New rules of life for 2009
1. Haste Rehne ka.
2. Tension nai leneka.
3. B positive, eat positive, sleep positive
4. Mast rehneka.
5. Har problem ko solve kernay ka.
6. Friend k sath lifetime friendship account kholnay ka
7. Mujhko yaad rakhnay ka
Aur mujhey sms kertay rehnay ka.

In welcoming the upcoming New Year, all Lao sports fans will not only celebrate the 43rd anniversary of sport in this country, but also hope that celebrations will motivate Lao athletes to success at the 25th South East Asian (SEA) Games as host nation for 2009.

Laos’ main hope as hosts of the SEA Games will be an overwhelming home team advantage that will result in more gold medals and improve on the country’s performance in previous games. Apart from international competitions such as the SEA Games, the country’s main arena for sports is the National Games.

According to the Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Somsavat Lengsavad, who spoke at the closing of the 2008 National Games on December 22, this year’s event was a great experience for officials, athletes and coaches in their preparation for the 25th SEA Games, which will take place in Laos next year.

This year’s eighth National Games was hosted by Champassak province for the second time, and the number of athletes and sports have increased dramatically since the first games in 1985. The main goals of the National Games are not only for development of sport, but also to promote and strengthen friendship between athletes, competitors and supporters from different parts of the country.

The founding day for Lao sports was July 13, 1966, as declared at the third congress of the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC). This was also the day the Lao People’s Army’s sports division was officially opened at a base in Huaphan province. This was an important milestone in the history of Lao sport. Five months later, athletes competed in an international event for the first time when they went to the Games of New Force in Cambodia. Laos sent 22 athletes who competed in shooting and volleyball events.

Since the country’s liberation in 1975, sports have greatly contributed to national protection and development. Lao sports have expanded into local communities throughout the country. Sport plays an important role in international relations and participation in international competitions brings awareness and success for the country. Since 1975, the Lao government has been developing sport by training coaches and administration officers.

The LNSC held the first National Games in 1985 in Vientiane. There were 650 athletes from five zones and eight ministries competing in 12 sporting events. Vientiane came top of the final medal tally. The second National Games were hosted by Savannakhet province in 1987. Again there were 12 sports events, but athlete numbers had risen to more than 1,376 from seven zones and nine ministries. The capital city’s team retained their winner’s title.



From then on the National Games were to be held every three years in different provinces, but sometimes the games were delayed because of funding problems. The third National Games took place in Khammuan province in 1991 and was attended by 920 athletes from nine zones competing in 11 sports. In 1994, the fourth National Games was hosted by Champassak province, and attracted 1,600 athletes. Competitors took part in 14 sports and came from nine zones, while the leader of the medal tally was Vientiane again. In 1997, the event was hosted by Luang Prabang province and athlete numbers continued to grow. This time the event attracted 1,668 athletes from 10 zones, competing in 14 sports. The Vientiane team finished on top.

The sixth National Games were held in Vientiane in 2000. For the first time, the number of athletes competing was over 3,000 and the number of sports had increased to 28. The Vientiane team retained its top ranking. The seventh National Games was hosted by Savannakhet province in 2005 and attended by teams from 17 provinces and 13 ministries. This time there were 22 sports and 3,257 athletes. Vientiane again won the final medal tally.

This year’s eighth National Games ran from December 13-22 in Champassak province, and ended with big surprises as the home team claimed the top ranking in the final medal tally. For the first time ever, previous champions Vientiane slumped to third place. This time, about 6,000 athletes competed in 24 sports, representing 17 provinces, 10 ministries and two organisations.

The official venue for the launch of the countdown to the 25th SEA Games will be Chao-anouvong stadium in Anou village of Chanthbouly district, according to the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC).


The LNSC's publication ‘Sports Daily News' yesterday reported the ceremony was being organised by the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vientiane Administration Office.

The countdown ceremony will be held on December 31 and will be attended by high-ranking government officials, as well as being open to the public.

The ceremony will commence at 6.30 pm and run until 1am on January 1, 2009. Attendees will not only be able to enjoy the New Year celebrations and the launch of the countdown to the 2009 SEA Games, but also a show from Miss SEA Games contestants, performances by various artists, and a dazzling fireworks display.

The event will also feature the selection of the final 11 Miss SEA Games ambassadors who will lead athletes of each country into the stadium during the opening and closing ceremonies of the games.

A countdown clock to be placed at the Talat Sao Shopping Mall is currently being prepared, according to the games' major sponsor Lao Brewery Company.

Last month the SEA Games Federation approved 390 events in 25 sports for the games which will run from December 9 to 18 in Vientiane .

The games will involve athletes from the 11 nations of Laos , Vietnam , Cambodia , Brunei , Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Myanmar , Philippines , Singapore , and Timor Leste, which will be making its SEA Games debut.

The games aim to promote friendship, solidarity and understanding between countries in the region, while promoting sport and providing an opportunity for athletes to compete in order to improve their performances at the Asian Games and Olympic Games.

By Sisay Vilaysack

God gives You…
12 Month of Happiness,
52 Weeks of Fun,
365 Days Success,
8760 Hours Good Health,
52600 Minutes Good Luck,
3153600 Seconds of Joy…and that’s all! ”

Wishing you a fabulous 2008
with full of great achievements and experiences.
A meaningful chapter waiting
to be written HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Like birds, let us,
leave behind what we don’t need to carry…
GRUDGES SADNESS PAIN FEAR and REGRETS.
Life is beautiful, Enjoy it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

My wishes for you in year 2009
Great start for Jan,
Love for Feb,
Peace for march,
No worries for April
Fun for May,
Joy for June to Nov,
Happiness for Dec,
Have a lucky and wonderful 2009.

☻May this new year bring many opportunities your way, to explore every joy of life and may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm, turning all your dreams into reality and all your efforts into great achievements.

☻Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.


☻New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.

☻The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows.

☻For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.


☻We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.


☻Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.

☻People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.

☻And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;
To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury -
Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,
And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.


☻Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.

Officials from the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee and Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sport met on Wednesday in Vientiane to discuss preparations for the 2009 SEA Games. –Photo Sisay

The Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) met with delegates from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports in Vientiane on Wednesday to discuss progress on preparations for the 25th SEA Games.

The meeting was chaired by Lao National Sports Committee Vice President, Mr Somphou Phongsa, and the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports' Permanent Secretary Dr Sasithara Pichaichannarong.

The two sides discussed preparations for the games including the compilation of competition technical teams, construction of training and competition facilities, traffic and transport arrangements, volunteer organisers, television broadcasting and accommodation for athletes and officials.

Thai officials reported on the progress of an indoor stadium upgrade which the Thai government is providing 43 billion kip (179 million baht) funding for. The stadium in Beungkhayong village, Sisattanak district of Vientiane will host the shuttlecock and muay events during the games.

The facility is on track for completion in October next year, the meeting was told.

Mr Somphou, on behalf of LAOSOC, thanked the Thai government for its support in upgrading the Beungkhayong indoor stadium and other preparations for the event, which will be held in December 2009.

“In preparing for the games we have also received generous support from other neighbouring countries including Vietnam and China ,” he said.

Last month a meeting of the SEA Games Federation decreed the event would consist of 390 events across the 25 sports of athletics, aquatic sports (swimming, diving and water polo), archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and soft tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu, muay, fin swimming, petanque, shuttlecock and pencak silat.

