Police Clearing Roads For Asean Summits
Source: Vientiane Times
Police officers commenced clearing vendors, stalls and parked vehicles along main roads in the capital on Friday in preparation for the Asean Summits from September 6-8.
According to the Vientiane Traffic Police Department over 350 officers will serve around the capital in an effort to reduce congestion and ease movement for foreign delegates and residents alike during the Asean Summits.
The 28th and 29th Asean Summits, East Asia Summit and related meetings will be held in Vientiane with visits from heads of government representing both the ten-member bloc and its dialogue partners respectively.
The routes set for particular attention during the summit include Souphanouvong Avenue-Setthathirath Road from Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport to Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel, Chao Fa-ngum Road from Donchan to Salongxay crossroads, Lane Xang Avenue-Kaysone Phomvihane Road from Presidential Office to Dongdok traffic lights, from Nongnieng traffic lights to Lao National Television, and Samsenthai Road from Thatkhao to Km2.
Police will also be paying attention to connecting roads between Arkard to Phonsa-Art traffic lights, Pakpasak crossroads to Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel, Phonthan to Hongxaeng Bridge and other important roads in the capital.
Parking will be forbidden on roadsides of the above-mentioned roads from now until the conclusion of the summits.
Drivers and owners of vehicles parking on roadsides and sidewalks of the mentioned roads will be fined according to the law as will other forms of non-compliance with the traffic rules.
Traffic police will be on duty in the capital 24 hours a day until the summits are completed.
Officers will direct traffic at crossroads and other high traffic areas in the capital as well as provide escorts to ease the transfer of participating government leaders and their delegations.
Around 5,000 international attendees have been registered to join the meetings according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Asean Department.
Official delegate numbers will be as high as 3,000 with the remainder being media personnel and business leaders.
The summits are expected to not only help further strengthen regional cooperation but also enhance the profile of Laos in the international arena.
The government has attached great importance to hosting these events by facilitating improvements to roads, availability of hotels and other facilities to accommodate the summits.
Laos gained Asean membership in 1997 and first chaired the bloc in 2004 when it hosted the 10th Asean Summit and its related meetings.
Asean, established in 1967, brings together its present 10 members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the construction of Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural communities.
