CHINESE RUBBER, SINO-LAO SCHOOLS, AND OTHER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 VIENTIANE 000259 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS DEPT FOR EAP/CM DEPT FOR EAP/INR DEPT FOR PRM/ANE DEPT FOR EAP/INL DEPT FOR G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2017 TAGS: EAGR EINV ECON ECIN ELTN ETRD SMIG KRCM PHUM SCUL, SOCI, CASC, PREL, CH, LA SUBJECT: CHINESE RUBBER, SINO-LAO SCHOOLS, AND OTHER NORTHERN LAO ISSUES REF: A. 05 VIENTIANE 0784 ¶B. 07 VIENTIANE 0228 ¶C. 07 VIENTIANE 086 ¶D. 06 VIENTIANE 1152 ¶E. 06 VIENTIANE 0804 ¶F. 05 VIENTIANE 1044 VIENTIANE 00000259 001.2 OF 005 Classified By: Patricia M. Haslach for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Due to what one NGO director in Luang Namtha Province described as a "gold rush" mentality, almost every village in the province is growing rubber for export to China. The Chinese have launched a "propaganda campaign" taking credit for the replacement of poppy with rubber. Some NGO representatives fear too much emphasis on rubber will lead to environmental and food security issues. Sino-Lao, awakened to the fact that Chinese language skills are of increasing importance, recently opened new Chinese language schools in Oudomsay and Luang Namtha Provinces. The section of the Kunming-Bangkok Highway (A3) that traverses Luang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces is expected to be completed in late 2007. Completion of a new regional airport in Luang Namtha City is planned for October 2007. According to NGOs in Luang Namtha Province, prostitution has increased during the past year and is "close to booming" along the Chinese border. Bystanders who witnessed the January abduction of a well-known Lao businessmen say police were responsible. This cable follows up a number of issues raised in Ref A. End Summary. Luang Namtha's Rubber Rush -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Most rubber planting in Luang Namtha and Oudomsay Provinces has reportedly been focused on hillsides and mountainous areas that have not previously been used for rice cultivation. The government-controlled press in Laos has praised rubber planting as a means both to eliminate slash-and-burn agriculture and to reduce erosion on hillsides that have been cleared of timber. In support of Chinese rubber companies, Luang Namtha Province frequently uses its public address system to recruit rubber workers. Companies generally offer monthly salaries of $50 USD, a typical sum for laborers in Luang Namtha Province. Still, some areas previously used for rice cultivation as well as other areas that were previously virgin forest are now being used for rubber trees. Several NGOs and business representatives in Luang Namtha are concerned that an expansion of this practice, combined with a lack of any real oversight by the government, will result in food security and environmental issues. ¶3. (C) During meetings with the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) and the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in early February, representatives of both organizations informed PolOff that almost every village in Luang Namtha Province is growing rubber for export to China. The GTZ representative described the boom in rubber planting as resulting from a "gold rush" mentality in which villages have been clamoring to join others that have already been providing rubber to six Yunnan-based companies, some of which have set up local offices in Luang Namtha City. He noted fears regarding a decline in the price of rubber, resulting from a surge in supply from other countries already producing, potential food security issues, as well as livelihood changes that result from raising rubber as opposed to other cash crops. (Note: In the past, villages that had raised corn and soybeans for Chinese companies received less than originally promised (Ref A). End Note). The GTZ representative also suggested that labor in Luang Namtha Province is insufficient given the level of rubber planting taking place and the labor necessary in the future for harvesting the rubber; he expects Chinese laborers to make up the difference. ¶4. (C) The GTZ representative informed PolOff that a two-day workshop on rubber was held in Luang Namtha City during the VIENTIANE 00000259 002.2 OF 005 first week of February. The workshop was chaired by the Director of the Luang Namtha Forestry Department, Dr. Khamlek. The GTZ representative described Khamlek as an informed official who wants to make sure that the province "uses the investing companies to the province's advantage." Khamlek reportedly argued that the province needs to "supervise more closely the number and activities of rubber companies in the province." He also advocated that contracts should allow villages to sell two-thirds of their rubber to the companies of their choice as opposed to the company that supplied the seedlings and supported the initial planting. (Note: The six rubber companies active in Luang Namtha are all Yunnan-based companies. End Note). ¶5. (SBU) During an evening visit to Viengphoukha Village in Luang Namtha Province, PolOff had a chance encounter with nine Chinese businessmen, including rubber investors from Yunnan Province as well as a Chinese counter-narcotics officer who was leading the group. The group was in Viengphoukha to sign a rubber contract with local officials and had erected signage, similar to signs along highways throughout Oudomsay and Luang Namtha Provinces, announcing the