Competition venues are the national sports complex at Km 16 in Dongsanghin village, Xaythany district; Don Chan Palace; Booyoung and Olympasia indoor stadiums at the National University of Laos; Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre; Chao-anouvong stadium in Anou village, Chanthabouly district; the Army stadium at Km 5 and the Vientiane Sports Department in Beungkhayong village, Sisattanak district.

The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry has pledged to help Laos improve the National Football Stadium and other sport facilities in Vientiane in preparation for the 25th SEA Games in 2009, local media reported.

The ministry will spend about 21.3 billion kip (roughly 2.4 million USD) on upgrading the sports facilities in the capital city and another sum of 1.5 billion kip for training referees, athletes and officials of the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC), said the Lao news agency (KPL) on September 4.

“The ministry is ready to assist Laos with its preparation for the games,” Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat was quoted as saying.

“The sporting collaboration would help strengthen the relations between Laos and Thailand,” he added.

Once completed, the football stadium can hold more than 10,000 audiences, according to the news agency

JOHOR BARU : Archery, cycling and weightlifting have made it to the list of sports for next year’s 25th edition of the SEA Games, scheduled to be held in Laos from Dec 13-21.

Laos, who are hosting the biennial meet for the first time, did not include the three sports when they came out with the initial list of 22 sports earlier this year.

But in the South-East Asia Games Federation (SEAGF) meeting, which concluded yesterday, Laos have agreed to include the three Olympic sports.

The other sports in the final programme are aquatics (swimming and diving), athletics, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, football, golf, judo, karate, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, muay thai, petanque, silat, fin swimming, shuttlecock kicking, volleyball (including beach volleyball), wrestling and wushu.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) vice-president Datuk W.Y. Chin, who attended the meeting in Laos, confirmed that the three sports would be contested in next year’s SEA Games.

However, there will be only road cycling competition as Laos do not have the funds to build a velodrome for the track disciplines.

“They have agreed on 25 sports and a total of 398 events altogether,” he said from Laos yesterday.

“However, the Philippines have appealed for basketball to be included and even offered to finance the expenses. However, Laos mentioned that they do not have a basketball arena with wooden flooring.”

Chin added that a decision should be made before the year is over.

Laos have also decided to host all the 25 sports in their capital Vientiane.

The inclusion of the three Olympic sports is certainly good news for Malaysia, who have strong medal chances especially in archery.

In the Korat SEA Games last year, Malaysia had a medal haul of 68-52-95 to finish second overall behind hosts Thailand.

from:http://www.sportsmalaysia.net/2008/11/15/laos-sea-games-2009-three-new-sports/

Hội đồng thể thao Đông Nam Á (SEAGF) vừa quyết định đưa thêm bốn môn là cử tạ, xe đạp, bắn cung và bóng nước, nâng số môn thi đấu ở SEA Games 25 lên 28 môn.

Trước cuộc họp của Hội đồng thể thao Đông Nam Á, nước chủ nhà Lào đã đồng ý sẽ tổ chức 24 môn thi đấu là điền kinh, nhảy cầu, bơi, cầu lông, billiards & snooker, quyền anh, bóng đá, golf, judo, karatedo, cầu mây, bắn súng, bóng bàn, taekwondo, quần vợt, bóng mềm, bóng chuyền, vật, wushu, muay Thái, lặn, bi sắt, đá cầu và pencak silat. Tuy nhiên theo đề nghị của các nước, SEAGF đã quyết định đưa thêm 4 môn kể trên vào thi đấu.

Đây được xem là tin mừng với thể thao Việt Nam bởi xe đạp và cử tạ là hai môn mà chúng ta có rất nhiều khả năng giành huy chương vàng. Tuy nhiên, thành công nhất với thể thao Việt Nam chính là việc thuyết phục được SEAGF và Lào đưa lặn và đá cầu vào chương trình tranh tài. Đây là hai môn thế mạnh độc tôn của Việt Nam ở khu vực Đông Nam Á.

Trong số 28 môn thi đấu vừa được quyết định, Việt Nam chưa có VĐV ở hai môn muay Thái và bóng mềm và hiện tại Tổng cục TDTT cũng chưa có ý định đào tạo VĐV. Vậy nên dự kiến chúng ta sẽ tham dự 26 môn ở SEA Games 25. Với chương trình thi đấu này, Việt Nam hy vọng sẽ đạt vị trí cao trong bảng tổng sắp huy chương.

from:http://vnexpress.net/GL/The-thao/2008/11/3BA086D5/

Mot chut trong vang vi kha it nguoi ham mo ra don doi cung khong lam cho buoi le chao mung cac tuyen thu Olympic VN dang quang tro ve vi the ma mat di niem vui, su tu hao ve nhung nguoi hung vo dich Merdeka Cup 2008

Chieu qua, 26-10, luc 15 gio 45 phut, 28 thanh vien cua doi tuyen Olympic VN vua dang quang tai Merdeka Cup 2008 da ve den san bay Tan Son Nhat (TPHCM) trong su chao don tuy hoi trong vang nhung van day ap tinh cam cua mot so nguoi ham mo VN. Do bi hoan chuyen bay, Chu tich LDBD VN (VFF) Nguyen Trong Hy da khong kip co mat de dong vien toan doi, du vay, van co nhieu quan chuc cua VFF va TPHCM den chao mung tuyen Olympic VN. Dac biet trong so do co ca HLV Pham Huynh Tam Lang va ong Nguyen Van Mong, hai cuu danh thu tuyen VN tung mang ve chiec Cup Merdeka dau tien cho bong da VN cach nay 42 nam.

Phut nghen ngao cua hai the he

Nhin nhung cai bat tay that chat, that lau giua hai the he nguoi hung moi va cu cua bong da VN la Pham Huynh Tam Lang, Nguyen Van Mong (vo dich Merdeka Cup 1966) voi Mai Duc Chung, Le Thuy Hai (dan dat tuyen VN vo dich Merdeka Cup 2008), khong it nguoi co mat tai buoi chao don nha vo dich moi cua Cup Merdeka cam thay xuc dong. 42 nam ke tu chien thang 1-0 truoc Myanmar o tran chung ket, Merdeka Cup da trai qua nhieu bien dong, nhieu lan phai tam hoan nhung cai cam xuc dang quang ngay tren dat Malaysia chac chan se con duoc hai the he nguoi hung nho mai.

Sau nhung khoanh khac bui ngui giua hai the he HLV – cuu danh thu, khong khi tro nen chon ron hon han voi nhung loi chuc tung danh cho cac cau thu tre Olympic VN, nhung nguoi da vuot qua chu nha Malaysia hung manh nhat giai - ghi 18 ban va khong de lot luoi ban nao - tren cham luan luu 11 m. Tien dao Duc Thien hao hung khoe: “Ca doi hoi hop lam boi khan gia Malaysia cuong nhiet qua! Moi khi chung toi nem bien hay thay nguoi, ho nem hang chuc chai nuoc, dot phao no dinh tai nhuc oc de lam cau thu hoang mang. Rat may nho thay Chung va thay Hai, bon toi cung vung tam va tap trung vao chuyen mon tot hon”. Trong luc mot so cau thu bi bao gioi phong van lien tuc hoac duoc cac lanh dao VFF va TPHCM chuc mung thi hau ve Long Giang, tien dao Thanh Binh va Van Khai lai cuc ky ban ron ben nguoi than khi ho doi mua ra san bay don. Long Giang tang ngay cho cau em trai mot chiec o to do choi, trong khi Van Khai to ra ben len khi duoc me om hon va hua se nau nhung mon that ngon cho “cau am” vao bua com toi.

