SAILers 2010 taking photo with the CLS Executive Director at the conference room

Instead of having classes in Vientiane, The SAILers spent 4 days in the week 5 of their SAIL program to participate in the 3rd International Conference on Laos Studies at Khon Kaen, Thailand which was held on 14th to 16th of July. This is a significant event for them and for myself as well. For us all, it’s a valuable experience having attended such great conference. Beside the group of SAILers, there were more than twenty participants from Laos going to join the conference, among them were professors from the National University of Laos (NUOL) who were invited and sponsored by the Center for Lao Studies, some interested individuals and SAILers’ friends. In fact, this conference is the gathering of scholars and academic experts in different fields of knowledge and wisdom. The participants have wide range of choice to listen to the topics they are interested in.

To me, it is a great conference I ever have attended. Thanks for the host organizers, especially the Center For Laos Studies for giving me an opportunity to experience this big event. I feel I have gained a lot of new knowledge and also have consolidated some knowledge I had previously learned about it many years ago.

I had listened to quite many topics. such as  Phra Lak Phra Lam (Lao and Isan-Ramayana); Land concession and rubber plantation in the north of Laos, Land use planning; Cash economy and sexual practice in Laos community; the Role of FM Radios along the Lao-Thai border areas; Conflict Resolutions in the Mekong basin.

We came back to Laos in the same group that we had on the departure day, except for Dr. Vinya Sysamouth who went back home from Thailand directly. After the conference closing at 12.00 pm of 16th July, we were pick up at the conference venue (Charoen Thani Princess Hotel in the heart of Khon Kaen City) by a bus of Khon Kaen University which transferred us to the Friendship Bridge on Thai side, then we were pick up by a mini bus from Vientiane.