Students and migrants complain of extortion by security officials

(KPL) Thousand of students and people from the countryside come to Vientiane Capital to study, work and do business and there were many complaints by the newcomers that the local security officials extorted money from them.
Those who complained were in the thousands and they wanted the state-concerned authorities to take action.
However, at last their cries and calls were being addressed as this issue was being debated during the 7th Session of the National Assembly of Sixth Legislature.
It was mentioned during the debate that extorting money from students and local people has been going on for a long time and some of them said that even the important officials knew about it.
Last week, Lao journalists mentioned that it is the duty of the National Assembly to monitor and investigate this problem, that is endemic in the Lao society, especially in Vientiane Capital. Meanwhile, Mr Xaysomphone Phomvihane, Deputy President of the Lao National Assembly told journalists that the government is in the process of discussing this problem with every National Assembly member and getting them to investigate.
According to the Lao PDR’s constitution, any Lao person enjoys the right to live freely in the country and they need not have to pay anyone to get this right and if any security officer carried out any kind of extortion, then he would have breached the constitution, said Mr Xaysomphone Phomvihane
Mr Somvandy Nanthavong, Vice- Mayor of Vientiane Capital who was interviewed by journalists last Friday said that he was most upset when he heard about this problem and mentioned that there is no regulation in Vientiane Capital that declares such an action to be legal and pledged to carry out an investigation.
According to sources from the ground many of the victims were the students who either lived in private dormitories or with their Vientiane relatives.

back