Bangkok - Parliamentarians from 22 Asian countries gathered in Vientiane, Laos, on Monday to attend the 17th annual Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), a get-together founded by former Japanese prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, media reports said.

"The Asia-Pacific region has more than half the world's population and is rich in natural resources," said Thongsing Thammavong, chairman of the Lao National Assembly and the chair of the forum.

"This rich region can help overcome the world's economic problems," said Thongsing in his opening remarks, as reported by Radio Laos in a broadcast monitored in Bangkok.