Lao (ພາສາລາວ phaasaa laao) also Laotian, is the official language of Laos. It is a tonal language of the Tai family, and is so closely related to the Isan language of the northeast region of Thailand that the two are often classed as one language. The writing system of Lao is an abugida (a writing system composed of signs denoting consonants with an inherent following vowel) and is closely related to the writing system used in Thai.
The Lao language can be divided into five main dialects :
* Vientiane Lao
* Northern Lao (Luang Prabang)
* North-Eastern Lao (Xieng Khouang)
* Central Lao (Khammouan)
* Southern Lao (Champasak)
Vientiane Lao, the predominant dialect due to its use in the capital (whence it gets its name), is widely understood throughout the country, and all the dialects are for the most part mutually intelligible.
Go Khon Lao Go Khon Lao Go, Go Khon Lao Go Khon Lao Go
Sepak Takraw (Malay: "kick" and Thai: "takraw") [1] or Kick Volleyball is a sport native to Southeast Asia, resembling volleyball, except that it uses a rattan ball and only allows players to use their feet and head to touch the ball. A cross between soccer and volleyball, it is a popular sport in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.
In Thailand, the game is simply called Takraw. It is also thuck thay (Lao: "twine" and "kick").
Similar games include footbag net, footvolley, jianzi and sipa.
History
Sepak takraw was almost definitely based on the Chinese game of cuju (a name which also means "kick ball"). The sport would have been brought in through early trade and had already become popular in Malaysia and Thailand by the early 1400s. Back then it was called Takraw in Thai or Sepak Raga (literally "kick rattan ball", because the ball is made of rattan) in Malay and played mainly by men and boys standing in a circle, kicking the ball back and forth between them.
In Bangkok, murals at Wat Phra Kaew depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. Other historical accounts mention the game earlier during the reign of King Naresuan of Ayutthaya. The game remained in its circle form for hundreds of years, and the modern version of sepak takraw began taking shape in Thailand sometime during early 1800s. In 1829, the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for takraw competition. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, takraw was introduced to the curriculum in Siamese schools. The game became such a cherished local custom that another exhibition of volleyball-style takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom’s first constitution in 1933, the year after Thailand abolished absolute monarchy. Later in 1935, the game was first played differently in in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia during the Silver Jubilee celebration of SMK King George V. [2] By the 1940s, the net version of the game had spread throughout Southeast Asia, and formal rules were introduced. In the Philippines the sport was called "Sipa", in Myanmar, or Burma, it was dubbed "Chinlone", in Laos "Kator", "cầu mây" in Vietnam and in Indonesia "Raga." [1]
International play is now governed by ISTAF, the International Sepak Takraw Federation. The King's Cup Sepaktakraw World Championship is held every year in Thailand.
This new national stadium has been constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South of Vientiane city and is expected to be ready 3 months before the SEA Games start. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).
The Lao national sport committee announced to organise some sports events in Vientiane, Luang prabang and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province. The first round of the men football competition will be held in Savannakhet because the new 15,000-seat stadium is completed. The new stadium in Luang prabang province will be used for women football competition.
Photo: New stadium used for the opening ceremony of the 7th National games in Savannakhet province, central Laos.
Photo: New stadium in Luang prabang province, nothern Laos.
Totally 25 sports will be competed at the 25th SEA GAMES in Vientiane, Laos including Lao traditional sports such as archery, top spinning and boat racing.
The Philippines will have to wait a foreseeable future to reclaim their Southeast Asian Games gold medal from Thailand.
Laos on Friday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand announced its intention to slash the number of disciplines from 43 to only 25 for the 2009 edition of the regional event which includes baseball as one of those non-inclusions.
Other sports to be axed include basketball, gymnastics, cycling, softball, and triathlon.
Baseball has been a part of the games since the 2005 games in Manila that saw the host country taking the gold medal over Thailand. On the other hand, the Thais dethrone the Filipino batters to capture the crown this year.
The list includes archery, athletics, badminton, bowling, boxing, football, futsal, golf, handball, judo, karate-do, muay, petanque, pencak silat, sepak takraw, shooting, shuttle cock, snooker and billiards, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, traditional boat race, volleyball/beach volleyball, wrestling and wushu.
Officials from the next host cited the lack of facilities, little number of competitors, and weak participants as reasons for the cutback.
The games will be held in Vientiane for the 2009 games scheduled in December. It will be the lowest number of events to be held since the 1999 meet in Brunei which saw only 21 sports held in the oil-rich nation.
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The great Laotian epic, the Phra Lak Phra Lam, claims that Prince Thattaradtha founded the city when he left the legendary Lao kingdom of Muong Inthapatha Maha Nakhone because he was denied the throne in favor of his younger brother. Thattaradtha originally founded a city called Maha Thani Si Phan Phao on the western banks of the Mekong River; this city was told to have later become today's Udon Thani, Thailand. One day, a seven-headed Naga told Thattaradtha to start a new city on the eastern bank of the river opposite Maha Thani Si Phan Phao. The prince called this city Chanthabuly Si Sattanakhanahud; which was told to be the predecessor of modern Vientiane.
