Latest news with #Laotian
Time Out
5 hours ago
- Time Out
You can now private charter this luxurious 50-metre river cruiser down the Mekong
The third-longest river in Asia, the Mekong runs through at least six countries, including China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. Rich with wildlife and drop-dead gorgeous countryside scenes, the Mekong is best enjoyed by a river cruise, many of which travel between Siem Reap in Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. For a more serene experience, the upper reaches of the Mekong will satisfy. And now, you can enjoy such a journey in ultimate luxury and privacy via private charter aboard Mekong Kingdoms' luxury river cruise, Bohème. The Bohème glides along a quieter section of the Mekong River, between the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang and Xayaboury in Laos, and back. A 50-metre cruiser with 13 suites (for up to 26 guests), it is now available for anyone who wishes to book out the entire boat for private sailings. You can book the private charter package for trips happening up to September this year. Luxury is a given: the suites are modern and stylishly appointed, with a 60-square-metre Royal Suite that features a freestanding bath and a private balcony for tranquil hours watching the scenery pass by. Guests can also expect attentive butler service, onboard spa treatments, and fine dining meals accompanied by thoughtful wine pairings. The itinerary also offers numerous opportunities for you to immerse yourself in Laotian culture, with excursions to the sacred Pak Ou Caves to view thousands of devotional images, the artisan village of Ban Chan Neua to learn pottery techniques, and an invigorating swim at the Kuang Si Waterfalls. Cocktail classes, yoga sessions, and dinner under the stars complete your experience aboard the Bohème. Of course, such luxury comes with a hefty price tag. Rates start from USD 33,600 for three nights, and you must book a minimum of eight cabins. The private charter package is also available on a longer journey: a five-night itinerary between Luang Prabang and Vientiane, starting from USD 68,000 based on a minimum booking of ten cabins.
India.com
3 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Is China's ‘economic slave' sending troops to Ukraine to support Russia? Not Pakistan or Sri Lanka, it is....
The close partnership between Russia and China is no longer a secret. Despite Western sanctions, China has been very supportive of Russia, which has helped bolster its economy and its military. Now, numerous media outlets are reporting that a nation that is deeply indebted to China may send troops to assist Russia. That nation is Laos, which owes China billions of dollars. A few years back, Laos' vital energy grid was taken over by China after it defaulted on its loans. Laos also has significant military and diplomatic ties to Russia, and there is concern that it may become directly involved in helping bolster Moscow's military efforts. Which country is being called China's 'economic slave' in this context? According to the South China Morning Post(SCMP), Laos state media reported this week that the government rejected recent reports in international media that it would send troops to support Russian military operations in Ukraine. The reports claimed that Moscow was trying to recruit Laotian soldiers and civilians with the promise of financial incentives and Russian citizenship. Reports also claimed that Russia identified Laotian military engineering units to offer support, i.e., mine-clearing support in the Kursk region at the outset. The reports, citing Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, stated that the Kremlin aims to involve allied states in the war under the 'under the pretext of carrying out humanitarian projects in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.' 'Laos is the latest country Russia is attempting to pull into the war,' the agency noted. Which major country provides economic and diplomatic support to Russia without condemning its actions? With the country's strong ties with Moscow and demining expertise, concerns about the Southeast Asian nation playing a role in the conflict seemed reasonable. Laos said the allegations were baseless and were intended to confuse and damage the country's international reputation. Laos stressed there was no evidence to support the allegations, characterising them as a 'deliberate distortion of the truth' to create confusion in the world community. The Thongloun Sisoulith government also announced that it has no policy or intention to dispatch military personnel or citizens to intervene in any other countries' internal conflicts, the report mentioned. According to Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, these claims originated from Ukraine's military intelligence, which has 'a track record of false or exaggerated claims'. 'However, the story was somewhat plausible given the good relations between Laos and Russia,' Ian Storey, senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute based in Singapore, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post. The two nations' close historical ties began in the Cold War situation, with the Soviet Union supplying essential support to the Laotian Communist Party. Ian Storey, author of Putin's Russia and Southeast Asia: The Kremlin's Pivot to Asia and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War, notes that Vientiane is thankful to Moscow and has not condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Hans India
‘Guest' steals foreign currency at star hotels
Bengaluru: The High Grounds police have arrested a man who posed as a guest at prestigious hotels in the city and stole money during conferences and workshops. The accused has been identified as Chintakindi Srinivasulu (57) from Andhra Pradesh. According to Bengaluru Central Division DCP Akshay Hake Machindra, Srinivasulu attended a private company's annual meeting at Shangri-La Hotel on June 23, pretending to be an invitee. He stole foreign currency from a guest's bag and fled. 'A case was registered at High Grounds Police Station based on a complaint from the hotel's representative. A similar case was reported in the Sadashivanagar police limits as well,' said DCP Akshay Hake Machindra. The accused reportedly tracked high-profile international conferences and workshops through newspapers and media reports. 'He used to disguise himself as an invited guest, gain entry and steal money when guests left their bags unattended. He targeted foreign currency believing it would fetch him high value,' the DCP added. 'Based on CCTV footage from the hotel and other evidence, we arrested the accused. We have recovered 270 US dollars, 2,900 Taiwan dollars, 200 Australian dollars, and 10,000 Laotian kip from him,' DCP Machindra confirmed.
