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	&quot;With 100,000-kip banknotes, people won&#39;t need to carry so many notes around with them to pay for goods and services,&quot; Currency Issuing Department Director General Souphat Khotnhotha told the Vientiane Times.</div>
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	At present, many Lao prefer to use US dollars and Thai baht for expensive purchases because they are available in larger denominations, he Currently the largest kip banknote is the 50,000-kip while the largest Thai banknote is 1,000 baht (32 dollars).</div>
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	Souphat said the introduction of the 100,000-kip note would not increase the money supply, so it should not boost inflation.</div>
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	He said that the new notes would stop traders hiking prices in the kip currency because of shortages of banknotes.</div>
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	Central Bank officials blame the kip shortage on the Lao tradition of Buddhist merit-making ceremonies, which includes providing many small-denomination kip banknotes to monks.</div>
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	The new 100,000-kip banknotes will be printed abroad to ensure against counterfeits, the state news report said.//DPA</div>

Lao central bank to issue new 100,000-kip notes

Vientiane - The central bank of Laos will next month issue new 100,000-kip (12-dollar) banknotes to encourage people to use the national currency instead of US dollars and Thai baht, news reports said Thursday.