Laotel, the
current monopoly, has extremely expensive rates for international
calls. For overseas calls you're looking at the equivalent of $2USD/minute.
Keep in mind that you cannot perform collect calls from Laos.
On a brighter
note, Laotel does now offer phone cards for international/overseas
calls which are a deal compared to calling from its residential
(or fixed line) phone in Laos. The phone cards can be purchased
from the Laotel outlets in Vte. in denominations of 40/70/100,000
kip. The cards can be used at a phone booth or more conveniently
can be used from a regular phone in Laos. The cost per minute using
these cards comes down considerably - from $2/min to $0.35/min.
Laotel was forced
to offer these phone cards which offer reduced per minute costs
because the most widespread alternative nowadays is the internet
phone which is available at many internet cafes. Internet phone
prices range from 3000-5000 kip/minute, that's about 30-50 cents
(USD). However, the quality of the phone call varies widely from
each place to the next.
It's very impressive
of you to raise this issue as many individuals are not aware that
Laos has and is in the midst of resettling many of the highlanders/mountain
dwellers. Officially speaking there is no specific policy or program
of resettlement of ethnic minorities. Rather resettlement is being
used as a tool to achieving the government's goals as listed below.
But even without stating officially a program of resettlement, what
is evident is that there is a massive amount of displaced ethnic
minorities who are being relocated and resettled in the country.
So whether or not there is an admission of such a policy, the evidence
is clear, whichever way one chooses to perceive the situation.
The history
of Laos has shown a constant movement and resettlement of its people.
It is quite possible however that conflicts have occured between
groups who may have chosen not to move as ordered by the government.
There are reports of some groups who decided to relocate back to
their previous location or those who simply choose not to move at all.
There are however no official reports of major incidences
between the communities/villages and the government - rumors notwithstanding.
The answer as
to why resettlement is currently in place is because of several
objectives including the government's goals of wanting to reduce
and eventually eliminate slash and burn cultivation and thereby
preserving the environment; increasing political stability; moving
communities closer towards water, electricity and road facilities;
integration of ethnic minorities into society and the easibility
of offering schooling and medical facilities, and so fourth. An
additional reason for resettlements are due to development projects,
in particular hydroelectric dams. For example, the Nam Theun II
project displaced 4,000 people.
The government
has appealed to the donor/NGO community for assistance in its resettlement
program for a number of years. And because of this appeal, the government
is thus very open about its resettlement program and the goings-on
- which is required by donors/NGOs. Two examples are the updates
printed in the Vientiane Times as well as the publication I've mentioned
below.
The aforementioned
is why I believe that some of the rumors are unwarranted. If there
were something to hide, such a comprehensive and in-depth analysis
and interviews of displaced, relocated, and resettled families and
communities would not have been allowed. Indeed, there are problems
with the resettlement but all these issues are out in the open and
are well known among those involved such as the government and NGOs.
Insofar, the
interesting issue is the degree and scale to which this resettlement
has and is currently occuring. It's a large scale. It involves thousands
and thousands of people, many of whom are ethnic minorities. Admittedly,
with any large resettlement there are bound to be obstacles and
problems, especially when the resettlement is occuring in a poor
country such as Laos.
For further
reading and more specific details, I highly recommend:
Resettlement
and Social Characteristics of New Villages - Basic Needs for Resettled
Communities in the Lao PDR - An ORSTOM Survey. Vol. 1 &
2. UNDP, June 1997.
It has all the
facts and info. you're looking for. It was produced in collaboration
between UNDP, UNESCO, ORSTOM and the Department of Non Formal Education
at the Ministry of Education Lao PDR. It's a comprehensive survey
and study of resettlement communities in Laos that's full of survey
data as well as reports, articles, analysis, problems and recommendations
on resettlement in Laos. The survey was one of the largest ever
in Laos as it spanned six provinces and over 1000 relocated families
interviewed.
Regarding updates:
It's been reported in the Vientiane Times newspaper several times
this year regarding the issue of resettlement and the reduction
of slash and burn cultivation. Archived issues are available from
the Vientiane Times office in Namphu, Vientiane (it's even available
on CD-ROM now which you can order). NOTE: It has been reported in
the Vientiane Times newspaper this year that those relocated to
help stop slash/burn cultivation were promised a plot of land and
in some cases jobs. There are thousands on the waiting list for
these compensations.