Tin o tuong lai

HLV Mai Duc Chung to ra than trong khi cho rang SEA Games 2009 van con hon mot nam de chuan bi, se con nhieu bien doi ve luc luong cua tuyen Olympic VN cung nhu cac doi thu. Dong thoi, HLV noi tieng mat tay nay con khang dinh chuc danh HLV truong tuyen Olympic VN se do LDBD VN quyet dinh va neu duoc giao trong trach, ong san sang nhan loi. Tham chi, khi duoc hoi lieu ong co dong y lam tro ly cho HLV Calisto neu LDBD VN yeu cau HLV nguoi Bo Dao Nha dan dat luon ca tuyen Olympic VN du SEA Games nam toi, HLV Mai Duc Chung cung cho biet ong luon san sang nhan nhiem vu duoc cap tren giao pho. Dieu nay chac chan se giai toa nhung nghi van ve chuyen co khuc mac giua hai HLV Calisto va Mai Duc Chung ma du luan ram ran thoi gian gan day.

SEA Games 25 van con la tuong lai nhung voi nhung gi cac cau thu tre nhu Danh Ngoc, Nhat Nam, Duc Thien, Thanh Binh hay Tan Truong da the hien, nguoi ham mo co quyen hy vong vao mot tuong lai tuoi sang hon cho Olympic VN. Truoc mat, cac hoc tro cua HLV Mai Duc Chung se chuan bi da giao huu cung cac cuu danh thu Brazil vao ngay 31-10 toi truoc khi len duong sang Myanmar du giai giao huu cua nuoc nay dien ra tu ngay 9 den 15-11

(KPL) Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Organising Committee for 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 2009) presented on 12 November an invitation card to the representative of 10 ASEAN member country for 25th SEA Games.

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) has accomplished the goals set for the previous three months of preparation for the 25 th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane next year.

At the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, the national sports committee held a meeting to summarise its work and plan its tasks for September to December.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the 25 th SEA Games Organising Committee Somsavat Lengsavad and senior officials attended the meeting.

Mr Somsavat said Laos had been given a great honour in hosting the SEA Games. The event would serve to strengthen the country and boost solidarity.

He suggested the committee should set out clear plans for assistance and cooperation with other countries.

From September to December, the sports committee will cooperate with Singapore to prepare for the event.

The Vietnamese government will assist with the installation of IT systems and electronic equipment in the new football stadium and the indoor stadiums to be used in the games.

The national sports committee will hold a Miss SEA Games beauty pageant and will build a digital clock in Vientiane to mark the countdown to the games. The time will run from December 31 this year until the opening ceremony of the games in December 2009. The clock is to be sponsored by the Lao Brewery Company.

The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry will spend about 21.3 billion kip (84 million baht) to renovate the national football stadium, tennis courts and the sports department's indoor stadium.

The ministry will also pay about 1.5 billion kip (6 million baht) towards the training of LNSC officials, as well as referees and athletes.

The committee will also receive assistance through cooperation with doping control staff from Vietnam and Thailand .

At the end of this year, the committee will open the sports training centre and athletes' accommodation in Vientiane , to be built with assistance from the Vietnamese government.

The Lao football, judo, karatedo, wushu, wrestling, pencak silat, swimming and diving teams are currently training in Vietnam .

Also in the past three months, committee officials improved their skills at the Lao-Singapore Cooperation Centre in June and planted 500 trees around the new football stadium.

In May, the committee held discussions on work plans for the games including accommodation, food, decoration of the city, tourism, traffic, telecommunications and other work.

The committee asked the Olympic Committee of Asia and the competition organising committee of the SEA Games to assist in running the games.

Athletes' accommodation is under construction at the National University of Laos, assisted by the Vietnamese government.

Last July, the committee visited Incheon district in the Republic of Korea , where district officials provided them with sports equipment worth more than 3.5 billion kip (US$405,000).

When Lao government officials attended the Olympic Games in China last month, they signed an agreement for SEA Games cooperation with the Chinese government in Beijing . The Lao wushu and shuttlecock teams will attend training in China ahead of the games.

Singapore helped with tourism promotion for the games last month. This month it will work on business communication for the games and next month plans to assist with hospitality management.

The new football stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the games will take place is 65-80 percent complete, the indoor stadium is 90 percent complete, the petanque field is 80 percent complete and the taekwondo court is 95 percent complete.

Lao National Sports Committee SEA Games 2009 Goals

The 25th SEA Games Organising Committee recent meeting saw officials summarizing the goals and planning for the next year upcoming SEA Games

Here are the plans so far

• Cooperate with Singapore to prepare for the event in September to December
• Hold a Miss SEA Games beauty pageant
• Build a digital clock in Vientiane to mark the countdown to the games sponsored by the Lao Brewery Company
• Renovate the national football stadium, tennis courts and the sports department’s indoor stadium with US$2,400,000 aid from Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry
• Training of LNSC officials, referees and athletes and payment by ministry around US$175,000
• Vietnam and Thailand assist in doping control staff assistance
• Sports training centre and athletes’ accommodation in Vientiane to be completed by end of the year with assistance from the Vietnamese government
• Sending Lao football, judo, karatedo, wushu, wrestling, pencak silat, swimming and diving teams for training in Vietnam
• Sending Lao wushu and shuttlecock teams training in China
• Lao-Singapore Cooperation Centre to help skills of Lao committee officials
• New football stadium to have new 500 planted trees
• Next year May another meeting to discuss accommodation, food, decoration of the city, tourism, traffic and telecommunications
• Olympic Committee of Asia and the competition organising committee of the SEA Games requested to help running the games
• To build the Athletes’ accommodation at National University of Laos assisted by the Vietnamese government
• Republic of Korea to provide sports equipment worth more than US$405,000
• Singapore to help in promoting game tourism

Construction Status

• 95% completed - Taekwondo court
• 90% completed - Indoor stadium
• 80% completed - Petanque field
• 70% completed - Football stadium

By V. Bruce J. Tolentino and Gretchen Kunze

With its GDP growing at an average of 6-7% annually since 2000, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is a country on the move. Not very fast when compared to its rapidly-burgeoning neighbors China and Vietnam, but fast when compared to its historically languid pace.

In meeting after meeting with senior Government officials and representatives of the international community during a recent visit to Laos, our hosts often stressed that Laos is no longer an isolated, landlocked country; rather, “ Laos is a ‘land-linked’ country!” they enthusiastically declared.

Historically, being landlocked has been regarded as a disadvantageous position. Landlocked countries are cut off from sea resources such as fishing, and more importantly, have no access to seaborne trade, which makes up a large percentage of international trade. Thus, coastal regions tend to be wealthier and more heavily populated than inland areas. In the case of Laos, this disadvantage is strikingly apparent, as Laos is the only landlocked country in the whole of Southeast Asia.

Yet the Lao government is determined to transform this traditional limitation by promoting the perception that Laos is a land bridge, providing the most direct overland transport routes between its seaboard neighbors. Recent progress in regional transport links engineered under the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) initiatives underpins Laos’ transition to being a land-linked country and economy. Roads connecting Vietnam, China and Thailand have been opened and improved. The GMS East West Corridor now links Vientiane, the capital, with the large port of Danang in central Vietnam, 500 kilometers away. The East West Corridor is anticipated to eventually link Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. On the other axis, the North-South Corridor of the Great Asian Highway officially opened early this year, and connects Laos with Cambodia and Thailand to the South and Southwest, and to China in the North. Rail connections between Laos and its neighbors are currently under negotiation.

