Xaysomboun, a Cautionary Note

[mactbkk]

This just in. Be safe!!

Mac

From: Country Risk Forecast and Travel Security Online [mailto:intlsosandcontrolrisks@travelsecurity.com]
Sent: 12. desember 2015 08:40
To: Nordbø Arne Rasmus Eckroll
Subject: Laos: Xaysomboune province: Exercise heightened vigilance following imposition of curfew, reports of multiple shootings

Country Risk Forecast and Travel Security Online 12 Dec 2015 ​ Laos: Xaysomboune province: Exercise heightened vigilance following imposition of curfew, reports of multiple shootings The authorities have increased security and imposed an indefinite overnight curfew on Xaysomboune province, near the capital Vientiane, which will start every evening at 18.00 (local time). This followed gunfights between the army and a suspected anti-government militant group in the Nam Yon area (Xaysomboune) in separate incidents on 23-24, 25 November and 2 December; at least three soldiers were killed while the number of militant casualties is unknown. Further details of the incidents are limited, as is information about the motives of the militants. Members travelling to Xaysomboune province should exercise heightened vigilance and liaise with local hosts who are aware of security issues in the area, as well as any government-imposed travel restrictions, before conducting overland journeys. Travel Briefing In recent weeks, various foreign embassies have highlighted several violent incidents in Xaysomboune province. The US embassy in Vientiane reported shootings on the evenings of 15, 17 and 18 November in the provincial capital Xaysomboune, where vehicles had been fired upon indiscriminately by unidentified gunmen, killing one person on 17 November and injuring up to six others on the following day. US diplomatic personnel have been prohibited from travelling to the province until further notice. Further details of the incidents are not available, and it is unclear if they were related to the recent gunfights with government troops. Drug-trafficking gangs and bandits are known to operate in remote parts of the country, including Xaysomboune province, and have periodically carried out highway robberies targeting private vehicles. Such incidents have been reported on Route 7 and Route 13, as well as the road between the Thong Khoun and Ban Naxay areas (both Xaysomboune). Reports that the incidents took place in the evening highlight the higher risk of such incidents occurring after dark. Members should avoid overland travel at night. In response to the violence, the authorities have heightened security in the province; however, the capability of the security forces to effectively respond to such incidents is limited. Members should seek up-to-date information on permit requirements prior to departure, as the authorities have been known to impose travel restrictions at short notice. Travel Advice Summary Normal travel to Laos can continue. A permit may be required for travel to Xaisomboun province; contact your local host prior to travel for up-to-date information on permit requirements. Travel in rural areas must be supported with careful journey management procedures and sound logistics due to the remoteness and poor condition of roads and driving standards, and limitations in communications coverage. Air travel is preferable to overland travel, and night driving must be avoided. Carry identification and other important documents such as visas or passports on your person at all times to ease passage at spot-checks. Treat members of the security forces with patience and respect. In the event of an emergency or serious criminal incident, contact your embassy for support. Monitor our travel security alerts on Laos for further updates. Please do not reply to this email. To unsubscribe To unsubscribe, please log on to Travel Security Online, your travel security information website provided by the joint venture of International SOS and Control Risks and remove your email registration. Advice provided in this email represents the best judgment of AEA International Holdings Pte. Ltd. and Control Risks Group Holdings Ltd. Advice in this email does not however provide a warranty of future results nor a guarantee against risk. 2012 AEA International Holdings Pte. Ltd. and Control Risks Group Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction (other than for authorised internal purposes) is prohibited except with the prior written consent of the copyright owners.

 

[bsacbob]

Thanks very much for the info Mac.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[CraigBKK]

Bob, as you know I plan to ride to Long Cheng this Saturday. If I take the 0900 ferry from Lak 24 should I arrive before the curfew begins? Assuming all goes well.

I'm open to knocking it on the head altogether if I'm going to only make it part of the way again before having to turn around...

 

[bsacbob]

From info as of late from various sources, sadly I would suggest you cross long Cheng off you to do list this trip.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Lone Rider]

Just got information on another attack on the 13/14th of December on a Lao Army post in the area west of the Xiengkhuang/Luang Prabang border area. No details on exact location other than that no one was killed.

