtha Province described as a "gold rush" mentality, almost every village in the province is growing rubber for export to China. The Chinese have launched a "propaganda campaign" taking credit for the replacement of poppy with rubber. So [...] |
2007-03-30 10:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAGR EINV ECON ECIN ELTN ETRD SMIG KRCM PHUM |
07VIENTIANE288 |
VIENTIANE DIPLOMATS DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES [...] (C) Summary: Representatives of "like-minded" countries and international organizations in Vientiane, including the United States, EU, France, Australia, UNICEF, UNDP, and others, met to review recent events on the human rights front, including the recent visit by EU Parliamentarians to Laos. [...] |
2007-04-06 06:32:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KJUS LA PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL TH |
07VIENTIANE290 |
ILLICIT CASH COURIERS IN LAOS [...] (SBU) Summary: Econoff met with Bank of Laos (BOL) Deputy Director General Mr. Leuane March 16, and NAS Director met with Lao Customs Deputy Director of International Relations Mr. Vongchan April 5 to discuss reftel and deliver nonpaper. DDG Leuane understands Financial Action Task Force (FA [...] |
2007-04-06 10:01:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ETTC KTFN LE PREL PTER LA |
07VIENTIANE295 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE [...] SUMMARY: There have been no new human avian influenza (AI) cases or bird outbreaks since the last report. Massive culling in Vientiane municipality was completed on March 16. The World Bank-assisted compensation program is paying poultry owners sixty percent of the market value of culled bi [...] |
2007-04-09 10:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO KFLU SOCI SCUL PREL AMED AMGT CASC EAGR EAID |
07VIENTIANE296 |
MISDIRECTED MAIL COMPLICATES NORTH KOREAN [...] (C) Summary: South Korean Counsellor Miyon Lee told DCM April 9 that she was hopeful that three North Korean asylum seekers who have been detained in Laos since November 2006 would be released in the next day or two. The situation took a "tricky" turn, she said, when the Lao police misdirec [...] |
2007-04-09 11:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PREL PGOV PHUM LA KN KS |
07VIENTIANE300 |
INTOLERANCE FOR CHRISTIANS PERSISTS IN LAOS [...] (SBU) Summary: Christians in Bolikhamsay Province's Nakun Village have faced pressure from local officials and have been "reeducated" numerous times as a result of their religious activities. Christians in Xunya Village, Luang Namtha Province, have reportedly been prevented from practicin [...] |
2007-04-10 09:59:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KIRF PHUM SCUL SOCI EINV CASC PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE309 |
HMONG-AMERICANS RECRUIT "TROUBLEMAKERS" FROM THAI [...] (C) Summary: Unidentified Hmong-Americans are said to be recruiting Hmong from the holding camp in Thailand's Petchabun Province to return to Laos to stage incidents apparently in support of the three-decade-old but failing Hmong insurgency. The Embassy is working to gather more information. [...] |
2007-04-17 08:52:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | ASEC LA PHUM PREF PTER SMIG TH |
07VIENTIANE310 |
IOM's Return and Reintegration of Lao TIP Victims [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph nine. 2. (SBU) Summary: The International Office for Migration (IOM) signed a long-awaited Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Laos (GoL) on February 27. Based on the MOU, IOM plans to be more active in capacity-bui [...] |
2007-04-17 09:39:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | SMIG PHUM SOCI ELAB KWMN PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE312 |
AES MOVES FORWARD WITH INVESTMENT PROPOSAL FOR [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph seven. 2. (SBU) Summary: Econoff met March 29 with AES representatives Flora Zhao and Jasper Camacho to discuss their proposal for a run of the river hydropower project on the Mekong River. AES submitted the proposal March 29 to the G [...] |
2007-04-17 09:54:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENRG ETRD EINV EWWT ECON SENV PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE316 |
SUGGESTED 2007 BUDGET ALLOCATIONS FOR LAOS UXO [...] This is an action request. Please see paragraph 6. 2. In 2006 PM/WRA requested post create suggested budgets for supporting the removal of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in 2007 based upon a number of scenarios. One of those scenarios envisioned a 25% cut to the UXO budget for Laos in 2007. [...] |
2007-04-18 09:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KHDP ECON PREL MASS LA |
07VIENTIANE323 |
LAO GOVERNMENT MEETING ON NORTH KOREAN CHILDREN [...] (C) Summary: South Korean Embassy Counsellor Miyon Lee told us on April 19 that senior Lao government officials would soon meet to decide on the fate of three North Korean children who have been detained in Laos since November 2006. She said that the Lao have made it a condition of the chi [...] |
2007-04-19 10:15:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PREL PHUM PGOV LA KN KS JA |
07VIENTIANE325 |
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Proposals for Laos [...] Following are the anti-trafficking in persons proposals received by Embassy Vientiane. In total, eleven completed proposals were submitted by four non-governmental organizations, two international organizations, and one for-profit Lao enterprise. The following organizations submitted proposa [...] |
2007-04-20 09:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA |
07VIENTIANE329 |
NORTH KOREAN CHILDREN: INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION [...] (S) Summary: The South Korean Embassy continues to press the Lao government for the release of the three North Korean children detained in November. They are seeking a meeting with the Director General for Consular Affairs at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has expressed hope for a [...] |
2007-04-23 10:28:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | CASC PREF PGOV PHUM KN KS KPAO LA |
07VIENTIANE337 |
NORTH KOREAN CHILDREN IN SOUTH KOREAN EMBASSY [...] (S) Summary: The South Korean Embassy confirmed that the three North Korean children who have been detained since November 2006 are in their custody and will leave Laos on the evening of April 25. It was the South Koreans, quiet efforts, rather than the NGO-generated flurry of publicity, t [...] |
2007-04-25 09:46:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | PREF PHUM PGOV KN KS LA |
07VIENTIANE338 |
NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ: MAINTAINING [...] No summary [...] |
2007-04-26 04:09:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | MARR MASS MOPS PREL PTER IZ LA |
07VIENTIANE341 |
LAO SENIOR OFFICIAL DISCUSSES RELIGIOUS ISSUES [...] (SBU) Summary: Following up on the Ambassador's recent meeting with the Lao Front for National Construction (reftel), Poloffs met with recently-appointed Religous Affairs Khaophone Vannabout to seek updates on several outstanding cases. Khaophone provided an update on 12 detained Khmu who may [...] |
2007-04-26 10:01:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KIRF PHUM SOCI PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE351 |
PRESSING THE AES HYDROPOWER BID WITH SENIOR LAO [...] (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador met with Committee for Planning and Investment (CPI) President Soulivong Daravong April 30 to continue her personal support for the bid by AES on the first run-of-the-river hydropower project on the Mekong River in Laos. Soulivong was clear that CPI had not made [...] |
2007-04-30 08:54:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ENRG ETRD EWWT LA PHUM PREL SENV EINV |
07VIENTIANE36 |
AVIAN INFLUENZA - WEEKLY REPORT FOR JANUARY 12, 2007 [...] SUMMARY: Following are recent Avian Influenza (AI)-related developments in Laos: -- There have been no new outbreaks since our last report. -- Representative McCollum's visit to Vientiane's leading hospital both to learn about its capabilities and to express the need for focus on the AI is [...] |
2007-01-16 08:06:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO KFLU SOCI SCUL PREL AMED AMGT CASC EAGR EAID |
07VIENTIANE361 |
SPECIAL 301 LAO PDR 2007: GOL PLEASED WITH DESIGNATION BUT [...] Summary: Nheune Sisavad, a senior Lao official who oversees intellectual property issues, expressed relief to the DCM that Laos is not on any Special 301 lists but said that it is important for Laos to strengthen its intellectual property rights (IPR) regime. He said that the National Assembl [...] |
2007-05-03 10:11:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON ETRD EAID KIPR LA |
07VIENTIANE364 |
UNHCR'S ERIKA FELLER DISCUSSES HMONG ISSUES; LAO [...] (C) Summary: The visit of UNHCR's lead protection official, Erika Feller, haS provided insight into Hmong issues including what may happen to the 152 Hmong (plus three babies) being held in Thailand's Nong Khai Province. Unfortunately, we are concerned UNHCR may be overestimating the ability o [...] |
2007-05-04 09:32:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PREL PHUM LA |
07VIENTIANE366 |
NEW GROUP OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES ARRESTED IN [...] (S) Summary: Activists from the Human Rights Without Frontiers organization confirmed the presence to EmbOff of a new group of nine North Koreans in detention in Vientiane. The activists were able to deliver food and medicine to the detainees. The South Korean Embassy says resolving the case [...] |
2007-05-07 07:43:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | PREF PHUM PGOV KN KS LA |
07VIENTIANE37 |
REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM VIEWS AVIAN INFLUENZA PREPARATIONS [...] (U) Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MIN) learned first-hand about Vientiane's main Mahasot Hospital during her recent visit to Laos. She discussed available and needed resources in recognizing suspect cases of human avian influenza (AI) and reviewed corresponding clinical case management practi [...] |
2007-01-16 08:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | OREP TBIO KFLU AMED SOCI LA |
07VIENTIANE382 |
UNHCR MEMBER VOTE: LAO POSITION [...] (C) Ambassador presented text of non-paper on upcoming UNHRC membership voting, including USG support for Slovenia and Bosnia as preferred members vice Belarus, to Lao Vice Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha on May 10. The Vice Foreign Minister said the Ministry would consider the U.S. posit [...] |
