Laos: Laos Dam Failure Exposes Cracks in a Secretive Government’s Agenda

Jul 29, 2018 | Mike Ives, The New York Times
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As heavy rains lashed southern Laos over the weekend, volunteers from many countries were continuing to help victims of earlier flooding caused by the failure of a foreign-funded hydropower dam. The accident at the billion-dollar Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric project last week has cast a harsh spotlight on the unspoken compact between the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and giant outside financial interests: The companies get access to Lao’s abundant natural resources; Laotian officials get some revenue; and no one will cast undue scrutiny on investment projects that exacerbate rural poverty — or, in this case, kill innocent villagers.