Cheap internet on its way?

KPL News reports the signing of an MoU between the National Internet Centre and the Japanese company NTT Communications. According to the article NTT will conduct research into a 'reportedly cheap internet and telephone network provision project'.

The MoU was signed by the head of the National Internet Centre, Khamkhit Saysongkham, and the vice-president of NTT.

China Radio International opens Laos office

Following on from the opening of the Xinhua bureau back in January, China Radio International (CRI) now have a presence in Vientiane. The radio station will be broadcasting Lao language programming, in addition to what the Vientiane Times called, 'reports on the news and socio-economic development in China'.

The office was opened by the head of the People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee Propaganda and Training Board and the Chinese ambassador to Laos. CRI has been transmitting news to Laos since November 2006 when a transmitter was set up.

The plans are to have six and a half hours of live programming a day, beginning in October 2011. Those present at the opening ceremony were quoted by the Vientiane Times as saying that this is a 'good model for media cooperation between the two countries'.

This blog is live...

After a few months break the latest media developments in Laos will be updated again on this blog. The rapid social and economic growth of Laos is also reflected in regular developments within the Lao media. As a result this blog will carry bi-weekly updates of the latest news within the Lao media.

Media to play its role in elections

On Saturday 30^th 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.

Developments for Lao media

The front page of the Vientiane Times, Friday 11 March, features a story about the donation of money from the Japanese Government to improve the quality of programmes on Lao National Television. In the article the funding was announced at the same time as USD 6 million also from the Japanese for Laos public transportation system.

Japan will give USD 920,000 to Lao National Television in the hope of attracting greater audiences through higher quality programmes. Specifically the Japanese will provide 484 cultural and educational TV programmes to contribute to, “ the improvement of basic education in Laos while promoting better understanding of Japanese culture among the people of Lao PDR.”

In further developments for the media in Laos a new radio and television station has been launched in Luang Prabang. The Wednesday 9^th March article states that with support from the Vietnamese government this new station will cover 12 districts in the Province. The television station will have five news broadcasts daily and also receives news from Lao National Television.

In addition to programming in Lao language the article states that in line with the Government’s 5-year development plan the radio and television stations will work to also provide news in the Khmu and Hmong ethnic group languages.

The article also covers the planned naming of 200 model cultural villages in the province. These are part of the government’s attempts to remove Laos from the list of least developed countries by 2020. 

Lao media to go digital

The February 21^st Vientiane Times article stated that Laos will convert its media systems from analog to digital by 2020. According to the Deputy Director-General of Lao National Radio, 60-70 percent of Lao electronic media systems in production and editing are currently digital but the transmission and receiver equipment is still analog.

According to the article the Government may fund the project itself or look for international assistance and loans to cover the estimated $100 million to carry out the conversion.

The main challenges highlighted are the financial constraints and insufficient manpower. All production equipment at the Lao National Radio Station will be replaced with digital as part of a pilot project.

There is a proposed roll out of Provinces converting to digital with the three ‘major provinces’ converting first from 2013 to 2015.

Digital mapping given boost

The Finnish government has announced support of US$8 million to help develop a digital mapping project for Laos. According to the Vientiane Times, Wednesday 9th February, the programme will help the National Geographic Department to create, manage and distribute a modern national spatial data service. 

As Laos continues its rapid pace of development the use of land is becoming an important issue. As the article states this is a very necessary project as the country lacks reliable and up to date maps. The programme could as the VT states, play a vital role in monitoring inappropriate land use. If it is used in this way this can only be a positive development as forest cover in Laos, for example, has declined from 70 percent to 42 percent in 2002 (the latest figures). 

This programme is also a further example of Laos developing its ICT capabilities. As Mr Suominen, the project advisor is quoted as saying, 'the project would also introduce the latest ICT technology applied to local conditions, which has the potential to accelerate many aspects of development in Laos.

Laos - Thai media relations strengthened

According to a front page article in the Vientiane Times on 31st January and KPL News on 1st February, a Thai media and information affairs delegation recently visited Laos to discuss cooperation in media affairs. This involved discussions with the Ministry of Information and Culture about digital broadcasting. The Minister was quoted as saying that Laos is seeking advice as it switches from analog to digital transmission. 

