Laos establishes 17th province
Xinhua January 3, 2014 4:28 pm
The Lao government has announced the administrative committee for a newly established province Xaysomboun in the hopes of accelerating development in the region, state-run daily Vientiane Times reported Thursday.
An inauguration ceremony for the province was attended by Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and other high-ranking officials from the Party Central Committee.
Xaysomboun was designated as a special administrative zone in 1994 but this was dissolved in 2006 with four districts falling under the authority of Vientiane province and one allocated to Xieng Khuang.
Xaysomboun has a population of approximately 82,000 people and covers an area of 8,500 square kilometres.
Former Mayor of Lao capital Vientiane Sombath Yialiher will govern the province. Yialiher is also the head of the special committee, which was responsible for analysing the logistics of establishing the new province.
The area has lagged behind its neighbours in terms of development. Observers claim that the lack of progress is due to a deficit in human resources, infrastructure and other developmental aid.
Thammavong encouraged the new province’s administrative team to make concerted efforts towards building a comprehensively strong province. He urged members of the administration to take their political responsibilities seriously, to submit to scrutiny and to be good role models with a practical working style