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Swine Fever Reaches Vientiane
African swine fever has spread from Xayabouly to Vientiane Capital, Phongsaly, Houaphanh, Xaysomboun and Luang Prabang. The outbreak has so far killed or forced the culling of 11,369 pigs, and authorities have begun to mandate disinfection of vehicles carrying pigs or pork. Farmers are required to report sick animals and keep their herds on the farm, and of course, anyone found in breach of the rules is looking at fines or legal action. With the disease killing nearly every infected pig, officials say that local pork shortages could be on the way.
Read more: Laotian Times
Ninth Circuit Reopens Baldwin's Casino Tab
The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals is letting the Lao government keep chasing casino entrepreneur John K. Baldwin and his firm, Bridge Capital, for more than $5 million. The dispute is an old one, going back to 2007, when Baldwin and his co-investor Shawn Scott set out to build a casino business near the Thai border. They opened Savan Vegas near the Friendship Bridge, but a second planned resort, Paksong Vegas, never came to fruition. Three arbitration tribunals ordered Lao Holdings and Sanum Investments to pay a combined sum of more than $5 million. A federal judge rejected the government's attempt to collect from Baldwin and Bridge Capital because their names were not specified in the awards. So, the appeals court didn’t exactly decide that they owe or don’t owe the money, it simply said that a lower court needs to consider whether the two were so entangled with the companies named in the awards that the distinction is irrelevant.
Read more: Casino.org
Champasak Raid Bags 22 Chinese, One Lao
Police in Bachiang Chaleunsouk district detained 23 suspected scammers after a tip from a neighbor. Officers took possession of 49 desktop computers, 237 (!) phones, 27 processors and seven voltage stabilizers from a rented house in Huasae village. Twenty-two of the suspects were Chinese and one was a Lao national.
Read more: Laotian Times
Loei Lines Up for a Mekong Bridge
Lao and Thai officials are looking at the possibility of a 400-meter bridge between Vientiane Province's Banvang checkpoint and Ban Khok Phai in Thailand's Pak Chom district. One potential site is near Highway 211, but officials have approved neither a location nor a budget or timetable. The proposal is the latest in a growing queue of cross-border projects. Thailand has already approved THB 1.78 billion ($55.4 million) for a Xiengman-Luang Prabang bridge, which is expected to open in 2031. A sixth Friendship Bridge between Salavanh and Ubon Ratchathani could start construction in 2029.
Read more: Laotian Times
Thai-Indian Duo Plan Bolikhamxay Solar Farm
Developers are in consultations with villagers in Nam Ngiep and Khuay Oudom over a 100 MW solar plant that would occupy about 140 hectares. Thailand's APDL Solar Power came to an agreement with the government in February to begin a study of the site and has brought in Kosher Climate India as a partner. The plant is one of 12 proposed spots that would be built with the intention of shoring up dry-season electricity supplies as industrial demand continues to rise. The developers are also considering carbon credits, but have yet to decide on a construction date.
Read more: Laotian Times
Vientiane Adopts 43-Point Cluster Bomb Plan
Delegates at the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted the Vientiane Capital Action Plan, setting 43 tasks for 2027 to 2031. The plan runs the gamut from destroying stockpiles, to clearing land, supporting victims and (ahem) finding money for the work. An estimated 80 million unexploded items are thought remain in the ground, mostly cluster submunitions left from the 270 million that were dropped between 1964 and 1973. UXO Lao has made more than 2.08 million items safe since 1996. Conference president Thongsavan Phomvihane, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, underlined what’s perhaps the most important bit when he said the documents would be judged by what happens after delegates fly home. The delegates departed without any new pledges of donor money.
Read more: The Star
Houaphanh Shares Financial Indiscretions, Champasak Doesn't
Houaphanh's five-year inspection review found that 120 officials had broken party rules or state law, with administrative and corruption cases causing losses of more than LAK 12.8 billion ($570,800). Authorities expelled 45 party members, suspended 28 and disciplined another 37. They have recovered only a little more than a third of the money. Champasak province was somewhat less forthcoming. It reported prosecuting 37 people and inspecting 221 state investment projects, but shared no numbers for losses or recovered money.
Read more: Laotian Times, Laotian Times
Vientiane Hopes Tourists Will Stay Another Night
Vientiane saw 2.2 million visitors and won $621 million in revenue in 2025, ahead of its targets on both counts. The next opportunity is to get tourists to stay longer than the usual one or two nights. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and KOICA consultants have tied together visits to temples, markets and riverfront sites into seven routes under a "Slow Tourism" banner and are also studying a city pass modeled on those in Angkor Wat and Hoi An, in addition to Patuxay light shows and riverfront acrobatics to liven up the quiet evenings.
Read more: The Star, The Star (routes and QR guides), Laotian Times (heritage sites)
Chinese Military Medics Tour Four Cities
Chinese military medics trained more than 1,600 army clinicians and cadets in Vientiane, Pakse, Savannakhet and Attapeu in cardiac emergency care and rescue best-practices for mass casualty events. The Peace Train 2026 team is also running clinics at military medical stations and donated supplies to a Vientiane primary school.
Read more: Bastillepost (training), Chinamil (school donation)
Party Cadres Study Vietnam Playbook
Deputy Justice Minister Khamphan Bounphakhom has taken a Party delegation to Hanoi for theory exchanges and field trips as both governments set their longer-term plans. Laos is running its 10th five-year socioeconomic plan, and Vietnam is in the process of getting ready for its 14th National Party Congress. The Vietnamese hosts described the relationship with Laos in dutifully grand terms, saying that the tie-up was vital to both countries' security and development.
Read more: Qdnd
That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.
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