Xaisomboun Province (Xaisomboun Province)
Xaisomboun (/saɪʒəʊmbuːn/ Lao ໄຊສົມບູນ) is a mountainous province in central Laos, between Vientiane province and Xiangkhouang province. The province covers an area of 8300 km2 and had a population of 85,168 in 2015. Xaisomboun town in Anouvong District is the economic centre. There are extensive copper and gold mining operations nearby at Sana Somboun.
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. Many Hmong locals fled Laos during this period, taking refuge in Phetchabun, Thailand.
Xaisomboun was established as a province on 13 December 2013. Since then, dam construction on the Nam Ngum River led to around 300 families being relocated to Feuang District in Vientiane province. They were not compensated for the loss of their land.
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 Long Cheang District, killing two Chinese officials and injuring another. As a result, on 16 February 2016, Major General Thongloy Silivong, a military officer who is the former chief of the National Defense Academy, was appointed the governor of Xaisomboun to tighten control. On 16 June 2017, another Chinese official was shot dead in the province.
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.
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. Many Hmong locals fled Laos during this period, taking refuge in Phetchabun, Thailand.
Xaisomboun was established as a province on 13 December 2013. Since then, dam construction on the Nam Ngum River led to around 300 families being relocated to Feuang District in Vientiane province. They were not compensated for the loss of their land.
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 Long Cheang District, killing two Chinese officials and injuring another. As a result, on 16 February 2016, Major General Thongloy Silivong, a military officer who is the former chief of the National Defense Academy, was appointed the governor of Xaisomboun to tighten control. On 16 June 2017, another Chinese official was shot dead in the province.
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.
Map - Xaisomboun Province (Xaisomboun Province)
Map
Country - Laos
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| Flag of Laos | |
Present-day Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to Lan Xang, which existed from the 13th century to the 18th century as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke into three separate kingdoms: Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak. In 1893, the three territories came under a French protectorate and were united to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation but was re-colonised by France until it won autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A post-independence civil war began, which saw the communist resistance, supported by the Soviet Union, fight against the monarchy that later came under influence of military regimes supported by the United States. After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the communist Pathet Lao came to power, ending the civil war. Laos was then dependent on military and economic aid from the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAK | Lao kip | â‚ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| FR | French language |
| LO | Lao language |