 

[Lone Rider]

Off Topic from IHS Jane's 360: Fatal-attacks-in-laos-likely-connected-to-organised-crime-do-not-indicate-increased-risk-of-widespread-insurgency

IHS Jane's Country Risk Daily Report - 15 December 2015

Fatal attacks in Laos, likely connected to organised crime, do not indicate increased risk of widespread insurgency

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on 11 December that Lao police have imposed a curfew in north-central Xaysomboun Province following a spate of violence around 23-24 November in which at least three government soldiers were killed. According to Lao army sources, the exchange of gunfire took place between an unidentified armed anti-government resistance group and local Lao troops in the Nam Yong area. According to RFA reports, the shootout came a week after security forces in the capital Vientiane seized a number of automatic weapons. It is unclear whether similar weapons were used in the 23-24 November incidents. Army sources have also told the media about six separate earlier shooting incidents in Xaysomboun in November and December but have not given details of the incidents or casualties.

 

[mactbkk]

This report just in.


"An IED went off just the other side of Ban Nam Mo at around 20.30 hours on the 18/12/15. No elaboration to much on the casualties. I x Hyundai light truck kaphut. 2 x Lao civilians traveling from Pha Ngaiy injured. They were coming from Ban Pha Ngaiy out near Long Chieng to Xaisomboun on a beer run. They got to Xaisomboun ok. Filled up full of piss and were on there way back when they copped it. No further info at this stage."


Note: Ban Nam Mo is the village there at the long Bailey Bridge below the PBM mine area, start of the road on to Anouvong, formerly Xaysomboun town.

Mac

 

[mactbkk]

Another shooting reported just north of the PBM site on the road to Long Tieng. Should be 26 or 27 December.

"Another IED went off just outside the camp last night. Copped a private truck coming from long Chieng to Ban Nam Ngone. they set the IED off then shot the shit out of the truck as it went by with AK's. Must have just been crap explosives and also shit shots though because it didnt pull the truck up. He drove 500m to one of the LPA outposts round the perimiter of the GMO camp and jumped out and hid under one of their bunks wetting his pants."

Mac

 

[mactbkk]

Same incident, alert from the U.S. Embassy:

All,

We've received an unconfirmed report about another incident which occurred early this morning at around 01:45 a.m. (12/28) at an area about 1.5 km from the Gold Mining Operation Camp (GMO Camp) of Phu Bia Mining on the way towards Ban Longchaeng, Longchaeng District, XSB Xaysomboun. A road-side bomb similar to the ones discovered on Dec 18, blew up on a water truck, which effected minimal damage. After the explosion, unknown assailant(s) fired 2 rounds from an AK 47 into the truck. The driver of the water truck was able to escape by driving away without any injuries.


Nathan Kim
Regional Security Officer
U.S. Embassy Vientiane, Laos
Thadeua Road
Kilometer 9
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Tel: (856-21) 487 116
Cell: (856-20) 5551 0443

 

[mactbkk]

Somewhere in Xaysomboun, another incident.

Mac

Report: 2 Chinese killed in Laos suspected bombing
Associated Press By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
4 hours ago


BEIJING (AP) — Two Chinese citizens have been killed and one injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Laos, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday, a mountainous area that in recent months has seen an increase in violence and in years past was the scene of clashes between government forces and the Hmong ethnic minority.


The incident took place about 8:00 a.m. on Sunday in the province of Xaysomboun (pronounced Sai-sum-boon) when the victims, one of whom was employed by a Chinese mining company, were riding in a vehicle, Xinhua reported.


Chinese diplomats have visited the survivor, identified by the surname Zhou, and have requested a swift investigation, Xinhua said. An official contacted at the Lao Embassy in Vietnam, the country's closest ally, said he was unaware of the report.


China is a major investor in Laos' rich abundance of minerals and other natural resources and shares its one-party form of authoritarian communist government. A special Chinese presidential envoy, Song Tao, is due to visit the country this week, Xinhua said.


Since November, there has been an increase in violence in the province, though the perpetrators have not been identified, nor has the tightly controlled state press provided any details.


In a notice posted on its website, the U.S. Embassy in Laos in November prohibited its employees from traveling to Xaysomboon province due to what it described as nighttime shooting attacks by unidentified assailants. It said one person was killed on Nov. 17 and another wounded on Nov. 18.


The Hmong fought on the side of a pro-American regime during the Vietnam War, and after the communist Pathet Lao took over in 1975, many fled abroad or hid in the jungle. Until a few years ago, there were several small bands of Hmong resisters who continued to hide in the jungle and occasionally clash with security forces, but most eventually surrendered.


