Resettlement scheme brings new hope to villagers displaced by railway

Villagers in Luang Prabang province who were required to relocate to make way for the Laos-China Railway are moving into new homes built with Chinese aid.
 The China-funded resettlement project is located in Buam Or village, Xiengngeun district, about 220 kilometres north of the Lao capital Vientiane.
 The new community comprises 107 houses built to accommodate 459 people, a village office, clinic, kindergarten and primary school, public toilets and landfill site, as well as access roads, water supply and electricity.

A ceremony to mark the villagers’ relocation, together with a calligraphy and drawing competition themed “For a Shared Future”, took place last week in Buam Or village, where a Chinese firm, NORINCO International Cooperation Ltd., has built the new facilities for the displaced families.
Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Viengsavath Siphandone, said the resettlement village not only provided people with better living conditions but also gave children a new school, which brought true well-being to the community.
 “China and Laos are friendly neighbours that “share the same breath and share the same destiny,” he said. “Children represent the future of Laos and the calligraphy and drawings they have produced reflect the profound friendship between our peoples.”
 Chief Representative of the China Project Management Company, Mr Jin Guofeng, said the people who had been resettled and relocated were enjoying a happy life and living and working in peace and contentment.
The resettlement village was built not to help the Lao government improve people’s living conditions, but is another vivid manifestation of the profound friendship between China and Laos and the mutual trust, mutual assistance and reciprocal relationship between the peoples of the two countries.
Mr Jin said the China aid project would greatly improve local infrastructure, education, medical care and living conditions, help foster economic development in the area, improve the quality of life of the Lao people, and spur the development of Laos.
Consul General of China in Luang Prabang Mr Li Zhigong, said that the foundation of China-Laos connectivity lies in people-to-people bonds, and the future of the friendship between the two countries lies in the youth.
“We are delighted to see that the Contractor of the Buam Or Resettlement Village Project, NORINCO International, attaches great importance to the development of cultural exchanges between the two countries, and specially brought teachers to teach Chinese calligraphy and painting in the newly primary school, which inspired the children to learn Chinese culture,” he said.
“The enthusiasm has enhanced mutual understanding and friendship. It is hoped that everyone will work together to continuously promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, consolidate the foundation of friendly relations, and make China and Laos always good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.”
The resettlement village is an important component of the list of Chinese aid projects signed by President Xi during his visit to Laos with former President Bounnhang Vorachit.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update April 28, 2022)