replacement of poppy with rubber. In reality, the signage is not near villages that have had a history of growing poppy in recent years and was described by the GTZ representative and others as a "propaganda campaign." Abduction of a Lao Businessman -------------- ¶6. (C) Referring to the January abduction of Mr. Somphone, a Lao businessman and ecotourism promoter in Luang Namtha City, the GTZ representative recalled speculation that Somphone's vocal opposition to what he reportedly regarded as excess rubber planting in the province had upset some provincial officials and may have been related to his abduction. Somphone has not been seen since being abducted on January 18 (Ref C). Somphone and his American business partner are joint owners of The Boat Landing Guesthouse in Luang Namtha City. (Note: Somphone's abduction should not be confused with the arrest of Khamsone, an employee of Natural Products Incorporated, an American business in Bokeo Province (Ref C). End Note). ¶7. (C) PolOff met with Somphone's American business partner and his Lao attorney on March 26. The American noted that bystanders, including two adult males who witnessed Somphone's abduction from the roadside, said the abductors were police. He also said Somphone had his cell phone with him at the time of his abduction and that, according to Lao Telecommunications Company, three days of phone records for Somphone's number have been deleted from company records. The last known call received was reportedly from a police officer at 10:18 AM, just minutes before Somphone's abduction as he was driving to a meeting at the police station - at the request of police. Somphone's wife reportedly tried to call him around 10:35, but his cell phone was turned off by that time. Remarking that the problem is with Luang Namtha police, the attorney told PolOff that she and Somphone's wife had met with officials in Vientiane to request that central government law enforcement officials investigate the case. Sino-Lao Open New Chinese Schools -------------- ¶8. (SBU) PolOff visited two new Chinese schools that are owned by Lao citizens of Chinese origin (Sino-Lao) in Oudomsay and Luang Namtha Provinces. The new school in Xai City, Oudomsay Province, was established in mid-2006. The school currently has 80 students and seven teachers, four of whom are from Mengla, Yunnan Province, China. The other three teachers are Sino-Lao. The student body is 80 percent Sino-Lao, while the remaining 20 percent includes both Chinese citizens from China and ethnic Lao. The school provides instruction in Chinese, Lao, and English. Reliable statistics are unavailable on the number of Sino-Lao and Chinese citizens in Xai City, but it is noteworthy that the city is often regarded as one of the most Chinese cities in VIENTIANE 00000259 003.2 OF 005 Laos. However, according to Oudomsay officials, only 275 Chinese citizens are legally present in Xai City, with a total of more than 1000 legally present in the province. In February 2007 Chinese citizens working in Xai City estimated to PolOff that their numbers are now more than 1000, compared to estimates of around 500 in mid-2005 (Ref A). ¶9. (SBU) While in Luang Namtha City, PolOff visited the newly-constructed Lao-China Friendship School. The school is large enough to accommodate about 150 students. The Sino-Lao owner planned to open the school in March 2007. The owner had already hired three teachers from Mengla, Yunnan Province, China as well as a few Sino-Lao to teach at the school. Some of the Sino-Lao working at the school had studied Chinese in Mengla. The teachers were already present, and the school was in the process of registering students. Sino-Lao teachers and administrators at both the Chinese school in Oudomsay and Luang Namtha cited increasing Chinese economic activity and the resulting advantages of speaking Chinese as reasons for opening the schools. (Note: Based on GoL sources, Chinese investment makes up roughly 90 percent of total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Oudomsay Province and more than 92 percent in Luang Namtha Province, not including the more than $120 million USD Boten Golden City Project (Ref B). End Note). Infrastructure Developments -------------- ¶10. (U) The A3 Highway in Laos is now complete from Boten on the Lao-China border to just beyond Luang Namtha City. Between Luang Namtha City and Houaysay City, Bokeo Province, there are several sections of the highway still under construction. Currently the trip from Boten on the Lao-China border to Houaysay on the Lao-Thai border takes slightly over four hours. The trip is expected to take two hours when the 222 kilometer highway is completed. Lao officials maintain that construction will be completed in late 2007, slightly behind schedule. Survey work has begun for the construction of a bridge from Houaysay to Thailand's Chang Khong Province, which will finalize the highway connection between China and Thailand through northern Laos when it is completed. The Chinese and Thai Governments have agreed to share the costs of the bridge (Ref D). ¶11. (SBU) The construction of a new regional airport in Luang Namtha City began in April 2006 and is expected to be completed in October 2007. The project is funded by an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan of $4.25 million USD and is being constructed by Thai Sorkhemmalath Industry Company. The airport runway will be 1,600 meters in length and 30 meters wide, roughly equivalent to the runways of the airports