Moreover, there are ongoing discussions on the transformation of the transport corridors into “economic corridors” that also facilitate enterprise and investment across the entire region. This is already taking place, as the results of the very rapid growth of China and Vietnam have inevitably spilled over into Laos in the form of increased investments, tourist arrivals, and rising demands for Laos’ exports – dominated by electricity and agricultural commodities.

Laos remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with an estimated per capita income of US$500 in 2006. The recent acceleration of growth of Laos will have to be maintained — or even accelerated — in order to make a sustained difference in poverty. Over the last decade, using the Lao PDR national poverty line (of approximately US$1.50 a day) the incidence of poverty has fallen from 46 percent in 1992-93 to around 33 percent in 2002-03. Other social indicators are similarly improving, but these still remain among the worst in the region.

The single-party government of Lao PDR introduced the “New Economic Mechanism” (NEM) in 1986, thus beginning a transition from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy. Gradually, price controls have been lifted, socialist cooperative farming abandoned, the exchange rate system unified, the government’s monopoly on trade removed, the number of state-enterprises was reduced, and operation of private firms allowed.

While Laos has been a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since the 1960s, it was only in the late 1990s that the government began to activate its fiscal programs and development borrowing. Laos was accepted as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997, and is now in the advanced stages of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. In 2004 the Bilateral Trade Agreement between Laos and the U.S. came into effect. The banking law passed in 2006 now allows foreign banks to open branches throughout the country. There is even a development plan to open a stock market by 2010, supported by the Korean government.

These days, Laos does seem “open for Business.” A recent American Chamber of Commerce Business mission was addressed by an impressive roster of public officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister. Expressing how much the country welcomes international investment, the Minister of Planning and Investment even encouraged the high-level Business delegation to let his ministry assist them by asking, “What do you need? Let me know. Tell me.” This degree of openness and encouragement is indeed a dramatic turnaround from the previous cautious dealings with international investors.

Progress on the international front has also been accompanied by gradual and careful engagements with outside actors in domestic affairs. In the early 2000s, Laos worked with representatives of the international community in Laos to produce its “Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy”. The IPRS was combined with the “National Socio-economic Development Plan for 2001-05″ and taken through a consultation process to prepare the “National Poverty Eradication Program” (NPEP).

The NPEP was presented to the donors’ Roundtable Meeting in September 2003, discussed by the National Assembly in October 2003 and finally released as the “National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy” in early 2004, articulating Laos’ development framework, targets and goals for poverty reduction and outlining the policy reform and public expenditure programs needed to achieve these goals. In November 2006, the Government presented the “National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2006-2010″.

These engagements with the international community have been carefully calibrated by the national authorities to generate a sense of forward movement. On many fronts, economic conditions and daily life are improving for Lao citizens. Yet, much work remains to ensure that the development dialogue becomes more inclusive of Laos’ general populace, especially those in far-flung, isolated and much-poorer communities. If not, those parts of Laos that are indeed “land-linked” will be limited only to those who are already connected and better-off.
form:http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2008/08/27/in-laos-land-linked-not-land-locked/

Jakarta, (tvOne)

Keputusan Laos sebagai tuan rumah SEA Games 2009, mendapat tanggapan serius dari Menteri Pemuda dan Olahraga Adhyaksa Dault dan Ketua KONI Pusat Rita Subowo. Pasalnya, diperkirakan Laos akan mengurangi jumlah cabang olahraga dan tidak mempertandingkan beberapa cabang olahraga olimpiade. Situasi itu dikhawatirkan akan mengancam peluang Indonesia untuk memperbaiki peringkat.

Beberapa cabang olahraga yang tidak dipertandingkan adalah angkat besi, balap sepeda dan dayung. Hal ini dikecam oleh Indonesia. Bahkan Adhyaksa mengancam, Indonesia tidak akan menyertakan kontingen di pesta olahraga negara-negara Asia Tenggara itu.

Selain itu, Laos berencana mengurangi jumlah cabang olahraga yang dipertandingkan di SEA Games mendatang, dari 45 menjadi 25. Bahkan di 25 cabang tersebut, Laos memasukkan 4 cabang olahraga tradisional seperti pentaque, traditional boat race, shuttlecock dan fin swimming.
Jika keputusan pengurangan cabang olahraga yang menjadi lumbung emas Indonesia itu tetap dilakukan, maka peluang tim merah putih untuk memperbaiki peringkat di SEA Games semakin kecil. Meskipun begitu, keputusan pengurangan cabang olahraga baru akan dibahas dalam rapat luar biasa SEA Games Council, Oktober mendatang.

Philippines had 42 SEA in its calendar when it hosted the 2005 SEA SEA while last year 2007 edition saw Thailand hosting 43 SEA , but the Laos 2009 SEA will only see 22 sports disciplines. This is due to the lack of finance and infrastructure of the Laos nation after decades of war

The Philippines now would like to discuss and add some eight more sports to the 2009 SEA when the Southeast Asian SEA Federation are to meet this week in Vientiane, Laos

The Pinoys would like to see the inclusion of rowing, cycling, bowling, dance sports, basketball, billiards, fencing and archery, rather than the Loas introducing lesser known sports such as kempo, muay lao, shuttlecock and petanque

Currently the SEA SEA preparation in Laos is going well with help and aid from other countries such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and South Korea

Flying Labs, the developers of the MMO pirate game Pirates of the Burning Sea, had essentially the same demo of PotBS that they had at last year’s PAX (2007). If you haven’t played this game yet, then you really should.

Like any MMO game, you can custom build a character but the combat is a little trickier than most MMOs as you must use the number keys to attack with your sword.

The big selling point of PotBS is the ship-to-ship fighting with cannons. This is done from a birds-eye view and the player must work with the wind in order to get within firing range of the enemy. The effects of the water looked incredible as it rippled just like the real ocean. Someone at Flying Labs deserves a raise.

PotBS is completely divorced from a certain Disney pirate franchise that occurs in the Caribbean. PotBS has something different as far as the supernatural element is concerned. There doesn’t seem to be any Krakens, Davy Joneses, Tia Dalma’s, or pirates who appear to be zombies when seen in the moonlight. No, the supernatural element is all about stuff you’d see in ghost stories, and the Bermuda Triangle comes into play as well. PotBS is also not designed for kids, as “there will be blood”.

Flying Labs looks forward to the future, where they plan to revise the combat of the avatars, which already looks cool to begin with. Characters don’t just fight each other mechanically, but it looks like how two players would fight in a swashbuckling adventure movie.

They also intend to implement “player port governance”, which allows for players to govern a port. The player can manage the resources of that port, and even embezzle some money. Other future developments include specially designing ships.

You should be able to get Pirates of the Burning Sea now, with free upgrades every month. ARRR! Take that, Jack Sparrow! By the way, Pirates of the Burning Sea is the “official game” of Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19, 2008).

O Governo do Estado, por meio da Secretaria de Planejamento e Coordenação Geral (Seplan), realiza hoje (15), em Rondonópolis, a primeira Audiência Pública da Lei Orçamentária Anual (LOA) 2009, às 8h30, no auditório da Câmara Municipal. Ao todo serão cinco audiências públicas no Estado.

O objetivo é ouvir a população sobre os anseios e prioridaddes de cada região. Haverão debates, apresentações sobre o que é LOA, para que serve, como é feita, os prazos para entrega e a missão de cada orgão do Governo, tudo isso dentro de uma linguagem acessível de todos os mecanismos de elaboração do planejamento do Estado. A comunidade presente poderá sugerir e apontar prioridades. Estarão presentes presidentes de bairros, movimentos sociais, clubes de serviços, conselhos, além de diversos setores da sociedade civil organizada.

