Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link
Construction of a 414 km railway line linking China to mainland Southeast Asia through Laos is underway in Phonesai village, about 30km north of Luang Prabang, the country’s ancient former capital and modern-day tourism center. A workers’ dormitory has been built under a banner in Laotian reading: “The People of Laos are Proud to Build the Railway with Friendship, Happiness, Security and Harmony.” The glaring discrepancy here is that all the workers in the dormitory are Chinese.
