NA’s Sixth Ordinary Session opens

(KPL) The National Assembly (Sixth legislature) yesterday morning opened its sixth ordinary session chaired by Mr. Thongsing Thammavong, Politburo member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and President of the National Assembly.
Attending the opening ceremony were Choummaly Sayasone, President of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee (LPRCC), Deputy Prime Minister of the Lao PDR, other LPRCC Politburo members, National Assembly members, ministers and guests.
In his opening speech, National Assembly President Thongsing Thammavong said that the meeting was opened amid the situation in the world and in the region continued to develop in both favourable and complicated ways, especially the price of petroleum products, the financial and banking crisis and the climate change that brought an impact on the social-economic development of all countries in the world. Especially, the Lao PDR has faced with a number of natural disasters, particularly flooding which destroyed several infrastructure and production areas. However, with great efforts of the entire party, army and people throughout the country under the leadership of the Politburo member committee, the Lao PDR has further maintained security, political stability, social order, and the national economy has considerably grown.
The National Assembly President also underlined the activities and roles of the National Assembly over last year while other authorities throughout the country were striving to realise the resolutions of the Eighth Party Congress and the sixth five-year socio-economic development plan.
He pointed out that the sixth ordinary session would consider and endorse a number of important, urgent issues, particularly the report of the government on flooding and measures to address the flooding issue and to consider the proposal to revise the 2008-2009 budget plan of the government.
In addition, the session would consider the names of ethnic groups and the exact number of ethnic groups in the Lao PDR.
The meeting will debate amending a number of articles in four laws on electricity, mining, relationship and inheritance and new draft laws, which are expected to be approved in this session, including state investment management, printing and quarantine.
The sixth ordinary session of the National Assembly will last 15 days. After the opening speech by its President Thongsing Thammavong, the session heard reports by a representative of the Lao Front for National Construction on the name of ethnic groups and the number of the ethnic people in Laos.