O secretário-adjunto de Planejamento Arnaldo Alves de Souza Neto, representando o secretário Yênes Magalhães, fará a abertura do evento. De acordo com Arnaldo, essa iniciativa do Governo é positiva e necessária no processo democrático. “É isso que nós, Governo do Estado, estamos buscando, ou seja, informar a sociedade de forma mais ampla. Nossa prioridade é dar transparência na gestão pública e aumentar o controle social. Queremos que a sociedade exerça seu papel de fiscalizar e acompanhar os resultados das ações do Governo” ressaltou Arnaldo.

Segundo ele, “é importante que todos estejam conscientes de que as demandas deverão ser coletivas e as propostas pactuadas, isto porque é impossível fazer tudo sozinho, é necessária a participação popular para equacionar os interesses”, explicou.

A LDO dá prioridade para os programas e metas a partir daqueles definidos no PPA. Ainda, de acordo com a justificativa, a Lei estabelece as regras necessárias à elaboração e à execução da Lei Orçamentária de 2009, para o acompanhamento dos programas e ações governamentais e para a consolidação de novas bases fiscais requeridas para o alcance do desenvolvimento sustentável do Estado de Mato Grosso.

A LDO, conforme o texto da proposta, é a base para a elaboração da Lei Orçamentária Anual de 2009. Integram ainda a LDO, os anexos de metas fiscais e o de riscos fiscais. De acordo com a LDO, a lei orçamentária, para o exercício financeiro de 2009, deve ser compatível com o Plano Plurianual para o quadriênio 2008-2011.

Segundo a proposta em tramitação no Legislativo, a LOA é composta de Orçamento Fiscal; o Orçamento da Seguridade Social e do Orçamento de Investimento das Empresas Estatais. Em relação à Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias (LDO), segundo Arnaldo, trata-se de um conjunto integrado de instrumentos de planejamento. A LDO tem o papel de regulamentação anual do orçamento, ou seja, traçar as diretrizes relacionadas à estrutura do orçamento e gestão financeira. Já a Lei Orçamentária Anual (LOA) é a realização anual dos programas e ações propostas pelo governo. “É preciso fazer o compartilhamento do conhecimento. A sociedade não conhece como são feitos o planejamento para a formatação do PPA, da LOA e da LDO. Por isso, o nosso objetivo é que mais pessoas entendam sobre o assunto e como o dinheiro público está sendo gasto”, disse Arnaldo.

BANGKOK, July 1 (TNA) — The Thai government Tuesday approved a grant of Bt90 million to Laos which will host the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) from December 13 to 21, next year, according to a deputy government spokesperson.


The financial assistance is earmarked for repairing stadiums, as well as for training and human development expenses, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Wirintira Nathongborjaras.

In addition to that Thailand will also send coaches and referees to assist Lao athletes in 12 sports.

The assistance is aimed at strengthening relations between the two neighbouring countries, she added.

The SEA Games are held biannually. (TNA)

Laos is making great strides towards a successful hosting of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games, Reuter’s quoted the country’s Olympic chief as saying.

Laos receives a flood of handouts from the international community. The funding, construction and expertise for the 25th edition of the Games is being provided almost entirely by other countries after the hard-up nation made a desperate plea for help with its first international sports event.

"Everything is moving well now, with a little help from all our friends," Olympic chief Somphou Phongsa told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"Facilities are 60 percent complete. We will be a more than suitable host for the SEA Games."

China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and the Olympic Council of Asia have come to Laos's rescue to ensure the Games go ahead.

China has provided more than $100 million to construct a 20,000-seat stadium and is building two indoor stadiums, a tennis centre and the country's first Olympic-sized swimming pool.

South Korean companies are financing a taekwondo centre and a 27-hole golf course and Japan was funding a judo venue.

Thailand last month pledged $2.9 million and will train officials in 12 sports, while neighbouring Vietnam has put up $19 million to build eight 10-storey apartment blocks for athletes.

Singapore has offered computer technicians and English teachers to educate volunteers and staff, most of which will be local university students.

"We've had so much help so far," added Somphou, who will lead a Laotian team of just four athletes at next month's Beijing Olympics. "We couldn't have done it without them."

The Games take place in December 2009 and will be contested by Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, East Timor, Brunei, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Although only a minor event on the sporting calendar, the SEA Games is taken as seriously as the Olympics by the 11 competing countries, most of which are historic foes.

Despite the motto of "spirit, friendship and celebration", the biennial gathering of around 7,000 athletes is often dogged by tit-for-tat spats, dubious judging and cries of foul play - sometimes from the countries' leaders.

Some nations are unhappy the communist country was awarded the Games and are furious that the number of sports was slashed from 43 to 25, with obscure disciplines like Muay Lao, pencak silat, wushu, petanque and kempo replacing traditional sports like gymnastics, archery, cycling and weightlifting.

Somphou insisted Laos was up to the task, even though it has virtually no experience hosting sports events. "We've had some difficulty," he said. "But we will be ready."

Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh has pledged favourable conditions for Vietnamese investors to foster investment cooperation between the two countries, reported the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on Tuesday.

Meeting with Vietnam’s Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc in Vientiane on Monday, the Lao prime minister praised Vietnam’s approval for the establishment of the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Investment Encouragement Association.

Bouasone said he hoped that the association will provide consultancy to the ministries of planning and investment of the three countries to boost Vietnam’s investment into two neighbouring countries.

Vietnam’s minister Phuc said Vietnamese investors are eyeing investment in power, mining and industrial tree plantation projects in Laos, especially projects in border areas and some hydro power plants in northern Laos.

During a four-day visit to Laos starting from Sunday, the Vietnam’s ministry delegation and the Laos side planned to discuss measures to boost Vietnam-Laos investment cooperation in the future and find out solutions to remove barriers.
http://www.aseanaffairs.com/page/lao_pm_pledges_support_for_vietnamese_investors

Laos ready to host next SEA Games in 2009

The 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane was officially announced to thousands of athletes and officials from Asean nations on Saturday night during the closing ceremony of the 24th SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand . The closing ceremony took place in front of 20,000 spectators in the main stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima. All Lao athletes and officials who attended the closing ceremony of this year's SEA Games were delighted to be present, as the occasion marked not only the medals they had won but also the day when Laos took possession of the SEA Games flag ahead of the 25 th SEA Games in Vientiane in 2009...The Lao delegation receiving the SEA Games flag was led by Standing Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Executive Board of the 2009 SEA Games, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad; the Minister to the Prime Minister's Office, President of the Lao National Sports Committee and Lao National Olympic Committee, Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom; the Vice President of the Lao National Sports Committee and National Olympic Committee, Mr Somphou Phongsa; and the Vice President and Secretary General of the Lao National Olympic Committee, Mr Souvannarath Sayavong. After this year's SEA Games host Thailand presented the SEA Games flag to Laos , a performance by more than 400 Lao artists in five programmes followed. The first item was a traditional dance and the song Sieng Khaen Lao , featuring the cultural traditions of Lao ethnic groups and the khaen – the country's traditional musical instrument. The second item was the Sunrise Dance, a traditional dance modified from the Ramayana. This was first performed in Luang Prabang province and depicts the tradition of kindness, friendliness and hospitality of Lao women. The third item portrayed the Hmong New Year, and by a dance to celebrate the harvest season. The troupe then performed a song to welcome the 25 th SEA Games in 2009, which will take place in Vientiane . The song told of the honour and pride the Lao people feel at hosting the SEA Games, and expressed a welcome to all Asean athletes, officials and distinguished guests. The fifth item on the programme was a song expressing how the games will serve to strengthen relationships, friendship, solidarity and unity. It is hoped the SEA Games will help to push Asean sports closer to world levels in the near future. In the meantime, Laos is delighted to be hosting the event and warmly welcomes all Asean members to the games in 2009. Saturday night was an occasion not only for Lao athletes and people around the country to celebrate the passing of the SEA Games flag to Laos but also the fact that Laos had its first ever major victory at the SEA Games this year, winning 5 gold, 7 silver and 32 bronze medals. By Sisay Vilaysack Vientianetimes,Via samakomlao, Thanks...

