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4500 kipWEDNESDAY APRIL 27, 2016 ISSUE 95

The First National English Language Newspaper

Vientiane Times

CONTINUED PAGE 2

Times Reporters

The Technical Working Group ofthe Lao Forest Law Enforcement,Governance and Trade (FLEGT)

process has elaborated a rst draftTimber Legality Definition in

preparati on for the fir st face-t o-face FLEGT/Voluntary PartnershipAgreement (VPA) negotiations

bet ween Laos and the Europe anUnion.

The Department of ForestInspection of the Ministry ofAgriculture and Forestry is holdinga workshop to agree on the firststructure of the Timber LegalityDefinition with Principles, while

providing a venue to further discussthe draft Timber Legality Denitionof the Thematic Expert Group on LogLanding 1-3 in production forests.

The two-day workshop broughttogether 50 key stakeholders fromvarious government agencies, and

pr ivat e sector and ci vi l soci etyorganisations.

Having a concrete definitionon what is legal timber is crucial forLaos as it acts as an entry ticket togenerate new export opportunities inthe Asean Economic Community andother export markets such as Europe,the US, China, Asean, Australia,Japan and South Korea, requestinglegally veried timber, said DirectorGeneral of the Department of Industryand Handicraft, Ministry of Industryand Commerce, Mr ManohackRasachack.

Once legal timber is defined,the next milestone is to enhancethe competitiveness of the Lao

Laosprepares fortimber tradeagreementwith EU

Mr Manohack Rasachack.

Souksakhone Vaenkeo

The National Assembly (NA)approved the state budget plan forthe next ve years (2016-2020) lastweek, which will include a budgetdecit of 27,119 billion kip.

The deficit is in line with theparliaments approval of the five-year plan that sets the decit at 3.6

percent of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) with the maximum decit notto exceed 5 percent of GDP.

The ve-year budget sets a targetto collect revenue of not less than149,601 billion kip or 20 percentof GDP. This will be an increaseof 50,052 billion kip compared torevenue collected over the last veyears.

Of the next ve years targetedrevenue, 131,894 billion kip or 17.7

percent of GDP will be collected frominternal revenue, while 17,707 billion

kip or 2.4 percent of GDP is expectedto come from grants and aid.

The next ve years expenditureis limited to not exceeding 176,720

billion kip or 23.7 percent of GDP.State investment is set at 67,550

billion kip or 9.4 percent of GDPincluding internal capital, which is setat not exceeding 24,900 billion kip,while the remainder will come fromother sources.

Over the last five years (2011-2015), the government collectedrevenue of 99,549 billion kip,representing 24.6 percent of GDP,which exceeded the ve-year target toreach 19-21 percent of GDP.

The collected revenue includedinternal revenue amounting to 77,648

billion kip, representing 19.9 percentof GDP.

Over the last ve years, expenditurereached 118,639 billion kip, equivalentto 29.3 percent of GDP, which

exceeded the ve-year target of 22-25percent of GDP.

Over the past five years, Laosrecorded a budget decit of 19,090

billion kip representing 4.7 percent ofGDP, which was in line with the ve-year plan that set the budget decit at

between 3-5 percent of GDP.However, in some years Laos

recorded budget deficits above 5percent.

According to a recent governmentreport, the decit has increased from5,787 billion kip (equal to 5 percentof GDP) to 7,418 billion kip (equal to6.43 percent of GDP).

Economists have warned that thegovernment should not increase thedecit above 5 percent of GDP in thelong term as it might push the countryinto chronic debt.

A senior economist from theNat ion al Ec ono mic Re sea rchInstitute, Dr Leeber Leebouapao, told

Vientiane Timesthis week that raisingthe budget decit above 5 percentshould only be done in the short term,

but even then the government needsto cautiously manage debt.

The five-year budget plan wasapproved shortly after the NAapproved the 8th ve-year nationalsocio-economic development plan,which set a target for annual economicgrowth of not less than 7.5 percent.

Laos needs investment capital of223,000 billion kip or 30 percent ofGDP to nance the ve-year plan andachieve its development targets.

Of this amount, domesticinvestment should account for 9-11

percent of overall investment with12-16 percent to be sourced fromgrants and loans. Private investment

by domestic and foreign investorsis set to cover 54-57 percent whileinvestment from the banking systemis set to account for 19-21 percent.

Five-year budget approved, decit continues

Khonesavanh Latsaphao

Hundred of houses in Laos andThailand have lost their roofs inrecent days during storms and squallsthat whipped through parts of bothcountries.

Since the Lao New Year (Pi MaiLao) holiday ended in the middleof the month, storms have batteredseveral provinces in Laos.

A resident of Phonsa-at villagein Thakhaek district, Khammuan

province, told Vientiane Times on

Tuesday that a storm rampagedthrough the area in the afternoon.

On my way home, after the rainhad stopped, I saw that some houseshad no roofs and some trees had

been toppled by heavy winds, butthere may be more damage in remoteareas, he said.

On Friday and Saturday scoresof roofs on houses and schoolswere damaged when s tormshit, especially in Nongbok andYommalath districts of Khammuan

province.Thailands Nakhon Phanom

pr ov ince co ul d al so have be enaffected as it borders Khammuanalong the Mekong River.

Thailand's MeteorologicalDepartment warned on April 26 that

thundershowers were likely in theprovinces of Chiang Rai, Lampang,Na n, Ph ra e, Phet chab un , Lo ei ,Udon Thani, Nong Khai, BuengkanSakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom,

Storms ravage localised areasin Laos, Thailand

The fence surrounding Sikhottabong stupa in Thakaek district, Khammuan province, came down in high winds yesterdayafternoon. --Photo Somsack Duangpanya

Chaiyabhum, Nakhon Ratchasima,Nakhon Nayok, Prachi Buri and Sa

Kaeo.According to the Bangkok Post,

hundreds of houses were damagedand an elderly woman was killedin her orchard when a storm passed

through Nan and Phrae districts onMonday evening.

In Laos, from last Friday toTuesday storms caused damage inLuang Prabang, Khammuan andOudomxay provinces.

In Luang Prabang province, three

people are known to have died sinceFriday after storms hit several parts

of the province.Over the weekend, a person on a

boat died when the craft sank while itwas moored on the Mekong riverbank

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2 Vientiane TimesHome news Wednesday April 27, 2016

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Times Reporters

The government of Germanywill continue to support thevocational training sectorin Laos through the KfWDevelopment Bank in the formof nancial cooperation.

So far, 10 vocational schoolsaround the country, includingthe Lao-German TechnicalCollege in Vientiane, have

been rehabilit ated or newlyconstructed and equipped withmachinery, teaching materialsand tools for specic trades.

In the northern provinces,these schools are located inOudomxay, Xieng Khuang,Luang Namtha, Phongsaly,Huaphan and Xayaboury andhave been operating since

2010.In the southern provinces,there are three schools inXekong, Saravan and Attapeu

provinces that began operationsin 2014.

The current situation wasoutlined yesterday at theinaugural ceremony for a newstudent dormitory at the Lao-German Technical College inVientiane.

To meet the needs of theprivate sector, the college hasreceived financial supportamounting to 3.8 million eurosfrom the German government

( t h e L a o g o v e r n m e n tcontribution amounts to about

20 percent) for the constructionof three new buildings, up-to-date equipment for varioustrades, and the construction ofa student dormitory.

The new dormitory willbe able to accommodate anadditional 200 students inclose proximity to the collegecampus. Currently, the collegehas over 1,000 students and is

planning to grow further.In May 2015, two new

workshops and equipment forthe electric and automotivesections were inaugurated andofcially handed over to thecollege.

Speaking at the event,Deputy Minister of Education

and Sports Mr BoualanSilipanya said the governmenthighly valued the expertise ofGermany, the leading countryin vocational education, sayingLao-German cooperationis a progressive programmewith high investment; thedevelopment of vocationaleducation institutions is the

platform for building skilledand qualified labour innumerous trades and levels.

Mr Boualan said the newdormitory will give morestudents access to vocationaltraining, contributing to Laos

Germany extends supportfor vocational education

(From left) Assoc.Prof. Dr Som Ock Kingsada, Mr Michael Grau, Mr Boualan Silipanya and Mr SomlithVirivong cut a ribbon to ofcially open the new dormitory.

poverty reducti on plan andthe goal to exit from Least

Developed Country status by2020.Skilled and qualified

workers are essential forstrengthening the regional andinternational competitivenessof Lao companies andsuccessful integration in theAsean Economic Community,the German Ambassador toLaos Mr Michael Grau said.

College Director MrSomlith Virivong said thenew furnished facility willenable more students from the

provinces and disadvantagedgroups to study at the college.

One of the main driverso f n a t i o n a l e c o n o m i cd e v e l o p m e n t , b e s i d e s

economic growth and adynamic private sector, is askilled pool of workers.

As the shortage of qualiedskilled workers in severalsectors persists, the Lao-German Vocational TrainingProgramme aims to train young

people for the Lao labourmarket.

Yesterdays event wasattended by Deputy Ministerof Health and President ofthe Lao-German FriendshipAssociation, Assoc. Prof. DrSom Ock Kingsada, and otherinvited guests.

Times Reporters

The Association for Autism

is seeking to raise additionalfunds to assist with vocationaltraining for autistic childrenin Laos.

Autism spectrum disorderand autism are both generalterms for a group of complexdisorders of brain development.

These disorders arecharacterised, in varyingdegrees, by difficulties insocial interaction, verbal andnonverbal communication andrepetitive behaviors.

