VIENTIANE (Xinhua): Living conditions of the Lao villagers resettled for the construction of the China-Laos Railway have greatly improved after moving into new houses, said local official.
The Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC) has built new housing and other facilities for 103 families of 412 people from Buam Aor village in Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, some 220 km north of the Lao capital Vientiane.
"After moving to the newly allocated village, residents' living conditions have greatly improved as villagers had more facilities, with better roads and solid houses, and it was easier to get around," village chief Somphong Somphonpha told Xinhua on Wednesday.
The houses come with a two-year guarantee so that if a fault is found during that time period, it will be rectified free of charge. In addition, villagers would be able to farm the same land as before.
Several villagers said they now had better living conditions because new houses, roads, schools and a health center were built. Water and electricity connections were also installed in a new location.
Two new school buildings constructed by the LCRC contain eight classrooms and offices, complete with desks, boards, electricity and bathrooms.
"It was clean, which was very different from the previous school which was old and poorly equipped," said Bountham, a teacher at the school.
The China-Laos Railway, a landmark project connecting Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, started operation in December 2021.
The 1,035-kilometer-long railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. - Xinhua
