Although mainly distinguished by its repressive ways, Laos is not without friends. Japan seems to have paid for nearly every bus, park bench and rubbish bin in the capital, Vientiane. France, the former colonial power, is hopeful that its support for the government will lead to a revival of use of the French language in the country. In Vientiane, restaurants, bars and Internet cafes are kept in business by the community of aid workers rich enough to patronise them.
展开▼
