VIENTIANE, Nov 10 (Vientiane Times) - The recent 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 9) Summit creates a new record in Laos' political history, and with many new bilateral agreements between Laos and other ASEM member countries complete. ...

In this Sep.26 open letter, human rights activists argue that "serious flaws" in the draft ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, set to be adopted by ASEAN later in the year, must be addressed. If not, they say, the declaration would "not bode well for the reputation and credibility" of the ASEAN human rights mechanism. ...