Ad
Despite its tourist image, Laos has 'long been an authoritarian state with no tolerance for public criticism' but increasingly 'it appears to be also becoming a criminal state' (Photo: Laurentiu Morariu)

EU's one-off chance to influence Laos taking over ASEAN chair

On April 26, Igor Driesmans, the EU's ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), visited Laos where discussions focused on the communist government's preparations for taking over the annually-rotating ASEAN chairmanship next year.

Three days later, the well-known political activist Anousa "Jack" Luangsuphom was gunned down at a cafe in Vientiane, the capital. His family announced his death, yet another in a long list of Laotian dissenters who have been killed und...

Get EU news that matters

Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member

Already a member? Login here

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

David Hutt is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and the southeast Asia columnist at the Diplomat. As a journalist, he has reported on southeast Asian politics since 2014.

Despite its tourist image, Laos has 'long been an authoritarian state with no tolerance for public criticism' but increasingly 'it appears to be also becoming a criminal state' (Photo: Laurentiu Morariu)

Tags

Author Bio

David Hutt is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and the southeast Asia columnist at the Diplomat. As a journalist, he has reported on southeast Asian politics since 2014.

Ad

Related articles

Ad
Ad