P r e s i d e n t o f t h eAssociation for Autism MsPhokham Douangdala toldVientiane Times on Tuesdaythe association needs morefunds to assist autistic children

by suppor ting them througheducation and vocationaltraining.

Last year we raised over80 million kip to assist autisticchildren and this year we needmore funds, she said.

Every year in April wehold activities to celebrateWorld Autism Day and raise

money by selling the productsproduced by autistic childrenand also maintain donation

boxes, she said.Currently the associationis helping 16 autistic children

by providing food for them andpaying for their education.

We are focused onproviding vocational trainingfor them, such as teachingthem screen printing and howto grow organic vegetables, MsPokham said.

The Vientiane AutismCentre (VAC) was foundedin 2009 and is operated by theAssociation for Autism, a non-

prot association of parents ofchildren with autism registeredwith the Ministry of HomeAffairs.

The VAC currently caters

for 40 children starting fromthe age of two. The oldestlearners at the centre are 17years old.

The centre also providesopportunities for inclusiveeducation at primary andsecondary school levels andwill offer vocational trainingafter the installation of the new

equipment and teachers andtrainers are prepared for theirnew task.

M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o rMr Philippe Roolant andm a n a g e m e n t m e m b e r sof the Vientiane DiamondCutting Co., Ltd. handed overequipment worth US$14,976or about 121 million kip to MsPhokham.

The support is part ofVientiane Diamond CuttingCo. s Corpora te Socia lResponsibility policy and wasused to install a well-equippedcomputer cabinet for training

purposes as well as essentialequipment for food processingand a bakery at the VAC whichis run by the association.

With this essential supportthe Association for Autism

will be able to start vocationaltraining for teenagers withautism.

Anyone who wants topar tic ipa te or donate cash,equipment or materials shouldcontact the Association forAutism office in Phonpapaovillage, Sisattanak district,Vientiane.

Autism association seeks additional funding

Managing Director and Management Members of Vientiane Diamond Cutting Co Ltd., Mr PhilippeRoolant (fourth left), hands over equipment worth US$14,976 or about 121 million kip to the Presidentof the Association for Autism Ms Phokham Douangdala (sixth right) on Tuesday.

Times Reporters

The ability to pass a vote ofno condence against anyonein national or state governing

bo di es wo ul d be a ma jo renhancement of the National

Assembly's powers.Assembly member for

Champassak province, MrMeksavanh Phomphithak,made the suggestion whilediscussing legislative bodydevelopment at the inauguralsession of the Assembly whichended last week.

A no-confidence votewould help to enhance theeffectiveness and capacity ofthe National Assembly, he said.

Mr Meksavanh referredto a National Assembly VicePresident's statement that theAssembly would not addressmotions of no confidence,

bu t in st ea d ev al ua te th eperformance of government

and s ta te of f ic ia ls . MrMeksavanh said this statementrepresented a setback for theAssembly.

Article 12 of the Law onNational Assembly stipulatesthat the body has the right toa no condence vote against a

member of the government, oragainst the whole government,following a proposal by theAssembly Standing Committeeor by at least one-fourth ofAssembly members.

In fact, expression of

a motion of no confidenceis authorised in the law. Itis part of the power of the

Nat ional Assembly as wel las of the people through theirassignation of the Assemblyto regulate the activities ofadministrative and judiciary

bodies, Mr Meksavanh said.He suggested following

the example of neighbouringcountries, where he said amember of government whodisplayed poor performancewas warned and given severalmonths to improve, andwould be congratulated if theyimproved and reprimanded ifthey did not.

Mr Meksavanh said that

if such a measure could notbe implemented, the demandsof the Prime Minister, whosaid he would rely on the

National Assembly to supportgovernment activities, wouldnot be realised.

With a view to creating

NA members mull introductionof stronger powers

greater transparency withinthe NA, Mr Meksavanh alsosuggested that legislation

be en ac te d to en ab le th eAssembly to give a vote of nocondence in the Assembly's

president, vice presidents or the

Assembly, saying the measurewould certainly increase the

body's power.Concerning Assembly

members, he suggested thatany problems that arose

be discussed ini tia lly, withmembership to be revoked

before the end of the currentNA term if necessary.

Mr Meksavanh a lsor ecommended t ha t t heAssembly make greater use ofmodern technology, saying thatunless members used email orother electronic channels tocommunicate, debates would

be ineffective.He cited the example of

the slow dissemination of

draft laws, which he saidtook place on the day thatdebate sessions began. Thisdid not give members timeto study them and resulted inunproductive debates and lawsthat were not approved in anefcient manner.

in Luang Prabang. Anotherperson was electrocuted inPakxaeng district when a tree

branch toppled an electricitypole, while a third died in Ngoydistrict after being struck bylightning.

An official from the

Storms ravage localised... FROM PAGE 1Luang Prabang provincialAdministration Office, MsSounipha Sormmalath, saidon Tuesday that hundreds ofroofs in the provinces eightdistricts had been damagedand some houses had been

blown over comple tely.

She said a powerful stormpassed through the provinceon Monday night, with strongwinds and heavy rain, as hadhappened on Friday. Theauthorities have yet to giveany details of the most recentdamage.

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Times Reporters

The rst meeting of the Cluster4: Ensuring food safety for

the Asean Post-2015 HealthDevelopment Agenda openedyesterday in Vientiane,featuring discussions onvarious activities related tofood safety.

The three-day meeting washosted by the Ministry of Healthand attended by representativesof the Asean Secretariat andofcials concerned with foodsafety matters from the 10Asean member states.

In his opening remarks,Minister of Health Assoc.Prof. Dr Bounkong Syhavongsaid food safety is an essential

pub lic hea lth iss ue. It is amajor concern for consumers,industry and government. As

such, the need to address itthroughout the food supplychain is compelling.

The importance of foodsafety has increased signicantlyin recent years following a seriesof global events associated withincidences of contamination andoutbreaks like contamination

by Escherichi a coli , dioxin,MCPD (chloropropanolcontamination of soy sauce),mad cow disease, and foot andmouth disease, Dr Bounkongadded.

In relation to that, thefood industry has seen growth

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

The Ministry of Labour andSocial Welfare has committedto providing clothing and shoesto help impoverished peoplewho have been affected byvarious weather extremes.

The Sharing Culture and ArtAssociation of the Republic ofKorea is funding the purchaseof clothes and shoes worth overUS$1.2 million, handing them

over to the Lao governmentfor distribution to people in thenorthern provinces, officialssaid recently.

Clothes and shoes werehanded over on Monday tothe Minister of Labour andSocial Welfare Dr KhamphengXaysompheng by the Chairmanof the Sharing Culture and ArtAssociation of Korea, Ms YooHyun Sook.

Speaking at the ceremony,Mr Khampheng said many

people aff ect ed by nat ura ldisasters are still waiting forhelp from the government.

He highly valued the supportfrom the Sharing Culture and ArtAssociation, whose donation will

help to improve the daily lives ofpoor people.

I want to thank MsYoo Hyun Sook for herorganisations assistance to

poor peo ple in Laos . Thisyear we have suffered variousweather extremes. After thecold weather hit in Januarythe government called for

stimulated by the advancementof food science and technology.

However, i t has alsocontributed to increasing the

likelihood of health hazards.Changes in consumers tastesand preferences have resultedin the inux of a wide varietyof foods which puts a burdenon the governments limitedresources to ensure food safety.

All these have immenseimpositions on the nationalgovernment to ensure foodsafety both for public healthas well as consumer health

pr ot ec ti on , Dr Bo un ko ngsaid.

The 12th AEGFS meetingheld in Jakarta, Indonesia lastyear, reviewed and discussedways forward for the AseanFood Safety ImprovementPlan (AFSIP 2). The ongoing

activities have been discussedand proposed to see cooperationin various activities related tofood safety.

T h e m e e t i n g a l s odeliberated and discussed the

proposed regional strategies,indicators, and targets for theHealth Cluster 4 on EnsuringFood Safety.

One of the most importantidentified activities in thecoming year is to addressmatters and activities in AFSIP2 in collaboration with partnerssuch as the Asean food safetyregulatory framework, Asean

Risk Assessment Centre,Asean food consumption data,and the consumer participationand empowerment project.

With the endorsementof the new Governance andImplementation Mechanismfor Asean Post-2015 HealthCooperation, the SectorOfficials Meeting on HealthDevelopment (SOMHD)which met during the 4thSOMHD Work Group Meetingfor Asean Post-2015 HealthCooperation, decided tolaunch the implementation ofthe Asean Post-2015 HealthDevelopment Agenda throughthe respective Clusters Meetingin 2016.

Dr Bounkong said Laosis focusing on food safety

promot ion, especi al ly theestablishment of legislation,

agreements and regulationsr ega rd i ng food s a f e t ymanagement and control.

The Law on Food wasimproved and approved in2011, along with policies andregulations on food safetywhich have been developed.

Besides that, Laos hasinitiated a survey of foodconsumption data to use inrisk assessment, as well as

promoting food analysis andbuilding strength on food safetymonitoring and inspectionaimed at protecting publichealth, he added.

The meeting chair and participants pose for a group photo.

Asean debates foodsafety issues

organisations, businesses andindividuals including NGOsto contribute what they couldto help those in the countrysnorth. Korea is one countrythat is presently supportingLaos.

Ms Yoo Hyun Sook saidWe received information fromsocial media about the peopleaffected by the cold snap thathit Laos northern provinces.

A t t h e s a m e t i m e ,

the association receivedrepresentations from membersof the National Assembly inXieng Khuang province askingfor help, she added.

