Laos

Demining efforts in Asia, particularly Cambodia, are struggling due to donor fatigue, as international funding is shifting toward active conflicts like Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. Deadly remnants of wars, including land mines and unexploded ordnance, continue to threaten communities across Southeast Asia. Demining groups warn that without sustained international support, this unfinished work will endanger people, slow development, and maim or kill residents.

Yaay Yang, a 17-year-old from South St. Paul, is shouldering new family responsibilities after his father Zong Yang was deported to Laos. He balances caring for his four younger brothers and household chores while preparing for life after high school graduation.

Laos's small modular reactor plan with Russia risks contaminating the Mekong's rice-growing floodplains and the region's food security. The article highlights ecological concerns linked to the nuclear project's potential impact on downstream agriculture.

A criminal case in Laos is finally proceeding two years after six travelers died and one was blinded by suspected methanol-tainted drinks. A distillery owner faces charges of running an illegal business and selling harmful substances, while victims' families and friends accuse authorities of a cover-up.

Mexican authorities intercepted 105 queen ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex, smuggled in plastic toys labeled as 'collectible figures' in a shipment bound for Laos. The ants were found in test tubes inside the toys, with 87 surviving and being released into a protected natural area, highlighting illegal wildlife trafficking linked to a niche hobby in Europe and Asia.

FBI Director Kash Patel met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to discuss joint efforts against international online scam operations. The U.S. and Cambodia aim to combat scams causing billions in annual losses, with Cambodia hosting an international conference on cyber scams in September.

FBI Director Kash Patel met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to discuss closer security cooperation against online scam operations. The UN estimated $114 billion in scam-related losses in the Asia-Pacific by 2025, with Patel also attending a U.S.-Thailand summit on the issue. Cambodia is hosting an international conference in September to combat cyber scams.

Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's first state visit to an ASEAN member since becoming president in April has sparked regional debate over recognizing Myanmar's government. Analysts argue the country no longer has a single legitimate government, with the junta's position gaining traction.

Myanmar and Laos plan to build the largest hydropower project on the Mekong’s mainstream outside China, with a 34-month feasibility study agreed during Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Laos. Analysts suggest the study’s significance may outweigh the dam itself.

Laos has been unable to determine the cause of death of six backpackers, including a Brit and two Australians, following a mass methanol poisoning incident. The distillery owner linked to the poisoning is avoiding death charges.

Laos officials stated they cannot determine the cause of tourist deaths linked to methanol in 2024 due to lack of evidence, as autopsies were not conducted. The deaths are suspected to involve poisoning, but no definitive proof has been established.

Australian tourists Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six foreigners killed by tainted alcohol at a tourist hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, in November 2024. Their parents expressed anger over the expected charges, stating it felt as though their daughters' lives were insignificant.

Australia expresses frustration over Laos's decision to press charges related to a methanol poisoning case. Laotian authorities plan to charge those allegedly responsible with up to one year in jail.

The Australian government expresses frustration over 'unacceptable' charges in the methanol poisoning deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles at a hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos. Authorities are set to file lesser charges, which the family and government find disappointing.

A grieving father in Laos lost his daughter to methanol poisoning and is urging for systemic changes to prevent similar tragedies. His plea highlights the urgent need for action to address unsafe practices linked to the incident.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defended the pardon of Tou Lue Vang, a man convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl, after the Trump administration deported him to Laos. Vang received a pardon from Minnesota's Board of Pardons in June, but federal officials later revoked his legal status and deported him. Walz questioned the deportation's impact on safety and argued the pardon was not tied to immigration policy.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defended his decision to pardon Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a 10-year-old girl, after the Trump administration deported him. Vang was granted a pardon by Minnesota's Board of Pardons in June but later lost legal status and was deported. Walz questioned the deportation's impact on safety and emphasized that the pardon was not tied to immigration policy.

Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian immigrant pardoned by Minnesota officials in June over a 2006 conviction for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, has been deported to Laos by the federal government. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the deportation.