2007-05-10 10:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL UNHRC LA |
07VIENTIANE383 |
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS LOOKING TO EXPAND IN LAOS [...] (C) Summary: The Seventh Day Adventists have had an active church in Laos since 1974. There are approximately 1,250 Adventists country-wide, with the largest concentration in Vientiane Municipality. With only one church structure, most Adventists in Laos meet in house churches. While the [...] |
2007-05-11 03:08:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KIRF PHUM SCUL SOCI PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE390 |
AES LOSES BID FOR MEKONG HYDROPOWER PROJECT IN [...] (C) Summary: CH Karnchang Public Company of Thailand (CK) was awarded the right conduct a feasibility study to develop a 1260 megawatt (MW) run of the river hydropower plant in Xayabury by the Government of Laos (GOL). According to an article in the Vientiane Times May 8, the GOL and CK signe [...] |
2007-05-11 08:58:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG ETRD EINV EWWT ECON SENV PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE397 |
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: DCM DISCUSSES U.S. JOURNALISM AT [...] (U) SUMMARY: To mark World Press Freedom Day, the DCM spoke with a group of roughly 15 college students at the Lao-American Center on May 2 about the history of press freedom in the United States and the ethical dilemmas faced by media organizations. This was a timely subject, since the Lao N [...] |
2007-05-15 06:45:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM ELAB KDEM PGOV PREL KPAO LA |
07VIENTIANE407 |
VIENTIANE EAC MEETING - RENEWAL OF PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT [...] No summary [...] |
2007-05-16 08:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ASEC PTER CASC LA |
07VIENTIANE409 |
Timber, Roads, and Rubber in Sayaboury Province [...] (SBU) Summary: While Sayaboury Province is isolated from the rest of Laos due to a lack of transportation infrastructure, some significant road projects are currently underway, and others are expected to commence within the next two years. Logging activity in the province has increased signi [...] |
2007-05-16 10:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EIND EAGR ELTN ETRD ENRG SENV SOCI SMIG |
07VIENTIANE411 |
LAOS WILL CONSIDER ATTENDING JULY APHIS SEMINAR IN [...] No summary [...] |
2007-05-18 03:19:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EAID ETRD ASEAN PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE416 |
AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL; HMONG ISSUES; ARF [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador used the opportunity of a farewell call on one of MFA's more sophisticated Vice Ministers, and the Lao Senior Official for ASEAN and ARF affairs, to present the most recent Department demarche on ARF issues. VFM Bounkeut expressed support for the USG ISM proposals, [...] |
2007-05-21 08:27:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KN KNNP LA PINR PREF PREL PTER ARF |
07VIENTIANE442 |
AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALLS WITH SENIOR LAO [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador's farewell calls with senior Lao officials were marked by appreciation for her role in moving the bilateral relationship forward on traditional areas of cooperation (MIA accounting, opium eradication, and unexploded ordnance removal) while breaking ground on new are [...] |
2007-05-26 09:06:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ETRD LA MOPS PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR |
07VIENTIANE449 |
UNODC REPORTS SECURITY SITUATION IN NORTHERN LAOS [...] (C) Summary: The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representative in Vientiane, Mr. Leik Boonwaat, told NAS that, during his travel over the past few weeks, he had observed indications that the overall security situation in northern Laos was decaying. He said that a higher [...] |
2007-05-29 10:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET | PGOV PTER SNAR ASEC LA |
07VIENTIANE451 |
LAOS TO SUPPORT MR. ZOELLICK AS WORLD BANK [...] (SBU) Econoff met May 30 with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Cooperation Director General Dr. Bountheuang Mounlasy to request that the Lao Government support Robert B. Zoellick as President of the World Bank (Reftel). After a brief discussion of Mr. Zoellick's quali [...] |
2007-05-30 09:38:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN IBRD LA |
07VIENTIANE453 |
LIKE-MINDED GROUP FAVORS INDIVIDUAL DEMARCHES ON [...] (C) Summary: At a May 30 meeting of representatives of like-minded countries, the Charge proposed a joint demarche requesting international access to recent Hmong returnees from Thailand per Ref A. The other embassy representatives agreed that these concerns should be raised with the Lao g [...] |
2007-05-30 10:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL TH GE |
07VIENTIANE454 |
UPDATE ON PROTESTANTS IN BOLIKHAMSAI AND VIENTIANE [...] (C) Summary: There have been reports indicating that several ethnic Khmu Christians in Bolikhamsai Province's Nakun Village were forcibly moved May 15 to another village in the same district. The Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) has indicated that five heads of households were forced by local [...] |
2007-05-30 10:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KIRF PHUM SCUL SOCI PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE476 |
AUTHORITIES IN NORTHERN LAOS WORRIED ABOUT HMONG [...] (C) Summary: Vietnamese Hmong immigrants are resettling in northeastern Laos from Vietnam and are becoming a growing concern among local authorities trying to control one of Laos' most remote borders. The Government of Laos (GOL) has repatriated some recent arrivals but appears to lack the [...] |
2007-06-06 09:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | SMIG PGOV SNAR LA VM XC |
07VIENTIANE477 |
GOL WORRIED ABOUT MARIJUANA TRAFFICKERS IN [...] (C) Summary: Provincial officials in Bolikhamxai Province are worried that they are losing control of eastern border districts to drug traffickers producing marijuana for commercial export. These districts are populated by upland minorities including Hmong and Khamu. The officials stated t [...] |
2007-06-06 09:59:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PGOV SNAR VM |
07VIENTIANE483 |
MAJORS LIST CERTIFICATION PROCEEDURES FOR LAOS FY [...] (SBU) Summary. While Laos continues to be a major producer of narcotics, it reduced opium production by approximately 69% between 2005 and 2006 and has achieved a 96% decline in overall opium cultivation from its recorded peak in 1989. Production is currently estimated to be below domestic [...] |
2007-06-08 06:43:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | SNAR LA |
07VIENTIANE487 |
HMONG-AMERICAN LEADER PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO COUP [...] (S) Summary: The politics of the Hmong communtiies in both Laos and the United States are extremely complex. As a result, a conversation with even a well educated Hmong (or Hmong-American) leader involves exaggeration and guess work and often raises more questions than it provides answers. Neverthe [...] |
2007-06-11 10:55:00 | Embassy Vientiane | SECRET//NOFORN | ASEC LA PGOV PREL PTER |
07VIENTIANE490 |
2007 Report on Investment Disputes and Expropriation [...] The Embassy is unaware of any changes to the below noted disputes since submission of the 2006 report. Please note the Embassy no longer has contact information for the Claimants. 2. a. Claimant A b. 1991 c. According to Claimant's attorney, Claimant asserts that he entere [...] |
2007-06-13 07:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | CASC ECON EINV KIDE OPIC PGOV PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE496 |
ASSORTED LAO UXO NEWS FRAGMENTS [...] (U) Charge and econoff attended the annual UXO review meeting June 5, which addressed the 2007 workplans for the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) and UXO Lao. The meeting provided a useful synopsis of events in the Lao UXO sector in 2006 and presented the UXO goals of the Government of Lao [...] |
2007-06-14 09:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KHDP PARM EAID LA |
07VIENTIANE508 |
READOUT FROM JAPANESE DCM ON LAO PRIME MINISTER'S [...] (C) Summary: Japanese DCM Kazuhiro Fujimura provided the Charge with an overview of the mid-May summit in Tokyo between the Lao and Japanese prime ministers. He said that the Japanese had pressed the Lao unsuccessfully at a meeting before the summit to support the UNGA human rights resolutio [...] |
2007-06-18 09:39:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV LA JA KN |
07VIENTIANE52 |
LAO VIEWS ON ASEAN'S CEBU SUMMITS [...] (SBU) Summary: MFA ASEAN Department Deputy Director General Songkane told P/E Chief the main Lao priorities at the recent ASEAN Summits in Cebu were to reinforce support for a proposed rail extension into Laos and for Lao hydropower projects. He welcomed a proposed third bridge across the Mek [...] |
2007-01-22 06:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECIN ELTN ETRD LA PREL PTER SMIG |
07VIENTIANE524 |
NEW TRANSPORTATION ARTERIES AND TRADE INITIATIVES [...] (SBU) Summary. New highways and trade initiatives may boost Laos' growth but will provide greater opportunities for illicit trafficking as well. With the opening of a Savannakhet, Laos-Mukdahan, Thailand bridge, the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) that transects southern Laos is now comp [...] |
2007-06-25 08:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID ECIN ELTN ETRD KCRM KHIV LA PGOV SNAR |
07VIENTIANE525 |
LAO GOVERNMENT CAUTIOUSLY WELCOMES U.S. ARRESTS [...] (C) Summary: Lao government officials appear to have been pleased and surprised by the June 4 arrests of Hmong-American General Vang Pao and others on suspicion of plotting violent action aimed at overthrowing the Lao government. However, the Philippines Ambassador, who talked to Lao gover [...] |
2007-06-25 09:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PINS ASEC CASC SCUL SNAR CH LA US |
07VIENTIANE53 |
REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM'S DISCUSSIONS ON UNEXPLODED [...] (SBU) Summary: During her visit to Laos, Representative McCollum got a first-hand look at the problems related to unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Xieng Khouang province. She visited a hospital where UXO victims were being treated, a mine clearance site, and a school where children demonstrated mi [...] |
