Tuesday, August 30, 2011

ມະຕິກອງປະຊຸມໃຫ່ຍຄັ້ງທີ່9ຂອງ ພັກ ປປລ

ກອງປະຊຸມໃຫຍ່ຄັ້ງທີ IX ຂອງພັກໄດ້ກຳນົດ 4 ບາດກ້າວບຸກທະລຸດັ່ງນີ້:
- ຫນຶ່ງ: ແມ່ນຕ້ອງບຸກທະລຸໃຫ້ໄດ້ທາງດ້ານຈິນຕະນາການ,ກ້ໄຂທັດສະນະແນວຄິດແບບ ຄຳພີຕາຍຕົວ, ຮັກສາເດີມ, ຂີ້ຄ້ານມັກງ່າຍ, ຊ້າຍຈັດຂວາໂພດ.

- ສອງ: ບຸກທະລຸລະບຽບການ, ກົນໄກເຮັດໃຫ້ການບໍລິຫານລັດ, ການຄຸ້ມຄອງເສດຖະກິດ-ສັງຄົມມີຄວາມສະດວກ, ວ່ອງໄວ ແລະ ໂປ່ງໃສ.

- ສາມ: ແມ່ນຕ້ອງບຸກທະລຸຢ່າງແຂງແຮງດ້ານການພັດທະນາຊັບພະຍາກອນມະນຸດ, ໂດຍສະເພາະດ້ານການກໍ່ສ້າງ ແລະ ບຳລຸງຍົກລະດັບຄວາມຮູ້ຄວາມສາມາດໃນດ້ານຕ່າງໆຂອງພະນັກງານໃຫ້ສົມຄູ່ ກັບຄວາມຮຽກຮ້ອງຕ້ອງການຂອງການພັດທະນາ.

- ສີ່: ບຸກທະລຸໃຫ້ໄດ້ໃນດ້ານການແກ້ໄຂຄວາມທຸກຍາກຂອງປະຊາຊົນດ້ວຍການຂຸດຄົ້ນແຫລ່ງທຶນຕ່າງໆ ແລະ ດ້ວຍນະໂຍບາຍສົ່ງເສີມເປັນພິເສດ, ສ້າງພື້ນຖານໂຄງລ່າງທາງດ້ານເສດຖະກິດ-ສັງຄົມ ຢ່າງມີຈຸດສຸມເພື່ອເປັນກຳລັງແຮງຊຸກດັນໃຫ້ການພັດທະນາໃນຂົງເຂດອື່ນໆຢ່າງແຂງແຮງ.
ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຂໍຊົມເຊີຍແລະສະໜັບສະໜູນໃຫ້ປະສົບຜົນສຳເລັດທັງສີ່ຄາດໝາຍ ແຕ່ໃນທີ່ນີ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຢາກໃຫ້ປັບປຸງກ່ອນໝູ່ແມ່ນຂໍ້ທີ່ສອງເນື່ອງຈາກວ່າປະຈຸບັນຍັງມີຫຼາຍກົມກອງ ແລະພະນັກງານລັດກວມເອົາ ເກືອບ90%ທີ່ເຮັດໜ້າທີ່ບໍລິການ ແລະເປັນຜູ້ອອກອະນຸຍາດຕ່າງໆຍັງຖືຕົນເອງເປັນອາດຍາສິດ ກົດໜ່ວງຖ່ວງດຶງເພື່ອຮຽກຮ້ອງຜົນປະໂຫຽດ(ເງີນ)ໄດ້ເທົ່າໃດກໍ່ບໍ່ພໍໄດ້ແລ້ວຢາກໄດ້ອີກ ເກັບກັນທຸກຈຸດ ທຸກໜ່ວຍງານ ນັບແຕ່ຜູ້ຮັບເອກະສານຮອດຫົວໜ້າພະແນກ ເຊັ່ນ: ພະແນກອຸດສາຫະກຳ ແລະການຄ້ານະຄອນຫຼວງ, ດ່ານພາສີຂົວມິດຕະພາບ1

