A man has been arrested in Vientiane Capital for stealing railway construction components along the Laos-China Railway.
According to a report by Lao Youth Radio, some 147 steel joints and 39 rail bolts used in the construction of the Lao-China railway had been reported stolen in Dongphosy Village, Hadxaifong District, Vientiane Capital.
The 22-year-old suspect, identified as Mr. Armee, from Thong Meuat Village, Kasi District, Vientiane Province, was arrested on Friday for having stolen the parts.
The parts were found at the man’s residence in Dongphosy. He had been found selling them to scrapyards.
According to Lao law, those who engage in activities deliberately posing a danger to the safety of aircraft, ships, trains, vehicles, airports, ports, train stations or bus stations are subject to heavy fines and up to twenty years imprisonment.
Authorities have warned scrap dealers and residents in the area to keep a close eye on their customers and to report any rail bolts or steel rods suspected of being stolen from the project.
A gang of six men from Nakhuay Tai Village in Saysettha District was arrested in April for theft of railway construction components.
Laos has announced that the Laos-China Railway is scheduled to officially open in early December this year.
The Laos-China Railway will run some 426 kilometers, including 198km of tunnels, and will traverse 62km of bridges. It will run from the Boten border gate, connecting Northern Laos to China, down to Vientiane Capital, with an operating speed of 160km per hour.
