Illegal car imports among hot issues at Lao cabinet meet
PROGRESS MADE in addressing illegal car imports, improvements to state enterprises and efforts to regulate sawmills were among hot issues being debated as the Laotian government kicked off its cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Chaired by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, the two-day monthly meeting for June heard the findings of an inspection report into illegal car imports.
In January, the government entrusted the Ministry of Finance to work with relevant departments to carry out inspections into the illegal importation of 5,639 cars, aiming to resolve the issue.
The Customs Department under the Finance Ministry reported previously that the illegal import of the vehicles cost the state some 66 billion kip (Bt270 million) in lost revenue.
In this regard, authorities in charge were told to carry out a number of measures to address the issue. The measures included returning cars stolen from a neighbouring country and brought into Laos illegally for sale on the black market to their country of origin.
Those cars imported into Laos intentionally facilitated by fake documents will be seized as state assets.
In cases where cars were imported illegally but then bought by unwitting individual residents, the vehicle owners are required to pay obligation fees and fines in line with the relevant laws and regulations.
Those found involved in the illegal action are subject to be punished in line with the country’s laws.
Progress made in improving business operations of state enterprises were also to be debated by the cabinet members as the government has announced it is carrying out reforms of the enterprises after learning some have been making losses.
Thongloun told the National Assembly previously that the government would no longer subsidise the enterprises, but would instead take action to make their operations more effective.
The cabinet was to track progress made in regulating sawmills and furniture plants as well as efforts to address illegal logging in line with a prime-ministerial order issued in May last year that demanded tough action to deal with the issues.
Since the action has been put in place, 28 wood-processing plants located near and inside preservation, protected and production forests and which violate relevant laws and regulations have been shut down, according to the latest information from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Additionally, 692 family-based furniture plants operated without business licences were shut down, according to Manolack Rasachak, director-general of the ministry’s Industry and Handicraft Department.
He said relevant authorities were taking action to shut down another 467 family-based furniture plants still operating without business licences.
The cabinet was also set to hear a report on revenue collection and expenditure for the second quarter of 2017, a report on preparation to boost rainy-reason agricultural production, and one on measures to prevent the illegal import of pork.
Resolutions drafted by the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s Party Central Committee on intensifying land management and development efforts were also to be discussed at the meeting.
Three new legal drafts were also to be debated by the cabinet. They are the newly drafted Law on Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, the newly drafted Law on Meteorology and Hydrology, and an amended law on town planning.
The drafts will be submitted to the National Assembly’s fourth ordinary session expected to take place in October for debate.
