成为亚细安物流枢纽 泰国要建跨亚洲多国高铁网络
泰媒报道，高铁工程主要分为泰国到老挝及中国南部、泰国到柬埔寨、泰国到马来西亚和新加坡，以及曼谷到清迈四条路线，全长达3193公里，造价约914亿新元。
（曼谷讯）泰国政府希望通过一个横跨亚洲多国的高铁网络，致力推动泰国发展成为亚细安的物流枢纽。
《曼谷邮报》报道，这项庞大工程主要分为泰国到老挝及中国南部、泰国到柬埔寨、泰国到马来西亚和新加坡，以及曼谷到清迈四条路线，全长达3193公里，造价约2.07万亿泰铢（约914亿新元）。
可从中国开到新加坡
泰国交通部副部长拜林说，泰国政府希望这个高铁网络可以从中国一路开往新加坡。他说：“到时候，人们就可从曼谷城区挽赐（Bang Sue）乘高铁北上中国北京或南下新加坡。”
连接曼谷和毗邻老挝的东北部廊开府（Nong Khai）的第一阶段工程正在兴建，预计2023年竣工。这一段铁路长达608公里，落成之后，将会成为曼谷通往老挝的主要运输系统。
下一段铁路将把泰国和老挝边境与老挝首都万象连接，最后一段铁路则会将万象与中国云南省边城磨憨镇相连接。
据一个不愿具名的老挝官员说，万象与磨憨镇之间长达414公里的铁路至今已经完成了55%，衔接万象与廊开的铁路工程也已经展开。
他说：“这是一个将我们从内陆国家转变为有土地联系的国家。”他指，目前人们要从万象前往磨憨镇需要两天，但如后有了高铁，来往这两地“就只需要三个小时”。
老挝希望跨国高铁网络能促进经济发展。受访官员预计，有了这条高铁路线，未来到访老挝的中国游客每年可能多达1000万至2000万人次。
泰国也希望借助这个跨国高铁网络来刺激其经济发展，尤其是该铁路网络将把廊开与泰国东部经济走廊（EEC）衔接起来；泰国东部经济走廊是在泰国东部沿海三府北柳、春武里和罗勇设立的国家经济特区，旨在将泰国东部打造为一个现代智能生产的工业中心。
由于项目的重要性和成本非常高，政府应该认真地与中国谈判，并研究随后的利益和条件。从长远来看，我们需要能自己照顾铁路的一切运作，而毋需依靠中国。——泰中战略研究中心前主任阿克松斯里
泰国国立法政大学经济学院副教授、泰中战略研究中心前主任阿克松斯里表示，高铁网络是中国倡议“一带一路”计划的一部分，落成后将会提高泰国的竞争力和与邻国的联系。
不过她指出，发展高铁网络存在一定担忧，主要是在软件和系统安全方面，其他可能影响铁路网络建造项目的障碍还包括“高建筑和征收成本”。放眼望去，泰国日后决定购买中国科技时，也必须明智地进行谈判。
她说：“由于这个项目的重要性和其成本非常高，政府应该认真地与中国谈判，并研究随后的利益和条件。从长远来看，我们需要能自己照顾铁路的一切运作，而毋需依靠中国。”
~联合早报~
THE ELEPHANT FESTIVAL
Venue: Sayabouly Province
Duration: 20-27 February
As living icon with important symbolic connotations and historical association in Laos the elephants an animal dear to the heart of the Lao people.
The Elephant Festival is celebrated specifically in Xayabouly Province and is held to demonstrate culture and traditional ties between Lao communities and elephants, as well as drawing attention to the endangered status of this charismatic species.
The Elephant Festival is a free, all-ages event with activities including a majestic elephant procession with up to 100 elephants, a traditional elephant Baci ceremony, fruit and flower offerings, monks’ blessing, mahout and elephant show. In addition, there are live performance from Lao and foreign artist, a night market and outdoor elephant museum.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see documentary film on a large outdoor screen and enjoy live performance on the main stage or go for an elephant drive in the neighbouring forest.
Useful Link: http://festival.elefantasia.org
TAD SOUNG WATERFALL
SALAVANH PROVINCE
When many people think of a river’s direction, they assume it flows from north to south. However the Xe Set River originates in the Bolaven Plateau’s north and continues in the same direction to the highland’s edge before plummeting 90 meters off a totally vertical cliff at Tad Soung Waterfall.