Laos, which will host the Southeast Asian Games in 2009, plans to reduce the number of sports from 45 to just 25, Reuters quoted vice-president of the Laos SEA Games Organising Committee Phouthong Sengakhom as saying.

The games however will make room for such sports as petanque, the Malay martial art silat and shuttlecock kicking. Blue riband events including athletics, soccer and swimming will be included in the 2009 edition but less popular sports including sailing and gymnastics may not be included.

"Brunei had only 23 sports. We are also a small country, and it is our first time hosting a major Games," said Phouthong Sengakhom.

According to Sengakhom, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister's Office and president of the Laos National Sports Committee and Laos National Olympic Committee, the Games budget would be about $80 million.

Around $50 million is allocated to construct a new sports complex, complete with a 20,000-capacity main stadium. The stadium will be the biggest in the country, which has a population of around six million. The Games is scheduled for December 2009.

Laos's organising committee must still seek the approval of the SEA Games Federation council to set the number of sports. The 2007 Games, held in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province, finishes on December 15.

Getting Here
Laos can be reached by land, air and river from the neighboring countries of Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and China. To enter the country, visitors need a passport with at least six months validity. There is regular air service to Laos on Thai International, Viet Nam Airlines, Lao Airlines, China Southern and Bangkok Airways. The busiest entry-exit point is the Friendship Bridge, which connects Vientiane to Nong Khai, Thailand. Another popular overland border crossing is Houeisai that links Northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province to northwestern Laos at the center of the famed Golden Triangle.

Visas and Border Formalities
30-day visas are available from Lao Embassies and consulates abroad. Alternatively, 30-day visa on arrival may be obtained by passport holders at the following 11 international border crossings: Botene in Luang Namtha (Laos-China), Houeisai in Bokeo (Laos-Thailand), Na Meo in Houaphan (Laos-Viet Nam), Namkhan in Xieng Khouang (Laos-Viet Nam), Nam Phao in Bolikhamxai (Laos-Vietnam), Thakhaek in Khammouane (Laos-Thailand), Na Phao in Khammouane (Laos-Viet Nam), Dene Savan (Laos-Viet Nam) and Dan Savanh (Laos-Thailand) in Savannakhet and Vang Tao in Champassak (Laos-Thailand). If you have already have a visa you may enter Laos from Cambodia at Veun Kham. Visa extensions are possible and best handled by one of the many tour companies in Vientiane , Luang Prabang or Pakse.
With the enactment of the ASEAN Tourism Agreement, ASEAN nations are moving towards establishing a visa-free tourism zone for ASEAN nationals by the end of 2005. If you are a citizen of an ASEAN country, check with the Lao Embassy in your country whether or not you require a visa to enter Laos.

Climate
Laos generally enjoys a mild tropical climate, but it can get quite chilly in the cool season. Temperatures range from 10 ? 40 degrees Celsius in the Mekong Valley , and may dip below zero in the mountains and on the Xieng Khouang and Bolaven Plateaus. There are three distinct seasons: cool from November-February; hot from March-May and the rainy season which lasts from June -October. Most people find the best time to visit from October-February, however the low season offers lush green landscapes in the rainy season and the colorful Lao New Year’s festival in April.

Geography
Laos‘ main geographic features are low mountains, the Xieng Khouang and Bolavens plateau and the Mekong River valley. Of the country’s 237,000 square kilometers, about 70% of the country is mountainous, with the highest peak, Phou Bia reaching just over 2,800 meters.

Language
The national language is Lao as it is spoken in Vientiane , but English is commonly used in major tourist centers. Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai are widely understood. French, German, Russian and a number of other European languages are also spoken by many educated Lao as many students received university training in Eastern Europe during the 1970’s-1990’s. In addition, there are over 220 indigenous languages spoken by Laos’ 47 different ethnic groups, part of the country’s cultural heritage that makes it so interesting.

Money
The official currency of the Lao PDR is the Lao Kip. Major travelers checks can be cashed at banks. Credit cards are accepted in major hotels and a limited number of upscale shopping establishments. At present, it is not possible to withdraw currency from your account at home using an ATM in Laos.

Post and Internet Access
There are post offices in all provincial capitals where letters and parcels may be sent to your home country. At Vientiane ’s main post office there is a post restante service. Both DHL and FedEx have offices in Vientiane. Internet access is available in all major tourism centers and all but the most remote population centers.

Phone and Fax Services
International Direct Dial is widely available and you can send and receive faxes from all post offices and many private businesses. You can also purchase a local SIM card for your mobile phone.

Electricity
24-hour electricity is now available in all major population centers and many district capitals. Laos uses 220 volt AC.

Business Hours
Government offices are open from 8:30-12:00 and from 1pm to about 4:30 on Monday through Friday. Private businesses are generally open later, especially restaurants and entertainment places. Except for restaurants, most businesses are closed on Sunday.

Traveling with Children
Laos is a safe, quiet country with a lot to explore for both adults and children. Lao people love kids, and if you bring yours along the attention and curiosity they arouse will open up many opportunities for you to interact and make friends with your hosts.

Health
Laos has only basic health care and you should check with your physician regarding which vaccinations and health precautions you should get before coming. The World Health Organization recommends the following vaccinations for SE Asia ; diphtheria and tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella, polio and typhoid. If you are taking any special medications, be sure to bring along an adequate supply to last the length of your trip. Precautionary measures like eating only well cooked food, drinking bottled water, staying hydrated, avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes and wearing protective clothing will help prevent most common ailments.

JAKARTA - COI - Komite Olahraga Indonesia (KOI) bertekad meminta penambahan cabang pertandingan di SEA Games XXV 2009 Laos. Hal itu diperlukan agar peningkatan peringkat posisi Indonesia dari peringkat keempat ke posisi ketiga bisa tercapai.

"Kita memang akan melobi sejumlah negara tetangga supaya mau mendukung kita meminta penambahan cabang pada SEA Games 2009 mendatang," kata Wakil Ketua KON-KOI Ari Aryotedjo, di Jakarta, Rabu (23/7). "Upaya tersebut akan kita lakukan saat pertemuan tahunan Federasi SEA Games akhir tahun ini."


Cabang-cabang yang diperjuangkan untuk dipertandingkan antara lain angkat besi, panahan, catur, serta gulat. "Ini cabang-cabang tempat kita bisa merebut banyak medali emas. Jadi, wajar kalau kita meminta mereka memasukkan cabang ini dalam event tersebut," katanya.

Pihaknya juga akan melobi negara-negara tetangga untuk mau mendukung penambahan cabang yang juga menjadi andalan mereka untuk meraih medali tersebut.

Pernyataan itu disampaikannya untuk menjawab permintaan Menteri Negara Pemuda dan Olahraga Adhyaksa Dault supaya KON-KOI berusaha meminta penambahan cabang pertandingan.