The association then calledfor organisations, businessesand individuals in Korea toraise money to help needy

people in Laos, with FILA

Korea Clothing among thecompanies responding to

provide clothes and shoes.According to the National

Disaster Prevention andControl Committee (NDPCC),following many donationsthe government has receivedover 800 million kip andUS$10,000.

They have promised thatall the money raised will beused to help those in need

while giving advice to localauthorities for the best use ofthe money.

Initially, the NDPCC isassisting people in the target

provinces by providing about50 million kip to the DisasterManagement and ClimateChange Department in each ofthe provinces.

Korean organisation provides aid toneedy northerners

Dr Khampheng Xaysompheng (fourth right) and Ms Yoo Hyun Sook(fth right).

timber industry through theimprovement of the supply ofraw materials, qualicationsof staff and workers in thewood processing industry,sec tor associa t ions andaccess to market and productinformation for each individualcompany, he added.

A well-dened descriptionof what legal timber is willgenerate advantage to a seriesof stakeholders, rangingfrom local communities tothe private sector and relatedgovernment agencies.

F o r e s t d e p e n d e n tcommunities in Laos will

be ab le to ma in ta in thei r

livelihoods in a sustainableway as they will be ableto exercise their rights toaccess resources in areas asallowed and managed by thegovernment.

Company owners especiallyin timber processing, furnitureand handicraft industries will

be able to plan their operations

more effectively due to a moreregulated and sustainablesupply of raw material.

Definitions of legally-pr od uce d t im ber sh ou ldincorporate laws applicablenot only to a countrysforest sector but also otherre levant areas , namelyindustry and commerce,imports and exports, SeniorInternational Adviser tothe German DevelopmentCooperations project Supportto the Lao EU-FLEGT process(ProFLEGT), implemented

b y t h e G I Z ( D e u t s c hGesellschaft fuer InternationalZusammenarbeit), Mr Heiko

Woerner said.C o n d u c t i n g w i d econsu l t a t i ons wi t h a l linterested parties ensures thatthe different stakeholderssuch as local and indigenouscommunities, the privatesector and the government

jointly benet from legal tradein wood products, he addedd.

Dur i ng t he t wo-dayworkshop, participants alsodiscussed the scope of theFLEGT/VPA negotiationsregarding product, marketdestinations and timbersources with the study resultsof the supply chain controland verification proceduresin natural production forests

presented.As part of the Action Plan

on FLEGT to combat illegallogging globally, the EU isconcluding VPAs with timber

producing countries.A VPA is an international

trade agreement to reduceillegal wood harvesting and

promote legal timber trade.The legal denition of timberforms an important componentof timber legality assurancesystems that are part of VPAs.

Laos ha s s t a r t ed t onegotiate such an agreementwith the EU with assistancefrom the GIZ project supportto the Lao EU-FLEGT process.

Laos prepares for ... FROM PAGE 1

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

Laos is marking WorldIntellectual Property Day by

promoting local products andeconomic wisdom and creatingconditions conducive to modernindustrial development.

But the country needsmore researchers, scientists,innovators, creators andstudents to be aware of and

prot ec t La os in te ll ec tu alproperty.

These were the wordsof the Minister of Scienceand Technology, Prof. DrBoviengkham Vongdara, whenhe opened the IntellectualProperty (IP) Fair at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane yesterday.The fair runs until May 1.

World Intellectual PropertyDay focuses on the use anddevelopment of intellectual

property for the bett ermentof the country, Prof. DrBoviengkham said.

Over 200 local and foreign

firms have set up booths atthe fair.

Speaking at the openingceremony of the fair andWorld Intellectual PropertyDay, he said that Laos togetherwith other members of theWorld Intellectual Property

Organisation had arrangedevents including the fair inVientiane under the sloganStrengthening intellectual

property for socio- economicand sustainable development.

He said the celebrationo f W o r l d I n t e l l e c t u a lProperty Day aims to createawareness of the importanceof intellectual property forsocio- economic development.The day is also an expressionof respect and admiration forthe work, achievements andwisdom of researchers andinventors and their creativity infurthering the development ofmankind, promoting researchand transferring technical

knowledge from developed

countries to countries that arestill developing.

T h e p r o t e c t i o n o fintellectual property applies toindustrial designs, the layout ofintegrated circuits, trademarks,geographical indications, new

plant varieties, copyright andrelated rights and traditionalknowledge, he added.

In addition to the fair, theDepartment of IntellectualProperty will provide adviceon the topic through seminars.It will also help with theregistration of industrial

property and information oncopyright and related rights.Every evening of the fair willfeature concerts by local artistsand other entertainers, theminister said.

He said that this year sawthe registration of severalspecial products including highqualitykhao kai noirice grownin Xieng Khuang and Huaphan

provinces and the coffee grownon the Bolaven Plateau, as wellas other products. In addition tothe registration of these items,new plant varieties will beregistered in the near future.

Prof. Dr Boviengkham saidthat in recent years 38,000trademarks had been registered,400 patents applied for, 400industry design applicationsled, 448 copyright informationitems recorded and 92 cases ofintellectual property disputehad been resolved.

These procedures aimedto protect intellectual propertyrights and create justice insociety, contributing to thesustainable socio-economic and

cultural development of Laos.

Laos marks WorldIntellectual Property Day

Prof. Dr Boviengkham Vongdara (rst right) visits a booth at theIntellectual Property Fair at Lao-ITECC in Vientiane.

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4 Vientiane TimesHome news Wednesday April 27, 2016

News in Brief

Xieng Khuang needs 7 billion kip to alleviate povertyXieng Khuang province needs about 7 billion kip to invest in povertyreduction projects this scal year, the Social-economicnewspaperreported.The provincial Planning and Investment Department reported recentlythey had set a target for the number of poor villages to fall to 71, or14.6 percent of all villages in the province, and for 53 developmentvillages to be established.Eleven development villages are planned for Paek district, nine forKham district, 15 for Nonghet district, ve for Phoukoud district, two

for Phaxay district, ve for Khoun district and six villages for Mokmaydistrict.

Man arrested for fraudVientiane police recently arrested a man on suspicion of cheating 10

people out of about 1.4 million baht, theKhuamsangobnewspaperreported.A man representing the 10 victims, Mr Bountem, of Huayhong village,Chanthabouly district, told police that a Mr Vongsavanh had taken theirmoney, promising to nd them work with a government agency.Police arrested Mr Vongsavanh, 55, of Thatluang-Kang village,Xaysettha district, and are conducting enquiries into the case.

Xaysomboun ofcials conscate expired shop goodsHealth Ofce ofcials in Hom district, Xaysomboun province, haveconscated retail items that were past their sell-by date in shops andmarkets, thePasaxonnewspaper reported yesterday.Most of the goods were drinks, milk and other items worth about 3million kip.Elsewhere, the Industry and Commerce Department in Phieng

district, Xayaboury province, recently disposed of expired goods afterconscating them from local vendors, with a value of more than 22million kip.Ofcials warned the vendors not to sell expired goods because it isagainst the law and will ne them if they repeat the offence.

Bridge construction in Savannakhet 80 percent completeSix bridges on Road No. 11 between Kaysone Phomvihane andXayphouthong districts, Savannakhet province, will be complete beforethe start of the rainy season, thePathetlao Dailynewspaper reportedyesterday.The builder said the bridges were now 80 percent complete and

pledged they would be open to trafc before the rains arrive.Meanwhile the authorities also inspected the upgrade of a road between

Nongkhone and Nakhayom villages in Songkhon district, which is now60 percent complete. The price tag for the upgrade is almost ve billionkip and the completion date is set for the end of this year.

Times Reporters

The Australian International School(AIS) in Vientiane is spearheadingthe English Literacy OutreachProgramme for primary schools

to help young Lao children learnEnglish.

The school will send its Year 11and Year 12 students to NongduangPrimary School, Sikhottabongdistrict, to teach English to over 100students.

AIS recognises that Laos lacksthe resources to teach English toall young children. This is why theschool intends to teach children usingthe Lao national English programme.

In an interview, AIS DirectorMs Sakdina Rosant said the Englishoutreach programme is expected toexpand to Thintom Primary Schoolin Hadxaifong district, and to otherschools in the near future.

The programme is unique to

AIS at the moment. We are the onlyschool that extends a helping handto students at other schools whose

prociency in the English languageis obviously wanting, Ms Sakdinasaid.

So we are challenging otherschools, especially those withinternational status, to emulate ourlead so we can equip Lao youthwith the prociency they need in theEnglish language.

Just like me, all my peers arecurious and excited to start teachingEnglish to children in other schools,said Mr Aop Chanthalavong, a year12 student and President of the AIS

Supreme Student Government.

Its the rst time for most of us.So were trying to gure out what itmight be like to mentor students withlittle knowledge of English.

Mr Aop also said he and the otherstudents are touched by the trust thatAIS has placed in them.

The school is noted for itsexcellence in providing world classeducation and for its philanthropicwork, which is rare in the educationsector.

Every Christmas and New Year,the school hosts an AIS CharityDrive and encourages staff, studentsand parents to volunteer for the cause.

Programme participants know

that people from the northernmost

parts of Laos experience the mostsevere winter cold in the country.So in the spirit of holiday cheer, AISdistributes comforters, blankets,sweaters and other items to keeplocals warm.

It is heart-warming that theoff-campus involvement of AISstudents is positively acknowledged

by society.In other news, AIS is creating

a science exhibition. The public isinvited to this annual exhibit whenexperimental student projects will bedisplayed. There will also be variousgames to try. The daylong exhibitionwill take place on May 18.