ແມ່ນໜັກກ່ວາໝູ່ສີນຄ້າສົ່ງອອກທີ່ເປັນນະໂຍບາຍສົ່ງເສີມຂອງລັດຖະບານກໍ່ຖືກຄັດ ຂວາງມື້ໃດອາລົມດີກໍ່ປ່ອຍໄປມື້ໃດອາລົມຮ້າຍກໍ່ກັກໄວ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ນັກທຸລະກິດເກີດຄວາມທໍ້ຖອຍໃຈ ພວກທ່ານຄິດແນວໃດ?

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mining, logging to face government scrutiny

President Choummaly Sayasone has requested that the government examine future approval s of mineral extraction projects, rubber plantations, timber exportation and secondhand vehicle imports to determine whether they are in the best interests of the country.

President Choummaly Sayasone.

The president said he is very concerned about environmental issues in Laos, including the recent flooding, as natural disasters and excessive resource extraction are severely impacting on the livelihoods of Lao people.

Speaking at the first new government meeting in Vientiane earlier this week, the president said the country must be wary of diminishing its mining resources. “If we exhaust our mineral resources, it will be a sin against our children,” he said.

“The projects that we have already approved also need to be reviewed to assess their effectiveness. Those in breach of the law or found to be ineffective need to be brought to a halt.”

Mr Choummaly said investment in the mining industry needs to be beneficial to the country. “If we only get minor benefits from a mining project, we should not do it.”

Foreign businesspeople are also investing heavily in rubber plantations, many Lao people end up being labourers for the projects.

“I want the government to review the effectiveness of rubber plantation projects. If possible, we should stop approving these kinds of projects,” he said. “I think that there will not be enough Lao labourers to tap the rubber if we continue to approve rubber plantations at the current rate, unless we import labourers from other countries.”

The president said there are many problems with rubber plantations, particularly in relation to allocating leasehold land to foreign investors, which creates conflict with local villagers. Authorities are having trouble dealing with villagers being displaced from their traditional homes and then resettled in other areas.

“I want the government to stop the approval of rubber plantations and encourage villagers to grow crops which have a more immediate benefit,” Mr Choummaly said.

He said rubber is an industrial tree that takes seven years to tap and uses up valuable cultivatable land but does not feed anyone. Crops like sweetcorn, cassava and sugar can be more profitable for villagers as they can be harvested every season, giving villagers a more regular and reliable income.

“We want the government to review land usage in the country, to ensure Lao villagers have land to grow crops and help themselves out of poverty.”

The president said he is also deeply concerned about the logging industry. The government has already banned the exportation of timber, but illegal logging continues to be a problem. He said that any timber logged in Laos should be milled and processed here, so that the country reaps the full benefits of its own resources rather than seeing them flow overseas.

He said there also needs to be a review of policies in relation to the importation of secondhand vehicles, as the number of vehicles on the roads has now exceeded the road capacity of Laos, creating traffic jams and air pollution in the capital. “Should we stop importing these kinds of vehicles?” he asked the new government.

He said the Ministry of Industry and Commerce needs to increase its efforts to inspect vehicle imports and try to stop people taking advantage of this process.
“Secondhand vehicles are flooding into our country, and big roads have become small due to the rising number of vehicles travelling on them,” he said. “In the next few years, we may not have space to park them all. The more cars we have means the more fuel we have to import and we will have to pay for that.”

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Nuts, greens lower 'bad' cholesterol

Researchers say following a cholesterol-lowering diet based on soy, nuts, and green vegetables is more likely to reduce bad cholesterol than a low fat diet.


A new study of 351 Canadians with high cholesterol showed that the cholesterol-lowering foods decreased participants' low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by about 13 percent after six months, reducing their risk of heart attack and stroke over the next 10 years by about 11 percent on average.

