Luang Prabang world heritage certifies as smoke-free town

(KPL) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has handed over a prestigious award to
Luang Prabang world heritage town of UNESCO to certify Luang Prabang province succeeded in the implementation of non-smoking area.
Luang Prabang is the first world heritage town has been successful in establishment of non-smoking area and promulgated as smoke-free area which has been approved by Luang Prabang Administrative Board considering as national historical event.
The award was handed over by a country representative of WHO to Laos to Luang Prabang Deputy Governor Khampheng Saysompheng in presence of Deputy Minister of Public Health Bounkhuang Phitchit and other high-ranking official concerned, on 26 June, Luang Prabang province.
The main of objective is to build Luang Prabang heritage town as smoking-free town and reduce breathing smoking caused by other severe disease.

Donesao Island to magnetize over 120,000 tourists

(KPL) A well-known tourism site 'Donesao' island in Tonpheung district, Bokeo province is estimated to welcome more than 120,000 visitors, said an official.
Director General of Donsao Tourism Site, Mr Pan Thipphavanh, continued that the number of tourists is increasing constantly, especially Thai tourists representing almost 90 per cent of the total tourists.
The entrance fee is not expansive, just only 2,700 kip or 10 baht per person.
Donesao tourism site has opened since 1996 and attracted only 1,000 visitors, however in 2000 the number of visitors increased to 70,000 people.
Last year, Donsao tourism site has been able to attract over 110,000 arrivals, where 20 ferries and 60 speedboats are available to serve visitors, and generated considerably to the district with around 400 million kip.
In addition, Donsao also earns incomes from selling postcards and stamps calculated for 30 million kip annually.
Chief of Tonphueng district, Mr Chomsy Lattanapan said that over 60,000 arrivals have visited Tonphueng district during the festival of Doke Ngiew Ban held last February.
He continued that the district had 600 million kip income, of which 400 million kip was income from Donsao Island.

Vat Phou needs room to display 2,000 artefacts

The exhibition hall at the World Heritage Site of Vat Phou in Champassak province is unable to display some 2,000 artefacts due to a lack of space, the Director of the Vat Phou Heritage Office, Mr Khankham Kaenboutta, said on Tuesday.

The artefacts remain in storage because there is no display space left in hall, he said.

The exhibition hall is used to display archaeological remains found within the World Heritage site.

“This year we hope to build more rooms in the hall so that we can exhibit some of the most significant historic materials that are now in storage,” Mr Khankham said.

Vat Phou has received donations from visitors for this purpose, after they learned of the shortage of space when they visited the site.

Last year more than 50,000 visitors came to Vat Phou and it is expected that the number will increase to 70,000 this year.

Currently the only direct revenue generated by the site is from the entrance fees to the temple complex and exhibition hall: 30,000 kip for foreigners and 3,000 kip for Lao people.

Fifty percent of the revenue goes to the central government and the remaining 50 percent is used for site management.

The goal of the local government is to retain 90 percent for preservation of the site and to hand over the remaining 10 percent to the central government.

The French government will provide around 1 million euros from its Fonds de Solidarite Prioritaire (Priority Solidarity Fund) from 2007-10, in support of three activities carried out under the Vat Phou development project.

The first of these is a field study to identify how best to improve the site for tourism. The second is to improve infrastructure around the heritage site to assist better visitor management, and the final stage will be the training of personnel in conservation and site management.

This month the Italian government provided US$25,000 to Vat Phou officials for maintenance of the complex.

To reach Vat Phou, most visitors travel south from Pakxe on Route 13, turning right at a small village known as Kilometre 35 or Laksamsipha, and travel another 3 kilometres to reach the banks of the Mekong .

They then take a ferry at Muang village in Pathoumphon district, which takes them to the small town of Champassak on the other side, about 12 kilometres from the temple site.

