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Runoff From Railway Pollutes Nam Song
The Lao-Chinese railway project has released polluted water from construction work into the Xong River in Vientiane province’s Vang Vieng district, one of the most popular destinations in the country for tourists, an local resident and an environmental official told RFA’s Lao Service. Workers allowed polluted runoff from a tunnel construction site along the railway to flow into the river for two to three months after the work had been completed in Vang Vieng, located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the capital Vientiane, said one district resident who declined to give his name out of fear of retribution, according to the RFA report.. “We have seen the railway project releasing the polluted water to the river, so people do not want to bath in the river,” the resident said, calling on relevant officials to take samples of the muddy water to test it for possible contamination. Officials have acknowledged that the release of wastewater from the railway project has caused pollution. An official from Vientiane province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media, told RFA on Nov. 9 that polluted water flowed down to the river after the Chinese companies working on the project dug deep into the ground while carving out the tunnel. “Now we are planning to find a solution for this by storing water in one place so that we ensure that the polluted water is blocked from flowing to the river,” he said. “In addition, we will check wastewater released from hotels and restaurants along the Xong [pronounced ‘song’] River,” he added. Vang Vieng, which sits beside the Xong River amid karst hills that surround the town, bills itself as an adventure travel hub replete with opportunities for tubing, kayaking, caving, zip-lining, hiking, and rock-climbing. “If the authorities manage the activities, keep the river clean and limit the noise, the destination will have a bright future and enjoy the benefits of tourism for a long time to come,” Inthy Deuansavan, president of the Vientiane-based travel agency Green Discovery, told CNN Travel in October. Besides the environmental impact of the U.S. $6 billion Lao-Chinese railway, whose construction began in December 2016 as part of a longer rail project that will link China to mainland Southeast Asia, the project is forcing the relocation of upwards of 4,400 families in Laos. Plans now call for work on the railway to end in 2021, with Chinese companies promising completion by that date despite the challenges of boring tunnels in mountainous areas of the country’s north. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
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Lanith Trains the Trainers
The Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH) recently conducted an intensive 10-day Training-of-Trainers programme for 26 technical and vocational education and training teachers from the tourism and hospitality sector in Vientiane. Swisscontact is working with provincial schools and colleges and LANITH to implement the Pheun Than Heng A Sip Training Programme to improve the skills of trainers in the tourism and hospitality sector as part of the Skills for Tourism Project. The project aims to upgrade the skills of 500 staff working in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and support a further 500 people from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure employment in the tourism and hospitality sector across selected provinces in southern and central Laos. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the training programme, the Deputy Director General of the Technical and Vocational Education Department in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Somlith Virivong, welcomed the initiative that allows people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access employment opportunities in tourism and hospitality. Course participants came from Champassak, Saravan, Khammuan, Savannakhet and Vientiane provinces, and Vientiane. In addition to improving their own skills, the teachers will transfer their knowledge to others in their provinces, which will contribute to better human resources in the region. “Laos needs to focus on the quality of tourism services offered across the country to make people stay longer and spend more, and for this good quality service provision is very important,” said Mr Somlith. Swisscontact Country Director for Laos, Mr Richard Rose, said his organisation is delighted to be working with LANITH and private sector partners on the Pheun Than Heng A Sip Training Programme. “It is great to have the opportunity to build the capacity of technical and vocational education training teachers from six provinces with innovative training approaches that will support the implementation of this exciting new training programme,” he said. The Skills for Tourism Project is co-financed by the Lao government, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. Skills for Tourism supports improvements in technical and vocational education and training and skills development in the tourism and hospitality sector in Laos. A particular emphasis of the project is to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire skills needed to work in hotels, restaurants and the greater tourism economy. Source: Vientiane Times
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Vientiane Hosts 2rd Carlsberg Golf Classic
Vientiane’s 18-hole Lakeview Golf Club hosted the 2nd Carlsberg Golf Classic with Xaying Tongyethor coming out on top of a field of some 100 amateur golfers on 10 November. Southa Sisalath and Chanpasith Ounaphom finished second and third in the non-handicap event aimed at offer Lao golfers an opportunity to develop their skills to compete at a regional level. Lao Brewery organized the 1st Carlsberg Golf Classic in April this year at Long Thanh Golf Course in the capital city. Carlsberg Golf Classic evolved from the Carlsberg Trophy, which was first held in Malaysia in 1988. Organizers also held a lucky draw for competitors, with prizes including roundtrip air tickets to Dubai and Singapore, and a Mercedes Benz bicycle. Lao Brewery executives Kitsana Vongxay, Sounthone Phommachak, and Henrik Andersen attended the event. Source: KPL
