Laos seeking ways to tackle acute fuel shortage in country

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VIENTIANE (Xinhua): The Lao government is working to tackle acute intermittent fuel shortages and is drawing up a decree on a Fuel Fund among other attempts to ensure a constant supply of fuel.

Speaking at a press conference held shortly after the Lao government's monthly meeting for January on Tuesday, the government spokesperson Thipphakone Chanthavongsa said all relevant departments are trying to resolve fuel shortage issues, Lao National Radio report on Thursday.

Thipphakone said that multiple approaches and measures must be applied to address fuel shortages. She also stressed the importance of creating fuel reserves to deal with the problem in the long term.

Diesel has been in short supply across Laos for the past week. Laos' Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Lao Fuel and Gas Association advise the public to be frugal in their use of fuel and avoid unnecessary travel so that sufficient reserves of petrol are available for farming and other essential activities, according to the report.

The meeting also agreed that it was essential to reduce the vulnerability of the macroeconomy by regulating currency exchange rates and the price of consumer goods, and reining in inflation. - Xinhua