FACTBOX-Key facts about Laos

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Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:55am GMT

Dec 18 (Reuters) – After decades of isolation, communist Laos is on a drive to court foreign investors to tap its natural resources and energy potential and steer the country out of poverty by 2020.

Here are some key facts about Laos:

— Landlocked Laos, wedged between China to the north, Vietnam in the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand in the west and Myanmar in the northwest, occupies an area of 237,000 sq km (91,500 sq miles). Its estimated population of 6.4 million is mainly Buddhist. Vientiane is the capital.

— Independence was restored with the end of French rule in 1953. After the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese-backed Pathet Lao replaced the monarchy with a communist government in 1975.

— The country has since run as a one-party system, with decisions taken by a highly cohesive 11-member politburo of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. The president and prime minister are chosen by parliamentarians elected by the people from among 190 candidates hand-picked by the ruling party.

— Laos elected a new 132-member national assembly in April, with many new members said to be younger and better educated than before. It said voter turnout was 99.6 percent. The legislature in June chose President Choummaly Sayasone to serve a second term.

— Laos has no plans for any significant reforms to its one-party socialist system but is seeking to boost its tiny economy, to attract much-needed enterprise and investment. It remains one of the poorest in Asia with a gross domestic product per capita of $1,200. Twenty-seven percent of citizens are below the national poverty line and many live on about $1 per day.

— A member of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Laos is keen to expand its $7.5 billon economy and shed its status as one of the world’s poorest countries by 2020. Copper and gold mining and hydropower energy are its biggest sectors and its dominant trade partners are its neighbours; Thailand, China and Vietnam. In the past 10 years, Vietnam has invested $2.77 billion, China $2.71 billion and Thailand $2.68 billion in Laos, according to official data.

— It wants to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” through its hydropower expansion and is aiming to generate 28,000 MW of power and create 8 percent of the region’s electricity by 2025. It has is already committed to supplying 7,000 MW to Thailand, 5,000 MW to Vietnam, and 1,500 MW to Cambodia by 2015. It has constructed 10 hydropower dams and plans to build 60 more. The issue is of major concern to countries of the lower Mekong River, like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, which fear Lao dams could cause major food security crises as a result of decreases in fish stocks and degradation of agricultural land.

— In January 2011, Laos opened the world’s newest, and perhaps smallest, stock market, the Lao Securities Exchange (LSX), with two listed firms. Trade volume on the opening day was just 2.14 billion kip ($265,000). Two more firms plan to list in early 2012 and three more by 2015.

— The economy is projected to grow between 8.1 and 8.6 percent this year. Laos is aiming for growth of 8 percent a year over the next five years, 50-56 percent from foreign direct investment. Growth has averaged 7.9 percent since 2006 according to official statistics. Analysts say the best opportunities for foreign investors are in telecoms, tourism, financial services and agriculture.

— Vietnam remains Laos’s biggest political ally and economic model. Its political system is similar to that of its neighbour, which is a big investor and provider of aid and expertise.

— China has courted Laos heavily in recent years, offering big loans to develop infrastructure, which would give China strategic access to Southeast Asian markets. Among the projects planned is a $7 billion high speed rail link from southern China, through Laos, to northeast Thailand. (Compiled by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel)

© Thomson Reuters 2011 All rights reserved

Kim Jong-un and other heirs apparent

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16226649

By Kate Dailey

BBC News Magazine

What will North Korea be like under Kim Jong Un?

Although there has been no official confirmation, all the indications are that Kim Jong-un, the youngest son, will take over from his father as leader of North Korea. But as these examples show, the transfer of power in family dynasties, or a child following in a parent’s footsteps, can have mixed results.

The death of Kim Jong-il has set the stage for his son, Kim Jong-un, to take over the family business – the totalitarian leadership of North Korea. It’s a job that Jong-il himself inherited from his own father, the founder of the country in 1948.

But just calling Jong-un “the Great Successor” does not necessarily make it so. While family ties have their advantages, any business consultant will tell you that nepotism isn’t always the best way to select the next in line.

After all, in recent memory there have been several examples which suggest that picking the right family member to uphold one’s empire can be hard work.

Bashar al-Assad The son of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for 29 years, Bashar al-Assad had the promise of being a more moderate figure. Bashar wasn’t even supposed to lead. But when his older brother, groomed for the position from a young age, died in a car accident, Bashar became the heir apparent. Trained as an ophthalmologist and married to a British citizen, he was perceived as being more mild mannered than his father, who orchestrated the Hama massacre in 1982. But as the events of the Arab Spring has shown, Mr al-Assad can be just as unpredictable.

The brothers Bush are part of a larger political dynasty

George W Bush Both George and younger brother Jeb had political ambitions and connections but some argued that it was Jeb who had a better head for government. But in 2000 it was George, groomed by Republican party mastermind Karl Rove, who became the second Bush to sit as president. He finished what his father started in the first Gulf War by removing Saddam Hussein from power, but in doing so launched a war that has only just ended. He did manage to exceed his father’s achievement by being elected to a second term.

Raul Castro With Cuban leader Fidel Castro 85 years old and in ill health, it made sense to start transferring power to someone else. Brother Raul, 80, was perhaps not the most obvious choice. But since the transfer of power in 2008, Raul Castro has relaxed many restrictions that made life in Cuba restrictive. Citizens can now purchase land and cars – as well as small luxuries like DVDs. Raul Castro has also taken several steps to bolstering a free market in Cuba.

Prince Charles As the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles is the legal heir to the throne, though his mother’s continued longevity and decision to remain the royal sovereign has left him waiting in the wings throughout his adult life. Now 63, the Prince of Wales has never adhered to the Queen’s vow of silence on controversial matters. His views on everything from architecture to the environment are well known to the British public, although there is one widely-debated issue – whether his son, Prince William, could jump the line of succession – on which he has yet to comment.

Sofia Coppola After a rocky beginning in acting – her small but crucial scene in The Godfather III was universally pilloried – Sofia Coppola claimed her rightful place in the entertainment world by embracing her directing destiny. While other members of the Coppola clan (cousins Nicholas Cage and Jason Schwartzman and aunt Talia Shire) found fame as actors, Ms Coppola followed in her father Francis Ford’s famous footsteps, winning a screenwriting Oscar for her film Lost in Translation, and has gone on to make several films about rich people leading sad lives.

James Murdoch It was elder brother Lachlan who was once called “first among equals” by father Rupert Murdoch, and for a while it was understood that Lachlan was being groomed to take over global media empire News International when Rupert’s rein came to an end. But after Lachlan abruptly resigned from the company, James became the favourite son. Whether James will one day succeed his father may hinge on the outcome of the phone hacking scandal that engulfed the company’s British newspaper division on his watch.

Mitt Romney Father George built a huge fortune in the auto business and served as the governor of Michigan. He even launched an unsuccessful run for president during the 1968 campaign. Son Mitt inherited his father’s immense wealth, his business acumen and his political ambitions. The former governor of Massachusetts also made a fortune as a consultant, and is currently in his second presidential campaign. While he lost during the primaries last time around, he’s potentially poised to take the top spot of Republican nominee – but only after every other candidate seems to have been examined and rejected by voters leery of Romney’s conservative credentials and big-money background.

Donald Trump The real-estate tycoon inherited his father’s business and turned it to an empire, then filed bankruptcy, then built another empire. Along the way, he’s expanded the Trump brand, which under his father’s helm focused on middle-class properties, to include casinos, pageants, television and even cologne. And the reign of Trumps shall remain unbroken even after Trump steps down: his children, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric all work for the Trump Organization in executive roles.

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Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16226649

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