The exhibition hall, funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, was built just inside the main gate of the temple complex in 2003.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao

http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/Previous_008/Current/Current_vat.htm

(Latest Update January 10, 2007)

Vientiane will be 450 years old

Preparatory celebration of 450th founding anniversary discussed


(KPL) The third meeting of Vientiane Committee for the preparatory celebration of 450th founding anniversary of Vientiane Capital took place on 10 January, Vientiane Capital to review the implementation of each sub-committees.
Held under the chairmanship of Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, Standing Deputy Prime Minister, who is also President of Vientiane Preparatory Celebration Committee where was attended by officials concerned.
For the 2008, Vientiane Capital has various projects and activities to be implemented by focussing on awareness raising on national and Vientiane patriotic ideas on the 450th founding anniversary in 2010.
The development projects that will be operated till to 2010, including the development of Mekong River bank, the improvements of 450 years road, That Luang square, That Luang Stupa, the Horthammasapha, Vientiane Administration Office, Souphanuvong road, the SEA Games stadium construction project, Sisaket temple and Nongtha.

Laos wins international tourism award

The Laos Tourism Administration (LTA) has won a tourism prize out of 339 applicants from the Asia Pacific region.

The award was presented on September 28 when the Lao delegation attended the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2007, held in Bali , Indonesia from September 20-29; the LTA won a Gold Award, according to a press release.

Some 27 awards were also given to another 23 applicants from organisations and individuals who achieved in tourism; 24 of the awards are Gold Awards and four are Grand Awards.

At least 800 people took part in the awards presentation ceremony, supported by the PATA and the Macao Tourism Agency.

The prize was awarded Laos because of its achievements in training tour guides at the World Heritage sites of Luang Prabang and Wat Phou, Champassak.

The LTA has trained its tour guides under the Mekong Tourism Development project, supported by the UNESCO and Macao Tourism Agency. The training courses have focused on raising awareness of the importance of protecting world heritage in the Mekong region, which is the location of ten cultural and historical world heritage sites.

This year, the LTA has received two prizes, including the Equator Prize for the ecotourism project in Namha, the National Forestry Conservation Area in Luang Namtha province.

By Somsack Pongkhao
(Latest Update October 15, 2007)
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/Previous_242/Current/Current_laoswin.htm

Vientiane to celebrate 450 th anniversary in 2010

On Independence Day, October 12, senior officials informed the public of plans to celebrate the 450 th anniversary of the establishment of Vientiane as the capital of Laos in 2010.

Around 1,000 people gathered at the National Culture Hall on Friday to hear a talk on the history of Vientiane and the background to Independence Day, which took place 62 years ago.

Dignitaries attending the event included Standing Deputy Prime Minister Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, the Party Secretary of Vientiane Mr Sombath Yialiher, and the Mayor of Vientiane Dr Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune.

Laos declared independence on October 12, 1945, after 158 years of foreign occupation. In 2010, this day will mark the start of the anniversary celebrations in Vientiane .

Mr Somsavat pointed out that Vientiane was one of the oldest cities in Asia . According to Lao history, Vientiane is actually more than 1,700 years old, in which time it has grown from a small village to a city.

The name Vientiane is derived from its founder, Mr Boulichan, who is thought to have first created the settlement in the year 236 in the Buddhist calendar.

In 1560 AD, Vientiane was named the capital of the Lane Xang Kingdom by King Xaysetthathirath, when he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane .

In Friday's lecture, Mr Somsavat said that the celebration in three years' time would acknowledge the capital's development and the devotion and hard work of past generations who had sacrificed their blood to protect and advance the capital.

“The celebration will give us the opportunity to understand the past correctly so that we can gain a deeper insight into the present. Our objective now is to develop Vientiane into a city that is comparable to those of our neighbours,” Mr Somsavat said.

This will be the first time the capital's birthday has been celebrated.

The Party Secretary of Vientiane Mr Sombath recalled how on October 12, 1945, more than 20,000 people gathered at the National Stadium where the Lao Issara government officially declared the country's independence.

Lao Issara leaders took the opportunity of the defeat of the Japanese in World War II to declare independence.

The Japanese forces that overthrew the French administration in Indochina in 1942 were forced to withdraw from Laos after their defeat in World War II.

Independence Day was the result of prolonged fighting by the Lao people to gain independence from foreign occupation.

Anniversary celebrations in 2010 will include an export drive to boost earnings for city residents, arts competitions, a beauty contest, and sports events.

Songs and films will also be produced, while the city pillar at Vat Simeuang will be restored along with the old city wall, the Sisaket Museum and That Luang Stupa.

Street lighting will be installed on the main roads to beautify the city ahead of the celebration.