in Savannakhet and Champassak Provinces and longer than those in Oudomsay and Luang Prabang Provinces. Besides domestic flights, the airport will also accommodate flights between Luang Namtha City and Jing Hong in China's Yunnan Province. There are reportedly discussions regarding potential flights to Burma as well. Sex Trade a Growing Concern -------------- ¶12. (SBU) During a February 13 meeting with an Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) representative in Luang Namtha City, PolOff was informed that most women and girls working in the sex industry in Luang Namtha are ethnic Khmu (the largest ethnic minority group in Laos). The ADRA representative noted that the sex workers, most from Oudomsay, Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha, and Bokeo Provinces, tend to move among establishments within the region. While indicating that the number of establishments in Luang Namtha City with prostitutes had increased during the past year, he remarked that many establishments had changed their operating methods and no longer provide sex services in house. Instead, clients pay the bars, discos, and restaurants (usually the equivalent of $2 to $3 USD) to take the sex workers to other locations where the actual cost of sex services is agreed upon between the client and the sex worker. VIENTIANE 00000259 004.2 OF 005 ¶13. (C) While he did not have access to Lao Government statistics, the ADRA representative said officials were surprised by recent reports of increased HIV infection rates in Luang Namtha Province. Noting that Population Services International (PSI) meets with sex service workers once each week to promote HIV and STD awareness, he remarked that it is not commercial sex workers but rather ethnic Khmu and Akha women and girls in rural villages who are the most vulnerable to HIV infection. While GoL and NGO health education campaigns do not regularly reach these populations, he said Chinese traders and rubber investors do. He added that ADRA has a mobile clinic that has offered health services in some of these areas and that ADRA had found unexpectedly high rates of STDs among women and girls. Paralleling the ADRA representative's comments, the GTZ representative in Sing District on the Chinese border described prostitution in Sing as "close to booming." Not Friendly to Friends of the Upland Farmer -------------- ¶14. (C) On February 14, PolOff met with the General Manager of Friends of the Upland Farmer (FUF),an American agricultural company that has operated in Luang Namtha Province for more than a decade. More than 6,000 people, mostly ethnic minorities, produce corn, soybeans, rice, and other agricultural produce for the company. On the day of PolOff's visit, Lao and Chinese trucks were arriving at the company's distribution area to pick up more than 100 tons of corn for delivery to buyers in China. The company's last two years have been the most profitable in its history. However, despite good relations with growers, the company has been plagued with problems because of its perceived religious activities. Since early 2006, the GoL has not renewed the company's business and tax licenses. Repeated requests by the company for a reason have gone unanswered. (Comment: The Embassy has offered assistance on several occasions and has maintained close contact with the company, but to date the General Manager has preferred to address the issue on his own. (Ref D). End Comment). Comment -------------- ¶15. (C) Most villagers in Luang Namtha who are growing rubber are doing so on their own because of the perceived potential financial benefits. Even outside Luang Namtha many have started growing rubber based on the wealth generated by a few Luang Namtha villages that were among the first to grow rubber and now have mature rubber trees. While there have certainly been deals and contracts between officials and rubber companies, to date post is not aware of any government deals in Luang Namtha and Oudomsay Provinces that have forced villagers to vacate their lands to make room for rubber concessions. This, unfortunately, is not the case in southern Laos and some other northern provinces where villagers have been asked to move to make room for rubber concessions. ¶16. (C) While rubber is generally regarded as a good cash crop for northern Laos, there are long-term concerns regarding market prices, food security, and environmental effects. The extent of flooding in Luang Namtha Province in 2006 was partly blamed on the unregulated planting of rubber trees, which has reportedly involved the clearing of virgin forest in some areas of the province. As is endemic throughout Laos, the personal short-term interests of district and provincial level officials usually take precedent over the long-term interests of villagers. ¶17. (C) Vocal opposition to anything that is supported by the government - at any level - is not tolerated. According to speculation, Somphone's opposition to extensive rubber planting may have been related to his January abduction. The GoL has indicated that it is interested in development of civil society, and the Prime Minister's Office is reportedly drafting a decree that will allow the development of civil VIENTIANE 00000259 005.2 OF 005 service organizations. However, given the intolerance of many Lao officials for views of people such as Somphone that are counter to government policies and/or the personal interests of officials, the development of civil society in Laos appears a distant dream. HASLACH