Anonymous wrote:

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Can someone explain what the meaning of this photo is? Thank you

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 You can see say ' Vientiane Pollution', try Bangkok Pollution or Manila Pollution in FLICK.COM and you will see. World Pollution.

UNFORTUNATELY, LITTERING IN LAOS JUST MEAN NOTHING!
PEOPLE IN LAOS NEED TO CHANGE HABIT OF TRASHING EVERYWHERE.
ON THE SHORE, ON THE STREET, IN THE BUILDING OR
EVEN INTO MEKONG RIVER. LETS START FROM SCHOOL, TEACH
THE KID TO LOVE MEKONG AND TO KEEP UP AFTER THEMSELF.
THE CITY OF VIENTIANE SHOULD HAVE "MEKONG DAYS" BEFORE
IT'S TOO LATE.
CLEAN CITY MADE THEIR PEOPLE LOOK GOOD.
AS THE VISITOR WILL GO BY THAT JUDGEMENT.

Hugglao wrote:

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UNFORTUNATELY, LITTERING IN LAOS JUST MEAN NOTHING!
PEOPLE IN LAOS NEED TO CHANGE HABIT OF TRASHING EVERYWHERE.
ON THE SHORE, ON THE STREET, IN THE BUILDING OR
EVEN INTO MEKONG RIVER. LETS START FROM SCHOOL, TEACH
THE KID TO LOVE MEKONG AND TO KEEP UP AFTER THEMSELF.
THE CITY OF VIENTIANE SHOULD HAVE "MEKONG DAYS" BEFORE
IT'S TOO LATE.
CLEAN CITY MADE THEIR PEOPLE LOOK GOOD.
AS THE VISITOR WILL GO BY THAT JUDGEMENT.

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 LOVE MEKONG, WE SHOULDN'T BUILD THE DAMS ALONG THE RIVER. IT'S KILLING THE WORLD'S BIGGEST FRESH WATERFISH ( GIANT CATFISH ) AND OTHER LIFES UNDER WATER

Anonymous wrote:

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THIS IS LAO..NOT IN THE US OR PARIS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND. DO NOT COMPARE THOSE WESTERN COUNTRY IN WHERE YOU LEAVE OR DO NOT TRY TO SHOW OURSELF THAT YOU  LIVING OVERSEA IN HIGH DEVELOPED SOCIAL.

I REALLY HATE THOSE LAO-NOK WHEN HEY SAYING THIS.

 

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Your comment is totaly stupid!

The problems caused by this kind of pollution are the same everywhere... a country like Laos is not different from other countries! A plastic bag abandonned on the ground will pollute as much in Laos as in France or USA (after natural desagregation), and willl need as much time before desagregate.

And what about the official "panels" i could see in Vientiane, where lao autorities ask people (in lao) to stop littering and stop leaving their rubbish everywhere (english translation: 'Good people don't ruin their country and have manners not to litter thoughtlessly.')? Do you think lao autorities are wrong too, asking people to act the same as I asked in my previous post? I'm just relaying the message of lao officials.

Solve this issue, educate people to act proprely is just for the benefit of Laos, nothing else... people who ask this, officials or not, foreigners or Lao, just do it because they love this country, want the best for it, and are sad to see that some people (even lao) cause this kind of degradation, by miss of knowledge or worse, by miss of respect for their own country (or for the country they visit if they are tourists). How can you criticize this?

Do you hate people just because they are foreigners, or because they are asking lao law to be respected?

http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/Laws%20in%20English/40.%20Law%20on%20Environmental%20Protection%20%281999%29%20Eng.pdf

"All kinds of littering are forbidden. It is required to allocate waste disposal sites, and to separate waste before its disposal, incineration, burial ordisposal by any other methods. Technologies for waste treatment, recycling of waste into the production process, and re-use must be supported." (DECREE of the PRESIDENT of the LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC On the Promulgation of the Environmental Protection Law).

Do you really consider this lao law is so inapropriate?

Anonymous wrote:

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Solve this issue, educate people to act proprely is just for the benefit of Laos, nothing else... people who ask this, officials or not, foreigners or Lao, just do it because they love this country, want the best for it, and are sad to see that some people (even lao) cause this kind of degradation, by miss of knowledge or worse, by miss of respect for their own country (or for the country they visit if they are tourists). How can you criticize this?

 

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This is well said Paris. Guys here often talk about copying growth and development of other countries (most popular are Japan, Thailand, Singapore, S. Korea, etc.). I hope when you are considering development you look at the whole package not just looking at the skycrapers, luxury cars, and world class resorts and other signs of economic growth. I hope you also look at how they developed and how development impacted their environment.

Though Laos lagged behind in terms of economic development, now that it has started to open up and experience progress, then this late development should be taken as an opportunity because Laos has an advantage learning from the successess and mistakes done by other countries and take only the best practices, apply and modify them according to LPDR needs, geography and culture. 

There is a huge potential in Lao. Your neighboring countries (China, Vietnam, Thailand) see that. But let us hope that Laos wont just go with the flow; that it should also consider how the projects being tied up with "partners and friends" will affect the country, including its environment in the long run.

Remember Laos is landlocked, it only relies on its river system and no access to the sea. The simple neglect of throwing garbage iresponsibly can have major environmental and economic impact in the long run. Learn from what happened in the Philippines. Why do you think the metropolitan area went underwater after the heavy storm. Its because aside from the degradation of the surrounding mountains the river system were also congested with garbage. It only reflects the severity of the of garbage problem; that constant neglect will result to tremendous damge to lives and properties.

Someone said that the garbage seen in the picture age negligible, they are few. But remember big things come from small beginnings. In time those small patches of garbage will accumulate, it will become a common practice because people will assume its normal and  acceptable and waterways will start to clog. If this simple lack of concern, throwing trash in the Mekong, will not be addressed, soon you will see dead fish floating in that river.

Please keep Laos green and clean!

 

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 AGGREE......AGGREE.......AGGREE........HUGGLAO

I visited LAO in every 3 years, I saw big board in Vientiane telling people KEEP THE COUNTRY CLEAN but lao people still did the wrong things....Along the Mekong bank where eating and drinking places or restaurants, were full of rubbish....there must be LAW to say that littering would be fined....clearly the Law is weak in this area, SEA GAMES is coming soon so does LAO government want a CLEAN LAO under international visitors or a LAO with full of rubbish?