2007-01-22 08:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | OREP MOPS PREL PHUM PGOV SCUL KFLU KHDP ECON LA |
07VIENTIANE556 |
ICAO ASSEMBLY: NO RESPONSE FROM THE LAO GOVERNMENT [...] The Government of Laos (GOL) has not responded to any of the questions raised in either reftel. Post demarched Yakua Lopangkao, the Director General of Civil Aviation in Laos on June 19 and at his request also delivered the information contained in reftels to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs i [...] |
2007-07-10 09:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAIR ECON ETRD SENV LA |
07VIENTIANE558 |
CABINET RESHUFFLE INCLUDES NEW FACE AT FINANCE [...] (C) Summary: In a cabinet reshuffle announced by the Prime Minister at the closing of the National Assembly, Finance Minister Chansy Phosikham was named to replace Somphet Thipmala as governor of Vientiane Province. Chansy's former deputy, Somdy Douangdy, became finance minister. Somphet b [...] |
2007-07-11 09:45:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR ECON EFIN ENRG LA |
07VIENTIANE567 |
POWER COMPANY RESPONDS TO CRITICAL REPORT AT THE [...] (C) SUMMARY: On June 27-28 the Government of Laos (GOL) and the Nam Theun Power Company (NTPC) held the second annual Nam Theun II (NT II) stakeholders' meeting in Thakek, Laos to discuss the situation at the World Bank funded project. The GOL and NTPC provided a large amount of information, [...] |
2007-07-13 09:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ENRG EWWT ECON PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE598 |
DEMARCHE REQUEST: PROMOTION OF STANDING COMMITTEE [...] No summary [...] |
2007-07-27 09:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREF PREL PHUM LA |
07VIENTIANE599 |
TERRORISM FINANCE: TELLING LAOS ABOUT DOMESTIC [...] No summary [...] |
2007-07-27 09:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN KTFN LA PREL PTER |
07VIENTIANE6 |
MANAGING POSSIBLE DPRK REFUGEES IN VIENTIANE [...] (C) Summary: Following receipt of reftel, which outlines steps Embassy Vientiane should take if approached by a North Korean asylum seeker, DCM and Pol/Econ Chief met with Republic of Korea (ROK) Embassy Counsellor Miyon Lee. Ms. Lee provided updates on recent cases of North Korean asylum se [...] |
2007-01-05 08:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PHUM PREF PREL SMIG TH |
07VIENTIANE600 |
62ND UNGA: REQUESTING INFORMATION ON LAO [...] No summary [...] |
2007-07-27 09:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | LA OVIP PREL UNGA |
07VIENTIANE601 |
ENSURING ROBUST IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSC-IMPOSED [...] No summary [...] |
2007-07-27 09:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KNNP LA PARM PREL |
07VIENTIANE602 |
PRESSING THE LAO FOR UNIVERSAL ADOPTION OF THE [...] (SBU) Charge and A/DCM met with Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith, Acting Director General, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), to deliver referenced demarche on July 25, 2007. Saleumxay said the issue of nuclear terrorism is new for the Government of Laos (GO [...] |
2007-07-27 09:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KNNP LA MCAP PARM PINR PINS PREL PTER |
07VIENTIANE618 |
DANCING WITH THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER [...] (SBU) Summary: Econoff accompanied Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, along with a group of senior diplomats, on a 36-hour set-piece "study tour" of two districts in Sayabouri province. Thanks to a focus on export crops, primarily corn, the districts appear to be doing well [...] |
2007-08-03 09:14:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON PREL EAID SENV LA |
07VIENTIANE639 |
LAO MFA SPOKESMAN CONTINUES HARD LINE TOWARD HMONG [...] (C) SUMMARY: MFA Spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy showed no flexibility in Lao Government positions regarding the Lao Hmong in Thailand in a lengthy conversation with Pol/Econ Chief. Yong said the "humiliation" of the Lao officials involved in the failure to repatriate 150 Hmong from Nong Khai i [...] |
2007-08-10 10:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL |
07VIENTIANE640 |
"LIKE-MINDED" DIPLOMATIC GROUP DISCUSSES HMONG [...] (C) SUMMARY: A recent meeting of the "like-minded" diplomatic group revealed a strong consensus in support of coordinated pressure on the Lao to improve conditions for the Hmong ethnic minority and to provide greater access to returnees and Hmong areas. The situations of the 5 boys from the g [...] |
2007-08-10 11:22:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL TH |
07VIENTIANE668 |
VISIT TO LAOS OF STAFFDEL GUDES [...] (SBU) Visiting professional congressional staff members Scott Gudes and Dan Brandt visited Vientiane August 16-19. While in Vientiane they met with Vice Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha, who raised restrictions against Eximbank working in Laos, discussed financial reform in Laos with the [...] |
2007-08-21 10:02:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL ECON ETRD EINV KHDP PGOV OTRA LA |
07VIENTIANE676 |
RHYTHM ROAD - VIENTIANE INTEREST [...] U.S. Embassy Vientiane is interested in hosting the Rhythm Road American Music Abroad tour by the urban music group Dana Leong Band. Post control officer is PAO Amy Archibald, at archibaldae@state.gov, 856-21-7214. Assisting FSN is Cultural Affairs Specialist ChanthanomeSydavanh, at Chanthan [...] |
2007-08-24 00:49:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO OEXC SCUL LA |
07VIENTIANE723 |
UPDATE ON HMONG-AMERICANS TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY IN LAOS [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Post continues to investigate the whereabouts of the three Hmong Americans who were taken into police custody on August 25. Both Lao and Thai immigration authorities have records indicating that the Americans departed Laos on August 29. During a trip to Xiengkhouang Province Se [...] |
2007-09-14 10:46:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ASEC CASC LA |
07VIENTIANE725 |
MIL-MIL RELATIONS WITH LAOS: EXCHANGING DEFENSE [...] (SBU) Summary: Moving forward with the exchange of defense attaches during the coming year and training opportunities for Lao military personnel under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) and other programs were key topics discussed during the visit of DOD OSD-Policy Lao Des [...] |
2007-09-18 10:27:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL |
07VIENTIANE767 |
MFA ASEAN OFFICIAL DESCRIBES ACTIVE LAO ROLE ON [...] (C) Summary: In a meeting with the Charge on Burma, Deputy Director General for ASEAN Songkane Luangmuninthone said that Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith had intervened with the Burmese Foreign Minister at UN Special Envoy Gambari's request to urge the Burmese to a [...] |
2007-10-12 09:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM PGOV LA BM ASEAN |
07VIENTIANE780 |
PRIME MINISTER RAISES CONCERNS ON HMONG WAIVER [...] (C) During the Ambassador's introductory call on Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, both the Ambassador and the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with recent improvements in bilateral cooperation. The Prime Minister pressed for the lifting of restrictions on U.S. Export-Import Bank ope [...] |
2007-10-18 11:06:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM EFIN CVIS LA US BM ASEAN |
07VIENTIANE787 |
DEMARCHE: HMONG "MATERIAL SUPPORT" EXEMPTION [...] (U) This cable contains an action request. See paragraph 10. 2. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador met with Assistant Foreign Minister Alounkeo regarding the Hmong material support exemption (Ref A) on October 22. Despite the Ambassador's reassurances that the waiver does not represent a [...] |
2007-10-23 10:10:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PREL KJUS CVIS PHUM LA TH |
07VIENTIANE788 |
DEMARCHE TO LAO GOVERNMENT: U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST [...] (SBU) The Ambassador delivered Ref A demarche on Burma during an October 22 meeting with Assistant Foreign Minister Alounkeo Kittikhoun primarily devoted to the Hmong waiver issue (Ref B). He provided the Assistant Minister with the White House fact sheet, the text of the executive order, an [...] |
2007-10-24 08:45:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD EFIN BM LA ASEAN |
07VIENTIANE789 |
DEMARCHE: CANDIDACY OF DAVID WALKER FOR UN [...] No summary [...] |
2007-10-24 09:55:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL AORC LA |
07VIENTIANE800 |
SIGNIFICANT HEROIN ADDICTION EMERGES IN LAOS FOR [...] (U) Summary: Heroin abuse has not been encountered among the Laotian people in the past, but so far in 2007, the principal Lao national drug abuse treatment center at Somsanga has admitted more than 50 acknowledged heroin addicts, at least seven of whom admitted to current injecting drug use. [...] |
2007-10-29 10:52:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KHIV LA SNAR SOCI UNCRIME |
07VIENTIANE801 |
LAOS PRESSES FOR LIFTING OF EXIMBANK LIMITATION [...] (SBU) Summary: The prohibition on EXIM Bank operations in Laos -- based on the characterization of Laos as a Markist-Leninist country -- is out of date and does not serve U.S. interests. GOL views the EXIM ban as inconsistent with the USG's economic policy toward Laos, highlighted by Congr [...] |
2007-10-30 02:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD EAID EFIN PREL EINV LA |
07VIENTIANE802 |
DEMARCHE (2ND REQUEST AND FOLLOW-UP): CANDIDACY [...] No summary [...] |
2007-10-30 04:17:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL AORC LA |
07VIENTIANE806 |
REQUEST INL APPROVAL FOR CONTRACT TO CONSTRUCT ATS [...] (U) Summary and Action Requested (see also para 9): This message requests INL/RM approval for NAS Vientiane to authorize RPSO Frankfurt to contract for design and construction of a drug abuse treatment clinic in Vientiane Province, Laos, specializing in treatment of addiction to amphetamine-t [...] |
2007-10-30 08:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR ASUP LA |
07VIENTIANE816 |
LAO FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES BURMA [...] (C) SUMMARY: Lao Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Thongloun told the Ambassador on November 2 that had pushed Burmese Foreign Minister Win on the need for rapid movement forward on the "roadmap" process. According to Thongloun, Win said completion of the constitutional referendum, the f [...] |
2007-11-05 09:59:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | BM LA PGOV PREL |
