Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong has urged the relevant sectors to beef up their efforts to address social problems ahead of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit to be held in Vientiane in November.
Mr Thongsing Thammavong.
Mr Thongsing made the comment at a government meeting held in Vientiane on January 23-24 to discuss strategic issues to further boost national economic growth.
Road accidents, robberies, bag snatchings, and drug use and trafficking are among the social problems that must be urgently addressed before the summit.
The PM explained that robberies and bag snatchings not only occur on the streets, but also at restaurants, entertainment venues, salons and other indoor places.
He said that if these issues are not addressed, the consequences could be detrimental to the tourism industry, especially during the ongoing ‘Visit Laos Year 2012' campaign.
Mr Thongsing also touched upon the issue of rising inflation, with the prices of products at markets continuing to increase, affecting the livelihoods of local people.
He called for the relevant sectors to work harder to manage and monitor product prices, while studying detailed measures to deal with the rising inflation.
The PM also advised the relevant sectors to review the agreements signed between Laos and other countries to ensure their proper implementation.
He urged government sectors to monitor the effectiveness of foreign investment in Laos as some companies do not comply with their signed agreements.
In addition, he said preparations for the ASEM Summit need to be meticulous to ensure Laos is fully equipped to host the international event.
Government sectors in Vientiane and the provinces need to cooperate closely to boost dry-season crop yields, particularly rice, to ensure nationwide food security.
A good dry season harvest is necesary in view of losses caused when natural disasters struck the country last year.
Officials need to advise farmers how to grow crops on a commercial basis, while also helping farmers to overcome any specific problems they face.
“I think the dry season is a good chance for us to work closely with villagers and discuss how we can help to address problems in a timely manner to ensure they enjoy top quality and high yields,” he said.
Last year Laos suffered severe flooding, which killed 30 people and caused an estimated 1,764 billion kip in damage.
The flooding devastated important infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, tourism sites, and electricity and water supply systems.
Despite economic growth of 8 percent, large-scale food security concerns abound due to the extent of crops lost in the floods.
