Laos Bombs Endanger Travelers, Officials Say
V I EN T I A N E, Laos, Aug. 1 -- A series of bomb attacks in the Laotian capital of Vientiane could hit tourism this year, the country’s ambassador to Thailand said today.
No one has claimed responsibility for at least eight reported bomb attacks over the past four months that have injured dozens of people in the capital and provincial towns.
Hiem Phommachanh told Reuters the authorities feared that tourists were concerned by the recent bomb attacks and some had decided to avoid travelling to Laos.
“We understand that tourists may feel scared by what has been happening in Laos, and we wish those bombs had not taken place,” he said in a telephone interview.
Laos started its two-year “Visit Laos” campaign in 1999, and had successfully increased tourist numbers, Hiem said.
He said that in the first half of 2000 alone around 600,000 tourists visited — greater than the annual figure of around 500,000 visitors in previous years.
“We thought we could achieve a target of one million visitors this year, but with the series of bomb incidents, it might be difficult,” Hiem said.
Vientiane is also due to host the 13th meeting between Southeast Asian and European Union foreign ministers in December, and the recent spate of bomb attacks has added to security fears.
Rise in Terror Attacks
The latest incident took place on Monday at the Vientiane Post Office, where a bomb blast injured seven people.
Hiem said no arrests had yet been made in connection with the blast.
The state-owned English-language Vientiane Times newspaper reported today that around 100 people had been at the post office when the bomb exploded, and a handicapped man in a wheelchair was among the injured.
The explosion was in the parcel collection service point in the main building of the post office, the newspaper reported.
Hiem branded the bomb a “terrorist act.”
“Nobody knows what these people want to achieve politically, they have not said what they want from these acts,” he said.
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