Click here for Lao version/ຄລິກບ່ອນນີ້ ເພື່ອອ່ານພາສາລາວ
Lao leaders say Lao mass media needs to improve their quality in both substances and human resources, while firmly adhering to the Party’s political lines.
Presiding over a recent ceremony marking the 59th Lao National Mass Media Day in Vientiane, Vice President Boungnang Vorachit stressed that with 8 press agencies, 35 radio stations and 32 television stations across the country, Lao media has developed and grown in every aspects, playing a vital role in disseminating information to the public and promoting the country’s socio-economic development.
However, in the current borderless era of information technology, Lao people are able to enjoy broader access to up-to-date information from abroad, and that inevitably affects their political ideas. Therefore, Lao media needs to address its weaknesses and limitations in all aspects in order to meet the challenges.
In response to the expanding demand for media service in the country, Laos has set a goal in its 2009-10 socio-economic development plan, which will be implemented beginning this coming October until next September, to expand its radio signals to cover up to 90% of the country’s land areas, and increase the areas covered by Lao national television signals up to 70% .
In addition, the government has announced plans to develop an optic fiber cable system across the country, at an estimated cost of US$ 100 million, to enable media transmissions via Internet and allow public and private communication services across the country to link to each other and to the rest of the world by 2012 at the latest.
Listen to Songrit's report in Lao for more details.
