Vientiane police are considering whether to close the riverside Fangum Road to traffic from April 13 to 16, allowing pedestrian access only, while Setthathirath Road has temporarily reopened to traffic, a senior official said yesterday.

According to the Head of Vientiane Traffic Police of the Ministry of Public Security, Police Lieutenant Colonel Khamsone Luangnor, the closure of Fangum Road would allow local residents easy access to the river and Don Chan island for various recreational activities... more info

But if the road remained open, vehicles would also have access to the beach, as in past years, he said.

“We will allow the public to play or swim within certain areas and we will have policemen on duty to ensure safety. The public may convey their good wishes and pour a little water on officials, but this should be done with restraint and in accordance with accepted traditions,” he said.

Setthathirath Road is currently being upgraded as part of the Road No 1 reconstruction project, and reopened yesterday to allow local residents easy access to temples during the Lao New Year.

This street is home to several of Vientiane 's oldest and most important temples and, during the New Year festivities, devotees and visitors will visit them to perform traditional ceremonies.

“Today, we are clearing away some of the obstacles and machinery that has been blocking the road because of construction work. We'll open the road so that vehicles can have easy access to the temples,” said the Head of the road building project, Mr Dethsongkham Thammavong.

He said local residents and visitors would be able to use the road over the three-day holiday, and it would be cleared as much as possible to avoid congestion.

Meanwhile, he would fill in potholes with soil and install temporary signs warning the public to take care, to reduce the risk of accidents.

“We'll be opening a 3-km stretch from Vat Inpeng to Simeuang village, from now until April 16. Then we'll close it again to resume work,” he said.

Settharirath Road is one of the city's oldest streets and the revered temples of Inpeng, Ong Teu, Xiengnheun, Mixay, Sisaket and Simeuang, as well as the Hor Pra Keo , are found here .

“From now until the end of the New Year, policemen and Young Pioneers will be on the streets to control traffic. They will pay particular attention to speeding, drink driving, and the wearing of helmets,” said the Deputy Director General of the Transport Department, Mr Bounsoum Somsihakhom.

He said at a press conference in Vientiane yesterday that checks would be carried out on Roads No 13 north and south, at the Nongbeuk junction, and on Thadeua, Fangum, T2, T4, Dongnasok, Dongnathong and Dongdok roads, among others.

“Road accidents cause damage to property, as well as serious injuries and fatalities. They also affect the country's socio-economic development, with around 470 billion kip in losses each year,” he said.

This year, he said, the police and the authorities would be stricter in their attempts to prevent accidents on the roads over the New Year.

“We urge the public to cooperate with officials – they alone cannot reduce the number of accidents. If everyone drives more carefully, there will be far fewer accidents.”

“Our actions serve to protect your property and your life. You should understand this and obey the traffic regulations,” he said.

From April 12 to 18 last year, there were 301 accidents nationwide, causing injuries to 359 people, and 32 fatalities. In Vientiane there were 81 accidents, 175 injured people, and three fatalities.

By Panyasith Thammavongsa

Vientianetimes

Vientiane authorities will not organise as many activities during the upcoming Lao New Year celebrations as in previous years.

Don Chan beach will be quieter compared to the year before, with fewer activities such as friendly sports matches, but will still be open for the public to make sand stupas and bathe in the river... more info and photos

District governor Mr Saithong Keoduangdy explained that the main reason for not having many activities this year was that the Vientiane Mayor had approved the district's projects too late to organise the activities on the beach in time.

“We wanted to encourage businesspeople to organise activities, but we couldn't, because the mayor took too long to approve them,” he said.



“All our plans have collapsed. For example, we planned to organise a Miss Sangkhan beauty competition and a procession of the Khamtan Buddha between Ongteu and Simeuang temples.”

Last year, Don Chan beach was crowded with people, who came to play on tubes and jet-skis, as well as dance with live bands, and motor-cross sports, and other activities for children.

This year, some waterfalls in Vientiane will be quiet as businesspeople have withdrawn from organising live bands to attract tourists due to low water levels in many of the rivers.

Governor of Naxaithong district Mr Khamphan Bounthengmixay said only one live band would play at Namxuang river.



“At Tadxone and Hinkhanna waterfalls, there won't be any live bands, due to the lack of water,” he said.

However, various parties will be held in villages so people can enjoy themselves together, and all activities related to temples will remain the same, as part of the entrenched culture of Laos .

All this means the skydiving festival from April 13-16 will be the highlight of the Lao New Year celebrations near Don Chan Palace Hotel, as there will be few other activities in the area.

The Chief of Vientiane's Department of Tourism, Mr Padith Khemmanith, said he would focus more on making sure proper services were upheld by business operators over the weekend.

“We have held a meeting to advise business owners not to increase their prices over the holiday,” he said.

“We will send our officials to monitor this and make sure tourists do not get taken advantage of by businesspeople.”

He explained that the cost of cars, tuk tuks, songthaews , hotels and food at restaurants and markets needed to remain the same, along with fees at various tourist sites.

For security issues, more forces will be sent to important areas to prevent house robberies and bag snatching. Authorities also urged the public not to play dangerously during the Lao New Year, such as using water mixed with ice to splash people, because this would cause road accidents.

People should also use only clean water to splash over each other and respect older people by asking before pouring water on them.

Village authorities in Vientiane have met with their communities to talk about the rules during the Lao New Year so that parents can explain to their children how they should behave during the celebrations.

More traffic police will be deployed to stop people from drink driving.

By vientiane times