Intl school students becometeachers of English

Nongduang Primary School children learn English with AIS students.

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Vientiane Times Wednesday April 27, 2016 Photo news 5

Ofcials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism pose with Director General of thePlanning and Finance Department, Ms Phengchanh Phengmeuang (front, fth right), and DirectorGeneral of the International Cooperation Department, Mr Bounleuan Boupha (fourth right) aftera workshop to improve mechanisms in implementing cooperation with foreign countries in theeld of information, culture and tourism.

Residents of Luang Prabang province clear fallen trees after the province was hit by a storm onMonday.

Monks and novices at Xiengthong temple, one of the oldest and most well known in LuangPrabang province, remove a mango tree that fell down in high winds on Monday.

Twelve Asean journalists visit the Indonesia National Museum in Jakarta as part of the JournalistVisit Programme for the Southeast Asia Region from April 10-21.

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6 Vientiane TimesWednesday April 27, 2016

Region

In brief from AsiaNews Network

House for sale

Locaon: Phonthan Village, Xayseha District, Vienane

Near Lao Stock Exchange, 5 bedrooms,3 bathrooms

+ 3small room, 1,845m Price: 430$/m

( 3,500,000kip/m)

Tel: 020 55111511

Thailand hoping theUS will recognise itsanti-trafcking workTHAILAND (The Nation)-- Thai authorities haveimplemented variousmeasures to tackle human

trafcking and illegallabour issues over the

past year in hope of anupgrade on the countrysranking by the US StateDepartment, which isdue to release its annualreport in June. Last year,Thailand was left in Tier3, the lowest level in theUS Trafcking In Persons(TIP) report which coverscountries across the world.Tiraphol Khunmuang, aspokesman for the LabourMinistry, said a centreheaded by the ministry's

permanent secretary toght human trafckingand illegal labour, hadtaken action to suppressand prevent trafcking, aswell as providing remediesto people affected by suchillegal activity.

Govt urgesIndonesians totransform shoppinghabitsINDONESIA (The JakartaPost, ANN) -- Along witheconomic transformation,the government wantsIndonesian consumers tochange their habits and

become smart consumersto strengthen thecompetitiveness of local

products.

Trade Minister ThomasLembong said thegovernment was focusedon transforming theconsumer-based economyinto an investmentand production-basedeconomy. "To improve thequality of local products,Indonesian consumersshould be aware of

product classes, Thomassaid during the NationalConsumer Day ceremonyin Jakarta on Tuesday.

New techniqueshortens virusdetection timeVIETNAM (The Vietnam

News) -- The NationalInstitute of Hematologyand Blood Transfusion(NIHBT) on Tuesdayannounced it wouldofcially apply nucleicacid testing (NAT) in the

blood screening process.NAT techniques willreduce the risk of HIV,hepatitis infections andincrease safety in bloodtransfusions.Institute director NguynAnh Tr said NATtechniques would helpshorten the window

periods in HIV, Hepatitis Bvirus (HBV) and HepatitisC virus (HCV) detection.

It helps detect the HCVvirus after 30-40 days ofexposure (down from 90days). The HBV virus can

be detected in 20-30 days(saving 30 days) and theHIV virus can be detectedin 11 days (saving 11days), Tr said.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia(AP) -- The prime ministerTuesday called upon allelements in Cambodiansociety to mobilize to helpdeal with the worst drought inat least four decades, whichhas left about two-thirds of thecountrys 25 provinces short ofwater for drinking and othernecessities.

The armed forces, civilservants, the Red Cross and

political parties must all pitchin to ensure adequate watersupplies reach people, HunSen said in a speech in thenorthwestern province of

Banteay Meanchey.He said he has ordered all

NEW DELHI (AP) -- Indiaon Tuesday asked Pakistanto rein in terrorist groupsoperating from its soil andtargeting India, expressing

dissatisfaction with actiontaken so far against suspectsof an attack on an Indian airforce base in January.

During a meeting withvisiting Pakistani ForeignSecretary Aizaz AhmedChaudhry in New Delhi, Indiasaid it emphasized the needfor early and visible progresson investigation into theattack that killed seven Indiansoldiers and disrupted peacetalks between the two nationsover Kashmir and other issues.

Indias Foreign SecretaryS. Ja ishankar c lear lyconveyed that Pakistan cannot

be in denial on the impactof terrorism on the bilateral

relationship. Terrorist groupsbased in Pakis tan targetingIndia must not be allowed tooperate with impunity, IndiasExternal Affairs Ministry said.

Pakistan says it has arrestedseveral suspects belonging toJaish-e-Mohammad, a militantgroup and detained its leader as

part of its investigation. Indiawants Pakistan to quickly

prosecute them.Last month, Pakistan sent

five investigators to Indiato probe the attack. Indiaappears to be evaluatingPakistans response before itsends Jaishankar to Pakistan toresume the peace talks.

M ANILA (Xi nhua ) - -Some 120 senior transportofficials and delegates fromthe 10-member states of theAssociation of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) anddialogue partners convenedhere Tuesday to discussinitiatives that will furtherenhance transport connectivityin the region.

In a s ta tement , theDepartment of Transportationand Communications (DOTC)said the 41st Senior TransportOfcials Meeting (STOM) willtake place until Thursday.

Todays event also allowsus to pursue further cooperativework in the transportation sectorthat will enhance regionalcohesion and provide higherquality of life for the people,said DOTC Assistant Secretaryfor Planning SherielysseBonifacio, chairperson ofthe meeting, in her openingstatement.

On Tuesday, a statement bythe Pakistan High Commissionin New Delhi made nomention of the progress madein investigating the attack.

Instead, it said Chaudhryurged for an early renewal ofdialogue between the two sidesover Kashmir.

Chaudhry also took upwith his Indian counterpartthe recent capture of an Indianspy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, inPakistan and expressed seriousconcern over the Indianintelligence agency, calledthe Research and AnalysisWing, and its involvementin subversive activities inBaluchistan and Karachi, thestatement said.

Indias External AffairsMinistry demanded immediateconsular access to Jadhav, aformer Indian naval ofcer. It

accused Pakistan of abductinghim without giving any details.Jadhav runs a business in Iran.

The meeting betweenIndian and Pakistani ofcialscame on the sidelines of aconference in the Indiancapital for bringing peace andstability to Afghanistan.

Ind i a , Afghan i s t an ,Azerbaijan, China, India,Iran, Kazakhstan, KyrgyzRepublic, Pakistan, Russiaand Saudi Arabia are amongthe countries participatingin the Heart of Asia-IstanbulProcess initiative, which waslaunched in 2011 to promoteAfghan peace efforts.

The DOTC said thetransport sector will alsoembark on new projects and

programs as it adopts the KualaLumpur Transport StrategicPlan (KLTSP) 2016-2025,the successor document thatoutlines 30 specic goals, 78actions and 221 milestones inthe ve areas of transportation,such as air, land, maritime,transport facilitation andsustainable transport, toguide the ASEAN economicintegration from 2016 to 2025.

ASEANs dialogue partnersfor this meeting includeChina, the European Union,Japan,South Korea and Russia,the department said.

The 41st STOM will alsoopen the door to the United

Nations Economic and SocialCommission for Asia andthe Pacific (UNESCAP) for

possible collaboration betweenASEAN and UNESCAP in thefuture, it added.

India asks Pakistan to curb

terror groups targeting India

ASEAN senior transport ofcialsmeeting kicks off in Philippines

provincial governors to stay intheir home areas to help peopleinstead of attending meetingsin the capital. However, hesaid he would not yet seek todeclare a state of emergency.

C a m b o d i a s b i g g e rneighbors to the east and west,Vietnam and Thailand, alsoare suffering from droughtsdescribed as the worst indecades. Scientists generallyhave blamed El Nino,a cyclical phenomenon ofwarmer water in the equatorialPacic Ocean that producesdrier and hotter-than-usualweather in Southeast Asia.

Particularly hard hit havebeen farmers, left in many

cases without water to irrigatetheir crops. Cambodias lastmajor drought, in 2005, causedfood shortages.

Hun Sen said he hadordered setting up a nationalframework to do whatever wecan to make sure that peoplehave water to use.

Do not leaving any peopleat risk of their lives because ofthis shortage of water, this ismy absolute order, he said.He appealed to the generosityof drinking water producersand other people to donatewater and money to help thosewithout supplies, adding thatrain is unlikely to come untilJune.

Cambodian shermen anchor their wooden boats on the Mekong riverbank near Phnom Penh.--Photo AP

PM Hun Sen says all Cambodians

must help deal with drought

Avis de changement dadresse InternetPour des raisons techniques ladresse du Rnovateur en ligne a t modie. Nous informonsnos dles lecteurs ainsi que nos sponsors quils pourront dornavant consulter le journalfrancophone quotidiennement sur le site : http://www.lerenovateur.la Nous vous prions de bienvouloir nous excuser pour ce dsagrment.La Direction de la Presse lao en langues trangres.

