Laos' Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavath says the Party must be reallistic and acknowledge that there is corruption among the ranks and files, and address the problem by reorganizing.
Meanwhile, in a speech to the Eighth Congress of the Lao Journalists' Association recently held in Vientiane, Vice President Bounnhang Vorachit asked Lao media to play a significant role in the effort to fight corruption, which he acknowledged is widepread and has affected the people's confidence in the government and the Party.
He said the media could contribute to educating the people about the dangers of corruption which he said has also affected the national economic and social development.
The Asian Development Bank says 25% of Laos' budget is unaccounted for every year. And the International Transparency Organization ranks Laos the 111th among the 165 most corrupted nations of the world.
Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.