Those who followed a traditional diet low in saturated fat experienced only 3 percent reduction in LDL level.

according to the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), participants who were on cholesterol-lowering diet consumed food that included plant-based sterols supplied by a special margarine, soy protein from tofu, soy milk, and soy-based meat substitutes, as well as viscous fiber from oats, barley, and psyllium, and nuts.

"Each one of these ingredients will help you, but when they all work together, you'll get the strongest results," said study author Peter Jones of the University of Toronto. "Plant-based sterols alone can lower your cholesterol by 5 percent. When you add in fiber and nuts and soy, the story just keeps getting better.”

"The main takeaway here is that people can lower their cholesterol with diet if they put their minds to it," he added. "These can be small changes. We're not asking people to live behind bars."

Researchers emphasized that the key point for taking benefits of the cholesterol-lowering diet is to replace choices high in saturated fat with healthier, plant-based options and make smart swaps throughout the day rather than measuring out specific amounts of each ingredient.

High salt, low activity bad for brain

People who consume high amounts of salt and are inactive are not only at a higher risk of heart disease but are more likely to develop cognitive problems.

A team of Canadian researchers followed the sodium consumption and physical activity levels of 1,262 healthy men and women aged 67 to 84 over a period of three years.

Their findings showed that those who used to take highest levels of sodium and had the lowest levels of exercise were more likely to have poorer cognitive performance than those with a low sodium intake and an active lifestyle.

“We have generated important evidence that sodium intake not only impacts heart health, but brain health as well,” said senior researcher, Dr Alexandra Fiocco, of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

“The results of our study showed that a diet high in sodium, combined with little exercise, was especially detrimental to the cognitive performance of older adults,

“But the good news is that sedentary older adults showed no cognitive decline over the three years that we followed them if they had low sodium intake.”

Participants had a daily sodium intake ranging from 2,263 milligrams to 8,098 milligrams, researchers wrote in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

High sodium intake was considered 3,091 mg per day or greater while low and medium intake were defined as not exceeding 2,263 and 3,090 milligrams respectively.

Health Canada, however, recommends people who are more than 14 years old consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day. One teaspoon of salt is equal to 2,000 milligrams.

No need to mention that daily sodium intake includes what an individual gets through all dietary sources including food and drinks and not just the salt we add to our meal at the table.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

A little bit of alcohol staves off memory problems

Moderate alcohol consumption may help stave off memory problems and/or Alzheimer's disease, a study shows.

Researchers reviewed 143 studies comprising more than 365,000 participants from 19 countries. Their analysis is published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.

Moderate drinking is defined as a maximum of one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men. A standard drink is defined as 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, according to WebMD.

Moderate drinkers were 23 percent less likely to develop dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of "cognitive impairment," a phrase used to describe a decline in thinking skills. Moderate drinking is generally defined as a maximum of two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

On the other hand, heavy drinking (more than three to five drinks per day) was associated with a higher risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, but the researchers said this finding was not statistically significant.

"We don't recommend that nondrinkers start drinking. But moderate drinking -- if it is truly moderate -- can be beneficial," study co-author Edward J. Neafsey, a professor in the department of molecular pharmacology and therapeutics, said in a Loyola University Medical Center news release.

Wine appeared more beneficial than beer or spirits, but that finding was based on a relatively small number of studies, the study authors noted, informs U.S. News & World Report.

For people who drink responsibly and in moderation, there's probably no reason to quit. But because of the potential for alcohol to be abused, Neafsey and Collins do not recommend that abstainers begin drinking.

The researchers note that there are other things besides moderate drinking that can reduce the risk of dementia, including exercise, education and a Mediterranean diet high in fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, nuts and seeds. Even gardening has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia, the release pointed out, says

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Higher pay threshold for entry & mid-level foreign execs

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Manpower Ministry (MOM) is tightening the criteria for Employment Passes (EP) to foreigners from 1 January 2012.

It said the move is to ensure that as the salary of local workers rise, they won't be disadvantaged by Employment Pass holders coming in at lower wages.

