Over 200 households in six villages will have to relocate to make room for a new stadium that China is building for Laos to help it get ready to host the 2009 Southeast Asian Games.
The six villages in the Xaythani district of Vientiane will have to give up over 1,000 hectares of their land, although the new stadium will require only some 125 hectares. The villagers will relocate to Km 24 on Route 13 South. They will resettle in an area of about 42 hectares and will receive a total compensation of three billion Kips.
China, however, will have a 70 year-tax-free concession on the extra 800 or so hectares to develop into an industrial zone and a Chinatown for some 259 Chinese families.
Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.