[110][111], Human rights advocates including Vang Pobzeb, Kerry and Kay Danes, and others have also raised concerns about human rights violations, torture, the arrest and detention of political prisoners as well as the detention of foreign prisoners in Laos including at the infamous Phonthong Prison in Vientiane. [79], In 1993, Vue Mai, a former Hmong soldier and leader of the largest Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, who had been recruited by the USEmbassy in Bangkok to return to Laos as proof of the repatriation programme's success, disappeared in Vientiane. For example, Khammu farmers in Luang Prabang plant the rice variety khao kam in small quantities near the farm house in memory of dead parents, or at the edge of the rice field to indicate that parents are still alive.[162]. Moreover, 130,000 deaths can be attributed to the civil war. Theravada Buddhism is a dominant influence in Lao culture. 15. [131] In 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights conducted an official visit to Laos and found that the country's top-down approach to economic growth and poverty alleviation "is all too often counterproductive, leading to impoverishment and jeopardising the rights of the poor and marginalised. [33], In 1637, when Sourigna Vongsa ascended the throne, Lan Xang further expanded its frontiers. Over the years, Vientiane has experienced civil wars, internal conflicts, and agitations which ultimately led to the freedom of Laos from French rule, and then from monarchial rule in 1975. [56], On 3 December 2021, the 422-kilometre Boten-Vientiane railway, a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was opened. The Capital City of Laos (officially named Lao People's Democratic Republic) is the city of Vientiane.The population of Vientiane in the year 2007 was 6,521,998. A major breakthrough occurred in December 2021, when the 414-km long standard-gauge BotenVientiane railway that runs from the capital Vientiane to Boten at the northern border with China, built as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, was opened. A new constitution was adopted in 1991 and enshrined a "leading role" for the LPRP. Energy Efficiency Retrofitting of Buildings Challenges and Methods", Diller, Anthony; Edmondson, Jerry; Luo, Yongxian (2004). [184], Laos has no tradition in other team sports. In 1950, the French were forced to give Laos semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the French Union. Sticky rice is a staple food and has cultural and religious significance to the Lao people. These include the Presidential Palace and the National Assembly of Laos. At the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Ngum was descended from a long line of Lao kings that traced back to Khoun Boulom. [53] In 1979, there were 50,000 PAVN troops stationed in Laos and as many as 6,000 civilian Vietnamese officials including 1,000 directly attached to the ministries in Vientiane. However, as of 2018, there are approximately 1.9million of Lao's population who could not access an improved water supply and 2.4million people without access to improved sanitation. Other carriers serving the country include Bangkok Airways, Vietnam Airlines, AirAsia, Thai Airways and China Eastern Airlines. [74] Their Russian-built Antonov AN 74-300 with 20 people on board crashed in Xiangkhouang Province. A second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince Souvanna Phouma in 1962 was unsuccessful, and the situation steadily deteriorated into large scale civil war between the Royal Laotian government and the Pathet Lao. [57], Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and it lies mostly between latitudes 14 and 23N (a small area is south of 14), and longitudes 100 and 108E. Biggest Cities In Laos Vientiane . [77] Pressure to resettle the refugees grew as the Thai government worked to close its remaining refugee camps. "Lao Refugees Return Home Under European Union Repatriation Program", Associated Press Worldstream, 22 11, 1994. Even the capital Vientiane feels like a relaxed riverfront town. [90][91][92][93] The Thai foreign ministry has said that it will halt deportation of Hmong refugees held in Detention Centres in Nong Khai, while talks are underway to resettle them in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States. Laos opened on May 2022 and it is nice to travel t. Vientiane, Laos - Jul 29, 1998: Tuk-tuk and Patuxai Triumphal arch in Lane Xang Avenue. The capital of Laos is Vientiane. However, the latter is considered pejorative, meaning 'slave'. [104] Later reports have contradicted this, claiming they were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Lan Xang became an important trade centre during Samsenthai's reign, but after his death in 1421 it collapsed into warring factions for nearly a century. According to a Laotian epic, Vientiane was founded on the Mekong Rivers eastern banks by a prince named Thattaradtha. Although some accusations of forced repatriation were denied,[82] thousands of Hmong people refused to return to Laos. [66][67] The incumbent head of government is Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. Additionally, the Khao San Pathet Lao, the country's official news agency, publishes English and French versions of its eponymous paper. Its first railway line, a short 3-km long metre-gauge railway that connects southern Vientiane to Thailand, only opened in 2009. There are two plateaux, the Xiangkhoang in the north and the Bolaven Plateau at the southern end. Since July, 2021 the United