07VIENTIANE820 |
BURMA IN THE LAO NEWS, BUT NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE [...] No summary [...] |
2007-11-06 23:46:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KMDR PREL PGOV KPAO LA BM |
07VIENTIANE829 |
SOUTH KOREAN DCM DISCUSSES NORTH KOREAN PREMIER'S [...] (C) Summary: The South Korean DCM told the DCM on November 9 that Lao officials had described the November 4-7 visit of North Korean Premier Kim Yong Il as very successful. The Lao Prime Minister praised North Korea's handling of Korean peninsula issues. Lao officials described Premier Kim [...] |
2007-11-09 11:10:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV EINV LA KN KS |
07VIENTIANE836 |
VIENTIANE FRAUD SUMMARY: Q4 FY 2007 [...] No summary [...] |
2007-11-14 10:44:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT LA |
07VIENTIANE839 |
2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY [...] No summary [...] |
2007-11-15 09:28:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR LA |
07VIENTIANE840 |
EXCHANGING DEFENSE ATTACHES WITH LAOS [...] No summary [...] |
2007-11-16 06:22:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL APER |
07VIENTIANE85 |
CONSIDERING "MATERIAL SUPPORT" FOR THE HMONG; LIST [...] (C) The issue of determining who provided "material support" in the case of the Lao Hmong is very complicated. Below (para 5), we provide the Embassy's list of bombings and other attacks in Laos during the past several years. In virtually all cases, the identities of the perpetrators are diff [...] |
2007-02-02 08:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC LA MOPS PGOV PREF PREL PTER |
07VIENTIANE854 |
EXTRANCHECK: PSV AT LANG XANG MINERALS - LICENSE [...] Economic officer Joshua Archibald carried out the post-shipment export verification at Lane Xang Minerals in Savannakhet Province, Laos, on November 20, 2007. 2. Econoff met with Jukka Kortelainen, Copper Process Engineer at Lane Xang Minerals, for approximately 3 hours on November 20. M [...] |
2007-11-26 08:55:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | BEXP ETRD ETTC LA |
07VIENTIANE857 |
LAOS: TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT [...] Summary: While the GOL has made great strides in getting its legal house in order to combat human trafficking, and has also make progress in protecting returning trafficking victims, it needs to do more to address the growing problem of internal human trafficking. Post does not have updated inf [...] |
2007-11-26 10:28:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KCRM KWMN ELAB PHUM PGOV PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE876 |
International Education "Week" in Laos [...] Summary: Embassy Vientiane hosted a number of events to mark International Education Week throughout the month of November, including public speaking workshops, video presentations at the Faculty of Engineering, a lunch hosted by the Ambassador for National University deans and vice-deans, pres [...] |
2007-12-05 10:26:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO OEXC SCUL PREL LA |
07VIENTIANE888 |
DPRK CITIZENS ENTER SWEDISH EMBASSY COMPOUND IN [...] (C//NF) On Friday, December 7, 2007, at approximately 1230 hrs. (Vientiane Time) Consular Officer Michael Scharding received a telephonic message from the Administrative Counselor at the Swedish Embassy in Vientiane - Birgitta Holmstrom. Ms. Holmstrom informed Mr. Scharding that, at approxim [...] |
2007-12-10 09:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC PREL LA KN |
07VIENTIANE893 |
AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH SWEDISH CHARGE TO DISCUSS [...] (U) This is an action request: please see paragraph 14. 2. (C//NF) Summary: According to Swedish diplomats, the two North Koreans continue to insist that their intent is to seek asylum in the United States. While the ROK Embassy is prepared and able to assist them to travel to South Korea, [...] |
2007-12-11 11:49:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | ASEC PREL LA KN SW |
07VIENTIANE896 |
UPDATE ON DPRK CITIZENS AT SWEDISH EMBASSY [...] (U) This cable includes an action request. Please see paragraph 5. 2. (C) Summary: Swedish Charge Aberg told the Ambassador that she and her colleague had met with a senior MFA official who suggested, as long as the North Koreans left Laos, that his government was not concerned about their [...] |
2007-12-12 10:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC KN LA PREL SW |
07VIENTIANE897 |
SCENE SETTER FOR THE VISIT OF ADMIRAL KEATING [...] (C) I and the Vientiane Country Team are delighted to welcome you and your team to Laos. The Lao agreed to a far broader range of meetings with senior officials than they did for Admiral Fallon who visited in July 2006. I believe that they have made a strategic decision to begin a step-by-ste [...] |
2007-12-12 10:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KPOW LA MARR MOPS OVIP PGOV PREL |
07VIENTIANE914 |
PACOM ADMIRAL KEATING'S VISIT TO VIENTIANE [...] (SBU) Summary: During a December 14 visit to Vientiane, Commander of the Pacific Command Admiral Timothy Keating met with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and National Assembly. At the Foreign Affairs Institute, he addressed students and took questions [...] |
2007-12-19 07:15:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KHDP LA MARR MASS OVIP PREL KFLU CH |
07VIENTIANE925 |
VIENTIANE APPLICATION FOR ECA PERFORMING ARTS INITIATIVE [...] PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: U.S. Embassy Vientiane requests ECA funding in the amount of $11,500 under the Performing Arts Initiative (PAI) for the Battery Dance Company (BDC) to travel to Vientiane for four days (April 19-23, 2008). The BDC will conduct an Asian regional tour with travel to South K [...] |
2007-12-27 09:55:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | OEXC OIIP SCUL KPAO LA |
07VIENTIANE926 |
LAOS: ANNUAL UXO MEETINGS HIGHLIGHT U.S. [...] No summary [...] |
2007-12-27 10:00:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID KHDP PREL LA MASS |
07VIENTIANE928 |
LAO DEFENSE MINISTER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CHILD TRAFFICKING [...] Summary: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Lieutenant General Douangchay Phichit spoke to a crowd of 1000 government officials and members of the public at an all-day event marking the International Day Against Child Trafficking on December 7. The Minister described Lao [...] |
2007-12-28 06:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KCRM KWMN ELAB PHUM PGOV PREL SMIG LA |
08VIENTIANE10 |
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? [...] (U) Summary: The USG estimate of poppy cultivation in Laos for 2007 is 1100 hectares, down from 43,150 hectares in 1989. Laos, at one time the world's third largest producer of illicit opium, stands poised to end its tenure as a part of the golden triangle. After an investment of more than [...] |
2008-01-03 09:58:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID LA SNAR |
08VIENTIANE111 |
LAOS: PLANS FOR FIVE LARGE DAMS ON THE MEKONG [...] (SBU) Summary: Over the past year the Government of Laos has signed 5 Memoranda of Understanding with companies from China, Vietnam, and Thailand to develop large dams on the mainstream of the Mekong river where both banks are within Laos. Four of the dams are estimated to individually produ [...] |
2008-02-15 02:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAGR ENRG EIND SENV BEXP LA VM CH CB |
08VIENTIANE114 |
MINISTER OF COMMERCE WELCOMES U.S. INVESTMENT [...] (U) Summary: The Ambassador paid his initial official calls on Minister of Industry and Commerce Nam Viyaketh, whose father, Samane Viyaketh, is #2 in the Politburo, and Governor of the Lao Central Bank Phouphet Khamphounvong on February 11. Minister Nam welcomed U.S. investment in Laos and [...] |
2008-02-15 08:38:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL ECON EINV EMIN ENRG PINR LA |
08VIENTIANE116 |
DEMARCHE TO LAOS: HAGUE ADOPTION CONVENTION [...] The DCM called on MFA's Acting Director General for International Organizations Saleumxay Kommasith on February 14 regarding the Hague Adoption Convention. She informed Mr. Saleumxay that the U.S. has become a party to the convention and is encouraging the government of Laos (GOL) to consider [...] |
2008-02-19 00:29:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KOCI CASC PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE143 |
SOMALIA AND PIRACY, SEEKING VIEWS ON POSSIBLE UN [...] No summary [...] |
2008-02-29 03:14:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM LA PBTS PREL SO |
08VIENTIANE145 |
EIGHTH ANNUAL TIP REPORT FOR LAOS [...] (SBU) Laos is overwhelmingly a sending country for trafficking, although on a small scale it is also a receiving country, with some domestic trafficking victims in the commercial sex trade. The vast majority of Lao who seek work abroad, including those who are victims of trafficking, go to Thai [...] |
2008-02-29 05:44:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC PREF KFRD PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE149 |
INVESTMENT CLIMATE STATEMENT FOR LAOS [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-04 01:30:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV OPIC USTR KTDB LA |
08VIENTIANE157 |
AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES HMONG ISSUES WITH MFA [...] (C) SUMMARY: Lao MFA Pres Department Director General Yong Chanthalangsy told the Ambassador that the 11 Hmong "voluntarily" returned from Thailand at the end of February are being held for "screening" preparatory to being allowed to return home or being resettled domestically. All are fine, [...] |
2008-03-11 03:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PINR PREF PREL |
08VIENTIANE159 |
LAOS INPUT FOR EISA REPORTS [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-12 06:46:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON ENRG SENV ABER ABUD LA |
08VIENTIANE164 |
2008 FISCAL TRANSPARENCY REPORT FOR LAOS [...] Following is the 2008 fiscal transparency report for Laos, as instructed in reftel. The Lao Government (GOL) budget, a summary of revenue and expenditure for the current fiscal year, and a projection for the following fiscal year are generally published by the Ministry of Finance (MOF [...] |
2008-03-13 10:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EAID PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE168 |
ATTENDANCE AT TRAINING ON FORCED LABOR AND CHILD [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-17 06:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | AMGT ELAB LA OTRA PHUM |
