29 February 2019

Relatives of Lao villagers killed or left missing by the July 2018 dam disaster have received compensation from the government, government officials have confirmed.

The disaster, described as Laos' worst flooding in decades, occurred when a saddle dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower project collapsed....

...Compensation for property losses or damages have meanwhile not been approved yet because an official investigation into the collapse has not been concluded.

...[A] Special Task National Relief Committee had approved compensation of $10,000 per person to families of those missing or killed during the disaster.

...The committee also recommended PNPC, SK E&C, a South Korean company in the consortium, and the insurance company conduct a ceremony to hand over the compensation to the relatives and families of the victims as soon as possible.

..."We're not very happy about the $10,000 compensation," said Bang Manichanh who lost both her grandparents in the disaster. "We have no choice but to accept it. They never talked to us, never asked us how much we wanted."