States has shared 2,908,440 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of Laos - free of cost. Location: Champasak Province, Laos. Under the plan, refugee status was evaluated through a screening process. Only 4% of the country is arable land and a mere 0.3% used as permanent crop land,[120] the lowest percentage in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Take more wonderful experiences in this Mystery . Mapcarta, the open map. settlement scattered around a Hindu temple. Between 1995 and 2008 approximately 1,232,900 more people had access to improved sanitation in rural areas. [98][99] Prominent civil society advocates, human rights defenders, political and religious dissidents, and Hmong refugees have disappeared at the hands of Lao military and security forces. [47] Between 1964 and 1973, the US dropped two million tons of bombs on Laos, nearly equal to the 2.1million tons of bombs the US dropped on Europe and Asia during all of World War II, making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history relative to the size of its population; The New York Times notes this was "nearly a ton for every person in Laos". Thailand (invested US$4.489billion) and Vietnam (invested US$3.108billion) are the second and third largest investors respectively. According to the International Monetary Fund, as of 01.01.2020, they amounted to USD 1.128 million. The Thai government attempted to repatriate these refugees, but the Wat Tham Krabok Hmong refused to leave and the Lao government refused to accept them, claiming they were involved in the illegal drug trade and were of non-Lao origin. Fa Ngum, with 10,000 Khmer troops, conquered many Lao principalities in the Mekong river basin, culminating in the capture of Vientiane. However, historians claim the city was an ancient Khmer settlement that formed around a Hindu temple. [citation needed], Laos's emergence from international isolation has been marked through improved and expanded relations with other countries including Russia, China, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. The Tai-Kadai Languages, ":: Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, R.o.c. The remainder, particularly in rural areas, speak ethnic minority languages. [68] Laos also maintained a "special relationship" with Vietnam and formalised a 1977 treaty of friendship and cooperation that created tensions with China. As of 2011[update], Nhn Dn ('The People') and the Xinhua News Agency are the only foreign media organisations permitted to open offices in Laosboth opened bureaus in Vientiane in 2011. Built on three levels, it symbolises the ascent from earth to heaven. [102][103], However, the government of Laos frequently breaches its own constitution and the rule of law, since the judiciary and judges are appointed by the ruling communist party. [95], Human rights violations remain a significant concern in Laos. Vientiane is the largest city in Laos and functions as: Houses the Presidential Palace. You'll find yourself slowly won over by the easy charms of this evolving . Laos has nine daily newspapers, 90 magazines, 43 radio stations, and 32 TV stations operating throughout the country. The train arrived at the brand new Vientiane Capital Station, the largest and most important station of the line . [140], Laos has made particularly noteworthy progress increasing access to sanitation. In 2009, despite the fact that the government is still officially communist, the Obama administration in the US declared Laos was no longer a MarxistLeninist state and lifted bans on Laotian companies receiving financing from the US Export-Import Bank.[117][118]. Laos Capital City, Vientiane. Most people live in valleys of the Mekong River and its tributaries. Pakse. [44] On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared Laos once more independent, with Luang Prabang as its capital, but on 7 April 1945 two battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city. Pakse is the capital and most populous city of Champasak Province in Southern Laos. Mountain/hill tribes of mixed ethno/cultural-linguistic heritage are found in northern Laos, which include the Lua and Khmu people who are indigenous to Laos. [113] A number of citizens, primarily women and girls from all ethnic groups and foreigners, have been victims of sex trafficking in Laos. Foreign enterprises must report on their performance annually and submit annual financial statements to MPI. Most of the population (63%) resides within . Laos was then dependent on military and economic aid from the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. THE government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has petitioned the District Court for the NMI to enforce foreign arbitral awards against Bridge Capital LLC and its principal John Baldwin in the total amount of $5,026,983.98. The mountainous geography of Laos had impeded Laos's ground transportation development throughout the 20th century. [38] France rescued King Oun Kham and added Luang Phrabang to the protectorate of French Indochina. 400 AD - Theravada Buddhism was introduced to Laos. Fa Ngum's eldest son, Oun Heuan, ascended to the throne under the name Samsenethai and reigned for 43years. Area 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles) Major languages Lao, French. [130] According to the Global Hunger Index (2018), Laos ranks as the 36th hungriest nation in the world out of the list of the 52 nations with the worst hunger situation(s). 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