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    <title>IFEX - Laos</title>
    <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/</link>
    <description>Laos</description>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:27:05 GMT</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:27:05 GMT</lastBuildDate>
    <ttl>100</ttl>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - NEW LEADER URGED TO EASE CENSORSHIP]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2006/07/05/new_leader_urged_to_ease_censorship/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Laos is known as one of the most isolated and information-starved countries in Southeast Asia. Ruled by the People's Revolutionary Party (PPRL) since 1975, its media is tightly controlled by authorities. All mass media outlets are state-owned, and Internet access is highly controlled and monitored. Visa regulations discourage foreign journalists from entering the country and those that do must be escorted by government agents.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2006 14:39:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2006/07/05/new_leader_urged_to_ease_censorship/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - CAPSULE REPORT: RSF urges new president to undertake radical reforms to allow emergence of an independent press ]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2006/06/23/capsule_report_rsf_urges_new_president/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an open letter from RSF to President Choummaly Sayasone:]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2006 17:23:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2006/06/23/capsule_report_rsf_urges_new_president/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - "Time" magazine reporter banned from ASEAN Summit]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/12/02/time_magazine_reporter_banned_from/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Laotian government has prevented "Time&quot; magazine's Asia correspondent from entering the country to cover the recently-concluded 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2004 11:37:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/12/02/time_magazine_reporter_banned_from/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - SEAPA, RSF HIGHLIGHT LACK OF PRESS FREEDOM ]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/12/01/seapa_rsf_highlight_lack_of_press/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[With Laos hosting the 10th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) are calling attention to press freedom conditions in one of the most restrictive countries in the region.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Dec 2004 13:42:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/12/01/seapa_rsf_highlight_lack_of_press/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - ASEAN summit offers crucial freedom of expression test, says SEAPA]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/11/26/asean_summit_offers_crucial_freedom/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a SEAPA capsule report:]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:48:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2004/11/26/asean_summit_offers_crucial_freedom/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Appeal for release of journalists' guides, one guide manages to escape]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/30/appeal_for_release_of_journalists/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - On 24 July 2003, journalists Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud appealed to Laotian authorities to release Thao Moua and Pa Phue Khan. On 30 June, the two detainees received prison sentences of 12 and 15 years, respectively, for working as guides for the two journalists while they were preparing a documentary in Laos. They are currently imprisoned in Vientiane. A third guide, Tha Char Yang, who managed to escape, was sentenced to 20 years in absentia. Other Laotians are believed to have been arrested in connection with the case, but their names are not known.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2003 16:08:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/30/appeal_for_release_of_journalists/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - IFJ calls for release of journalists' guides who remain imprisoned]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/10/ifj_calls_for_release_of_journalists/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 July 2003 IFJ media release:]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:49:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/10/ifj_calls_for_release_of_journalists/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Journalists and translator released from prison]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/09/journalists_and_translator_released/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2003 16:40:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/09/journalists_and_translator_released/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - JOURNALISTS EXPECTED TO BE FREED]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/09/journalists_expected_to_be_freed/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Following an international outcry led by IFEX members and other press-freedom groups, the government of Laos has indicated that it will release two foreign journalists and an interpreter from prison on 14 July, says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2003 15:00:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/09/journalists_expected_to_be_freed/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Journalists detained for one month without any concrete progress]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/07/journalists_detained_for_one_month/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - As of 4 July 2003, journalists Thierry Falise of Belgium and Vincent Reynaud of France have been detained in Laos for one month. After their trial on 30 June, they were transferred to Phontong prison in Vientiane, which is reserved for foreigners, where they are currently held.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2003 14:28:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/07/07/journalists_detained_for_one_month/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Court sentences journalists and their translator to 15 years in prison]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/30/court_sentences_journalists_and/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2003 13:28:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/30/court_sentences_journalists_and/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Journalists' trial set for 27 June in remote provincial town]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/26/journalists_trial_set_for_27_june/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - Journalists Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud will be publicly tried on 27 June 2003 in Phonesavanh, more than ten hours by road north of the capital, Vientiane, according to diplomatic sources. The charges against them are still unknown. The official enquiry into the case is expected to finish late on 26 June.