An extract. ³Your country needs you!² Oubkeo Luangphaxay More and more young Lao people are volunteering to join up to be a soldier to help protect the country¹s peace and to help in national reconstruction and development. ³Soldiers are very important in defending the country at present, because today¹s situation is forcing every country in the world to develop its military forces,² said one officer. At the moment the Lao military strength is increasing, and the Lao People¹s Army is being better trained and improving its military technology. ³We have no problems in the military because the Defence Ministry and government look after and care about the soldiers, especially the troops who are on duty at the borders,² said Sub-Lieutenant Khamsone Vonephachanh. He said that he is the seventh son of eleven children in a farmer family in Houaphan province, and one of two in the family who have joined up as a soldier. He said he loves his job, and wants to be a good soldier like his father was when he fought for his country¹s freedom and peace. Khamsone joined the army 5 years ago. ³I have wanted to be a soldier since I was just a young boy, because I watched many people from my village volunteer to fight for their country¹s independence. I thought that the military would be career for me,² he explained. Soldiers posted at the borders are on duty 24 hours a day, and receive a small salary, but there are no complaints to be heard. ³Before I was a soldier, I had no opportunity for education. I couldn¹t study because my parents both died when I was very young,² said Lance-Corporal Mek, 22, a soldier at the Defence Ministry. ³So after I graduated from a secondary school in Luang Prabang province in 1998, I decided to be a soldier. The military sent me to Vientiane to continue my studies and for further training to be a good military man.² He said he did not want to go back home again because he wanted to continue studying in Vientiane. He hoped to be commissioned as an officer. After many months of training, he said, soldiers are stronger and fitter than ever before, and if anyone falls ill they received first-class treatment at the modern military hospital and a good welfare service from the government. Both Khamsone and Mek along with many of their comrades in the army are on duty at Done Singsou island, in the Mekong river at Sikhottabong district, Vientiane municipality. The island is very fertile, so for many years Lao people have grown crops such as maize, lemons, water melons and mangoes. A few years after the establishment of the Lao PDR, Thai troops invaded the island and then were repelled by Lao soldiers. Currently the island is still considered important for Lao defence, especially because many smugglers use the island as a staging post for the transport of illegal goods from Thailand into Laos. As the 52nd founding anniversary of the Lao People¹s Army will come on January 20, the soldiers on duty at the island are stepping up their performance to keep security and order on the island. One soldier said: ³The situation is quite difficult because every day there are at least 100 traders bringing illegal goods from Thailand to sell in the Vientiane marketplace, including electrical goods, fish, chickens, and even sometimes motorcycles.² There are not only military troops on duty here but also representatives of the police, customs, and district staff, all working together to try to foil the smugglers. ³Night is the time that the traders try to get their goods across from the Thai side,² said an officer. He said that before the Sixth National Games and the National Day celebrations, there were increased attempts to bring more goods across to exploit the bigger trading opportunities. The soldiers arrest the traders and confiscate the goods, giving warnings about future contravention of the law. ³Even though we work day and night, sometimes traders manage to get through,² added Mek. ³In 1997 I spent six months at my post in the Vang Vieng area,² said Sub-Lieutenant Khamsone.² ³I am not afraid of anything when I am facing action,² he added, ³because I trust in my friends and comrades beside me and in our military leaders.² ³A soldier has to be prepared to go anywhere to defend his country¹s sovereignty and liberty,² he continued, ³so if the enemy invades any part of our country, soldiers will volunteer to go there first.² The Lao People¹s Army has a long history of fighting to protect the country, and the soldiers generally agreed that they will continue to be needed to keep the country secure, peaceful, and independent. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