Deputy Prime Minister and Manpower Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, also assured businesses that the move is "not dramatic", and would translate to a 1-2 per cent increase in their remuneration bill, as the measures are phased in.

The announcement comes in the wake of the PM Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech where he spoke of the need to protect Singaporean workers, especially at the lower end of the job spectrum.

At the same time, Mr Lee also touched on the requirements of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who often need foreign workers the most.

The demand for Employment Passes has increased rapidly since the economic recovery in 2010.

From June 2010 to June 2011, the numbers doubled from 14 to 28 per cent.

At the end of last year, there were nearly 142,000 Employment Pass holders.

So the MOM is tightening eligibility requirements for those entering the lower and mid-level professional and skilled jobs.

Mr Tharman said: "If we don't make adjustments like this from time to time, what will be happening is we are opening up a wider gulf between Employment Pass holders' salaries and local salaries, and that is not good for an efficient labour market.

"There is no perfect time to implement measures for the long term. We have to move ahead now, reinforce the measures we have already taken and make sure we are not leaving big gaps in place."

So from January next year, educational qualifying requirements for Q1 Pass applicants will be tightened.

The ministry will also move away from the single qualifying salary of $2,800.

Applicants must now earn at least $3,000, with the ministry assessing qualification and experience.

Older applicants must command higher salaries and have commensurate experience and quality.

For P2 Pass holders, the qualifying salary will be $4,500, up from the current $4,000.

There will be no change in the qualifying salary for P1 Pass holders, which will remain as $8,000.

Mr Tharman said: "The policy shift really has to do with the older Employment Pass holders, those who are beyond their late 20s and early 30s, where if they are all going to be paid the same amount as the starting salaries, then we have a problem, because you get a wider and wider gap between the salaries of locals, whose salaries do move up as they gain experience and skills and track record, and the Employment Pass holders.

"That's where we are tightening up. Most Employment Pass holders will be able to fit in the new framework."

The new criteria will also affect existing Employment Pass holders. The MOM said it will phase in the new criteria for them over the next one to two years.

Those whose EPs expire before 1 January 2012 will receive a one-time renewal of up to two years, based on the criteria before July this year.

If their Employment Pass expires between 1 January 2012 and 30 June 2012, they will get a one-time renewal of up to a year, while those whose Employment Pass expire on or after 1 July 2012 will be subject to the new Employment Pass criteria.

Mr Tharman said: "At the end of the day, it is not going to mean a cutback in the overall size of the EP pass pool. It is not going to mean zero growth either. It will mean continued growth because the growing economy needs a growth in Employment Pass holders, but it will be slower growth than what we have seen.

"Make no mistake about it, we got to keep attracting bright, capable people into Singapore, young and middle aged, and the steps we are taking here are not going to impact our ability to attract good young people."

The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) said it is reassured by the government's emphasis that Singaporeans should remain at the core of a diverse and globally competitive workforce.

Foreign workers make up one-third of Singapore's total workforce.

Laos builds legal system but awareness remains low

The Lao PDR has enacted many laws and regulations since the national constitution was adopted but citizen's awareness of the law remains low.

Minister of Justice Dr Chaleun Yiapaoher spoke on the issue yesterday at a lecture to mark the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the national constitution.
“Even after 20 years, it remains difficult to strictly and effectively enforce the laws we have enacted,” Dr Chaleun said.

Since the national constitution came into force on August 15, 1991 along with 22 news laws, around 68 additional laws have been enacted.

Among the many reasons for the challenges in enforcing laws in Laos, Dr Chaleun said the main reason that enforcement is still based on traditional methods is that the country lacks a history of the rule of law and many offenders are poor, which limits their ability to make reparations and so judgments are not enforced.

As it stated in the preamble, the constitution is the fruit of the process of the people's discussion throughout the country which reflects the long-term aspirations and determination of the national community to strive together to fulfil the objectives of building Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity.