A couple of days later the Vientiane Times ran a second story on Laos-Thai media cooperation. The article stated that an agreement was reached in human resource development for Lao media, through training courses, internships, and scholarship awards. Agreements were also made on providing 'facilities' for each others journalists on the reporting of the upcoming 9th congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party in March. What facilities this includes is not made clear. The President of the Lao Journalists Association was quoted as saying that the Lao media attach great importance to contributing to good, neighbourly relations between the two countries.

Army media development

‘Army marches into future with radio launch’, caught my attention in the Wednesday 26th January edition of the Vientiane Times. As this blog has a focus on media and development this was an article that couldn’t be missed. 

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Lao People’s Army the new radio station, ‘responds to the modern political requirement to spread Party directives and policies, and forms part of the government’s socio-economic development plans in line with armed forces principles’. According to the article, the radio broadcasts are being transmitted by fibre optic cable from the station in Vientiane to 16 transmitters in provinces across the country.  

The company who installed the radio system was not named but their representative Mr Li Hui, who it could be assumed comes from north of the border, was quoted as saying that, ‘the Radio represents the voice of the Ministry of Defence in responding to political needs’.
On the same day the front page of the paper carried the President’s instructions to central government and provincial authorities to define their efforts in addressing poverty in their regions, particularly in mountainous areas.
 

It is widely agreed that for Laos to realize the MDGs by 2015 and exit Least Developed Country status by 2020 it needs to ensure that even those living in the remotest areas are reached and benefit from development. Around 80 percent of the population still lives in rural areas.

Xinhua open bureau in Vientiane

The Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, have opened a bureau in Vientiane. They are only the second foreign media news outlet to have an office in Laos, the Vietnamese News Agency (VNA) being the other. 

Laos print media already run International stories supplied to them by Xinhua and the Russian state news agency, Ria Novosti.

Media interest in Laos Stock Exchange

Laos has been featured quite extensively in the International media over the last week with the Lao Securities Exchange (LSX) opening for business. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, AFP, BBC, amongst others, all covered the opening of the stock exchange with two companies initially floating, BCEL (Bank) and EDL (Electricity supplier). As the Vientiane Times told us, the LSX is a joint venture between the Lao government and Korea Securities Exchange.

The International press focused on the stock exchange as a further symbol of the country’s transition from communism to capitalism. BBCs, From Our Own Correspondent, highlighted the role of private enterprise and foreign investment in bringing in a new era of prosperity. The report covered some of the major development issues in Laos; UXO, foreign direct investment, infrastructure and the private sector.

Following on from the opening of the Lao Securities Exchange, the Vientiane Times reports that Lao journalists are receiving training on stock market reporting. This is being facilitated by the Japanese Nikkei Inc group, the Chairman of which recently visited the country, see blog post, Wednesday 8^th December. As the article states the Japanese newspaper sees Laos as an  important emerging nation in Asia and improving the reporting on the stock exchange can provide information for investors and monitor the operations of the market.

Meanwhile with reference to the post re: KPL News changing names to Laos News, posted below. After a total of 2 copies Laos News has now reverted back to KPL News.

KPL News changes name

From today the KPL News English language newspaper has changed its name to Laos News. This blog will now refer to the Laos News. An editor’s note in the KPL News stated that on 6th January, the 43rd anniversary of its founding, the newspaper changes name to Laos News.

According to the note, ‘In the coming years, the Laos News daily newspaper will do its utmost to improve and develop itself to meet new developments in the country’.

KPL started as the Lao revolutionary press in a cave in Viengsay northeast Laos, during the second Indo China war when Laos was under constant bombardment from US aircraft.

In a front page article celebrating the anniversary KPL is described as ‘a sharp weapon on the ideological and cultural front of the Party, State and people of Laos’.

In addition to producing its own articles Laos News runs International stories from China’s Xinhua and Russia’s Ria Novosti news agencies.

Reporting ethnic groups

The Government of Laos is always keen to highlight the multi-ethnic makeup of the country. In its current form the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a relatively new nation, officially founded in 1975. The Lao press plays its role in highlighting the countries national identity and frequently runs articles covering ethnic people. Most press stories refer to the Laos population as the multi-ethnic people. 

Recently there seems to have been a slight lull but two articles caught my attention on Wednesday 29th December. The Vientiane Times ran a story on the importance of improving education amongst ethnic groups. On the same day KPL News covered the Khmu ethnic group New Year celebrations.
 