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:33:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/26/journalists_trial_set_for_27_june/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Two journalists still held, no significant progress after three weeks in detention]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/24/two_journalists_still_held_no_significant/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - The Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud Support Committee deplores the continuing failure of the Laotian authorities to inform the families of these two detained journalists of their whereabouts. The committee is also concerned about the impact of reportedly poor conditions of detention on their health.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2003 16:05:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/24/two_journalists_still_held_no_significant/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - CPJ calls for journalists' release]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/12/cpj_calls_for_journalists_release/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(CPJ/IFEX) - In an 11 June 2003 letter to Laotian President Khamtay Siphandone, CPJ expressed deep concern about the safety of two European journalists and their American guide who were arrested last week by Laotian authorities: Thierry Falise, a Belgian free-lance photographer and reporter; Vincent Reynaud, a French free-lance photographer and cameraman; and Naw Karl Mua, a U.S. citizen of ethnic Hmong origin who was working with the two journalists as a guide and translator. Falise and Reynaud are well-regarded, professional journalists based in Bangkok, Thailand.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:53:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/12/cpj_calls_for_journalists_release/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Belgian reporter and French cameraman detained in Vientiane]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/10/belgian_reporter_and_french_cameraman/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on the Laotian authorities to release two freelance journalists. Belgian reporter Thierry Falise and French cameraman Vincent Reynaut were arrested on 3 or 5 June 2003 after preparing a report on the desperate situation of the Hmong ethnic minority and the frequent clashes between Hmong rebels and the armed forces.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2003 12:05:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2003/06/10/belgian_reporter_and_french_cameraman/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - NEW PENALTIES FOR PROVIDING "FALSE INFORMATION" PLANNED]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2001/06/26/new_penalties_for_providing_false/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The government of Laos intends to define the "truths" that the media should report and introduce new penalties for journalists who provide "false information" about the country, report the International Press Institute (IPI) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). On 8 June, Information and Culture Minister Phandouangchit Vongsa told Reuters news agency that his ministry was amending present laws to "promote the standards" of the media, reports IPI. "We need to raise the professionalism of the Laotian media . . . their reporting must be responsive to the [ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party's] long-term target to bring the country out of poverty by 2020," Phandouangchit said. The minister also stated that new media guidelines would define  which "truths" should be reported for the benefit of the country.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2001 01:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2001/06/26/new_penalties_for_providing_false/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - IPI concerned by intended penal code amendments]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2001/06/08/ipi_concerned_by_intended_penal/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2001 01:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2001/06/08/ipi_concerned_by_intended_penal/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Restrictive Internet guidelines issued]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/10/30/restrictive_internet_guidelines/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Oct 2000 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/10/30/restrictive_internet_guidelines/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos -  BOUND FOR POLITICAL CHANGE?]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/08/29/bound_for_political_change/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Economic pressures along with political dissent from both within and outside of the country may force government reforms, says Bertil Lintner in the "Irrawaddy" (Vol. 8, No. 6, June 2000), a publication of the Irrawaddy Publishing group (IPG), formerly known as the Burma Information Group. Increasingly, groups within Laos have been openly challenging the current regime's authoritarian political system. On 26 October 1999, the government moved quickly to quash a pro-democracy demonstration by teachers and students in Vientiane - the first of its kind in the regime's 25 years of power, says Lintner. Protesters were demanding "political reform, the release of all political prisoners; and a return to the 1974 coalition government, which included communist as well as neutralist forces," reports the "Irrawaddy". Authorities followed the protests with a series of political seminars, where participants were required to review the ruling communist party's doctrines. In addition, local community leaders gathered young people to advise them against the counter revolutionaries' messages and ideas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2000 01:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/08/29/bound_for_political_change/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - CPJ disturbed over efforts to censor news coverage]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/04/07/cpj_disturbed_over_efforts_to_censor/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Apr 2000 01:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/04/07/cpj_disturbed_over_efforts_to_censor/</guid>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Laos - Two foreign journalists arrested]]></title>
      <link>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/04/04/two_foreign_journalists_arreste/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Apr 2000 01:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>http://www.ifex.org/laos/2000/04/04/two_foreign_journalists_arreste/</guid>
    </item>

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