State Media
A Chinese company has signed an agreement with Lao authorities to study the prospects for development of 5,000 hectares of land in southern Laos’ Attapeu province, raising concerns among residents that investors will take more land over time, destroying local livelihoods, Lao sources say.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on April 7 allows China’s Jia Run Company to carry out feasibility studies over the next six months on the land in Attapeu’s Sanamxay district, a provincial official told RFA’s Lao Service.
“The Chinese have already come several times to explore a large lot of land along the border with Pathumphone and Paksong districts,” the official working for Attapeu’s Agriculture and Forestry Department said.