Decommissioning teams are working to remove unexploded ordnance in paddy fields, forests, and rural pastures in Laos. The country is preparing to host a review conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission pardoned Tou Lue Vang for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which may block his deportation as an illegal immigrant from Laos. Federal officials, including the Department of Homeland Security, criticized the pardon, calling it 'disgusting' and arguing it protects criminal illegal aliens.

Linda Yang refused to let ICE agents take her husband Zong in front of their youngest children, negotiating a one-day delay before his deportation to Laos. Zong was later deported due to a past felony burglary conviction, leaving Linda as a single mother raising their five sons in South St. Paul.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with leaders from Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Belarus, and North Korea in June 2026. He hosted 20 national leaders in Beijing this year, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, highlighting China's growing global influence amid geopolitical tensions.

High oil prices due to the Iran war and Hormuz Strait disruption have boosted Chinese electric vehicle (EV) exports to developing nations like Southeast Asia, Africa, and Brazil. Chinese EV sales surged in 2026, but charging infrastructure struggles to keep pace, creating a 'chicken-and-egg' challenge for adoption.

A suspect was arrested in a San Jose homicide that occurred June 27, 2016, after an international manhunt. Myung Kim, 31, is accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire case that resulted in a man being fatally shot.

A California fugitive wanted for two murders was captured in Laos and extradited to the United States. Myung Jin Kim was taken into custody by Laotian authorities in late May and flown to Los Angeles International Airport on June 9.

A man suspected of two killings in California was captured in Laos after eight years on the run and was returned to California to face charges.

A man suspected for two California killings was captured in Laos after eight years on the run and was returned to California to face charges.

A Laos cave survivor described being trapped for over a week in a flooded cave with six other Lao nationals who had entered to prospect for gold. The group was rescued after rising water blocked their exit in Xaisomboun province on May 30, 2026.

Two gold miners remain missing in a Laos cave, while five rescued miners are recovering well. Matt Gutman reports on the ongoing search efforts and the positive outcomes for those rescued.

Two gold miners remain missing in a Laos cave, while five rescued miners are reported to be in good health. Efforts continue to locate the two still trapped.

Rescuers in Laos are searching for an alternative route to reach two missing people trapped in a flooded cave after heavy rainfall blocked the main entrance. Five of seven initially trapped individuals have been rescued, with international teams including divers from Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries working to lower water levels and find dry passages.

Mikko Passi, a rescue diver, described the moment miners were freed from a Laos cave after being trapped for 10 days. Two miners remain missing.

Mikko Passi, a rescue diver in Laos, described the moment miners trapped for 10 days were freed. Two miners remain missing.

Rescuers are working to save the last two men among seven people trapped in a cave in Xaisomboun Province, Laos. The incident was captured in a handout image released on May 25, 2026 by Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue via Reuters.

Rescue workers in Laos reported hearing a knocking sound while searching for two missing people in flooded caves. The sound was detected as part of efforts to locate the last two individuals trapped in the cave system.

Rescuers in Laos are searching for an alternative route to reach two missing individuals trapped in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province after heavy rainfall blocked the main entrance. Five of the seven initially trapped people have been rescued, with international teams including divers from Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries working to lower water levels and identify dry passages.

Rescuers in Laos are searching for an alternative route to reach two missing individuals trapped in a flooded cave after heavy rainfall blocked the main entrance. Five of the seven initially trapped people have been rescued, with international teams from Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries working to lower water levels and locate a dry passage.

Rescue workers in Laos are searching for an alternative route to reach two people trapped in a flooded cave. The individuals have been missing for nearly two weeks.

Lead rescue diver Mikko Paasi noted that four trapped miners in a Laos cave had self-rescued, leading to heartwarming moments during their emergence. The miners' ability to free themselves was a key point highlighted by Paasi.

Lead rescue diver Mikko Paasi described heartwarming moments after four trapped miners in Laos emerged from a cave, noting they had 'self-rescued.'