Behind the Veil

Laos is one of the most laid back places I have been. If I were blindfolded and dropped in Vientiane I would have to guess that the slow-paced capital was on, or a least near, the coast. Vientiane does sport a fairly nice coastline, but I don't exactly count the banks of the Nam Khong as beach property. So, here I am in a landlocked country with a beach attitude. This wonderful demeanor at times helps to block out the sad reality that many people in Laos face horrible oppression each day at the hands of the government/Party. Laos, while full of wonderful and friendly people, is a communist country run by a single party. The Laos People's Revolutionary Party controls the country through a powerful 9 member politburo, with the National Assembly acting as a very rubbery, rubber stamp. I've asked many people how laws are drafted and passed in Laos, and have received the same answer each time; no one knows. Basically, the politburo has the appropriate ministry draft the laws and then in the comfortable cloak of darkness they pass the laws, allowing the National Assembly to do their procedural duty of voting yes for the law.

While I have not felt I've been living in an oppressive society, a recent article a friend sent reminded me that Laos is not always a nice, relaxed place. Here is the link if you are interested in reading more, but basically the article is about how five members of the Laos military gang raped an 18 year old woman and killed several civilians who are part of an ethnic minority. The troops did so while engaging in military attacks aimed at a few ethnic minorities. In the article, Laos is described as anything but laid-back.

The communist regime in Laos remains a one-party, military dictatorship closely allied with the military juntas in North Korea and Burma. Laos, under the Stalinist regime, is listed in Freedom House's "2009 Worst of the Worst" report which describes the most egregious countries in the world involved with violating the human rights of their citizens. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=383&report=81

Reading this was a reminder that the work that I am doing, as well as the work the other interns are doing, will be very important to people in Laos. We probably will not see or hear about the successes of our projects, but it does feel good to know I have been a part of something aimed at bringing equality and justice to people who for most of their lives have not been afforded such basic rights.