Xaisomboun province
Xaisomboun Province
UTC+7 (ICT) | |
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ISO 3166 code | LA-XS |
Xaisomboun (
History
Xaisomboun is the 18th and newest province of Laos. It was designated special administrative zone between June 1994 and 2006, with the military controlling the area to suppress Hmong resistance and to exploit timber resources.[1] Many Hmong locals fled Laos during this period, taking refuge in Phetchabun, Thailand.[2]
Xaisomboun was established as a province on 13 December 2013.
The province has long been a hotbed for conflict between the government and the Hmong peoples. In November 2015, unrest broke out in the province, killing three soldiers and three civilians. The Lao government imposed a curfew in the north-central part of the province in early-December, but in January 2016 a bomb was set off at a road construction site near Pha Nok Nok village in
Since 2019, the government has been exploring options to develop the tourism industry in the province, resulting in further displacement of the Hmong population, especially near Phou Bia.[7]
Geography
The province is mountainous. To the northeast of the town of Xaisomboun in neighbouring Xiangkhouang province is Phou Bia Mountain—at 2,819 m (9,249 ft) the highest point in Laos.[8] The principal river, the Nam Ngum, has been subject to a hydroelectric scheme with the creation of a dam and large reservoir and an underground power plant.[9] In March 2014 it was announced that the Chinese company, Norinco International Cooperation, Ltd., had invested US$218 million in the development, projected to take 42 months.[10]
Phou Khao Khouay National Biodiversity Conservation Area is a protected area 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Vientiane.[11] It was established on 29 October 1993 covering an area of 2,000 km2 extending into neighboring provinces.[12] It has a large stretch of mountain range with sandstone cliffs, river gorges and three large rivers with tributaries which flow into the Mekong River.[9]
Administrative divisions
There are 96 villages. Districts are:[13]
Map | Code | Name | Lao script |
---|---|---|---|
18-01 | Anouvong District |
ເມືອງອະນຸວົງ | |
18-02 | Longchaeng District |
ເມືອງລ້ອງແຈ້ງ | |
18-03 | Longxan District |
ເມືອງລ້ອງຊານ | |
18-04 | Hom District |
ເມືອງຮົ່ມ | |
18-05 | Thathom District |
ເມືອງທ່າໂທມ |
Economy
The economic centre of the province lies in Xaisomboun town,
The locals are mainly involved in cultivation, fish-raising, poultry and livestock.[17] Despite local conflict in recent years, the tourism industry is taking off in the province.[18]
In 2021, Xaisomboun provincial officials announced the development of Phou Bia Mountain as a "sustainable development tourism site", valued at some US$500 million. The development will center on Phou Houa Xang Village, in
References
- ISBN 9780810864115. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Sommer, Rebecca (2006). "Report on the Situation in the Xaysomboun Special Zone and 1100 Hmong-Lao Refugees who Escaped to Petchabun, Thailand 2004-2005". Earth Peoples. pp. 1–8.
- ^ a b "About Xaysomboun". Tourism Laos. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ a b "New governor appointed to ensure security in Laos' Xaysomboun province". Radio Free Asia via RefWorld, UN Refugee Agency. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ISBN 9781315474885.
- ^ "Laos: Chinese Embassy issues warning for Xaysomboun province June 18". Garda World. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "UNPO: Hmong in Isolation: Atrocities against the Hmong in Laos". unpo.org. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Google (27 August 2019). "Xaisomboun province" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9780770432072.
- ^ "Chinese company to develop hydropower in Xaysomboun". Vientiane Times. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2019 – via CGIAR.
- ISBN 9789746565882.
- ^ "Tiger Paper". FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Far East. 2000. p. 2.
- ^ "Old and new geographical delimitations and administrative districts of the new Xaisomboun province after 2014". Official Laos Government Presentation. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ISBN 9781411336681.
- ISBN 9782200615734.
- ^ Boulom, Souksamai (7 June 2019). "Phu Bia Mining hoping to extend concession in Xaysomboun". Vientiana Times. Retrieved 27 August 2019 – via Asia News Network.
- ISBN 9789746567886.
- ^ "Xaysomboun province opens to tourism". TR Weekly. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Thanabouasy, Phayboune (22 January 2021). "Unrest in Xaysomboun Province Now Resolved". The Laotian Times. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
External links
Media related to Xaisomboun Province at Wikimedia Commons