The constitution recognises the great achievement of the Lao people in the course of their struggle for national liberation, and their protection and construction of the country. It defines the political regime, the socio-economic system, the regime of national security, defence, foreign affairs, the rights and obligations of citizens and a system of organisation of state apparatus in the new period.

Dr Chaleun, who was a member of the committee responsible for drafting the constitution, said that the date of the announcement of the constitution was also the date the country transitioned from one governed by decrees and decisions to a state governed by laws and regulations.

In addition to national laws, Laos is also bound by the rules of more than 150 UN treaties and last year ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Dr Chaleun called on all ministries and organisations to recognise the important role of the Ministry of Justice in society, to participate in legal awareness building by educating citizens about the law and to create crime-free villages. He added that the ministry has supplied legal handbooks and personnel to all villages to help with informing the public of their legal rights and obligations.

“We will certainly become more strict and efficient in law enforcement, but this will take time because training is needed as the foundation of enforcement,” Dr Chaleun noted.

President urges new govt to concentrate on quality not quantity

The new government needs to face up to its responsibilities with honesty and integrity, and focus on the quality not quantity of results to honour the trust that the Lao people have placed in them, according to President Choummaly Sayasone.
Preident Choummaly Sayasone ( second left ) speaks to new cabinet members in Vientiane on Monday.
He was speaking at the opening of the first government meeting in Vientiane on Monday, which was attended by cabinet members and Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.

He expressed his confidence in the new government successfully implementing the Resolution of the 9th Party Congress and Seventh Socio-Economic Development Plan until 2015.





He observed that despite many achievements, much needs to be done to respond to the needs of national development. “Our development is lagging behind that of other countries,” said Mr Choummaly, who is also Secretary General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

“Our society is waiting for us to address our shortcomings, including autocracy, corruption, slow development and weak administration of the state, which have not been addressed in a timely manner. In addition, social problems are rising and we still don't have real measures to address them or reduce their prevalence. All these things have affected the leadership of our Party and management of our State,” he said.

He advised the new government to focus on the quality of its work, ensuring that it matches the reality of the nation and the real needs of the Lao people.

“In the past we sometimes conducted work without paying attention to the real needs, resulting in low quality output. At certain times, work should have been done but it was delayed or not done at all, which suggests our performance did not match with the reality,” he said.

“Concerning corruption, we have talked about this for a long time so I want all sectors to study and go in-depth to address it. Corruption can mean dishonesty and disloyalty of officials towards the nation and Lao people by using their position of authority for their own benefit.”

Mr Choummaly said corruption began when Laos opened itself up as a market economy and many people thought only of how to earn money rather than of how to benefit the nation.

He called on the new government to be a model for society and to address social problems, including corruption and inappropriate procedures in state administration.

The new government also needs to focus on minimising gaps in revenue collection and using the budget in line with the real needs of poverty reduction and national development, he said.
The president said Laos is rich in natural resources, but Lao people remain poor due to a lack of knowledge on how to earn a living and produce crops to meet market demand.

Therefore, assigning officials to work in remote areas is vitally important in order to boost development.

Mr Choummaly said local authorities often tell him their annual rice production figures without going into the quality of the produce, while others speak of GDP growth and increased income per capita without giving the exact amounts that poor people earn.

He urged the new government to work hard to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, and ensure national economic growth of at least 8 percent and annual income per capita of US$1,700.

Since the first session of the new NA in June, the new government has focused on improving the structure of its sectors and organising an official ceremony for the cabinet reshuffle.

During yesterday's meeting, Mr Thongsing highlighted the key areas and goals that the government will focus on over the next five years to boost national development.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Even little exercise reduces heart risk

Being engaged in even small amounts of aerobic exercise and physical activity is effective in lowering the risk of developing heart disease, a new study says.


Harvard School of Public Health researchers did a meta-analysis on 33 previous studies to find the amount of physical activity and exercise needed to lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in inactive individuals.

The study found that people engaged in as low as 2.5 hours or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week have a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease.