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Vientiane Times 77Wednesday April 27, 2016 Region

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Job Description:Human Resource & Admin ManagerPosition: Human Resource & Admin ManagerCompany Prole : Outspan Bolovensis a leading player in Coffee

Plantations in PaksongPlace of assignment: Pakse, LaosLanguage required: Lao with good communication skills in EnglishQualication:University degree in relevant eldStarting Date: May 23rd2016KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Roll out key HR processes including PMP, Rewards, C&B, Learning

& Development Drive recruitment process for key positions Setup required policies Lead admin for the country operationsREQUIREMENTS 8 to 10 years of relevant experience in Human Resource Prior experience in agriculture industry will be a plusCONDITIONS

Salary : Net salary between 8,000,000 to 12,000,000 LAK pm Benets : Medical insurance cover, 13thmonths salary, annual

incentive

TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATIONInterested applicants should send their CV and cover letter by May6th2016 under the reference HRM

Application must be sent by email to naveen.chhabra@olamnet.com

SYDNEY (Xinhua) -- Pacicnations face the triple burdenof communicable diseases,non-communicable diseasesand associated wider healthimpacts as climate change

proves t o be the mostsignicant health threat of the

21st century, the World HealthOrganisation warns.

The pacic island nationsare the most vulnerable tohuman-induced climate changewith tangible associatedhealth affects already posinga challenge for the ill-equippedregional health systems.

T h e s e i n c l u d e t h eincreasing incidence of food-

borne, water-borne and vector-borne diseases such as DengueFever which is currentlyravaging the pacic, to moreserious health impacts of heatand natural disasters.

A s s u c h , h e a l t hconsiderations must beincorporated into national

KOREA (The Korea Herald,ANN) -- A Korean educationcivic group vowed Tuesdayto lead a nationwide anti-academic elitism movementaimed to discourage thecountrys excessive relianceon private education.

The World Without WorryAbout Shadow Educationsaid it launched a signature-collecting campaign to seeka law that legally mandatescompanies not to discriminateagainst applicants based ontheir academic backgrounds.

The aim of the project is toultimately root out what theysaid was the fundamental causeof Koreas excessive privateeducation burden, according tothe organisation.

The fundamental cause ofthe burden of private educationis not the education itself, butsocial problems such as theadmission system of colleges or

CHINA (China Daily, ANN)-- China is trying to deal withcopyright infringement on theinternet while embracing itsconvenience where everyonecan be a news carrier or a

story teller.The Supreme PeoplesCourt data released on April21 showed that 149,238i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t yinfringement cases were ledand 142,077 cases were dealtwith, up 11.49 percent and11.76 percent respectivelycompared to previous year.

Four days before the releaseof the data, The Beijing News

published a story revealingchain hotels using hazardouscleanser to wash sheets. Thereporter went undercover andspent a month working on thestory.

The report raised wideattention. However, the nextday, The Beijing News foundthat at least 163 websites hadreposted the story withoutasking their permission.

And its not a one-off case.Gonglushangdian, or

Roadstore, a media outletthat focuses on rock and roll,tatoos, cult lm, etc., regularlycarries many original stories.

It has a website as wellas ofcial accounts on socialmedia network such as SinaWeibo and WeChat. Over20,000 people follow theiraccount on Sina Weibo, andnearly every story sees over30,000 to 100,000 hits on itsWeChat account.

This small media outlet hasgradually attracted attentionand their stories have beenre-posted by other platformsor other accounts without

permission and even withoutcredit.

I n D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 ,Roadstore condemned manywebsite and platforms,including the big ones, andmany WeChat accounts forviolating its intellectual

policies and plans relevant toclimate change as the globe

begins to implement reformsto meet the Paris climateagreement targets, the WorldHealth Organisations HumanHealth and Climate Changein the Pacic Island Countriesreport released on Tuesdayshows.

Climate change is amajor challenge of our andcould prove to be the mostsignificant human healththreat of the 21st century,WHO regional director forthe Western Pacic, Dr ShinYoung-soo said in a statement.

Coordinated efforts ofmany different sectors areurgently needed to buildresilience to climate changein the Pacic.

The WHO has beenworking with pacific islandnations since 2010 to develophealth adaptation plans tocombat c l imate change

the way the job market works.Most parents recognise thatthere is discrimination amongschools in the recruitment

proc ess, said organ isat ionhead Song In-soo.

As the largest hurdle forstudents and job seekers tendsto be academic background,individuals invest money andtime to getting admissioninto prestigious schools.S t uden t s consequen t l yattempt to follow the eliteacademic cycle of going toan English kindergarten,

pri vate elementary school ,international middle schooland elite high school, he said.

According to governmentstatistics office StatisticsKoreas annual survey from2009 to 2013, the majorityof the respondents pickedthe importance of a schoolsname value in the job marketas the reason for spending

property rights.According to the company,

21 stories have been repostedwithout their permissionover thousands of times byhundreds of platforms, evenmainstream ones.

WeChat, the most popularsocial network platform inChina, is the worst-hit areawhere anyone can createan official account to passinformation as a media outlet.

According to reports fromXinhua in 2015, thousandsof official accounts repost

pop ul ar st ori es wi th outpermission and credit.

Many official accountsillegally repost others articlesand then apologized later,which became a commonoccurrence on WeChat.

Wang Xiaolei, a bookreviewer, is one of the victimsof copyright infringement, saidXinhua reports.

Another registered usercreated an account similar toWangs and reposted everyarticle of Wang without askinghis permission.

An internet analysis

Fighting copyright infringementa constant battle

o r g a n i z a t i o n P e n g u i nIntelligence said that WeChatofcial accounts that steal allthe popular stories are able towin more followers easily thanthat produce original works,said Xinhua.

The copycat accounts caneasily have over a millionfollowers while originalaccounts usually have about100,000 fans on average.

The numerous followersmean potential economic

benets. The copycats wideaudience is appealing toadvertisers who pay anywherefrom hundreds of yuan to50,000 yuan, according toXinhua.

WeChat had issued aregulation on intellectual

property right infringement inApril 2014 saying any repostwithout permission will bedeleted and the accountsof repeat offenders will be

blocked.B u t i t s n o t e a s y .

According to Xinhua report,the action taken on copyrightinfringement is far fromsatisfactory.

A picture illustration shows a WeChat app icon in Beijing.--Photo Agencies

Pacic nations face signicant humanhealth threat from climate change

Civic group campaigns against academic elitism

associated impacts, gaininga competitive advantage inclimate mitigation throught he UNs Sus t a i nab l eDevelopment Goals (SDGs).

However, adaptation at thenational level requires cross-sectoral collaboration bringing

t oge t he r gove rnmen t s ,international agencies, NGOsand communities to addressclimate changes healthimpacts, WHO Division ofPacific Technical Supportenvironmental health specialistDr Rokho Kim said.

Another way of puttingthis is to seek a health-in-all

policies approach, Kim said.The report scientifically

analyzed the impact ofclimate change on healthand adaptation strategies andevidence-based policy optionsfor 13 Pacic island countriesin an attempt to avoid themost serious health impacts ofclimate change.

money on private education.The g r ade -o r i en t ed

admission system of eliteschools and the prevalentculture of ranking schoolsstood at second and third,respectively.

While carrying out thesignature-collecting campaignwith 100,000 individuals to seekthe anti-academic elitism law, theorganisation will receive reportsof any discrimination casesand monitor the recruitment

processes of the public sector,it added.

It will also try to dissuadethe media from coveringrankings of schools.

The group, also known asWorld Without Worries AboutPrivate Education, has been

preparing for the campaignlaunch since 2014 through aseries of discussions, surveysand studies on the schooldiscrimination ban.

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World

MOSCOW (Xinhua) - -Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov confirmedMonday that Moscow andWashington have approveda system to monitor thecessation of combat actionsin Syria.

It is practically beingimplemented daily, duringthe regular contacts betweenthe authorities of the Russianmilitary base in Hmeimim andthe US soldiers in Amman(Jordanian capital), Lavrovtold reporters.

Dur i ng a t e l ephoneconve r sa t i on wi t h USSecretary of State John Kerry,Lavrov said that moderateSyrian opposition forcesshould leave the positionscontrolled by terrorist groups.

According to the minister,the early pullout of oppositionforces could block thechannels for extremists trying

PARIS (AP) -- A French railstrike has seriously disruptedtrain service around the country,

canceling a slew of train routesand snarling commutes forhundreds of thousands in Parisand in the provinces.

Frances national railcompany SNCF says half of

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua)-- UN Secretary-General BanKi-moon on Monday said thatalthough new malaria caseshave fallen by 18 percent since2000, the world is still far fromeliminating malaria, and Africaremains the biggest victim.

In Africa, where theburden of malaria is greatest,the mortality rate has fallen

by two-thirds, Ban said in hismessage for the World MalariaDay, which falls on April 25.

Between 2000 and 2015,an estimated six million deathsfrom malaria were averted,thanks in part to effortslinked with the MillenniumDevelopment Goals, a setof eight anti-poverty targetswhich was replaced in 2016 bythe Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, the secretary-generalsaid.

The increase in globalfinancing for malaria hasyielded impressive results, hesaid, adding that more than halfof the people in Africa are now

protected by mosquito nets,up from less than 2 percentin 2000.

The development anddistribution of rapid diagnostictests means cases can beidentified and action takenquickly to prevent furtherspread of the disease, Bansaid.

Investment in malariaprevention and treatment is oneof the most cost-effective waysto spend money, he said. TheWorld Health Organisationestimates that anti-malarial

efforts have saved US$900million in healthcare costsalone since 2001, in additionto the economic contributionsof people who would otherwise

be sick.Today, on World Malaria

Day, we should celebrate theseremarkable achievements in the

battle against one of the worldsbiggest killers, he said. Butsadly, we are still far fromeliminating malaria.

Last year, there were 214million new malaria cases andmore than 400,000 deaths, henoted, adding that nearly ninein 10 cases were in Africa.

