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LAOFOOD+HOTEL 18 International Expo comes to Vientiane
In support of the tourism sector and to create a platform for suppliers to the hospitality and F&B industry to develop business contacts with key decision makers, the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Lao Hotel & Restaurant Association will host LAOFOOD+HOTEL 18 – Laos’ 1st Major International Hospitality and Food & Drinks Exhibition at the prestigious National Convention Centre, Vientiane from 7-9 June 2018. Find out more about the event and register at laofoodhotel.com.
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Rescue of Endangered Asiatic Black Bears Highlights Laos’ Uphill Fight Against Wildlife Trade
During the past several years, many rescued bears have been sent to the Free the Bears Fund center in Tat Kuangxi, a tourist region with scenic waterfalls about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Luang Prabang city. In August, a British volunteer from the center told RFA that the center housed too many bears. “It’s overcrowded [and] in need of either expansion or a new center,” he said. To reduce overcrowding and control the population, the center’s management decided to sterilize the bears and requested permission from provincial officials to expand the center, said the volunteer, who declined to be named. At the time, Luang Prabang denied the request, but later agreed to let Free the Bears Fund build a center in a new location. Sengaloune Vongxay, manager of the center’s Lao Bear Conservation Project, told RFA’s Lao Service in late March that the center sterilized only five of the facility’s 52 bears at first, but now is only separating the males from the female right after they reach reproduction age. He also said that Free the Bears Fund is building a new center 17 kilometers (11 miles) from Luang Prabang city. “This center will be larger — more than 26 hectares (64.2 acres),” he said, adding that the facility would be completed late this year or in early 2019. The new center will be able to hold up to 150 rescued bears, according to Free the Bears Fund. Despite the continued capture and poaching of Asiatic black bears in Laos, forest rangers believe there are still a significant number of wild bears in the country’s 24 national protected forests, though they do not know the exact number. One ranger who declined to be named told RFA that more than 200 domesticated bears are currently held in captivity, with 52 in the Free The Bears Fund rescue center, 100 in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo province, 30 on a bear farm near the Lao capital Vientiane, and about 30 kept in various provinces by villagers who own them. Thousands of Asiatic black bears have been held captive in bear bile facilities in Laos, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Myanmar since the 1980s, according to a report issued in March 2017 by World Animal Protection, an international nonprofit animal welfare organization. Today approximately 25,000 bears are held captive in the bear bile industry across Asia, it said. Bear farming for bile or gallbladder extraction is legal in both South Korea and China, the report said. Though Vietnam banned bile extraction 13 years ago, more than 1,000 bears are still held captive there, where the illegal trade in bile and gallbladders continues. Read the entire article. Source: Radio Free Asia
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Luang Prabang Keeps Keeping It Clean
No one likes a trash-laden UNESCO site, least of all Luang Prabang. Over the years, several initiatives set out to keep the city clean, but the efforts were often uncoordinated and short-lived. As one project faded, another stepped in to help get rid of the litter that taint the streets and river banks. Bounthieng Soulivanh, President of the Luang Prabang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted the disunity. It was time for Luang Prabang to get their rubbish clean-up act together. He wrote the mayor, who agreed to hold a meeting of all the various trash collection projects. Some 40 village chiefs, the city’s Urban Department, business leaders, and donor agency projects such as “Luang Prabang Handle with Care” then gathered at the Luang Prabang View Hotel. “Luang Prabang has initiated laws concerning trash pickups, but they are not currently followed,” Mr Bounthieng stated. Somsak Sengta from the Blue Lagoon took centre stage at the meeting. He, along with Goi Alinichit, are the driving force behind one of the city’s clean-up campaigns, Trash Hero. A presentation showcased what the private sector has achieved in garbage collection. “Our objective is for the Urban Department, which is responsible for trash pickup, and the community to come together on one Friday or Saturday each month, and pick up and remove trash,” Mr Somsak said. “Luang Prabang has a few initiatives from various stakeholders, who try to bring some unity to their efforts”, he continued. “We need to work together through our village chiefs and their communities to enhance the appearance and cleanliness of Luang Prabang as a UNESCO World Heritage city.” The meeting resulted in the One Vision – One Direction – One Objective campaign to sustainably maintain Luang Prabang as a green city. The campaign kicked off on Sunday, 31 March, with 80 people from three villages – Nasamphan, Naxang, and Phonepheng – and staff from Tiger Trail, Angsana Hotel, Xishuangbanna Hotel, and Luang Prabang View Hotel. They collected more than 40 bags of roadside trash, while trimming grass and trees. Meanwhile, the 100-member Trash Hero Team, after a three-month hiatus, took to the banks of the Kem Khan River. “Today’s effort shows we are able to work hand in hand to achieve what is required,” Mr Somsak said. “From the meeting, we are now moving slowly forward one step at a time. The coming together of three villages today shows we are headed in a new direction.” He added, “If we can bring this forward over the next few months, and include more villages into the routine, we can continue in this effort to clean the city on a more regular basis. In doing so, the city won’t need to hold an occasional deep clean or call for a large team to focus on one area.” Mr Somsak suggested that more hotels and government agencies need to join the One Vision – One Direction – One Objective campaign. “We are all responsible for our house, and our house is Luang Prabang. We are all a part of this wonderful UNESCO world herniate city.” All participants in the first One Vision – One Direction – One Objective cleaning project offered a special thanks to the Lao-German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the GIZ-EU Switch Asia Luang Prabang Handle with Care project for support in purchasing the cleaning equipment and banner showing the campaign’s unity.