Contrary to the Phra Lak Phra Lam, most historians believe Vientiane was an early Khmer settlement centered around a Hindu temple, which the Pha That Luang would later replace. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the time when the Lao and Thai people are believed to have entered Southeast Asia from Southern China, the few remaining Khmers in the area were either killed, removed, or assimilated into the Lao civilization, which would soon overtake the area.
In 1354, when Fa Ngum founded the kingdom of Lan Xang, Vientiane became an important administrative city, even though it was not made the capital. King Setthathirath officially established it as the capital of Lan Xang in 1560. When Lan Xang fell apart in 1707, it became an independent kingdom. In 1779, it was conquered by the Siamese general Phraya Chakri and made a vassal of Siam.
When King Anouvong raised an unsuccessful rebellion, it was obliterated by Siamese armies in 1827. It eventually passed to French rule in 1893. It became the capital of the French protectorate of Laos in 1899.
Vientiane (pronounced /vjɛnˈtjɑːn/, Lao ວຽງຈັນ Viangchan) is the capital city of Laos, situated in the Mekong Valley. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 (2005) while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area (the entire Vientiane Prefecture and parts of Vientiane Province) is believed to be over 730,000. Vientiane is located at 17°58' North, 102°36' East (17.9667, 102.6).
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It was spectacular ending to the 24th SEA Games earlier in the closing ceremony.
As the flag is passed on to the next country to host the SEA Games, we reflect of the one we had.
It was a well organised 24th SEA Games by the King and Kingdom, and we look forward to the 25th SEA Games in Laos 2009
It will be Laos first time hosting the SEA Games and estimated 25 sports will be contested.
If Laos failed to meet qualifications to hold the event in time, the games would be moved to Singapore.
As for us here at this website, we would like to thank for your support and feedback at the site and interaction at the chatbox. Despite user differences at times seen at the chatbox, we’re still so much similar being we’re all from South East Asia region.
Let’s not forget the fair-play in such games and lose sight of it. It’s an eye opener for us maintaining this website with the limited resource available to us and we’ll try to do better on the next games. Thank you
69% of the country's people are ethnic Lao, the principal lowland inhabitants and the politically and culturally dominant group. The Lao belong to the Tai linguistic group who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium AD. A further 8% belong to other "lowland" groups, which together with the Lao people make up the Lao Loum. Hill people and minority cultures of Laos such as the Hmong (Miao), Yao (Mien), Tai dumm, Dao, Shan, and several Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples have lived in isolated regions of Laos for many years. Mountain/hill tribes of mixed ethno/cultural-linguistic heritage are found in northern Laos which include the Lua (Lua) and Khammu people who are indigenous to Laos. Today, the Lua people are considered endangered. Collectively, they are known as Lao Soung or highland Laotians. In the central and southern mountains, Mon-Khmer tribes, known as Lao Theung or mid-slope Laotians, predominate. Some Vietnamese and Chinese minorities remain, particularly in the towns, but many left in two waves; after independence in the late 1940s and again after 1975.
The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the ethnic Lao language, ethnic Lao people, language or customs, but is a political term that also includes the non-ethnic Lao groups within Laos and identifies them as "Laotian" because of their political citizenship. In a similar vein the word "Lao" can also describe the people, cuisine, language and culture of the people of Northeast Thailand (Isan) who are ethnic Lao.
The predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism which, along with the common Animism practiced among the mountain tribes, coexists peacefully with spirit worship. There also are a small number of Christians, mostly restricted to the Vientiane area, and Muslims, mostly restricted to the Myanmar border region. Christian missionary work is regulated by the government.
The official and dominant language is Lao, a tonal language of the Tai linguistic group. Midslope and highland Lao speak an assortment of tribal languages. French, still common in government and commerce, has declined in usage, while knowledge of English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has increased in recent years
Degussa, a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals, will showcase its work on lithium-ion batteries, hybrid vehicles and lightweight construction at the upcoming SAE 2007 World Congress in Detroit.
Degussa began volume production of electrodes for large-format lithium-ion batteries at the Li-Tech GmbH (SK Group) site in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2006. (Earlier post.) In Detroit, the company will exhibit a Honda Civic hybrid equipped with a li-ion battery made of Degussa electrodes with some 40,000 kilometers (24,855 miles) of on-road testing.
Degussa also offers a ceramic membrane separator—SEPARION—which consists of a flexible substrate, normally a non-woven polymer, coated with a porous ceramic layer. The pore size can be selectively set by an appropriate choice of ceramic coating material. According to Degussa, the ceramic properties of the separator make it more temperature-stable than conventional polymer separators used in lithium-ion polymer batteries, and therefore contribute towards preventing short circuits in the battery.
The company will also present adhesive solutions to replace welding, both in the chassis and the superstructure. Degussa says that every additional kilogram of the special adhesive makes the car 25 kilograms lighter. Degussa supplies silanes for the adhesives.