Malaria is a formidableopponent, so there is noguarantee that progress will

continue, he said. If we lowerour guard, experience showsthat the disease may come

back. Mosqui toe s developresistance to insecticides andmalaria parasites can becomeresistant to medicines.

Ban has commend theWorld Health Assembly forsetting ambitious goals for2030: reducing malaria casesand mortality by at least 90

pe rc en t; an d el im in at in gmalaria in at least 35 countries.

Reaching these goals willrequire significantly greaterinvestment in ghting malaria.But it will take more thanmoney, he said. It will take

political will and leadership.On World Malaria Day,

as we celebrate our progressagainst this ancient killer, Icall on everyone involved toredouble our efforts to reach the2030 malaria goals, he said.

World Malaria Day isan international observancecommemorated every year on25 April and recognises globalefforts to control malaria.

to reinforce themselves.We have agreed with the

Americans that they woulduse their inuence on thesegood opposition membersand withdraw them, so that noone could impede to destroyJabhat al-Nusra, Lavrov saidin a transcript on the ministryswebsite.

He warned that the terroristgroup Jabhat al-Nusra wastrying to subdue the groupsthat seemed to have joined theceasere.

On the ongoing intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, Lavrovsaid they would continue,although some representativesof the Saudi-backed Syrianopposition, the Riyadh group,have left.

The situation duringthe talks in Geneva couldhave been much better if onedelegation of the oppositionhad not left Geneva, as they

the countrys high speed trainsare being canceled. It says oneout of three suburban trains are

similarly affected. In Paris,half of all suburban train tripswere hit.

Eurostar says its serviceslinking London with Brussels,France and other cities are

say, temporarily, Lavrov said.The minister called on all

Syrian forces not to slam thedoor and strike an attitudewith regard to the draftingof a new constitution andother political issues aimedat resolving the Syrian crisis.

Earlier in the day, Kremlinspokesman Dmitry Peskovexpressed concern over thedeterioration of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, whichare still continuing despitethe pullout of a delegationof Syrias main opposition,the High Negot ia t ionsCommittee (HNC), fromformal negotiations.

The failure of reachingcommon political ground

b e t w e e n t h e S y r i a ngovernment and the oppositionhas sparked a new wave ofviolence, threatening thealready-shaky truce imposedon Syria in February.

unaffected. Thalys, whichruns trains between France,Belgium and Germany, told

its customers to expect somedisruptions.Tuesdays strike stems from

a dispute with managementover working hours, overtime,compensation and travel.

US, EU leaders agree on close coordination

to address major challenges

World still farfrom eliminating

malaria

US President Barack Obama (left) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a press conferencein Hannover, Germany. --Photo Xinhua

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)-- Hundreds of taxi drivershave been driving slowly onBudapests main thoroughfaresto protest ride-hailing apps likeUber and what they say is agrowing market for unlicensed

passenger transport.Taxi drivers have also

parked in a long line on oneside of the Chain Bridgndndeacross the Danube River,f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t i n gdowntown trafc.

Drivers say they haveinvested heavily to complywith regulations which, for

example, compel Budapesttaxi cabs to be painted yellow.

G e z a G o t t l i e b , a norganiser of Tuesdays

protest, says ove r 50 percentof the taxi trade is part of the

black economy, carryingpa ss en ge rs il le ga ll y an dwithout permits.

Gottlieb said that whileauthorities had carried outsome show procedures,including removing license

plates off unlicensed taxis,nothing had really changedsince similar protests earlierthis year

Hundreds of taxis slowtrafc in anti-Uber protest

Taxi drivers line up their vehicles at Heroes Square during theirdemonstration against the use of Uber rideshare application indowntown Budapest, Hungary. --Photo AP

French rail strike disrupts commutersacross the country

Commutersarrive at theGare de lEsttrain station inParis, Tuesday,April 26, 2016.Frances sixrail unionshave issueda joint callfor a one-daystrike that isset to disruptlocal andnational traintrafc, but notinternationallines.--Photo AP

RIO DE JANEIRO - -(Xinhua) -- The stormswhich affected Brazils Rio

Grande do Sul state over theweekend caused one deathand left extensive damage,local authorities said onMonday.

Irineu Aloisio Huber, 66,died in the town of Campinadas Missoes, in the statesnorthwestern region, as theflood of the PessegueirinhoRiver, with the water levelrising nine meters above itsusual levels, ushed away thevictims house.

In Po r t o Xav i e r , asherman was washed away

by the waters of the UruguayRiver, one of the largest in thearea, on Sunday. Rescue teamsare still searching for him.

In the nearby Sao Migueldas Missoes, a tornadodestroyed some 70 houses,a hospital and a museum,injuring eight people.

The tornado also damagedthe regions power networkand caused minor damage toother towns.

Though Brazil is moreknown for natural disastersrelated to oods and summerstorms, heavy winds arecommon in the countryssouthern region.

Tornado kills one, causesdamage in southern Brazil

Les numros du journal Le Rnovateur du

mois de janvier 2011 fvrier 2015 sont

disponibles sur CD-ROM au bureau de la

Presse lao en langues trangres (service

Vientiane Times), Ban Phonpapao, unit 32,

arrondissement de Sisattanak, Vientiane.

BP : 5723.Contact Tel : (856-21) 33 60 42 ; 33 60 48

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Vientiane Times 9

BusinessRead more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Wednesday April 27, 2016

Euro 50-500 9,108 9,154

Foreign Currencies Buying Selling

US Dollar 50-100

Thai Baht

8,098

231.15

8,138

232.88

Exchange rates as of April 26, 2016

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public

Times Reporters

Trade mi s s i on even t sorganised by the Korea TradeInvestment Promotion Agency(KOTRA) in Vientiane are

promoting trading, investmentand cooperation between Laoand Korean businesses.

The number of Laocompanies that have signed

trade contracts with Koreancompanies has increased sincethese events took place.

The rst trade mission of2016 was held in Vientianeyesterday. KOTRA invited 10Korean companies with highquality products - includingmassage machines, LEDlighting, power switches, hairdryers, face cleaning brushes,

The rst Korean trade mission held in Vientiane in 2016.

Trade mission promotesLao-Korean business

concrete forms, Eco-hi balls,steam cookers, CCTV cameras,leather wax, and shoe polish- to present their productsand business cooperationopportunities to Lao businessoperators.

The agency organisessimilar events about four orve times a year and alwaysreceives good feedback.

The most popular Koreanproducts in Laos are cosmetics,medicines, food and electronicequipment.

KOTRA will support Laocompany booths displayingLao products at an exhibition inKorea, and arrange a study tourand an information exchangeon business operations.

KOTRA Vientiane is the

commercial section of theEmbassy of the Republic ofKorea to Laos. It supportsoverseas expansion andsubstantial trade for bothKorean and Lao companies.

KOTRA is also a Koreanbusiness centre, where Koreanrms consult on investment and

business opportunities in Laos.The agency serves to

boost investment and tradecooperation between Laos andthe Republic of Korea. It alsoenhances relations between thetwo nations.

Trading and investmentbetween Laos and Korea isexpanding as both countries

boost coopera tion bet weentheir governments and privatesectors.

Somsack Pongkhao

The ination rate in Laoscontinued to decline inMarch, mainly driven

by the falling price of fuel onthe world market.

As an importer of oil, Laoshas beneted from the fallingfuel prices as they help to lower

production costs, ensuring thesupply of products satisfiesdemand.

An economist from theFaculty of Economics andBusiness Management at the

National University of Laos,Dr Phouphet Kyophilavong,told Vientiane Timesyesterdaythat business operators whoare impacted by fuel prices,especially in the transportsector, would benet from thedeclining oil prices.

However, the fall inginflation rate is concurrentwith the global economicslowdown which has alsoimpacted Laos and investmenthas not grown as anticipated.

According to the Bank ofthe Lao PDR, the ConsumerPrice Index in January thisyear stood at 123.90 with theination rate at 0.84 percent.

Ination pursues

downward trend in MarchThis trended downwards

to 1.32 percent in Februaryand 1.13 percent in March.Generally speaking, theinflation rate in Laos hasstayed below the 2 percentfigure recorded in Februarylast year.

The general public is stillcomplaining about high pricesas products that involve fuelconsumption have not seenlower prices in line with thefalling cost of oil.

Dr Phouphet said Laos stillimports a lot of food items

from Thailand and if foodprices in Thailand rise, thiswill affect Laos. In Laos, thefood and transport categoryis the main factor drivingination.

The economy has grownmore slowly over the pastthree years, mainly as a resultof the slow growth of theglobal economy, particularlyin China.

According to a recent IMFreport, the global economyis projected to grow by 3.2

percent in 2016 and 3.5 percentin 2017.

IMF Managing DirectorChristine Lagarde has warned

that the recovery remains tooslow and too fragile, with therisk that persistent low growthcan have damaging effects onthe social and political fabricof many countries.

Oil exporting countriesin the Middle East lost aboutUS$390 billion in revenue dueto lower oil prices last yearand should brace for deeperlosses of about US$500 billionthis year.

In Laos, the Ministryof Industry and Commerceannounced a reduction in the

price of fuel across the countryfor the fourth time this year.

In Vientiane, petrol stationsshould sell premium grade

petrol for 7,610 kip per litreand regular petrol for 6,640 kip

per litre, while diesel is sellingfor 5,300 kip.

In general, the inflationrate has remained lower thanthe rate of economic growthwhich was recorded at 7.6

percent this year.Economists predict that

the economy will continueto grow at not less than 7.5

percent over the next ve year,which will be driven by theinvestment sector.

