Some 350 traffic police officers will serve around the capital in an effort to reduce congestion and ease movements for foreign delegates and residents alike during the ASEAN Summits set for early September, Vientiane Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security have confirmed.
The 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits, East Asia Summit and related meetings will be held in Vientiane from September 6-8 with visits from heads of government representing both the ten- member bloc and its dialogue partners respectively.
A meeting on the security plan took place in Vientiane on Wednesday and was attended by the Director General of the Vientiane Traffic Police Department Lieutenant Colonel Khamthavai Phetouthai, the Vientiane Police Office Deputy Chief and Director of the Vientiane Traffic Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Youttaphong Souvannasing and fellow officers.
Lieutenant Colonel Youttaphong Souvannasing called for public cooperation with the more than 350 police officers who will be on duty in the capital from the beginning of September until the summits are completed.
Officers will direct traffic at crossroads and other high traffic areas in the capital as well as providing escorts to ease transfer of participating government leaders and their delegations.
Roads set for particular attention during the summit include Souphanouvong Avenue-Setthathirath Road from Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport to Landmark Mekong Riverside hotel, Chao Fa-ngum road from Donchan to Salongxay crossroads, Lanexang- Kaysone Phomvihane Road from Presidential Palace to Dongdok traffic lights, from Nongnieng traffic lights to Lao National Television, and Samsaenthai Road from Thatkhao to Km2.
Police will also be paying attention to connecting roads between Arkard to Phonsaart traffic lights, Pakpasak crossroads to Landmark Mekong Riverside hotel, Phonthan to Hongxaeng bridge and other important roads in the capital.
Parking will be forbidden on roadsides of the above- mentioned roads from the beginning of September until the conclusion of the summits.
Drivers and owners of vehicles parking at roadsides and sidewalks of the mention roads or in other forms of non-compliance with traffic rules will be fined according to the law, Lieutenant Colonel Youttaphong confirmed.
Around 5,000 international attendees have been registered to join the meetings according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ ASEAN Department.
Official delegate numbers will be as high as 3,000 with the remainder being media personnel and business leaders.
This year’s ASEAN Summits will also see the attendance of world leaders including US President Barrack Obama, the first from the country to visit Laos.
The summits are expected to not only help to further strengthen regional cooperation but also enhance the profile of Laos in the international arena.
The government of Laos has attached great importance to hosting these events by facilitating improvements to roads, availability of hotels and other facilities to accommodate the summits.
Laos gained ASEAN membership in 1997 and first chaired the bloc in 2004 when it hosted the 10th ASEAN Summit and its related meetings.
ASEAN, established in 1967, brings together its present 10 members Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the construction of Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural communities.
Source: Vientiane Times