Seperti diketahui, tuan rumah Laos bersedia menjadi tuan rumah dengan catatan cabang yang akan dipertandingkan hanya cabang-cabang Olimpiade. Namun, dalam kenyataannya, sejumlah cabang pertandingan yang sama sekali tidak masuk nomor Olimpiade justru masuk daftar cabang yang akan dipertandingkan seperti shuttlecock dan petanque. Bukan hanya itu, cabang renang yang menyediakan banyak medali juga mengalami pengurangan nomor pertandingan.

Adhyaksa sendiri mengatakan, jika KON-KOI gagal meminta tambahan cabang pertandingan, dikhawatirkan target perbaikan peringkat dari posisi keempat ke peringkat ketiga bisa gagal. Sebab, dari 27 cabang yang dipertandingkan, potensi Indonesia untuk meraih medali hanya datang dari tujuh cabang dengan total raihan 40 medali emas.

Menteri yang mantan Ketua KNPI ini mengatakan, pemerintah tidak bisa meminta penambahan tersebut secara langsung. Ini menjadi tugas KON-KOI untuk melaksanakannya. "Lain cerita kalau Indonesia menjadi tuan rumah. Kita bisa memaksakan jumlah cabang pertandingan, tapi ini kan tidak bagus," ujarnya.

Menurut Adhyaksa, penambahan cabang-cabang yang tidak masuk kategori cabang Olimpiade oleh tuan rumah Laos tidak sesuai dengan kesepakatan yang dibuat saat pelaksanaan SEA Games XXIV Thailand tahun lalu.

"Kalau alasan mereka tidak siap lalu mengurangi cabang-cabang, sebaiknya batalkan saja SEA Games tersebut dan tunda saja sampai tahun 2011 saat Indonesia menjadi tuan rumah," kata Adhyaksa saat meresmikan kejuaraan catur antarperguruan tinggi di Jakarta.

THE dangers of “tomb-stoning” and other risky games were spelled out to youngsters in Barry by police at the start of the school holidays.

Police Community Support Officers from the town’s Castleland ward, in Barry, were on hand at Holton Primary School to give summer holiday safety advice to pupils.

Key messages from the Castleland team focused on the dangers of jumping from rocks into the sea, misuse of the lifebelts on the waterfront and the dangers of playing near the railway tracks.

PCSO Alex Mackay said: “Making children aware of the risks they are taking when playing in these places will hopefully persuade them not to visit these areas.

“We will be patrolling Castleland throughout the summer and I would remind all children that they can come and speak to PCSO Hayley Warren or me if they have any questions.”

BANGKOK, July 1 (TNA) — The Thai government Tuesday approved a grant of Bt90 million to Laos which will host the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) from December 13 to 21, next year, according to a deputy government spokesperson.


The financial assistance is earmarked for repairing stadiums, as well as for training and human development expenses, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Wirintira Nathongborjaras.

In addition to that Thailand will also send coaches and referees to assist Lao athletes in 12 sports.

The assistance is aimed at strengthening relations between the two neighbouring countries, she added.

The SEA Games are held biannually. (TNA)

Yuuwakai Association helps Lao Karatedo Federation to build new training center



(KPL) The Yuuwakai Association of Japan will provide its grant aid worth about 10 million yen to build the Karatedo training center in Laos.
This was a part of contribution from Yuuwakai Association to improve the standards of Lao Karatedo fighters.

The statement was released during the courtesy visit to Mr. Vilayvong Boudakham, Vice Secretary General of Lao Central Youth Union of Yuuwakai Association delegation led by its president Watanabe Shinichi.

The Yuuwakai association delegation arrived Vientiane on 4 August for a two day working visit to Laos.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Mr. Phongsavat Bouphan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs who is also honorary president of Lao Karatedo federation.
20% of grant aid will be used to construct the first phase of office and training center, which will begin in September, while the remainder will be use to fund the second and third phases of construction.

The Ministry of Information and Culture has received the green light from the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee to help promote the 2009 SEA Games through the media. The ministry plans to set up five sub-committees to provide information through print and electronic media to a global audience. Deputy Minister of In formation and Culture Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara held a press conference yesterday announcing the sub-committees of media information providers were established last year. The sub-committees focus on: a public relation team, local press centre, international press centre, TV live broadcasting centre, and the SEA Games Secretariat coordination team. The committee for live TV broadcasting will cooperate with the Phetchampa Advertising Company to schedule the broadcast programme of all competition events during the games, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Prof Bosengkham believes the committee will perform their duties successfully, providing media information nationally and to other SEA games member countries. The SEA Games main press centre will be located at the International Cooperation Training Centre in Vientiane , while Champassak and Luang Prabang will also have press centres to cover events in both provinces.

(KPL) Lao National Sport Committee last Friday organized a press conference on the preparation for Miss SEA Games Contest 2009. The games will be held on 9-18 December next year in Vientiane. The press conference was chaired by Deputy President of Lao National Sport Committee, Mr Boualan Silipanya, and attended by concerned officials. “This event aims to have Miss Sea Games, who will serve as sport and cultural ambassadors of the event,” Mr Boualan said.Women, aged between 18 and 25, with the height of over 155cm, single, fluent in both Lao and English and healthy, can apply for the contest with the Secretariat of Miss Sea Games Contest at Lao National Sport Committee Office between 1 July and 15 September.

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and the shuttlecock may only be struck once by each side before it passes over the net.

The shuttlecock is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Because shuttlecock flight is strongly affected by wind, competitive badminton is always played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Since 1992, badminton is an Olympic sport with five events : men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed, and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet skills.

Walker Yuan Yufang, Teoh Boon Lim and Pole Vaulter Roslinda Samsu who are SEA Games gold medalist in their respective events, are in Europe now for a training stint which will prepare them for the SEA Games

Yuan Yufang who won the women’s 20km walk last SEA Games in a time of 1:41:47, will take part in the upcoming 23rd IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary, Russia

She will compete with some 450 walkers from 55 countries and going by her personal of 1:32:48, she ranks 51st among all the walkers. Yufang qualified for the Olympics during the Asian 20km Race Walking Championships in Japan in March. This is her third Olympic appearance

As for men walker Teoh Boon Lim who returned from retirement after winning the last SEA Gamesmen’s 20km walk, is hoping to make the Olympic B category when competing at the 23rd IAAF World Race Walking Cup

Pole Vaulter Roslinda Samsu who last won the SEA Games in Korat with a height of 4.00m has improved by leaps and bounds. Recently she won the silver at the Asian Indoor Championships in February.

She then slingshot her rankings to 57th in the world with her 4.23m in Taiwan competition in March

The 26 years old is currently in Greece for a training stint. She would then compete in China Open during late May for her first outdoor competition

All three athletes are reported to be progressing well and injury free

24 year old female cyclist Chanpeng Nontasin, the 2007 SEA Games gold cycling medalist has qualified for the Olympics on merit of her performance

She will be the first Thailand female cyclist to compete at such games. Before her was Preeda Chulamonthon who was the first Thailand cyclist Olympian after being invited for the 1964 Games in Tokyo

Aside from Thailand, who had received Olympic berth for Beijing based on achievement are Japan and South Korea

Chanpeng medal standings are good as she was Asian silver medalist at the last Championships

She will now prepare herself for a two week training stint in China to prepare her for the games

18 year old Duong Thi Viet Anh future looks bright. This junior high jumper from Southern Vietnam who has been progressively been doing well in the junior ranks, and now has been called up to the senior squad to prepare her for the next upcoming SEA Games 2009 in Laos

Here recent feat includes silver at the Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Thailand last month, gold at Singapore Open last year and a silver at the National Athletics Championship last year, second only to Southeast Asian Games high jump women gold medalist Bui Thi Nhung

SingaporeOpen last year and a silver at the National Athletics Championship last year, second only to Southeast Asian Games high jump women gold medalist Bui Thi Nhung

KUALA LUMPUR: The initial 22 sports proposed by hosts Laos for the 25th SEA Games next year have come under fire from a number of countries, including Malaysia.
Laos have indicated that they might only stage about 25 sports, a far cry from the 43 medal sports and two demonstration sports in the programme of the biennial Games in Thailand last December.
Sports like shuttlecock, merely a traditional game played by ethnic groups in Asian countries like Vietnam, China, Laos, Cambodia, and fin swimming have been proposed, instead of weightlifting, snooker or basketball.
Shuttlecock, which resembles a hoop sepaktakraw match, uses feathers clustered together just like a shuttle used in badminton, but played with the feet.
The game is played in two basic forms – the artistic (points for the most difficult moves) and team (played with a net in the centre and two players on each side, juggling and smashing the shuttlecock with their feet).

