On Saturday 30th April elections for the National Assembly will take place across the country. In a front page article in the Vientiane Times the media are urged to report in depth to ensure people understand their democratic rights. The elections will be broadcast live to “convey the atmosphere and up to the minute results.”
The local media have been carrying two page spreads with brief profiles of candidates in the build up to the elections. As of yet there has been little international coverage however there are some foreign journalists in country to cover the elections.
As the article states the National Assembly represent the rights and benefits of all Lao people. However whether any of the candidates are actually non-party members is not clear.
On another note from the Friday 29 April Vientiane Times - a workshop on the use of messages and materials in this year’s dengue fever campaign was held for journalists. This was conducted by a behavior change communication specialist from the Academy for Educational Development in Bangkok and funded by USAID. The journalists received journalistic training in how to report about dengue fever and in raising awareness about the virus.
