In Laos, fuel prices have risen once more as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

For the sixteenth time this year, Laos' government has raised fuel prices, pushing the price of ordinary gasoline to LAK 11,790 per liter.

The price of V-power gasoline in Vientiane Capital has risen to LAK 13,620 per liter, according to a notice released by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce yesterday, while standard gasoline has risen to LAK 11,790 per liter.

 

Diesel gasoline has also been raised in price, now costing LAK 10,300 per liter.

 

This is the seventeenth price increase this year, and the second this month.

 

During the Coronavirus outbreak, the cost of life in the country, including food and other commodities, has continued to grow, providing a hardship for local citizens, particularly those with low incomes.

 

The price of gasoline has grown significantly this year, according to a resident of Vientiane Capital who told the Laotian Times today that it is at its greatest level in comparison to prior years.

 

"I don't have a choice because I have to go to work every day," the man explained, "but I'm hoping the government can find a solution to this problem as soon as possible."

 

Another resident of Dongdok Village in Vientiane's Xaythany District said she was hard struck by two price hikes in a month.

 

"I'd like to take the bus to work to save money on gas," the woman explained, "but there are no buses available during the Covid-19 outbreak, and cab or Tuk-Tuk costs are just as expensive."

 

"Not only have fuel prices grown, but so have food, product, and other consumer goods prices; if the government does not address this issue seriously, our lives will become more difficult in the future," she continued.