Moreover, increasing the time of weekly physical activity to 300 minutes reduces the risk of CHD by 20 percent, according to the report published in Circulation.

The findings also showed that being engaged in higher levels of physical activity is associated with modestly lower relative risks of heart disease.

The study results supported the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for the Americans, which recommends a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise for health benefits.

"The overall findings of the study corroborate federal guidelines -- even a little bit of exercise is good, but more is better," said lead author Jacob Sattelmair.

"Early studies broke people into groups such as active and sedentary," he noted. "More recent studies have begun to assess the actual amount of physical activity people are getting and how that relates to the risk of heart disease."

"The biggest health benefits we saw were for those who went from doing nothing to those doing something small," he noted. "Even a little bit of activity makes a significant difference," Jacob concluded.

ASEAN turns 44 on August 8

SINGAPORE: Singapore will mark the 44th anniversary of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) with a flag-raising ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy on 8 August.

Indonesia is the current Chairman of ASEAN.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said this year's celebrations are particularly significant.

It said this will be the first time that the ASEAN flag will be flown at all ASEAN member states' diplomatic and consular missions in ASEAN countries and ASEAN's dialogue partners and ASEAN Member States' Missions where UN headquarters and offices are located.

MFA said this is a symbol of ASEAN's commitment to its community building efforts.

It added that Singapore supports such efforts and will be raising the ASEAN flags at its relevant overseas Missions.

Singpore's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, will be the Guest of Honour at the event.

Representatives from ASEAN Embassies and High Commissions in Singapore, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore have been invited to attend the ceremony.

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam will be the Guest of Honour at a reception on 25 August 2011 to celebrate ASEAN Day.

MFA said ASEAN remains a cornerstone of Singapore's foreign policy and an important institution to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Every year, ASEAN member states celebrate ASEAN Day to promote greater awareness, consciousness, and understanding of ASEAN among its peoples and communities.

MFA said this is in line with efforts to build a strong, credible and people-centred ASEAN and realise the shared vision of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

PE: President constitutionally obliged to act on advice of Cabinet: President Nathan

SINGAPORE: Amid ongoing public discussion on the role of the Elected Presidency, President S R Nathan has reiterated that the office has its constitutional obligations.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Mr Nathan said these include acting on the advice of the Cabinet and of the Council of Presidential Advisers on matters under the Constitution.

In his 12 years in office, Mr Nathan said there was never any occasion in which he had to demand information from the government.

He said: "I have absolute access. Every Cabinet meeting, every Cabinet paper has been sent to me so that have opportunity to look at them beforehand. And when I have questions and when I meet the Prime Minister or the Senior Minister periodically, we do exchange views. What I have in mind, I'll raise with him, and what they have in mind they'll raise with us, beyond the formal exchange of information."

The President has to consult the Council of Presidential Advisers when exercising his custodial and discretionary powers.

In 2009, with a global crisis in the horizon, Mr Nathan and the Council requested to be briefed by the Ministry of Finance, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and relevant agencies on the potential impact on Singapore.

Mr Nathan later approved the use of past reserves to fund measures to fight the recession.

He said: "We knew that we were in a state where inevitably we had to do something. So at that stage, the government came up with the proposal of the Jobs Credit Scheme and the bank guarantees. We in our judgement and the Council of the Presidential Advisers in their judgement, felt that we had to respond and that's when the process worked. We had a formal letter from the government explaining what they wanted, and also what it was to do with the way to alleviate the consequences of this downturn. That was the stage when the Council recommended that I approved it and I did it."

The President also does not act independently when asked to grant pardons on the death penalty.

Mr Nathan said: "One would like us to and like me to exercise it freely but I've got to act on the advice of the Cabinet as provided by the Constitution. However sympathetic you may be, one has to think of the overall good of the community as against an individual. I know it is a painful exercise."

Mr Nathan said he understands the expectations that people may have of the President but he said it is not his place to comment on their views.