Govt summons energy for SEA Games
The government will mobilise all of its energy to ensure successful hosting of the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane next month, according to a spokesman.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Prof. Dr Boviengkham Vongdara said the monthly government meeting had supervised ministries and local administrations in focusing their efforts on hosting the upcoming games.
The meeting, which ran from November 23 to 24, also instructed security forces nationwide to ensure security and social order during the regional sports event.
Dr Boviengkham said other main activities the government will focus on next month were to further assist the three southern provinces hit by tropical storm Ketsana and facilitate implementation of the national 2009-2010 socio-economic development plan.
The government has approved an emergency budget of more than 100 billion kip to help the southern provinces since the tropical storm hit in September, causing damage valued at around 800 billion kip.
The meeting urged commercial state banks to release loans for farmers to invest in food and goods production, to ensure the continuation of economic growth and effective control of inflation.
According to Dr Boviengkham, the November government meeting has adopted a number of prime ministerial decrees, one of the important tools of the government in running the country effectively.
One decree relates to the management of the Boten and Golden Triangle Special Economic Zones in Luang Namtha province.
This decree aims to ensure effective management of the two special economic zones after the government granted permission for foreign companies to invest in their construction.
The cabinet meeting agreed in principle on developing a prime ministerial decree on a small and medium enterprise (SME) promotion fund, which will allow the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to mobilise funds from different sources and ensure their effective use.
The government considers SMEs to be one of the main driving forces of the Lao economy.
The meeting also agreed in principle on the development of a prime ministerial decree on cooperatives, defining the principles, regulations and measures for management of cooperatives with the aim of helping SMEs to help each other.
The meeting agreed in principle to develop a prime ministerial decree on skills development, aiming to provide more skilled labour to growing businesses.
The cabinet commented on the prime ministerial decree on protected forests, hoping to re-evaluate and approve it at the next government meeting. The decree is one of the government’s measures to implement the 2020 forestry strategy, which aims to make Laos one of the world’s green forest countries.
The decree is also a reference for forestry officials to manage and zone watersheds as the country develops hydropower plants.
By Vientiane Times Reporters
November 26, 2009