08VIENTIANE180 |
FRAUD SUMMARY-(VIENTIANE): Q1 FY 2008 [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-20 10:22:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC LA |
08VIENTIANE182 |
UN SECURITY COUNCIL'S ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION 1803 [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-21 09:06:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KNNP MNUC PARM IR LA |
08VIENTIANE183 |
BURMA REFERENDUM: DEMARCHE TO LAO GOVERNMENT [...] (C) Summary: Charge delivered Reftel demarche to Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific Viroth Soundara on March 19. Mr. Viroth said that the GOL supports the roadmap process and will assess its success in creating a more representative system once it concludes. The Charge urged [...] |
2008-03-21 09:06:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM LA BM |
08VIENTIANE184 |
APPLICATION FOR 2008 DENVER RESOURCE ECONOMICS COURSE [...] Per reftel, the following is Joshua Archibald's application for the 2008 Denver Resource Economics Course, PE-142, scheduled for July 7-11. Current Assignment: Economic/Commercial/ESTH/AID/UXO/ODC officer in Vientiane Laos until summer 2009. Phone: (856)-21-26-7156 (office) Mobile: (85 [...] |
2008-03-24 03:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | AFSI APER ENGR EMIN ECON LA |
08VIENTIANE202 |
PLANNED CHINESE DEVELOPMENT IN VIENTIANE GENERATES [...] (C) Summary: A public controversy -- a rare thing in Laos -- is brewing over government plans to give a Chinese firm a large 1600-hectare concession near the revered That Luang monument close to the Vientiane city center. Although originally described as a location for 2,000-3,000 workers ( [...] |
2008-03-31 10:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON EINV SOCI LA CH |
08VIENTIANE225 |
HMONG PROTECTION ISSUES: CONVERSATION WITH THE [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador met with MFA DG Yong Chanthalangsy (strictly protect) to raise the case of three missing Hmong Americans and to discuss the first group of 11 Hmong returned from Thailand at the end of February -- ten of whom are now resettled within Laos. The Ambassador pressed Yo [...] |
2008-04-10 10:34:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | CASC FR LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL |
08VIENTIANE226 |
GMS SUMMIT CELEBRATES IMPROVED REGIONAL [...] (C) Summary: The third Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit March 30-31 featured the meeting of all six GMS heads of state in Laos. The GMS leaders agreed to the "Vientiane Plan of Action for GMS Development," an ambitious 5-year plan with a reported $20 billion price tag. During the two h [...] |
2008-04-11 04:37:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EINV PREL ETRD PGOV LA CH CM VN BM TH |
08VIENTIANE227 |
REPATRIATION OF 67 HMONG FROM THAILAND [...] No summary [...] |
2008-04-11 06:12:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA PHUM PREF PREL TH |
08VIENTIANE228 |
MFA'S YONG DISCUSSES GOL EFFORTS TO END HMONG [...] (C) Summary: In an April 2 conversation with Poloff, MFA spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy, who oversees Hmong returnee issues within the GOL, discussed the remaining Hmong insurgent groups within Laos. He predicted that situation of the final two groups would be resolved within months, noting [...] |
2008-04-11 07:00:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREF PGOV LA TH |
08VIENTIANE230 |
HCOC - ENCOURAGING ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES TO [...] No summary [...] |
2008-04-17 04:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETTC KSCA LA MNUC PREL TSPA |
08VIENTIANE240 |
FOOD PRICES IN LAOS: STICKY RICE PRICES REMAIN [...] Summary: Despite rising world prices for white rice, sticky (glutinous) rice, the primary rice variety eaten in Laos, has seen only moderate price rises this year. One notable aspect of Lao sticky rice prices has been their stability over the past several years despite inflation averaging 7 [...] |
2008-04-24 04:53:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR EAID ETRD ECON PGOV PREL EPET LA |
08VIENTIANE241 |
AMBASSADOR RAISES FOOD SECURITY; CHINESE DISCUSS [...] (SBU) Summary: Topics at an April 10 Informal Quarterly Donors Meeting co-chaired by the Ambassador included food security in Laos, focusing on poor governmental policy choices in the often rice-deficient uplands areas, and the Chinese-financed development project at That Luang marsh (ref A). [...] |
2008-04-24 06:36:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EAID EINV UN LA CN |
08VIENTIANE244 |
NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT) PREPARATORY [...] No summary [...] |
2008-04-25 09:05:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ENRG KNNP LA MNUC PARM PREL |
08VIENTIANE246 |
Education in Laos, Part I: The Primary Years [...] Summary. This cable is the first in a series examining the education system in Laos, from elementary through university and technical/vocational schools. Future cables will examine the problems faced by secondary schools, the limits of tertiary education, and the growing role of private scho [...] |
2008-04-25 09:34:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV SCUL SOCI LA |
08VIENTIANE255 |
U.S. DEMARCHE ON NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY [...] No summary [...] |
2008-05-02 09:27:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ENRG KNNP LA MNUC PARM PREL |
08VIENTIANE265 |
DEMARCHE TO LAOS: BURMA REFERENDUM [...] (C) Summary: In response to delivery of Reftel demarche, a MFA official said that the GOL sees the referendum process in Burma as an internal affair, adding that the GOL hopes that the referendum and new constitution are successful. Asked whether the GOL has encouraged a more transparent p [...] |
2008-05-05 10:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV LA BM |
08VIENTIANE266 |
FOLLOWING UP ON THE ACTIVISTS FOR DEMOCRACY AND [...] No summary [...] |
2008-05-06 01:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE267 |
ACTION REQUEST ON U.S. 60-DAY REPORT TO UN [...] No summary [...] |
2008-05-08 09:05:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | AORC EFIN ETRD KNNP LA TRGY |
08VIENTIANE272 |
DEMARCHE TO LAOS: HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO CYCLONE [...] (C) Summary: According to an MFA official who traveled to Rangoon on May 7 with the Lao Vice Foreign Minister, Burmese officials expressed appreciation for Lao material assistance ($20,000 and three tons of food) and said that they would welcome more, but declined the GOL's offer to send an [...] |
2008-05-09 10:25:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID PREL BM LA |
08VIENTIANE285 |
IMF ANTICIPATES STRONG MACRO-ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE [...] (SBU) Summary: The IMF expects Laos's economy to continue to grow at a strong 8 percent annual rate, driven by mineral and electricity exports. Inflation is relatively low at 5 percent, but the IMF is concerned that the government is expanding commercial credit too quickly raising the specte [...] |
2008-05-16 08:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID ECON EFIN ENRG LA PGOV |
08VIENTIANE291 |
LAO GOVERNMENT ALLOWS BLANKET OVERFLIGHT CLEARANCES FOR [...] (SBU) Summary: Reversing a 33-year-old policy, Lao officials notified the Embassy on May 19 that they would grant blanket overflight clearances for U.S. planes providing humanitarian support for Burma. This is another in a series of positive developments in U.S.-Lao military-to-military ties [...] |
2008-05-21 09:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR PREL EAID PGOV LA US BM |
08VIENTIANE297 |
BURMA DONORS CONFERENCE: LAO FOREIGN MINISTER TO [...] (SBU) Summary: Senior Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials view the Burmese government as having changed its attitude toward outside assistance as a result of the recent ASEAN meeting in Singapore. They expressed high hopes the May 25 Pledging Meeting in Rangoon will be effective in [...] |
2008-05-23 07:23:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID PGOV PHUM BM LA |
08VIENTIANE320 |
UPDATE ON HMONG RETURNEES AND PHA LAK RESETTLEMENT [...] (SBU) Summary: MFA Spokesman Yong told Emboffs June 4 the 56 recent Hmong voluntary returnees from Thailand should finish processing and be sent to their home provinces soon. He said his video showing earlier returnees living peacefully in Laos was helping convince Huay Nam Khao camp residents [...] |
2008-06-05 09:02:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA PHUM PREF PREL TH |
08VIENTIANE338 |
2008 REPORT ON INVESTMENT DISPUTES AND [...] No summary [...] |
2008-06-12 07:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | CASC EINV ECON KIDE OPIC PGOV LA |
08VIENTIANE339 |
2008 REPORT ON INVESTMENT DISPUTES AND [...] The Embassy is unaware of any changes to the below noted disputes since submission of the 2007 report. Please note the Embassy no longer has contact or biographical information for the Claimants. 2. a. Claimant A b. 1991 c. According to Claimant's attorney, Claimant A assert [...] |
2008-06-13 04:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | CASC EINV ECON KIDE OPIC PGOV LA |
08VIENTIANE355 |
837 HMONG RETURN FROM THAILAND [...] (SBU) Summary: On June 22, Thai authorities repatriated to Laos 837 ethnic Hmong who had been residing at the Petchaboun camp. According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, they are currently in a temporary processing facility and most will soon be resettled in their home villages. [...] |
2008-06-23 11:17:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PGOV PHUM LA TH |
08VIENTIANE360 |
LAO OFFICIAL ANTICIPATES RAPID RESETTLEMENT OF [...] (C) Summary: The senior Lao official responsible for Hmong resettlement told the Ambassador that the 837 Hmong returned from Thailand on June 22 had proper shelter and food available at their temporary processing site and would begin returning to their villages next week. He claimed that the [...] |
2008-06-25 10:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | CASC FR LA PGOV PHUM PREF PREL TH |
08VIENTIANE365 |
LAOS: REVIEW FINDS NO GOODS PRODUCED WITH FORCED [...] SUMMARY: According to Lao government and industry as well as international organization and NGO sources, there is no evidence of forced or exploitative child labor in the production of goods in Laos. END SUMMARY 2. In response to reftel, the Embassy contacted Government of Laos (GOL) off [...] |
2008-06-27 09:50:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ELAB EIND ETRD ECON PHUM SOCI LA |