Reaching the head of the falls is quite easy; a walk of less than 1 kilometer from Saneum Nai leads to a set of natural stairs descending to Tad Soung. French colonials built a series of ladders along a similar route, but a rockslide destroyed them decades ago.
Though much of the Xe Set’s volume is diverted into turbines to feed power to hydroelectric plants, Tad Soung remains quite spectacular, as does its dramatic yet relaxing perch. A pavilion used by locals sits near the Xe Set’s banks as the river eases down boulders into small pools before reaching a wide, flat rocky floor and Tad Soung’s precipitous edge.
~Courtesy of Laos Simply Beautiful(Facebook)~
Visit Laos-China Year to begin tomorrow
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) - Laos and China will launch a major campaign this week to boost tourism cooperation between the two countries throughout 2019.
Officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies met in Vientiane this week to discuss the details of the ceremony to initiate Visit Laos-China Year 2019.
Tourism officials said a number of activities would be held at the National Culture Hall on January 25 to mark the launch of the year-long tourism promotion.
Key activities will include cultural performances and an exhibition of Lao and Chinese tourism products. There will also be films that depict the special attractions of Laos and China.
According to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, senior government officials from Laos and China will give speeches to officially launch Visit Laos-China Year 2019.
The government has high expectations for the success of the campaign and is hoping for a surge in Chinese visitors. In 2018, more than 805,800 Chinese visited Laos, a 26 percent increase compared to 2017.
This year the government projects that more than 1 million Chinese will visit Laos and is hoping to attract about 4.5 million visitors in total.
Tourism officials said a number of activities have been planned specifically for Chinese tourists. These include a China culture week celebrating 58 years of Laos-China diplomatic relations.
There will also be a mid-autumn festival and Chinese cultural performances in Luang Prabang and Vientiane, while tourism authorities will hold a meeting on Laos-China tourism management in Champassak province.
Hotel and restaurant owners and travel agents have been asked to design products and offer services that match the requirements of Chinese tourists. Some tourist attractions such as Buddha Park in Vientiane will have information brochures written in Chinese. Meanwhile, Bokeo province is holding its annual Kapok Flower Festival (Dok Ngiew Festival) which began yesterday and is being advertised as a tourist attraction. Provinces including Luang Prabang will build more facilities, provide more services, and improve standards at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.
Chinese will be added to informative signs at popular tourist sites and tourism pamphlets will be written in Chinese as an aid to visitors. Restaurants will give their menus a Chinese twist.
Souvenirs will come with explanations about their significance, and will be attractively packaged, according to the Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.
More than 4.1 million visitors came to Laos in 2018, a 8.2 percent increase compared to 2017. More than 800,000 tourists came from China, an increase of 26 percent, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Scoot to launch direct Singapore-Laos flight
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) - The budget arm of Singapore Airlines, Scoot, is ready to launch Singapore-Laos flights in April with tickets starting at US$88, it announced yesterday.
Scoot will fly from Singapore to Vientiane to Luang Prabang on a circular route. It will depart from Singapore for Luang Prabang, followed by Vientiane, before heading back to Singapore, according to The Straits Times, the leading newspaper of Singapore.
These routes were transferred from its sister airline SilkAir with Scoot’s A320 aircraft.
Luang Prabang and Vientiane are the first two of the several new destinations the low-cost carrier will be adding to its network this year.
With the addition of Laos, Scoot’s network will span 68 destinations across 19 countries and territories.
Three weekly flights will connect to Laos from Singapore departing 9am on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving at Luang Prabang at 11.10 am and then on to Vientiane by 1pm.
The return flight departs Vientiane at 1.50pm, arriving back into Singapore at 6pm (all local times).
Scoot’s Laos sale includes one-way fares from US$$189 departing Perth, US$199 from the Gold Coast, and US$209 from Sydney and Melbourne.
Fares do not include excess baggage or meals and all flights have a stopover in Singapore.
The limited period promotion tickets are available on Scoot’s website from now until January 22.
SilkAir launched a service to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in October 2016. It has since stopped the service after poor passenger figures between October 2017 and February last year, according to Channel News Asia.
Lao Airlines also stopped direct Laos-Singapore flights from March 25 due to operational reasons and, as of now, has no plans to resume the flights.
This is the second time that direct flights between the two countries were halted, after Lao Airlines relaunched a Singapore-Laos flight in October 2017.
