Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT) Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara has expressed his support for the Chinese Yunnan Television plan of activities to boost cooperation in the sector between Laos and China.

Prof. Dr Bosengkham voiced his support when meeting with a Yunnan Television delegation on Wednesday the 15th of August led by Editor in Chief Li Jiansheng, who called on him at the ministry in Vientiane.

During the meeting the Chinese delegation discussed with the minister their plan to hold a Yunnan Television concert of Yunnan artists in Vientiane, following on from a similar event they recently staged in Bangkok, Thailand. Prof. Dr Bosengkham welcomed the idea, saying a performance by a group of Chinese artists took place in Vientiane last year and attracted a large audience including senior Lao officials.

The two sides also discussed the Yunnan Television plan to select Laos as the first country to receive the new international channel they will be transmitting, which Mr Li said would be dubbed into Lao or have Lao subtitles. The minister expressed his support for the Chinese plan while asking Yunnan Television to tell him if they needed help with translation. He reminded his guests of the close cooperation between the ministry and China Radio International which also has an office in Vientiane.

The two sides then discussed the Chinese suggestion to connect their broadcast through Lao Cable TV and digital TV.

At the meeting, which was attended by Lao National Television Director General Dr Bounchom Vongphet, Prof. Dr Bosengkham advised the two sides to hold further discussions on the matter. He reminded them of the Lao-Chinese cooperation plan on the switch to digital broadcasting and confirmed the changeover of Lao television from an analogue to a digital system by 2015, as is planned for other Asean countries. The minister also invited representatives from Yunnan Television to attend a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of Lao National Television, which will take place soon.

Source: LNTV Lao News in English