Lao governor reassigned amid concession criticism
The government of Laos has ordered the governor of Luang Prabang province to helm a central ministry as part of a reshuffle sources say is meant to shield him from criticism over a controversial land concession he recently granted to Chinese investors.
Khampheng Saysompheng has been tasked with leading the country’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, replacing Onechanh Thammavong, who will retire, the official Vientiane Times announced.
The move was among several other high-level changes approved by the National Assembly—the rubber stamp parliament of Laos—“aimed at responding to political needs and national development requirements,” the report said.