08VIENTIANE385 |
DEMARCHE TO LAOS: SHAPING POST-CYCLONE ASSISTANCE [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The DCM delivered reftel demarche on July 2. In response, an official at the foreign ministry's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Department noted that many of the principles set forth in the demarche were consistent with the conclusions of the UN-ASEAN-Burmese T [...] |
2008-07-07 09:11:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BM EAID LA PREL |
08VIENTIANE4 |
Avian Influenza Update [...] Summary: There have been no new cases of avian influenza in humans or birds since the February-March 2007 outbreak. Progress in enhancing the GOL's laboratory diagnostic capacity continues. The GOL has reiterated its commitment to sharing viral isolates. A PACOM-supported training exercise [...] |
2008-01-02 09:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO KFLU KPAO SOCI ECON SCUL PREL AMED AMGT CASC |
08VIENTIANE410 |
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONS WITH LAOS STEADILY [...] (U) SUMMARY: In the past two years, military-to-military relations with Laos have progressed quickly, including a long-sought agreement to exchange defense attaches (DATTs) and the implementation of an International Military Education and Training (IMET) program. The IMET program began with a [...] |
2008-07-24 07:01:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR MASS MOPS PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE415 |
NATURAL PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL TO LEAVE LAOS BY [...] (C) Summary: Natural Products International (NPI), a small American-owned company that has invested over $1.4 million since coming to Laos in 1997, and that in May secured a contract to produce all of the Corn-Soy Blend (CSB) for the World Food Program's (WFP) school feeding program in Laos [...] |
2008-07-28 09:22:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EINV ECON KIDE PREL EAGR LA |
08VIENTIANE435 |
MONITORING REPORT FOR G/TIP FY06 PROGRAM: WORLD VISION'S [...] SUMMARY: In response to G/TIP's request (ref A) post conducted a review of the G/TIP-funded World Vision "Voices of Victims: Youth-to-Youth Advisory System on Safe Migration" grant project. The project period is currently September 2007 to September 2009, though the project draws on FY06 funds [...] |
2008-08-06 09:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KCRM KWMN PHUM LA |
08VIENTIANE441 |
GOVERNMENT PRESENTS FY 2008-2009 BUDGET OUTLINE TO [...] (C) Summary. In a presentation to the National Assembly on July 7 the Minister of Finance laid out the Lao government's expectations for its FY 2008-2009 budget. The government projects a fiscal deficit 42% below that of the current fiscal year, thanks to revenues that are expected to climb [...] |
2008-08-08 06:24:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON EFIN LA |
08VIENTIANE458 |
DISASTER DECLARATION FOR FLOODING IN LAOS [...] This is an action request. In view of the mounting reports of damage caused by flooding in Vientiane and various provinces in Laos and in response to the August 18, 2008, appeal of the Government of Laos to the international community for assistance, the Charge d'Affaires has determined that a [...] |
2008-08-19 10:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL ECON SENV EWWT EAID CASC ASEC LA |
08VIENTIANE461 |
LAO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES NEW MEDIA LAW [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The Lao National Assembly (NA) approved a new law on the roles and responsibilities of the media during its July session by a vote of 101 to 2. The new media law codifies the powers of the Ministry of Information and Culture's Mass Media Department. It remains to be seen whethe [...] |
2008-08-21 10:09:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM KPAO LA SOCI SCUL |
08VIENTIANE465 |
LAO OFFICIALS PREPARE TO ISSUE DECREE ON [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The Lao Public Administration and Civil Service Authority (PACSA) is currently drafting a new decree on non-profit association (NPA) registration. The decree is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister,s Office by the end of August. The creation of a standardized legal [...] |
2008-08-26 03:30:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL LA SOCI SCUL |
08VIENTIANE468 |
LAOS AND U.S. HOLD INITIAL DISCUSSIONS ON REPATRIATION [...] (SBU) Summary: A three-member joint State/DHS(ICE) delegation traveled to Vientiane for "preliminary discussions" about the repatriation to Laos of Lao nationals and former Lao nationals. The Government of Laos (GOL) representatives agreed that they are obligated under international law to [...] |
2008-08-26 09:33:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL CASC KCRM LA |
08VIENTIANE485 |
U.S. AND LAOS CONTINUE PROGRESS IN THIRD BILATERAL DEFENSE [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Bilateral military talks held at historic Lockwood Hall on Pearl Harbor August 14-15 confirmed progress in U.S.-Lao military relations and widened the range of activities the Lao will consider during the coming year. One key focus for both sides was the upcoming exchange of Defe [...] |
2008-09-04 03:03:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR MASS MOPS EAID PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE508 |
LAOS DEMARCHE: KOSOVO ICJ RESOLUTION AT UNGA [...] (C) Embassy Vientiane approached the French and German missions September 11 regarding reftel. Neither was aware of the Serbian proposal nor had they received any instructions to approach the Government of Laos (GOL) on the issue. On September 12 Econoff spoke with Deputy Director General of [...] |
2008-09-12 06:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL UNGA KVIR UN LA |
08VIENTIANE519 |
Rear Admiral Burkhard Explores Initiating PACOM HIV/AIDS [...] SUMMARY: Rear Admiral (RADM) Thomas Burkhard, the Pacific Command (PACOM) Surgeon, visited Laos August 26-28 to discuss initiating U.S.-Laos military-to- military HIV/AIDS cooperation via PACOM endorsed PEPFAR (US Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief) funding. Admiral Burkhard's visi [...] |
2008-09-22 06:02:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | MARR MASS MOPS EAID PREL TBIO KHIV LA |
08VIENTIANE525 |
AMBASSADOR MARCIEL'S VISIT HIGHLIGHTS WARMER [...] (C) Summary: Senior Lao foreign affairs, defense and law enforcement officials confirmed to EAP DAS Ambassador Scot Marciel their interest in expanding bilateral cooperation. Lao Commission for Drug Control and Supervision (LCDC) Chairman Soubanh Srithirath hailed a new spirit of results-ori [...] |
2008-09-23 09:44:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL SNAR SENV MARR LA |
08VIENTIANE562 |
DASD CLAD VISIT TO LAOS CONTINUES MIL-MIL PROGRESS; LAO [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: OSD's DASD James Clad may be the highest-ranking Pentagon policy official to have visited Vientiane since 1975. While senior DPMO officials involved in the MIA accounting process have visited regularly, Dr. Clad's visit sends another positive signal about the improving and broad [...] |
2008-10-16 08:04:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR MASS MOPS EAID PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE569 |
RADIOACTIVE SMUGGLING INCIDENT AT VIENTIANE, LAOS [...] Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington agencies per reftel that it has received a report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking in nuclear and/or radiological materials. This report came to the Embassy's attention via a phone call from the Australian owner of a lo [...] |
2008-10-20 05:10:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KNNP MNUC PARM KCRM PTER PREL ASEC LA |
08VIENTIANE578 |
LAO GOVERNMENT INFORMED OF DEPLETED URANIUM [...] This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3. 2. (SBU) Embassy Vientiane on October 23 spoke with Mr. Thammavong Phiphatsely to request he encourage his friend, the purported owner of the depleted uranium aircraft counterweight notified in ref. A and identified in ref. B, to turn th [...] |
2008-10-27 09:54:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KNNP MNUC ASEC ENRG KCRM PARM TRGY LA |
08VIENTIANE579 |
LAOS TO HOST REGIONAL RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE; NGO, DRL VISITS [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Parallel visits by the Department's first Ambassador for Religious Freedom and a key DRL staff member helped promote the issue of religious freedom in Laos this past week. AMB (ret.) Robert Seiple brought an invitation from an NGO now headed by his son for Laos to host an intern [...] |
2008-10-27 10:30:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KIRF PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI LA VM |
08VIENTIANE593 |
OFFICIAL CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT-ELECT [...] Embassy Vientiane has received a congratulatory letter to President-Elect Obama from Choummaly Sayasone, President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. We will pouch the original to S/ES-CR. Text of the letter with original capitalization follows. Begin text. His Excellency Barack Ob [...] |
2008-11-07 05:38:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | OPDC OVIP PREL LA |
08VIENTIANE61 |
PACAF AVIAN INFLUENZA WORKSHOP FOR LAO MILITARY [...] (U) SUMMARY: U.S. Pacific Air Force (PACAF) medical specialists helped organize and funded a five-day "train the trainers" workshop on avian influenza (AI) rapid response for Lao medical personnel. More than seventy specialists -- including 35 from the Ministry of National Defense (MND) -- at [...] |
2008-01-24 08:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KFLU LA MOPS PREL TBIO MASS |
08VIENTIANE611 |
LAO MINIMALIST RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON BURMA [...] (C) SUMMARY: A/DCM delivered reftel demarche to MFA ASEAN Department Deputy Director General Kham-Inh Khitchadeth. He acknowledged the longstanding problems presented by Burma but pointed out that the "ASEAN approach" to dealing with problems -- including the principle of non-interference -- [...] |
2008-11-21 00:45:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | BM LA PGOV PHUM PREL |
08VIENTIANE612 |
THE LAO SAPPHIRE INDUSTRY IN A NUTSHELL [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Although Laos has significant gem resources, its sapphire industry remains paralyzed by a lack of capital and the technological expertise needed to develop it. A cumbersome bureaucracy and worries about corruption cause many foreign companies to avoid investing in long-term pr [...] |
