Survivors of Dam Collapse in Laos to Receive Half Compensation on Anniversary of Disaster
22 July 2019
...On the one year anniversary of the disaster, authorities in Attapeu province plan to facilitate several events for the survivors of the disaster.
"The most important one is the ceremony where we pay 50 percent compensation to the survivors," said Bounhome Phommasane, governor of Attapeu's Sanamxay district.
...But many of the survivors, most of whom have lost everything, will still be living in squalid conditions while the government struggles to keep its promises of adequate temporary shelter and compensation that the victims feel they deserve.
...The government has been providing survivors with rice rations, but survivors say the rice is unfit for consumption.
...Another issue that survivors are struggling with is the quality of land that has been cleared for them by the government. As most of the survivors were farmers before the disaster, the cleared lands were supposed to provide them with enough to get to work and get back on their feet.
...Apart from living conditions and income, the government is also working with the dam developer to pay damages to the survivors, but the compensation process has been wrought with many setbacks.