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(KPL) The Shuttlecock Federation has planned to send athletes to train abroad in preparation for the 25th South East Asian Games in 2009 in Vientiane and international competitions.

Lao players won fourth in World Shuttlecock Championship in China in 2001, took third in World Shuttlecock Champion in Germany the year after and won three bronze medals from the 22nd South East Asian Games in Vietnam.

“Our athletes are training with Lao coach in Vientiane and the federation will send 12 of them to train in Vietnam between 15 June and 5 September,” said this week the secretary of the federation Mr Anousone Khenkitisack.

“After practicing in Vietnam, the athletes will have to continue their practise until the end of 2009 as Shuttlecock Federation Cup Competition will take place in Vientiane, which will also be attended by players from Vietnam,” he added

Photo: Mr Vilayvong Boutdhakham ( third left ), Mr Phongsavath Boupha ( fourth left ), Mr Watanabe Toshiyuki ( fourth right ) and federation officials gather at the Youth Union on Monday.

The Lao karatedo team is hoping for two gold medals at the 25 th SEA Games in Laos next year, after winning only one bronze medal at the 24 th SEA Games in Thailand last December.

On Monday the Lao Karatedo Federation held a ceremony at the Lao Revolutionary Youth Union to present certificates and black belts (dan) to the federation president and officials.

A representative of the Yuuwakai Association of Japan, Mr Watanabe Toshiyuki, presented certificates and black belts (5 dan, 4 dan and 3 dan) to President of the Lao Karatedo Federation and Deputy Security General of the Lao Revolutionary Youth Union, Mr Vilayvong Boutdhakham, and to the federation's vice presidents, secretary and trainers.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and consultant to the federation Phongsavath Boupha, national team members and members of the Vientiane Secondary School Karatedo Club also attended the ceremony.

“We want to strengthen the hearts of the federation's president and officials to encourage them to continue to improving karatedo in Laos ,” Mr Phongsavath said.

“We thank the Yuuwakai Association and hope Japan will continue to help us develop karatedo in Laos and that our two countries will enjoy friendly cooperation.”

The karatedo team from Vientiane Secondary School gave a demonstration of their skills at the end of the ceremony.

Consultant to the federation Sonesak N.Nhansana supervised an examination of karatedo fighters in several categories at the Lao Telecom Centre Shotokan Karatedo camp on Sunday.

Seven candidates passed the examination and received a black belt and 3 kyu, 7 kyu and 8 kyu belts. They have been training in the sport since March this year. The camp will send a karatedo team to compete in the 8 th National Games in Champassak province in December and the camp's top fighters will join the national team at the 25 th SEA Games in Laos next year.

Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single round ball, known as the football. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw.

The primary rule is that players (other than goalkeepers) may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play (though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart). Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms.[7]

In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a teammate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.[8]

At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.[9] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,[10] but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.[11] The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world.[1][2][3][4][5] It is a football variant played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field, with a goal at each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by manoeuvring the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.

The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed in the world, boasts an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic Games

Table tennis is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth to each other with paddles. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Players must allow a ball played towards them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when the opponent fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart spin to the ball, which makes its bounce and reaction on the opponent paddle or racket difficult to predict or return with confidence.

Table tennis originated in England in the 1880s as an after-dinner amusement for upper-class Victorians. A line of books was used as a net, a rounded top of a champagne cork or knot of string as a ball, and a cigar box lid as a paddle.[1]

Table tennis evolved into the modern game in Europe, the United States and Japan[2]. The game is controlled by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926. Since 1988, table tennis is an olympic sport which includes four events : men's singles, women's singles , men's doubles, women's doubles

Taekwondo (태권도; IPA: /tɛkwɒndoʊ/) is a Korean martial art. Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea. It is also regarded as the world's most popular martial art in terms of number of practitioners,[1] and sparring, or kyeorugi, is an official Olympic sporting event. In Korean, tae 태 跆 means "foot"; kwon 권 拳 means "fist"; and do 도 道 means "way"; so taekwondo is loosely translated as "the way of the fist and foot".

Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the varied evolution of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy.

There are two main systems of taekwondo as well as traditional tae-kwon-do, which is not competition oriented and focuses only on the self-defence and traditional value of the art. One comes from the Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system "Shihap Kyorugi" which is an event at the summer Olympics and which is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF); the other comes from the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), which was founded by General Choi Hong Hi, the father of taekwondo. Although there are doctrinal and technical differences among the two taekwondo styles and the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). Circular motions that generate power are of central importance. Also important to the generation of power is the movement of the hips while performing a punch or a block. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks.

The region known today as Thailand has been inhabited by humans since the paleolithic period (about 10,000 years ago). Prior to the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, various states thrived there, such as the various Tai, Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms, as seen through the numerous archaeological sites and artifacts that are scattered throughout the Siamese landscape. Prior to the 12th century however, the first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238.

Following the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th - 14th century, various Buddhist Tai Kingdoms of Sukhothai, Lanna and Lan chang were on the ascendancy. However, a century later, Sukhothai's power was overshadowed by the new kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century.

After Ayutthaya fell in 1767 to the Burmese, Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great. The current (Rattanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.

Siam retains an immemorial tradition of trade with its neighboring states and the cultures of the Indian ocean and the South China sea. European trade and influence arrived to Thailand in the 16th century, beginning with the Portuguese. Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation never to have been colonised. Two main reasons for this were that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 1800s and that it was able to exploit the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. As a result, the country remained as a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonized by the two colonial powers. Despite this, Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions, most notably being the loss of large territory on the east side of the Mekong to the French and the step by step absorption by Britain of the Shan (Thai Yai) States (now in Burma) and the Malay Peninsula. The loss initially included Penang and Tumasik and eventually culminated in the loss of three predominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states, under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.

In 1932, a bloodless revolution resulted in a new constitutional monarchy. During World War II, following an invasion and brief resistance, Thailand became an ally of Japan while at the same time maintaining an active anti-Japanese resistance movement known as the Seri Thai. After the war, Thailand emerged as an ally of the United States. As with many of the developing nations during the Cold War, Thailand then went through decades of political transgression characterised by coups d'état as one military regime replaced another, but eventually progressed towards a stable prosperity and democracy in the 1980s.

In 1997, Thailand was hit with the Asian financial crisis and the Thai baht for a short time peaked at 56 baht to the US dollar compared to about 25 baht to the dollar before 1997. Since then, the baht has regained most of its strength and as of 23 May 2007, is valued at 32 baht to the US dollar.

The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2008 is called 2551 BE in Thailand.

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