2008-11-21 09:58:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EMIN ETRD PHUM PREL BM LA |
08VIENTIANE632 |
BABY STEPS: U.S. SPEAKER BLONG XIONG OPENS SOME DOORS IN LAOS [...] SUMMARY. Blong Xiong, President of the Fresno City Council, participated in a U.S. Speaker program in Laos from November 17-21 that Post had planned to focus on local governance and constituent services in the United States for roundtables of smaller audiences from academic and administrative [...] |
2008-12-04 10:34:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | LA KPAO PREL |
08VIENTIANE645 |
U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE OPENS IN VIENTIANE [...] (C) SUMMARY: The new U.S. Defense Attache (DATT) to Laos, LTC Jamie McAden, was warmly welcomed by senior Lao military and Foreign Affairs officials December 5 to mark the opening of the U.S. Defense Attache Office in Vientiane. This restores the bilateral defense relationship with Laos broken [...] |
2008-12-15 03:31:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA MARR MOPS PINR PREL MASS |
08VIENTIANE658 |
FIRST DIPLOMATIC ACCESS TO HMONG RECENTLY [...] (C) SUMMARY: Pressure from the U.S. and like-minded members of the international community on the GOL to allow independent access to Hmong repatriated from Thailand has finally resulted in a significant step forward. On December 10, the MFA arranged for the Ambassador and other diplomats and [...] |
2008-12-18 10:36:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | LA PHUM PREF PREL SOCI TH |
08VIENTIANE662 |
FINANCIAL CRISIS BEGINS TO ERODE PILLARS OF LAO [...] (U) Summary: The weak integration of the Lao banking system with the international financial system initially cushioned the impact of the global financial crisis on Laos--there are no tranches of subprime debt in the Lao central bank. However, as the non-financial downturn has spread global [...] |
2008-12-22 10:19:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN EINV ETRD LA |
08VIENTIANE671 |
LAOS: 2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM [...] General Assessment Since 2002, the Government of Laos has consistently denounced international terrorism and expressed a willingness to cooperate with the international community on counterterrorism. While there are domestic opposition elements that have in the past employed terrorist tacti [...] |
2008-12-29 10:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PTER ASEC LA |
08VIENTIANE68 |
CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN SOUTHERN LAOS ABATING [...] (U) Summary: The cholera outbreak in southern Laos that began in mid-December (reftel) appears to be abating. The director of the World Heath Organization's (WHO) office in Laos expressed appreciation for USG interest in assisting but said that no additional resources are necessary at this [...] |
2008-01-30 07:18:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MASS SOCI PREL AMED EAID LA |
08VIENTIANE83 |
SECOND U.S.-LAO COMPREHENSIVE BILATERAL DIALOGUE [...] (SBU) Summary: The second U.S.-Lao Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD), led by Department of State East Asia and Pacific Bureau (EAP) Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Scot Marciel on January 25, highlighted the slowly maturing relationship between Laos and the United States. Unlike the pr [...] |
2008-02-06 06:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECON KHDP MARR MASS MOPS OTRA PGOV PHUM |
08VIENTIANE88 |
VIENTIANE ILLICIT DRUG SECTOR DONOR GROUP BEGINS [...] (SBU) In January the Vientiane Illicit Drug Sector Working Group (IDSWG) conducted its first semi-annual meeting for 2008. What was once the Vientiane Mini-Dublin Group has evolved IDSWG, a larger body that includes all of the drug sector donors in Laos. China, Korea, and the members of ASEAN [...] |
2008-02-08 10:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | SNAR XC LA |
08VIENTIANE89 |
GOL SAYS COOPERATION WITH US ON COUNTER NARCOTICS [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador met with Minister of the President's Office and Chairman of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision (LCDC) Soubanh Srithirath to discuss counter narcotics and transnational crime cooperation. The Minister noted the marked improvement in the GO [...] |
2008-02-08 10:13:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR XC LA |
08VIENTIANE94 |
SERIES OF BREAKTHROUGHS WITH LAO MILITARY [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The Ambassador called on Ministry of National Defense (MND) Chief of Cabinet (Permanent Secretary) Brigadier General Sisophonh Bang-one-seng-det February 8 to deliver recently-received materials from the PACOM Chiefs of Defense Conference which BG Sisophonh had attended. At the [...] |
2008-02-11 10:21:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL |
08VIENTIANE97 |
LAOS: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS GRANT PROPOSALS FOR FY2008 [...] Embassy Vientiane recommends funding of the four proposals (two ESF and two INCLE) summarized in paragraph three, all of which address deficiencies identified in the Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for Laos and the Interim Assessment. Only four proposals were submitted for this gran [...] |
2008-02-12 07:46:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ASEC ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL SMIG LA |
09VIENTIANE112 |
CHINA'S DOMINANT INVESTMENT PRESENCE IN NORTHERN [...] (C) Summary: Chinese investment, and often demographic presence, in the northern Lao provinces of Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, and Bokeo dominates visitors' impressions and still appears to be growing rapidly. While many local government officials are clearly sensitive to the appearance of being [...] |
2009-03-06 09:32:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | CN ECON ETRD LA PREL EINV |
09VIENTIANE113 |
CORRECTED COPY - COKE PREPARING RETURN TO LAOS [...] (SBU) On March 3 econoff met with Bjorn Jensen, Director of Strategic Planning for Coca Cola in Southeast and West Asia and Ernest Bower, founder and previous head of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, who is currently a partner in a Washington-based consulting firm. According to Mr. Jensen, C [...] |
2009-03-11 06:30:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV ETRD PREL LA |
09VIENTIANE12 |
OPPOSING IRAN PRESIDENCY AT UNDP: LAO RESPONSE [...] (C) DCM delivered reftel points to MFA International Organizations Director General Saleumxay Kommasith (protect), who was very familiar with the issue. DG Saleumxai advised that Laos supported the South Korean candidacy throughout the Asia Group deliberations. When a consensus choice could n [...] |
2009-01-08 09:05:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID IR LA PREF UN |
09VIENTIANE120 |
LAOS AND U.S. DISCUSS BASIC PROCEDDURES FOR LAO [...] No summary [...] |
2009-03-13 07:36:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | CASC KCRM LA PREL |
09VIENTIANE138 |
DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: DEFENDING THE AUTHORITIES OF [...] No summary [...] |
2009-03-25 07:24:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ETRD PHUM LA BM |
09VIENTIANE168 |
INFORMING LAO MFA: USG CANDIDACY FOR UN HUMAN [...] No summary [...] |
2009-04-06 08:37:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA PHUM PREL |
09VIENTIANE170 |
2009 LAO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY [...] Information below is in response to reftel questions: --Yes, the Lao central government is expected to receive U.S. foreign assistance funded using fiscal year 2009 (FY09) funds. --The Lao Government (GOL) budget, a summary of revenue and expenditure for the current fiscal year, and a proj [...] |
2009-04-07 03:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID ECON PREL |
09VIENTIANE179 |
IMF LOWERS ESTIMATE OF 2009 LAO GDP GROWTH TO 4.5% [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: On March 11 a visiting IMF team told a donor group that the IMF now projects 2009 Lao GDP growth at 4.5%, down from about 7% in 2008, due primarily to slowdowns in mining, hydropower, and construction. The budget deficit is expected to increase from 2% to 5% of GDP; the Governm [...] |
2009-04-10 06:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN EINV PREL LA |
09VIENTIANE184 |
DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL [...] No summary [...] |
2009-04-20 08:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA PHUM PREL |
09VIENTIANE197 |
MGSF01 EMBASSY VIENTIANE EAC DISCUSSES SWINE FLU [...] No summary [...] |
2009-04-28 08:51:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | AMED AMGT ASEC CASC KFLU KPAO KSAF KSEO TBIO |
09VIENTIANE200 |
MGSF01 EMBASSY VIENTIANE EAC DISCUSSES SWINE FLU [...] (SBU) In response the H1N1 outbreak in Mexico and Department guidance reftel, Post Emergency Action Committee (EAC) convened on April 29 to review post contingency plans and actions by the Government of Laos (GOL). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) representative here advised the EAC that [...] |
2009-04-28 09:28:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | AMED AMGT ASEC CASC KFLU KPAO KSAF KSEO TBIO |
09VIENTIANE202 |
DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: ADB CAPITAL INCREASE [...] Econoff delivered points in ref A to MFA Department of Economic Affairs Director General Latsamy Keomany. Mr. Latsamy agreed the planned 200% general capital increase was a good idea, and also agreed anti-corruption measures were useful, although hard to implement. Mr. Latsamy promised to s [...] |
2009-04-29 07:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PGOV ETRD ECON EAID ADB LA |
09VIENTIANE227 |
DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: URGING AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S [...] (SBU) A/DCM met with MFA ASEAN Department Deputy Director General Kham-Inh Khitchadeth May 14 to deliver subject demarche. Neither DDG Kham-Inh nor his Director General had been available earlier in the week. By the time the meeting took place, media reports had begun to circulate that Aung [...] |
2009-05-13 09:47:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | BM LA PGOV PHUM PREL |
09VIENTIANE238 |
GMS:PROXIMITY AND POLITICS FOCUSES CHINESE [...] This is the second in a series of cables from Consulate General Chiang Mai and Embassy Vientiane on the Greater Mekong Subregion's (GMS) R3A highway (ref a). These cables have been coordinated with Consulate General Chengdu. This cable was co-drafted by econ officers at both Vientiane and Ch [...] |
