RFA
29 Feb 2020, 04:12 GMT+10
Police in the Lao capital Vientiane arrested a 25-year-old woman this week for posting rumors online that persons infected with coronavirus were shopping at the Chinese Sanjiang shopping mall in the city.
The woman, whose name was not given in reports, has now been charged with spreading rumors aimed at causing public panic, police sources said.
Reached for comment on Feb. 25, an official from the Lao government's Department of Health told RFA that the story posted by the woman online was false.
"These statements posted on social media were not true," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The police are still looking for the people who made these posts," he said. "They arrested one woman yesterday, and they're looking for others right now."
Also speaking to RFA, a manager at the Sanjiang mall said the facility has seven or eight health workers staffing the mall each day to check people coming in and out for signs of infection.
"We also have closed-circuit television monitors and scan everyone who enters the mall," he said, adding, "So far we have found no cases of infection."
"We have already released a statement together with the Health Department saying that the story isn't true," he said.
Speaking to Lao media on Feb. 25, Rattanamany Phetsouvanh-head of the infectious diseases department of the Department of Health-said that on learning of the rumors, health officials had immediately gone to Sanjiang to investigate and had found no cause for concern.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism spokesman Pin Pathana Phanthamaly confirmed to the press that no cases of infection had been found, adding that the Sanjiang shopping mall was open for business as usual.
Despite a rise in cases of coronavirus infection worldwide and a climbing death toll, no cases of infection have been confirmed to date in Laos.
Reported and translated by RFA's Lao Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Copyright © 1998-2018, RFA. Published with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Hong Kong Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Hong Kong Herald.
More InformationBEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...
BONN, Germany: Despite widespread belt-tightening across the United Nations, nearly 200 countries agreed this week to increase the...
SEATTLE, Washington: U.S. coffee company Starbucks has said it is not planning to sell all of its business in China, even though a...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...
Vancouver, Canada: A high-stakes legal showdown is brewing in the world of athleisure. Lululemon, the Canadian brand known for its...
LONDON, U.K.: British oil giant Shell has denied reports that it is in talks to acquire rival oil company BP. The Wall Street Journal...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in positive territory to start the week Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was halting trade discussions with Canada due to its decision...