CHINA (China Daily) -- BOCAviation Ltd, Asias biggestaircraft-leasing company byasset value, has begun gaugingdemand for a Hong Kong

Top aircraft leasing rms IPOto raise US$1.5b

initial public offering thatcould raise as much as US$1.5

billion, people with knowledgeof the matter said on Monday.

The Singapore-based

company, owned by Bank ofChina Ltd, expects to starttaking investor orders in mid-May, according to the people,who asked not to be identiedas the information is private.It plans to start trading at theend of May.

The BOC said in a writtenstatement sent to China Daily:Seeking the spinoff andlisting will help BOC Aviationrealize its actual value andenhance the brand image of

the BOC Group.A c c o r d i n g t o t h e

statement, BOC Aviationled an application for listingon the Hong Kong StockExchange on March 4. AfterBOC Aviation gets listed,BOC will keep a controllingshare of the subsidiary whosenancial statistics will appearon the nancial statements ofthe group.

A man looks at an Airbus plane model during the Beijing InternationalAviation Expo in Beijing. BOC Aviation owned and managed 270aircraft at the end of 2015, with narrow-body planes from AirbusGroup SE and Boeing Co making up 79 percent of the total.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Global stock markets were mixed Tuesday ahead of US FederalReserve and Bank of Japan policy meetings later this week. Commodity prices ran out of steam,dragging on big miners.

KEEPING SCORE: Britains FTSE 100 rose 0.5 percent to 6,291.05 and Germanys DAXadded 0.4 percent to 10,337.23. Frances CAC 40 advanced 0.4 percent to 4,566.08. Futuresindicated that US stocks were set for moderate gains. Dow futures rose 0.3 percent while S&Pfutures also added 0.3 percent.

ANALYSTS TAKE: After a brief pause, share market volatility is set to resume this week ascentral bank meetings, important economic releases and US company reporting all offer potentiallygame changing assessments of the global economy and the fortunes of individual companies,said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

FED WATCH: Investors are not expecting the Federal Reserve to change policy this monthbut its two-day meeting this week will be watched for indications about its future moves. Theresult will be announced late Wednesday in Asia and will affect the regions nancial marketson Thursday.

Global stocks mixed ahead of centralbank meetings

7/25/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 95

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10 Vientiane TimesBusiness Wednesday April 27, 2016

IN BRIEF

Times Reporters

Kasikornthai Banki n L a o s h a sannounced that itwill accept some

Lao students to undertake on-the-job training at the mainofce of Kasikornthai Bankin Bangkok, Thailand.

Bank ofcials announcedthe four lucky students whowill be joining the projectyesterday, with two studentseach coming f rom the

National University of Laosand the Banking Institute inVientiane.

Over 100 students inVientiane applied for the

p r o g r a m m e w h i l e t h ebanks ofcials selec ted 12for interview. Through theinterview process, officialshave chosen four students to

join the programme.The on-the-job training

programme is set to run fromJune to August 2016, withthe four students to live in

Participants and lucky students pose for a group photo after the announcement that the studentswould join a job training project in Bangkok.

Lao banking students to trainin Bangkok with Kasikornthai

Bangkok for the duration ofthe three month project.The project has arranged

their air tickets and housinga n d w i l l c o v e r o t h e rexpenses during their stayin Bangkok, at a total cost ofabout 400,000 baht.

Head of the WorldB u s i n e s s S t r a t e g yManagement Departmento f t h e K a s i k o r n t h a iBank i n Tha i l and , M rChat Luangarpa, said the

p rog rammes ac t i v i t ie sfocus on developing careeradvancement to serve currentopenings in Laos throughdifferent means, including

job rotation and on-the-job

training.The main purpose ofthe programme is to train

personnel to support the banksoperations in Laos, which will

be expanded in the near future,said Mr Chat.

H e n o t e d t h a t t h eKasikornthai Bank onlyopened last year in Laos.

Over that yearlong period,the bank has not only runits business but also focusedon economic development,especially in educationa n d h u m a n r e s o u r c edevelopment.

Therefore, the bank haslaunched this programme todevelop human resources inLaos. The selected studentswill undergo on-the-jobtraining with the banks staffin Thailand, after which theywill return home to Laos to

put that knowledge to use.In the future the number

of participating students maybe increased, Mr Chat added.

He noted that commerce

between Laos and Thailandis growing rapidly, whichmeans Thailand is a toptrading partner of Laos.

The bilateral trade valuereached 193,200 million

baht in 2015, while tradealong the Laos-Thai borderaccounted for 90 percent ofthe trading value.

SOUTH KOREA (The KoreaHerald) -- President ParkGeun-hye said Tuesday thatshe will positively consider aKorean version of quantitativeeasing, reviving expectationsfor drastic new measures torevive the economy.

My stance is that theidea deserves pos i t iveconsideration, Park saiddur ing a meet ing wi thmanaging edi tors f rom

Park mulls quantitative easingprogramme to revive economy

President Park Geun-hye.

the nations major newsorganisations at Cheong WaDae. I will try to push for it,if deemed required.

The comments came as theAsias fourth-largest economyis estimated to have grown0.4 percent on-quarter in the

rst quarter of this year, theweakest in three quarters,with experts betting heavyon the economy missing thegovernments full-year growth

target of 3.1 percent.Dur i ng i t s e l e c t i on

campaign earlier, Parksruling Saenuri Party had

pledged a quantitative easingprogramme that envisioned the

Bank of Korea buying bondsissued by policy lender KoreaDevelopment Bank to supportcorporate restructuring, as wellas mortgage-backed securities.

The idea, which requiresrevision of related laws,suffered a setback as the partylost its parliamentary majorityin the elections.

Parks backing of thequantitative easing programmeis certain to spark anotherround of debate in Korea,where the central bank isholding its base interest rateunchanged at a record lowof 1.5 percent for the 10thconsecutive month.

Opposition parties have

countered that the pastimplementation of such amove by the Bank of Japan andthe European Central Bankshowed it was unsuccessful.

INDIA (The Statesman) --India may this year surpassChina in attracting foreigndirect investment, in terms of

percentage of its GDP, as thegap in inflows between thetwo has been narrowing onthe back of ongoing reforms

in the country, says a Nomurareport.

According to the Japanesefinancial services firm, thetrend of rising inows to Indiaand moderating inflows toChina began in 2013 and FDIinows to India can surpassthose into China this year.

We believe FDI inowsto India (as a percentageof GDP) can surpass thoseinto China in 2016, as Indiaalready has large investmentcommitments from MNCs in

India narrowing gap with Chinaon FDI inows

sectors like electronics, solarenergy, auto, defence andrailways, Nomura said in aresearch report.

FDI inows to India arepicking up. They rose from 1.7percent of GDP in 2014 to 2.1percent in 2015, narrowing the

gap with China (2.3 percent ofGDP in 2015).

These trends of risingi n f l o w s t o I n d i a a n dmoderating inows to Chinaare likely driven by a mix of

pull and push factors, such asdivergent growth outlooks,ongoing FDI liberalisation/economic reforms in India andrising labour costs in China,

Nomura said.Rising FDI inflows not

only provide a stable source ofnancing the current account

deficit, they also bring intechnical know-how, whichcan boost India s productivitygrowth in coming years, thereport said.

They can also be viewedas early evidence that reformsin India are bearing fruit,

Nomura added.Foreign Direct Investment

into India touched the highestever mark of US$51 billionduring April-February periodof last scal ended March 31,according to DIPP SecretaryRamesh Abhishek.

In fiscal year 2011-12,India had attracted FDI worthUS$46.55 billion. In nancialyear 2014-15, it was US$44.29

bil lio n. Thi s FDI inc ludesequity, re-invested earningsand other capital.

TOKYO (AP) -- MitsubishiMotors Corp., the Japaneseautomaker that acknowledgedl a s t week t ha t i t hadintentionally lied about fueleconomy data for some ofits models, said an internalinvestigation found suchtampering dated back to 1991.

President Tetsuro Aikawatold reporters Tuesday the probewas ongoing, suggesting thatmore irregularities might befound.

We dont know the wholepicture and we are in the processof trying to determine that, hesaid at a news conference at the

transport ministry. I feel a greatresponsibility.Aikawa said so much was

unknown that its uncertainwhat action the company willtake. He said he didnt knowwhy employees resorted tosuch tactics to make mileagelook better.

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Motors says false

mileage tests done since 1991Motors had repeatedly promisedto come clean after a massivescandal 15 years ago involvinga systematic cover-up of autodefects.

The inaccurate mileagetests involved 157,000 of itseK wagon and eK Space light

passenger cars, and 468,000Dayz and Dayz Roox vehicles

produced for Nissan Motor Co.The models are all so-

called minicars with tinyengines whose main attractionis generally great mileage. Theywere produced from March2013. The problem surfacedafter Nissan pointed out

inconsistencies in data.The automaker found thecompanys mileage goal forthe minicars that had been setin 2011 was suddenly raisedin 2013. Why that happened isunclear, according to ofcials.

Aikawa also said it wasunclear how customers weregoing to be compensated

because the extent of thecheating was still underinvestigation.

Mileage fraud is a violationof Japans fuel efciency lawfor autos because buyers areeligible for tax breaks if avehicle model delivers goodmileage. Possible penaltiesare sti l l unclear due tothe uncertainties over theinvestigations outcome,according to the transportministry.

Mitsubishi Motors releasedtwo diagrams explaining howroad tests were manipulated.

The company, which also

makes the Outlander sport-utility vehicle and the i-MiEVelectric car, has arrangedfor a panel of three lawyers,including a former prosecutor,to further investigate themileage scandal from anoutsiders point of view, witha report expected within threemonths.