2009-05-19 02:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN EINV ETRD ELTN EWWT CH LA TH |
09VIENTIANE249 |
FRAUD SUMMARY-(VIENTIANE): SPRING 2009 [...] (U) SUMMARY: Vientiane is a medium fraud level post, with significant percentages of immigrant visa (IV) cases returned and a very large number of nonimmigrant visa (NIV) cases refused. The Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) in Vientiane currently consists of one full-time Locally Employed Staff (LE [...] |
2009-05-26 10:59:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC LA |
09VIENTIANE251 |
LAOS TO SUPPORT KOSOVO WORLD BANK MEMBERSHIP [...] On May 22 the Embassy contacted the Ministry of Finance's Deputy Director General of External Finance, Dr. Bounleua Sinxayvoravong. He confirmed that Laos had completed the necessary paperwork and would submit a yes vote for Kosovo's membership in the World Bank. HUSO [...] |
2009-05-27 05:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EFIN PREL KV LA |
09VIENTIANE260 |
CORRECTED COPY: VIENTIANE K-1 FIANCE VISA VALIDATION STUDY [...] (U) SUMMARY: Vientiane's Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) conducted a validation study of 209 issued K-1 visas from 2004. FPU confirmed fraud in 14% of the sample population. The highest fraud group derived from male beneficiaries, beneficiaries from remote, rural provinces, and petitioners and be [...] |
2009-06-01 11:02:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | CMGT CVIS KFRD LA |
09VIENTIANE263 |
LAOS:WILL CONSIDER SUPPORTING U.S. CANDIDATE FOR [...] Per reftel request, on June 3 econoff met with the MFA's UN Division Director Viengsavanh Sipraseuth. Ms. Viengsavanh indicated that she would be in touch with the Lao UN mission to discuss the election and that the Government of Laos was interested in supporting its friends and partners. Al [...] |
2009-06-02 10:43:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | AORC APER KAWC KJUS KUNR PREL UNGA LA |
09VIENTIANE264 |
LAOS: IMF HINTS AT POSSIBLE MACROECONOMIC [...] (SBU) Summary: On May 27, a visiting IMF Article IV team briefed interested donors. While not changing their projected 2009 growth rate from 4.5%, the team noted that the Government of Laos (GOL) must make tough choices in the next 18 months to avoid putting macroeconomic stability at risk. [...] |
2009-06-02 10:44:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN EINV EAID PREL LA |
09VIENTIANE268 |
LAO DEFENSE ATTACHE TO ARRIVE WASHINGTON, D.C. [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: New Lao Defense Attache COL Kenekeo Pholsena is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 6, 2009, to take up his post as the first Lao Defense Attache in the United States since the 1975 change of government in Laos. COL Kenekeo is an important choice: he is a [...] |
2009-06-03 10:56:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA MARR MASS PINR PREL |
09VIENTIANE289 |
MGSF01: FIRST LAO H1N1 CASE CONFIRMED [...] (SBU) Lao PDR's first case of H1N1 influenza was confirmed on June 16 by the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE). The patient is an adult male Australian citizen who developed influenza-like symptoms two days after returning to Lao PDR, where he works, from Australia. The [...] |
2009-06-17 10:37:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR |
09VIENTIANE29 |
CODEL FALEOMAVAEGA IN LAOS FOR APPF MEETS LAO [...] (C) Summary: U.S. House Asia Subcommittee Chairman Faleomavaega, in Vientiane to attend the 17th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) reviewed the U.S.-Laos bilateral relationship with the Lao Prime Minister, Acting Foreign Minister, and Deputy National Assembly Speaker. In each of his thr [...] |
2009-01-16 10:31:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD LA OREP PARM PREL |
09VIENTIANE291 |
Lao Government Issues Long-Awaited Decree on Associations [...] (SBU) Summary. The Prime Minister's Office has officially released the text of the new decree on the formation of non-profit associations in Laos, opening the door for Lao-run civil society organizations to register legally. Issued on April 29th, the decree will permit the formation of non-pro [...] |
2009-06-18 09:39:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI SCUL LA |
09VIENTIANE293 |
IRF VISITS PROVINCIAL LAOS TO GAUGE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM [...] (SBU) Summary: In May, DRL Office of International Religious Freedom (DRL/IRF) officer traveled with PolOff through three northern provinces - Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, and Luang Namtha - to assess religious freedom conditions. Predictably, the further away the officers traveled from Vientiane [...] |
2009-06-19 05:07:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KIRF PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI LA |
09VIENTIANE294 |
LAOS CONSIDERING JOINING INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE [...] Embassy spoke with a wide range of officials in the Government of Laos (GOL) regarding potential membership in the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). According to Mr. Khamphinh Philakon, the officer in the MFA's Department of International Organizations responsible for overseeing [...] |
2009-06-19 07:25:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | ENRG KGHG SENV LA |
09VIENTIANE295 |
LAOS: FOOD SECURITY TIED TO IMPROVING NUTRITION [...] Summary: Per reftel, DCM discussed U.S. food security goals with acting Director General Tieng Boupha of the MFA. Mr. Boupha noted that achieving food security is critical for Laos to achieve its own development goals and anticipates the Government will support the new U.S. initiative. A Sen [...] |
2009-06-22 02:35:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR EAID PREL LA |
09VIENTIANE303 |
LAOS H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE: THREE CASES CONFIRMED [...] Laos' second and third cases of H1N1 influenza were confirmed this week. The two new cases are members of an American family that had just arrived from the U.S. for a visit. The elevated body temperature of the young Amcit son was picked up by an airport thermal scanner on arrival in Vientia [...] |
2009-06-24 07:58:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR |
09VIENTIANE306 |
LAOS: PM TALKS ECONOMY AT OPENING OF NATIONAL [...] Prime Minister (PM) Bouasone Bouphavanh's address at the opening of the National Assembly (NA) on June 22, attended by the Ambassador, focused on Laos' economic situation in light of the global economic crisis and widespread flooding that hit Laos in August 2008. Of note was the PM's declarat [...] |
2009-06-25 10:22:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN EINV EAID PREL LA |
09VIENTIANE312 |
GOL TO CARRY OUT RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER UNSCR 1874 [...] (C) On June 29, Assistant Foreign Minister (and ASEAN Senior Official for Laos) Alounkeo Kittikhoun told Ambassador that Laos will, of course, carry out its obligations under UNSCR 1874, including a report to the Security Council on what actions Laos has taken. Ambassador delivered the points [...] |
2009-06-30 10:40:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PARM PREL MNUC MTCRE PHUM KN BM LA |
09VIENTIANE335 |
STAFFDEL LEE: GOL SHOWS OFF HMONG RESETTLEMENT SITE [...] (SBU) Summary: On July 6, senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials accompanied House Foreign Affairs Committee professional staff member Jessica Lee and Ambassador to the Phalak village Hmong resettlement site. Phalak is used to settle Lao Hmong who return from detainment in Thailand but d [...] |
2009-07-10 09:16:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | LA PHUM PREF PREL SOCI TH |
09VIENTIANE389 |
SCENESETTER FOR SENATOR WEBB'S VISIT TO LAOS [...] (SBU) You come to the Lao People's Democratic Republic as the bilateral relationship continues to broaden beyond anything seen since the Communist Pathet Lao came to power in 1975. Your visit will be interpreted by the Lao government (GOL) as further evidence of U.S. interest in positive engag [...] |
2009-08-07 10:49:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV PHUM ECON ETRD MARR LA |
09VIENTIANE399 |
LAOS REACTION TO ASSK VERDICT [...] (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs ASEAN Department's Deputy Director General Kham-Inh Khitchadeth told Poloff that the ASEAN Charter's principle of non-interference in internal affairs of member countries precluded ASEAN from engaging Burma on the outcome of the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK). [...] |
2009-08-17 10:48:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL |
09VIENTIANE406 |
SENATOR JIM WEBB'S VISIT TO LAOS [...] (C) GOL interlocutors warmly welcomed Senator Jim Webb,s August 12-14 visit to Vientiane. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith discussed GOL views of Burma and asked that the U.S.-Lao comprehensive bilateral dialogue be raised to a higher level. Senator Webb also he [...] |
2009-08-20 10:58:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | BM ECON ETRD EXIM LA PGOV PHUM PREL |
09VIENTIANE419 |
GOL PLEDGES REINFORCED COOPERATION RE AFRICAN [...] (C) Summary: In an August 26 meeting, Minister to the President's Office Soubanh Srithirath, who is also Chairman of the Lao National Commission on Drug Control and Supervision (LCDC), told Ambassador that LCDC has been directed to reinforce its cooperation with U.S. DEA and the U.S. Embassy [...] |
2009-08-28 08:42:00 | Embassy Vientiane | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM LA PREL SNAR |
09VIENTIANE424 |
UPDATE - ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSON EFFORTS IN LAOS [...] The GOL, limited by resource constraints, continues to encourage anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) efforts by the international organizations and NGOs. The UN helps coordinate anti-trafficking efforts with donor partners, and several UN agencies and NGOs provide training, education, outreach [...] |
2009-09-01 08:36:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM ELAB ECON KTIP LA |
09VIENTIANE458 |
LAOS REACHES OUT TO "DIASPORA" [...] The GOL estimates one million Lao live overseas, mostly in the U.S., France, Australia, Japan, Germany, and Belgium. In the U.S., Lao-Hmong and Lowland Lao make up the majority of the Diaspora. Although in the past the GOL made little attempt to engage with its Diaspora, the GOL now actively [...] |
2009-09-23 10:49:00 | Embassy Vientiane | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL PHUM EAID |