The U.S. government-funded news service Radio Free Asia has reported additional attacks in November, December and January, citing unnamed police and other sources. In the latest reported attack, a bus came under fire on Jan. 14, leaving about a dozen passengers hurt but none killed, said RFA.


While RFA's reports could not be independently confirmed, it has a record of being well-informed about Laotian affairs.


In a report forwarded to The Associated Press earlier this month, Hmong sympathizers gave their own version of the recent violence, saying that from mid-November until the end of December, there had been six attacks by government forces on groups of Hmong, killing at least seven and wounding 21.


The report, which came from a source which has provided accurate information in the past, also said that 13 Hmong villagers had been arrested in November for contacting people in the jungle, meaning Hmong who are hiding from the authorities. The source declined to be named because of fears for his personal security.


__


Associated Press Writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

 

[Lone Rider]

Somewhere in Xaysomboun, another incident.

Mac

Report: 2 Chinese killed in Laos suspected bombing
Associated Press By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
4 hours ago


BEIJING (AP) — Two Chinese citizens have been killed and one injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Laos, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday, a mountainous area that in recent months has seen an increase in violence and in years past was the scene of clashes between government forces and the Hmong ethnic minority. The incident took place about 8:00 a.m. on Sunday in the province of Xaysomboun (pronounced Sai-sum-boon) when the victims, one of whom was employed by a Chinese mining company, were riding in a vehicle, Xinhua reported.

Chinese diplomats have visited the survivor, identified by the surname Zhou, and have requested a swift investigation, Xinhua said. An official contacted at the Lao Embassy in Vietnam, the country's closest ally, said he was unaware of the report. China is a major investor in Laos' rich abundance of minerals and other natural resources and shares its one-party form of authoritarian communist government. A special Chinese presidential envoy, Song Tao, is due to visit the country this week, Xinhua said.

Since November, there has been an increase in violence in the province, though the perpetrators have not been identified, nor has the tightly controlled state press provided any details. In a notice posted on its website, the U.S. Embassy in Laos in November prohibited its employees from traveling to Xaysomboon province due to what it described as nighttime shooting attacks by unidentified assailants. It said one person was killed on Nov. 17 and another wounded on Nov. 18.

The Hmong fought on the side of a pro-American regime during the Vietnam War, and after the communist Pathet Lao took over in 1975, many fled abroad or hid in the jungle. Until a few years ago, there were several small bands of Hmong resisters who continued to hide in the jungle and occasionally clash with security forces, but most eventually surrendered. The U.S. government-funded news service Radio Free Asia has reported additional attacks in November, December and January, citing unnamed police and other sources. In the latest reported attack, a bus came under fire on Jan. 14, leaving about a dozen passengers hurt but none killed, said RFA. While RFA's reports could not be independently confirmed, it has a record of being well-informed about Laotian affairs.

In a report forwarded to The Associated Press earlier this month, Hmong sympathizers gave their own version of the recent violence, saying that from mid-November until the end of December, there had been six attacks by government forces on groups of Hmong, killing at least seven and wounding 21. The report, which came from a source which has provided accurate information in the past, also said that 13 Hmong villagers had been arrested in November for contacting people in the jungle, meaning Hmong who are hiding from the authorities. The source declined to be named because of fears for his personal security.
__
Associated Press Writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

None of the earlier incidents have been published in the Lao news outlets but I guess the Laotian authorities could no longer keep quiet as the Chinese were quite vocal about the latest incident which involved Chinese nationals - From the Vientiane Times of 27 January (Source: Police investigate):

Police investigate explosion in Xaysomboun

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a bomb that allegedly exploded in Xaysomboun province on Sunday morning, killing two men as they were driving along a road. Another person was injured in the explosion. Provincial authorities told Vientiane Times on Tuesday they had heard reports of the incident but had no further information. According to an item published by the Lao News Agency on Tuesday, citing local authorities, persons unknown placed an improvised explosive device on a road above the Mo River, about five kilometres from the centre of Anouvong district.

The Lao News Agency said a bomb had been placed on the road by destructive elements, killing two occupants of a vehicle that passed along the road on Sunday morning and injuring a third. No information was given as to the nationality of the people travelling in the vehicle.

 

[bsacbob]

Article from RFA, suggesting the bombing could have been related to road constructions. It also details events occurring in the last three month period, it looks like this is going to be an ongoing issue.



http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/laos-bombing-01282016154354.html