Education is one of the key development challenges in the country, particularly, as the article states, amongst ethnic groups who often live in the remoter and poorer areas of Laos. One issue that many ethnic groups face is that they have their own language and culture. As a result it’s difficult for children from these groups to access mainstream education. As the Vientiane Times article states the gaps in education standards between urban and rural areas and different ethnic groups and gender are still large.
 

In keeping with the Government’s development goals of ‘growth with equity’ education standards among ethnic groups need to be improved. To do this the Ministry of Education is looking to train teachers in remote areas, often where ethnic groups live, and to include human rights in the basic curriculum. 

Laos recently added an extra year of schooling to the curriculum meaning all children will now spend 12 years at school. As the story says reaching out and ensuring that children of ethnic groups participate is vital if Laos is to achieve the targets set under the Education for All project and the MDGs by 2015. 

In the KPL News article covering the Khmu New Year, the Governor of Vientiane urged the Khmu people to, “enhance their unity and promote the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening and put their trust on the leadership of the Party and contribute to national defence”. It’s interesting to note that stories covering ethnic groups often seem to highlight the importance of national integration.

Internet reaching out to rural Laos

Following on from my blog post dated 8th December the role of the Internet in education is being scaled up. According to the Vientiane Times, Tuesday 21^st December, the Internet provider, Unitel, has given 500 schools and provincial and district education offices free Internet access. The push to develop ICTs in Laos is on and learning and teaching through the Internet seems to be gaining momentum.

Unitel is a joint venture between Lao Asia Telecom State Enterprise and Viettel Global of Vietnam. According to the articles in both the Vientiane Times and KPL News they have agreed to install the network and provide modems and free access to the Internet for the next five years. A second phase of the project is said to be starting shortly.

It will be interesting to look at how new technologies / new media are and can play a role in the development of Laos. I hope to find and report back with more stories / ideas next year.

National Assembly (NA) in its 10th session

The NA is currently debating new laws ahead of next year’s election. In its capacity as the overseer of the activities of the executive organs the NA holds sessions twice a year.

An interesting lead article in the Vientiane Times on Wednesday 22^nd December, gave the Prime Minster the chance to comment on the use of state funds that haven’t been sanctioned by the NA.

The article was in effect an opinion piece from the PM. He said Government departments should seek approval from the NA before implementing projects but that some new projects weren’t reported because Party politburo members are also NA leaders.

Opium poppy cultivation on the increase

Friday December 17^th - Vientiane Times (page 2) and KPL News (page 3) both cover the launch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) survey on opium cultivation in Southeast Asia, which states that opium cultivation has increased by 20 percent this year.

The survey reports a rapid upward trend from the low point of 2006. Laos itself has seen an 85 percent increase in opium cultivation over the past 4-years. There are two main factors given for this rise. The rising prices of opium and poverty, with the global economic crisis said to be playing its role.

I’ve decided to include coverage of this story because it’s an issue that hasn’t featured high on the agenda in the 18-months I have been in Laos. But Laos was once one of the "Golden Triangle" of countries including Myanmar and Thailand, which were the world's major supplier of opium. Covering drug related issues in Laos is sensitive but there does seem to be increasing recognition within the media about drug related problems and associated crime.

In addition it’s interesting to see how opium growing is increasing most amongst the poorer and often more remote communities. Laos is experiencing rapid development, averaging 7.9 percent economic growth over the past 5-years. The real challenge now for the Government and development community is to ensure that there is equitable growth and that everyone benefits. This issue, ‘growth with equity’, is being talked about a lot on the ground. But if these farmers are returning to opium cultivation then it suggests there is still a lot of work to be done.

The battery of Southeast Asia?

Focus on the latest media coverage of development stories from Laos moves to energy production, more specifically hydropower, which is seen as key to the progress of the country. Both the Vientiane Times and KPL News ran the story of the official inauguration of the hydropower plant on Friday 10th December. The Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant was part financed by the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

On Monday 13th December the Nam Theun 2 story led to a rare appearance for Laos on BBC World. The report looked at the resettlement of villagers and the often discussed issues of the benefits from the revenue, 95 percent of the energy will be sold to Thailand, compared to the social and environmental impact. 