By Somsack Pongkhao
(Latest Update October 15, 2007)

By 2010 you won't see Tuk-tuks in Vientaine

Tuk-tuks to be off the streets by 2010


A move to ban tuk-tuks and jumbos in Vientiane is scheduled to take effect in 2010, but drivers have expressed dismay at the proposal, fearing they will lose their livelihood.
Tuk-tuks and jumbos wait for passengers at the morning market.
Authorities see that these vehicles to some extent cause road accidents in the city, resulting in several deaths and injuries every month.
Director of the Vientiane Department of Communi-cation, Transport, Post and Construction, Mr Thongdam Xayphakatsa, said yesterday the department was preparing to put the idea into practice.
“We can all see that these vehicles are in poor condition. Some of them don't even have indicators, or front and back lights,” he said.
The department is trying to encourage the use of all vehicles for family purposes, and is seeking to improve the city's transport services, especially buses and taxis.
A private company in Laos has recently imported more than 30 buses from China , which will go into service in Vientiane in October as part of the capital's transport upgrade.
There are concerns that the ban will make life difficult for tourists, for whom tuk-tuks are the perfect mode of transport around Vientiane .
A British woman working here, Ms Angela Edwards, commented that the proposal to ban these vehicles was not a good idea.
“This form of transport is the most convenient and for so long I have been thankful that I could jump on a tuk-tuk, anytime, anywhere.”
“I think it is unlikely that a bus service could ever substitute for the convenience offered by tuk-tuks, and taxis are way too expensive. Tuk-tuks are the people's transport.”
“I've been told officials say they are considered sub-standard, but what is it exactly they don't like about them?” she asked.
“Tuk-tuks provide a form of service for which there is no substitute; it is one of the reasons I enjoy life in Laos ,” she said.
The ban has yet to be implemented, but it is a hot topic among tuk-tuk and jumbo drivers, who are concerned about unemployment.
One driver, who has been in the job for 16 years, said his earnings formed the family's main source of income. “I don't know what I would do if I couldn't drive a tuk-tuk anymore,” he said.
At present there are several thousand tuk-tuks and jumbos in Vientiane , of which 30 are stationed near Nam Phou fountain, and frequently used by the numerous tourists in this area.
They are mostly made from parts imported from Thailand and assembled in Laos.
By Somsack Pongkhao (Latest Update September 27, 2007)
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/Previous_227/FreeContent/FreeContent_tuk-tuk.htm

UNESCO to review Luang Prabang's World Heritage status

UNESCO will send officials to Luang Prabang next month to see whether the town still warrants its World Heritage status, according to a senior official.

The head of the Luang Prabang Heritage Office, Ms Manivone Thoummabouth, said last week that the team of inspectors would arrive in Luang Prabang early next month, and will work there for two weeks to review all heritage sites in a routine inspection.

“They will come with a checklist to ensure all listed building and artefacts have remained intact in the 10 years since the town was listed as a World Heritage Site,” she said in a telephone interview with Vientiane Times.

She said the inspection was not unexpected, because UNESCO inspects all sites 10 years after they have been granted World Heritage status.

She added that UNESCO had proposed an inspection of the town last year. “Lao government and UNESCO officials reached an agreement on a deadline for the Luang Prabang inspection in August during a meeting in Switzerland ,” she said.

Ms Manivone said the team of inspectors had extensive knowledge of World Heritage Sites and remained independent from all state organisations.

UNESCO has removed certain sites from the World Heritage list in the past, including the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand , which was unable to maintain its sites due to rapid development.

Ms Manivone said she had a strong belief that the results of this year's inspection would be positive, because over the past 10 years local authorities have “done an excellent job in maintaining the area”.

She explained that many of the town's temples and houses were in the same condition as they were 10 years ago, and all renovations had been carried out carefully, in accordance with heritage guidelines.

She also said that while local architecture had been preserved, Luang Prabang residents had continued to maintain their traditional lifestyles; women still wear the traditional Lao skirt when offering alms to monks in the early mornings, an example of the many traditions that have largely disappeared in Asia .

Ms Manivone said the Lao government has always been intent on protecting its places of cultural heritage as they reflect the unique Lao culture, and help to boost the tourism industry.

“Many tourists come to Luang Prabang because of its World Heritage status,” she said, adding that this has led to more jobs and better incomes for local people.


By VIENTIANE TIMES
(Latest Update October 02, 2007)