Funded by a group of Chinese firms, the market opened in Bokeo’s Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. The SEZ began construction in the early 2000s. RFA
The Lao government has given King Romans a concession of 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of land—3,000 hectares (7,410 acres) of which are dedicated to the SEZ. RFA
The SEZ has granted the Chinese firms a 99-year concession and tax exempt status, with the objective of promoting trade, investment and tourism from fast-growing China. RFA
The SEZ appears to be exclusively targeting Chinese clientele and investors. RFA
The SEZ includes the King Romans Casino, hotels, and the Chinatown market, which features as many as 70 restaurants and retail shops. RFA
The hotel, restaurants, shops, and currency used in the SEZ are Chinese. RFA
King Romans employs its own guards to protect tourists from the dangers of the drug trade in the notorious Golden Triangle. RFA
King Romans chief Zhao Wei says the Chinese investors are fully in control of the SEZ. “We have 100 percent right to manage the zone,” he said. RFA
The investment policy regime for the SEZ project remains opaque, raising questions about where the money is coming from. RFA
The company has reportedly invested around U.S. $491 million in the first phase of the SEZ and plans to invest a total of U.S. $2.25 billion by 2020 to build facilities such as a golf course, massage and karaoke parlors and medical clinics. RFA
King Roman asserts that it is “doing something for the well-being of the Lao people, helping them to improve their standard of living.” RFA
But reports say the company operates with virtual impunity in the region, creating a self-sustained enclave that has done little to benefit the local community. RFA
Endorsing an entry stamp into foreign visitors’ passports is about the only semblance of authority still exercised by the Lao government in the zone. RFA
The company constructed a 30-kilometer (19-mile) road to connect the SEZ with the Bokeo province capital of Huay Xai. RFA
Visitors can catch a boat to a casino complex in Laos from Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. RFA
Parts of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand make up the Golden Triangle region, an historically lawless area notorious for the production of opium sold by drug cartels throughout Asia. RFA