Mercosur, EU to exchange trade deal offers in MayMONTEVIDEO (Xinhua) -- Mercosur, or the Southern Common Market, will exchangethe rst ofcial trade deal offers ahead of formal negotiations for a commercial agreementwith the European Union (EU), Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoaannounced Monday.The relaunching of negotiations with the EU, which will take place on May 11 in

Brussels, is an important step for the future of Mercosur, said Nin Novoa, whose countrycurrently holds the rotating presidency of the trading bloc in Latin America.The goal of the negotiations was to promote commercial integration and the opening of

borders, said Nin Novoa.He concluded by saying that an EU deal would allow Mercosur to have a higher capacityof adaptation and reaction in a world which is moving at ever higher speeds and threatensto leave us behind.

Aircraft makers bullish on Asia Pacic marketPHILIPPINES (Inquirer) -- An order from Cebu Pacic for turboprop aircraft is a maindriver of growth in the next ve years for the aircraft propeller systems market, which isnearing US$1 billion yearly, according to Technavio.The market research rm said in a report that demand in Asia Pacic, particularly fromthe Philippine low-cost carrier, was an industry trend that would signicantly impact themarket through 2020.

Indonesia-EU CEPA set for 2019INDONESIA (Jakarta Post) -- Ofcial negotiations on the Indonesia-European Unioncomprehensive economic partnership agreement ( IE-CEPA ) will commence within the

next 4 to 6 months, with completion targeted for 2019.Following the completion of the initial phase of IE-CEPA, known as scoping papers,during President Joko Jokowi Widodos visit to Belgium last week, a technicalcommittee of the EU is currently holding internal discussions, according to Trade MinisterThomas Lembong.We are now taking a step forward toward formal negotiations. Formal negotiations areexpected to take two to two and a half years, Thomas said in Jakarta on Tuesday, addingthat the formal negotiations would start after internal discussions ended in the next three tosix weeks.

7/25/2019 March 2016 VT Issue 95

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Vientiane Times 11

Asean Economic Community

Wednesday April 27, 2016 Business

Lao stock market report

Trade Summary

The Lao Stock Market remained stable on Tuesday at 1,117.13 points with a total volume of29,500 shares, worth about 124 million kip. Main trading volumes came from BCEL whichsaw 29,100 shares traded. Furthermore, EDL-Gen and PTL saw only 300 shares and 100shares change hands respectively. All listed companies prices were unchanged.

Daily Turnover by Investor Types (LAKm)

Last 7 days Trading Information

BCEL-KT Securities Company LimitedEmail: Broker@bcel-kt.com

SINGAPORE (The StraitsTimes) -- Singapores industrial

production dipped a smaller-than-expected 0.5 percent inMarch from a year ago, boosted

by str ong mon thly figuresfrom the volatile biomedicalmanufacturing cluster.

Excluding this cluster,factory output fell 5.5 percent

year-on-year, according topreliminary gures from theEconomic Development Boardreleased on Tuesday (April 26).

The median estimatefrom economists polled byBloomberg was for industrial

production to have fallen 2percent last month, following a3.8 percent decline in February.

Februarys figure wasrevised up from a 4.7 percentdecline reported earlier.

T h e b i o m e d i c a lmanufacturing clustersoutput jumped 23.1 percentin March year-on-year. The

ph ar ma ce ut ic al s se gm en tgrew 27.9 percent on the backof a different mix of active

A worker in a medical clean room environment at Univac Precision Engineering, a rm which suppliesmedical components and devices, at its manufacturing plant in Woodlands. (File photo ST)

Singapore factory outputsees smaller-than-expected

fall in Marchpha rmaceu tic al ing red ien tspr od uc ed . Ou tp ut of th emedical technology segmentalso increased 9.4 percentwith higher export demand formedical devices. On a year-to-date basis, the biomedicalmanufacturing cluster hasgrown 19.4 percent comparedto the same period a year ago.

O u t p u t o f t h e k e yelectronics cluster rose 5.8

percent year-on-year in March.The semiconductors segmentsoutput grew 21.7 percent butthis was partially offset bydeclines in the rest of theelectronic segments. In the rstthree months of 2016, outputwas up 3 percent compared tothe same period last year.

Worst hit was the transportengineering cluster whoseoutput fell 23.1 percent year-on-year in March. While theaerospace segment grew 10.8

percent on the back of higherengine repair jobs, the land andmarine & offshore engineeringsegments contracted 24.7

pe rcen t and 35 perc entrespectively. The marine &offshore engineering segmentremained weak, on accountof lower level of rig-buildingactivity and weaker demand foroileld & gaseld equipmentamidst the low oil priceenvironment. Output of thewhole cluster has contracted

20.5 percent in the rst quarter,compared to the same periodlast year.

The chemicals clustersoutput fell 4.9 percent year-on-year in March. The otherchemicals segment grew 9.8

percent, on account of higherproduc ti on of fr ag ranc es .However, this was offset bycontractions in the specialities(-1.2 percent), petroleum (-10.3

percent ) and petrochemicals(-18.4 percent) segments, withthe latter affected by plantmaintenance shutdowns. In therst three months of this year,output of the chemicals clusterfell 2.7 percent compared to thesame period in 2015.

VIETNAM NEWS, HANOI(Vietnam News) -- TheDepartment for EconomicZones Management reportedthat during Q1, the countryopened 305 industrial parkscovering over 84,000 hectaresand 16 economic zonescovering 814,792 hectares ofwater and land.

Some of the projectsregistered in Q1 included:DaYang Paper Mill LimitedCompany in Long JiangIndustrial Park (US$220

million); Maple Cos (Singapore)garment factory in Bc NinhsVietnam-Singapore IndustrialPark (US$110 million) and

Ne w Wi ng In te rc on nectTechnologys audiophones

plant in Bc Giang province(US$100 million).

Indust r ia l parks andeconomic zones enticed 270

More than 300 new IPs open in Q1projects with total registeredcapital of VN6.5 trillion(US$292 million) in the rstthree months. The projectsfocus mainly on luxury garment

pro ducti on and supp or tindustries for the textiles andengineering sectors. HCM Cityand ng Nai Province led thecountry in terms of investmentattraction.

By the end of March thisyear, industrial and economiczones in the whole countryattracted 6,608 projects

with total registered foreigncapital of US$145.5 billion,reported the Economic ZonesManagement Department.

I n a d d i t i o n , 6 , 5 9 2domestically-invested projectsalso reached registered capitalof VN1.17 trillion.

Some 214 industrial zoneshave been operational with

a total land area of nearly60,000ha and 91 industrial

parks are being developed withtotal natural land area of morethan 24,000ha.

The total industrial landfor lease reached more than27,000ha with 49 percent offilled land sites. Those are

being operational having morethan 69 percent of lled landsites.

The Ministry of Planningand Investment (MPI) issuedinves tment regis t ra t ion

certicates for more than 160foreign investment projectswith total registered investmentcapital worth over US$2 billionin the rst quarter of 2016.

The M PI a l so gavepermission for 125 exis tingforeign projects to increasetheir investment by a combinedUS$500 million.

SEOUL (Xinhua) -- HyundaiMotor, South Koreas largestautomaker, posted the largestfirst-quarter revenue thanksto solid demand for newlylaunched premium brandGenesis and an increase insales of sports utility vehicles(SUVs), the company saidTuesday.

Revenue increased 6.7percent over a year ear lie rto reach 22.35 trillion won(US$19.42 billion) in theJanuary-March period, largerthan any rst-quarter gures in

the past.Hyundais auto sales in thedomestic market gained 3.7

percent in the rst quarter froma year earlier due to demand fornew models and consumptiontax cuts, but overseas salesdipped 7.9 percent on soft salesin emerging markets, especiallyin China, Russia and Brazil.

Revenue from Chinese andRussian factories declined 9.2

percent and 6.2 percent each,with sales in Brazil tumbling33.6 percent.

Overall, South KoreasNo.1 carmaker sold a totalof 1,107,377 vehicles duringthe quarter globally, down 6.4

percent from a year ago.

Despite the slowdown inglobal car sales, the companysoverall revenue recorded a 6.7

percent expansion thanks todemand for high-priced Genesismodels and growing sales ofSUVs that have gained great

popularity in China, the worldslargest auto market.

Operating profit and net

Hyundai Motor posts largest Q1revenue on premium brand sales

income, however, posted adouble-digit fall due to theworsening economic conditionsin emerging economies,especially in Russia and Brazil.

Hyundais operating protdeclined 15.5 percent froma year earlier to 1.34 trillionwon in the rst quarter, and netincome slumped 10.8 percent to1.77 trillion won.

Economic downturn insome emerging economies,caused by low crude oil prices,took a toll on Hyundais carexports, while the continued

depreciation of emergingcurrencies, especially of Russiaand Brazil, reduced repatriatedearnings, the company said ina statement.

Lower factory utilizationrate increased xed costs, whilehigher marketing costs for newmodels and rising investmentinto R&D raised operating coststo 2.9 trillion won in the rstquarter, up 5.6 percent from ayear ago.

Hyundai predic ted ableak picture in the global carindustry, citing the deepeningeconomic slump in developingcountries and delayed economicrecovery in advanced nations.

To overcome the difculties,

Hyundai said it will makeefforts to maximize demandfor new models and expandSUVs supply while seeking toreduce costs.

A Hyundai ofcial expectedthe new Avante sedan, whichwas successfully released inChina and the United Statesin