Disputes - international:
delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in Isfara Valley
delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation is
underway with Uzbekistan but serious disputes around enclaves and
elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border
Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS
markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit
point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of
Europe
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Laos
Introduction Laos
Background:
Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th
century until the late 19th century when it became part of French
Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao
border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control
of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer
ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual
return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment
laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Geography Laos
Location:
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates:
18 00 N, 105 00 E