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda was quoted as saying that, “the importance of Nam Theun 2 to the Lao economy cannot be overemphasized as it will reduce the country’s dependence on international aid, improve living standards, and contribute to deeper regional integration.”

WB Managing Director, Ms Sri Mulyani Indrawati, was also in the country, “large industrial projects can contribute to socially and environmentally sustainable development, and the private and public sectors can work together to reduce poverty and support environmental protection.”

Nam Theun 2 is seen as the model hydropower plant, particularly in its efforts to reduce the environmental and social impact. It will generate massive resources, how they are spent will be a defining factor in its contribution to development.

Some money is already being filtered back into the infrastructure, health and education sectors. I spent a day filming with villagers in southern Laos who lived alongside newly built roads funded by revenue from the hydropower plant. These new roads undoubtedly made their life easier in accessing markets and health clinics. But the real longer-term benefits are to be seen.

Laos embracing media development and e-learning

I’m staying on the theme of media and development with three interesting articles in the Vientiane Times this Monday 6th and Tuesday, 7th December 2010.

‘Lao, Japanese media discuss cooperation’; ‘Laos on path to e-learning system’; and ‘PM seeks Japanese media help to boost investment’; all highlight what seems to be a recent increase in attention to embracing media development and new technologies in Laos.

According to the Vientiane Times plans are currently underway to create a cyber-university in Laos. This could be, the article states, the answer to the chronic problem of teacher shortages. In theory a great idea, but it would cater to a small portion of society. According to the latest statistics over 70% of the population still live in rural areas and the technological infrastructure would certainly not, at this point, reach those people.

The visit to Laos by the chairman of Nikkei Inc, Ryoki Sugita, one of Japan’s largest financial and business newspapers, comes as the Laos stock market prepares to start trading early next year.

The Vientiane Times reports on the meeting between Mr Sugita and the Lao Press in Foreign Languages. To improve business and financial reporting Nikkei Inc are looking into holding seminars on stock market and economic reporting in Laos.

This article was published on page 3 on Monday and seems to be a sideshow to the primary reason for his visit, to boost Japanese investment in Laos. On Tuesday’s front page Mr Sugita is meeting with the Prime Minister of Laos who according to the article is seeking support from Nikkei Inc in publicizing investment and business opportunities in Laos in the Japanese press. Japan is, as the article states, the largest donor of foreign aid to Laos but in private investment it comes in at 6th place.

There is without doubt an increasing emphasis on improving the journalistic reporting and coverage within Laos, in print, radio and television. Deutsche Welle are currently running a 2-year capacity building project with Lao National Television and the UN will start a collaboration with local journalists next year.

Versions of the above articles were also published in the English language newspaper, KPL News, the Government’s news agency.

UNDP reporting on Khoun Community Radio in northern Laos

I'm starting my blog by covering a story produced by UNDP in Laos for the UNDP Global and Laos websites. It was in fact covered by myself in Xieng Khouang Province, northern Laos, but that's not the only reason I'm starting my blog with this short article.

What I find particularly interesting about the Khoun Community Radio for Development is that it not only covers development issues but it's also an example of media development in an environment that doesn't always lend itself to these kinds of projects. This is the first community run station in Laos.

The Radio station is a great example of the simple power of information. Whilst in Khoun district I heard stories of how the radio has helped improve agricultural production, health and education. I believe Khoun Radio is particularly successful because the programming is developed, recorded and edited by village volunteers. People trust what they hear. Like any good media outlet the radio station does not preach messages. Fundamentally the listeners must enjoy what they are listening to. Khoun radio includes vital messages in their drama programming, they broadcast music and entertainment programmes, such as cooking shows.

From spending a short period of time in Khoun district covering this story and the 3-year radio anniversary celebrations it was clear that the radio volunteers are extremely passionate about being involved in the programming and that the station is popular and valuable for the community. I have worked on and covered numerous development projects and I don't always get this sense of enthusiasm and interest in projects that I got in Khoun.

Here is a link to the short article, I've also included a link in the Web Links section of this blog.

http://www.undplao.org/newsroom/KCRadio.php

In the next 2-weeks I will also be posting a link to a video feature on Khoun Radio, which I am currently editing and will be a more substantive report.

NOTE
The views and opinions expressed in this blog do not represent those of the United Nations or any organisation for whom I have worked or do work.