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
Andhra Man Posed As Guest At Luxury Hotels, Then Stole Money From Real Guests
New Delhi: A 57-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh was arrested on Wednesday for attending high-profile events at luxury hotels by posing as a guest and stealing foreign and domestic currency from the real guests - the unsuspecting participants. Chintakindi Srinivasulu was arrested in Bengaluru weeks after a theft was reported at the prestigious Shangri-La Hotel in the city. According to the police, Srinivasulu had attended the APAC-2025 annual meeting organised by the APAC Group at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bengaluru between June 21 and June 28. The event, held on the hotel's first floor, hosted several international delegates, including Roger Nienpo Sheng. On June 23, Mr Sheng discovered that $300 and 3,000 Taiwanese dollars were missing from his bag. He then filed a complaint at the High Grounds police station, following which the police traced Srinivasulu as the suspect. Weeks after launching a manhunt, officials tracked the accused and took him into custody. Officials linked two more cases of theft from high-end hotels to Srinivasulu. During interrogation, Srinivasulu confessed to having posed as a delegate at many events hosted at five-star hotels. Police have seized around Rs 41,079 from the accused - of which are $270, 2,900 Taiwanese dollars, 200 Australian dollars, and 10,000 Laotian Kip.
New Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
When a Waterfall Traps a Nation: Laos, China, and the Geography of Power
If you want to understand the geopolitics of Southeast Asia in the age of climate disruption and infrastructure diplomacy, don't just look at fighter jets or trade agreements—look at waterfalls. Specifically, the Khone Phapheng Falls, a thunderous cascade on the Mekong River near the southern edge of Laos, where the water drops not just in altitude but in strategic opportunity. These aren't just any rapids—they are nature's way of telling Laos: "You shall not pass." For over a century, these falls have served as a brutal reminder of how geography can hardwire economic fate. The Mekong River flows from China to the South China Sea, touching nearly every major mainland ASEAN state. In theory, that should offer Laos a lifeline to the ocean. But Khone Phapheng breaks that dream. Its turbulent, impassable waters sever Laos from maritime connectivity, leaving it a landlocked nation that's not just geographically cut off—but economically constrained. And in today's global economy, being landlocked is like running a marathon in flip-flops. It's not impossible, but it's exhausting and inefficient. Without deepwater port access, Laos must move its goods through neighboring countries like Thailand or Vietnam—paying tolls in the form of tariffs, logistics delays, and foreign goodwill. Over time, this has made Laos overly dependent, underconnected, and structurally sidelined from the global value chain. In short, Khone Phapheng didn't just block boats—it blocked a nation's trajectory. When Beijing unveiled its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it wasn't just laying down tracks or cables—it was laying down a new economic map. And Laos, the lonely landlocked neighbor with a dream of being land-linked, was more than willing to redraw its coordinates. The crown jewel of this effort is the China–Laos Railway, a sleek, electrified high-speed line connecting Kunming in China's Yunnan province to Vientiane, the Laotian capital. At over 1,000 kilometers, this railway is a steel artery pulsing with promise: faster trade, more tourists, lower logistics costs, and a new economic spine for a country historically bent over by geography. To be fair, the railway is no small feat. It slashes transport time between the Chinese and Laotian capitals to under 12 hours. Agricultural exports—like bananas, rubber, and cassava—can now move north at speeds and scales previously unthinkable. And for a country where a pothole might mean a two-day delay, having freight move at 120 km/h feels like a revolution. But let's not confuse motion with direction. The China–Laos Railway doesn't take Laos to the sea. It takes it deeper into China's economic orbit. That's not necessarily a bad thing—until you realise what it replaces: genuine strategic autonomy. Laos still can't reach a seaport without transiting through Thailand or Vietnam. The railway might reduce its isolation, but it doesn't rewrite its geography. It's a bypass, not a breakthrough. Worse, it may be a bypass that comes with strings—debt strings. The railway cost over $6 billion, a staggering figure for a country whose GDP is only slightly higher. Laos holds a 30% stake in the project but had to borrow heavily from Chinese state-owned banks to finance it. The result: a mounting debt burden that now exceeds 100% of GDP. That's not just unsustainable—it's politically and economically destabilising. In 2023, reports emerged that Laos had to cede some control of its power grid and infrastructure assets to Chinese entities as part of its debt restructuring. The alarm bells aren't theoretical anymore. They're tolling in real-time. What was meant to be a corridor of opportunity risks becoming a tunnel of dependency. If Laos is the patient, then China is both the surgeon and the pharmacist—and that's never a good arrangement in geopolitics. Some might call this a "debt trap." Others might call it strategic generosity. The truth, as always, lies somewhere between a spreadsheet and a power map. Yes, Laos gets high-speed infrastructure. Yes, its farmers and exporters gain a new lease on logistics life. But at what price? If the only way to pay for the train is to sell off the station, then the long-term math starts to look less like development and more like foreclosure. What Laos truly needs isn't just a rail line to Kunming. It needs a multimodal strategy—rail to Thailand's Laem Chabang port, better road corridors to Vietnam's deepwater harbors, and regional integration that puts Laos in the middle of a Southeast Asian trade loop, not on the edge of a Chinese supply chain. It also needs what the Khone Phapheng Falls denied it: connectivity to the ocean. Until Laos finds a way to port its way to prosperity, whether through dry ports, customs harmonisation, or regional economic corridors, it will remain structurally constrained—even if its trains run on time. In the end, this is more than a story about Laos. It's about how 21st-century power is being negotiated not through warships or treaties, but through rail gauges and interest rates. It's about how a waterfall—one beautiful, immovable force of nature—can determine the fate of a country. And it's about how the choices made in the name of progress can either liberate or entangle. Because in today's world, the real border isn't always between nations. Sometimes, it's between independence and influence—and you can cross that line at 120 kilometers an hour. ————————————————————————— Samirul Ariff Othman is an economist, public policy advisor, and international affairs analyst. He is currently a senior consultant with Global Asia Consulting and an adjunct lecturer at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP).
