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Laos

Laos
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Laos. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Vientiane
Head of State
President Thongloun Sisoulith
Head of Government
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone
Finnish cave diver Mikko Paasi with the first survivor rescued from a flooded cave network in Xaysomboun province, central Laos, on Saturday. Photo: Josh Richards/dpa
Thailand

5 villagers trapped in flooded Laos cave freed after 10-day ordeal

The men emerged weak and dazed to an outpouring of emotion from rescuers and relatives on the muddy topside. Two others remain missing.

Asean

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

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Video | Five of 7 villagers trapped in Laos cave found alive

Thailand

5 of 7 villagers trapped in flooded Laos cave found alive

A Thai-led rescue team broke through to an area where they found the five villagers on a muddy ledge, but two others remain missing.

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A Thai-led rescue team broke through to an area in a flooded Laos cave where they found five of the seven missing villagers perched on a muddy ledge on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook / Thailand Rescue Diver
Extreme weather

Video | Rescuers race to save miners in flooded Laos cave

Thai teams have joined the mission, as rescuers share photos of the treacherous conditions in the cave tunnel.

Animals

After years in tiny cages, 27 moon bears finally taste freedom in Laos

The raid on a brutal bile extraction facility disguised as a zoo was believed to be the largest in Southeast Asian history.

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Thailand

Search in flooded cave for 7 gold-mining villagers in Laos enters sixth day

Thai teams have joined the mission, as rescuers share photos of the treacherous conditions in the cave tunnel.

A rescuer navigates through a flooded cave in Xaysomboun province, Laos, where seven villagers who were mining for gold are trapped. Photo: Facebook/Thailand Rescue Diver
Asean

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

Indonesia

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

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US-China relations

US trial hears witness claims of harassment over Chinese ‘secret police station’

Witness testifies he was harassed after holding a protest against the establishment of alleged Fuzhou-controlled facility in New York.

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Supporters of Lu Jianwang stand outside a federal courthouse before the opening of his trial in New York, on May 6. Photo: AP
Indonesia

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

The foreigners, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested near Jakarta’s Chinatown section that investigators described as a hub for more than 70 online gambling websites.

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Suspected online gambling operators (in orange) walk towards buses for transfer after a police raid at the Hayam Wuruk Plaza office building in Jakarta on Sunday. Photo: AFP
China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

Ukraine war

Russia and Ukraine trade attacks ahead of Moscow war parade

Russia has threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupts the Victory Day parade on Saturday.

Thailand

‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

Police believe that some Chinese cyber scammers are using these false registrations to launder money through firms they can fully control.

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A baby is carried in a back sling adorned with the Chinese character meaning “fortune” in Ban Arunothai, Thailand. Photo: Thomas Bird
China trade

Durian Express? China brings in cheaper fruit with new Southeast Asia train

A new cold-storage rail service is whisking mountains of durians from Thailand to China, reducing prices for the prized fruit.

A shopper browses a mound of durians at a market in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee
Asean

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

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Thailand

Video | Rare earth mining is poisoning the Mekong River

Toxins pose health risks including cancer, organ failure and developmental harm.

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Thailand

‘Destroying the world’s kitchen’: the poisoning of the Mekong River

Many millions depend on the river but toxic run-off from mining for modern technology - including for war - could be an existential threat.

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A man sits in a fishing boat on the Mekong River in northeastern Thailand, with Laos seen on the left, in 2019. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

China is poised to reap rewards as energy shock heats up the race for renewables

The US war on Iran may have inadvertently triggered a global transition that will favour Beijing’s green leadership, analysts predict.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Li Auto targets BMW and Mercedes with premium SUVs in Middle East, Asia-Pacific

Beijing-based EV maker expects overseas deliveries to account for 30 per cent of its total by 2030, president Ma Donghui says.

Vietnam

Pangolin win: Vietnam sends scale smugglers to prison for 8 years

The Asian pangolin has been hunted for its meat and scales to the point of extinction, causing poachers to turn to its African cousins.

A rescued pangolin bought off a wildlife seller rests at the Green Finger Garden in Lagos, Nigeria. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

Smoke rising from a hillside wildfire in Chiang Mai, Thailand, earlier this month. Photo: AFP
South Korea

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

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China energy security

China powers up major Southeast Asian solar project amid Iran war shock

The installation boasts more than two million solar panels and comes online as global fossil fuels face unprecedented disruption.

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Scams and swindles

Cambodia’s high-stakes war on online scam compounds

Cambodia has vowed to stamp out the scam compounds on its soil by month’s end – but perpetrators remain drawn to the potential for huge profits.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
Asean

How Asean’s neutral stance in Iran war protects its energy security

Granting Southeast Asian vessels safe passage through the strait allows Iran to come across as a diplomatic good guy, analysts say.

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An oil tanker sits anchored off Muscat, Oman, on March 10. Photo: Reuters
SCMP Highlights

Cambodia’s scam industry exodus, Jollibee’s diaspora effect: 7 Asia highlights

From Cambodia’s scam industry exodus to Jollibee’s meaning to overseas Filipinos, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Cambodia

A US$19 billion scam industry is fleeing Cambodia. Where will it end up?

Scam bosses and their multibillion-dollar crime networks are fleeing to Myanmar, Laos and Thailand ahead of an April deadline.

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