Laos will have to work hard to host the 25th SEA Games in 2009 because the country only has five years to prepare international facilities, said National Sports Committee President, Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom recently.
The meeting of the SEA Games Council Members held in December 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam nominated Laos to host the SEA Games in 2009 because the honour had never come here before.
Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom told the Government Meeting last month that plans were needed to ensure that the games would be a success. The Government accepted and has given the NSC responsibility for planning and preparation including fields for competition, athletes villages and other services during the Games. The Government will then review the plan to decide the budget for the SEA Games.
"We will upgrade some fields for competition in Vientiane so that they are international standard. We are lucky in Vientiane because we have many indoor stadiums that can be used for the indoor sports events," Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom explained.
The National Stadium could be used for the opening and closing ceremonies and the football finals but it seats only 5,000 spectators. "Laos is planning to build a new 20,000-seat stadium in Vientiane for use in the opening and closing ceremonies," said Dr Phouthong.
He said that the new national stadium is the most ambitious and important project in the preparations. It will contain 20,000 seats or more and provide roofing cover on the west and east stands. It will be a multi-function stadium for football and athletics competitions. The construction should be designed and completed to international and regional standards.
The NSC is also planning to organise some sports events in Vientiane and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province, said the NSC president. "The first round of the football competition will be held in Savannakhet because their new 15,000-seat stadium is nearly complete," he said.
"We are a small country but we want to make the games exciting and hold many sports events. We have decided to organise 25 sports events for the SEA Games in 2009 including Lao traditional sports such as archery, top spinning and boat racing," he added.
The new national stadium will be constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South and construction will begin next year. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).
Another big football stadium to use for the SEA Games in 2009 is the new 15,000 seat stadium in Savannakhet province. It is currently under construction and will be finished next year in time for the National Games.
The aim of the SEA Games is to promote friendship, solidarity and understanding between countries in the region. It is also held to promote good sports records, techniques and tactics, and create the conditions for athletes to compete at the highest level in order to get better results at the Asian and Olympic Games.
Before 1975, the SEA Games was named the SEAP Games (South East Asian Peninsula Games). The first SEAP Games was organised in 1959 in Bangkok, Thailand and attended by only six countries including Laos. Singapore became the 7th member after it separated from Malaysia to be an independent nation in 1965 and then Indonesia and the Philippines joined the Games in 1977.
In 1997, Brunei was recognised as an official member, raising the total of official members to 10 countries and last year's SEA Games in Vietnam saw an increase to 11 countries when East Timor joined.
The Philippines will host the 23rd SEA Games in 2005. They will then be hosted by Thailand in 2007 before Laos takes its turn in 2009.
Economy of Laos
The government of Laos — one of the few remaining official communist states — began decentralising control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986.[citation needed] The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking: growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Major urban centers have experienced the most growth. The economies of Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet in particular have experienced significant booms in recent years. The Lao economy is heavily dependent on investment and trade with its larger and richer neighbors, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China. Pakxe has also experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand and Vietnam.
Much of the country, however, lacks adequate infrastructure. Laos has no railways, although a short link to connect Vientiane with Thailand over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is currently under construction. The major roads connecting the major urban centres, in particular Route 13 South, have been significantly upgraded in recent years, but villages far from major roads are accessible only through unpaved roads that may not be accessible year-round. There is limited external and internal telecommunication, particularly of the wire line sort, but mobile cellular phone use has become widespread in urban centres. In many rural areas electricity is unavailable or offered only during scheduled periods.
A ferryboat on the Nam Ou river. Rivers are an important means of transport in Laos.
A ferryboat on the Nam Ou river. Rivers are an important means of transport in Laos.
Subsistence agriculture still accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. Laos has the lowest percentage of arable land and permanent crop land in the Greater Mekong Subregion.[9] Only 4.01% of Laos is arable land, and only 0.34% of the country is planted with permanent crops.[10] Rice dominates agriculture, with about 80% of the arable land area used for growing rice.[11] Approximately 77% of Lao farm households are self-sufficient in rice.[12] Through the development, release and widespread adoption of improved rice varieties, and through economic reforms, Lao PDR achieved a net balance of rice imports and exports for the first time in 1999.[13] Between 1990 and 2005, rice production increased from 1.5 million tons to 2.5 million tons [1] [2]: an average annual growth rate of more than 5%.[14] This increase in production has been valued at $8 million to $19 million per year.[13] Lao PDR may have the greatest number of rice varieties in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Since 1995 the Lao government has been working with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to collect seed samples of each of the thousands of rice varieties found in Laos.[15]
The economy receives aid from the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining, most notably of copper and gold. Tourism is the fastest-growing industry in the country. However, economic development in general is hampered by a serious case of brain drain. A 2005 World Bank study reported that 37% of educated Laotians lived abroad, putting the country in fifth place for worst brain drain.
In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this may help spur growth.
