Tag: Vientiane

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Society

The Dark Side Of Laos, As An Activist Vanishes Without A Trace

Sombath Somphone disappeared on Dec. 15, 2012
Sombath Somphone disappeared on Dec. 15, 2012 Sombath Somphone & Beyond Project

Police are monitoring traffic from a small wooden gatehouse in eastern Vientiane, on the outskirts of the Laotian capital. It was here nearly one year ago, opposite the Indian embassy, that 62-year-old Sombath Somphone mysteriously disappeared. The rural development promoter and farmers’ rights activist hasn’t been heard from since. On Dec. 15, 2012, Somphone was […]

Categories
Geopolitics

The Sleepy Kingdom Comes Alive: Laos Rushes To Modernize

Old meets new in the streets of Vientiane
Old meets new in the streets of Vientiane Michael Cory

VIENTIANE – The feeling of lethargy still lingers in the streets of old Vientiane. Things, however, are beginning to change: the time for indolence is over. The capital of Laos, on the banks of the Mekong River, is brushing off its image as a sleepy, colonial market town by hosting the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) this […]

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