The construction of 50 villas and two conference facilities in the Don Chanh Island worth US$180 million for welcoming the leaders of Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) to hold at the end of 2012, was officially started last Thursday.
The Don Chanh Island Development Project, located on 25 hectares of Don Chanh Island, the hearth of Vientiane Capital is aimed at turning it into a modernised area.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held here in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Vientiane Mayor Soukanh Mahalath, Chinese Ambassador to the Lao PDR, Mrs. Bu Jiangua and relevant officials from both sides.
The construction project was divided into three phases including the construction of 50 villas and other facilities for the ASEM to be built on 8.1 hectares, which will be completed by August next year.
The second one will be the construction of a new village group area, houses for rent, a school and a hospital, which will be completed for next five years (2013-2017).
The last construction will be a construction of trade centre, a residential house and offices, which will run from 2017 to 2021.
Director of Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department, Mr. Keophilavanh Aphaylath said that the construction project has been carried out by CAMCE Investment (Lao) Company.
The Don Chanh Island Development project is under 50 years of concession and can then be extended for 40 years.
Fresh Fighting in Tripoli as Gadhafi Son Refutes Rebel ControlPosted Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 at 6:55 am Fresh fighting has broken out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, hours after the son and one-time heir apparent of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam, defiantly appeared in the city saying his father's government was still in control.
Heavy fighting took place Tuesday near Mr. Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound as gunfire and explosions shook several parts of the city, which the rebels claim to have mostly under their control.
Seif al-Islam presented himself to foreign journalists confined to the Gadhafi-controlled Rixos Hotel, despite earlier claims by opposition leaders that he was in rebel hands. He then led a convoy through loyalist areas, where television footage showed him pumping his fists in the air as supporters cheered him.
The International Criminal Court on Tuesday disputed reports that it had confirmed Seif al-Islam's detention, saying the court never received official word from the opposition Transitional National Council.
Senior rebel sources also said another of Mr. Gadhafi's sons – Mohammed – escaped house arrest Monday. A third son is apparently still in detention, and Mr. Gadhafi's whereabouts are not known.
The head of the opposition council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, said Mr. Gadhafi will receive a fair trial if captured and that the “real moment of victory” will be when he is taken into custody.
Jalil acknowledged that the rebels have yet to establish full control in Tripoli, where forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi have battled rebels in scattered pockets. Opposition fighters say pro-government forces still hold 10-15 percent of the capital, including the Bab al-Aziziya compound.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday the fighting in Tripoli has forced it to delay docking a boat to begin evacuating stranded migrants. The group says the boat, which can carry 300 people, will remain off shore until the security situation improves.
Libyan state television remained off the air late Monday amid reports that rebels seized what had become a key instrument of government propaganda.
In addition to parts of Tripoli, pro-government forces also control at least two major cities affiliated with his tribe – Sabha, to the south, and Sirte, some 450 kilometers east of capital along the coast. NATO says government forces fired three Scud missiles toward the city of Misrata. No injuries were reported.
The rebels broke through Tripoli's outer defenses Sunday and reached the city's central Green Square, where thousands celebrated the opposition's arrival. Jubilant Libyans in the square, which the rebels have renamed Martyrs Square, tore down posters of Mr. Gadhafi and stomped on them. Until recently, the government had used the area for mass demonstrations in support of Mr. Gadhafi.
The rebel troops moved into central Tripoli with little resistance after capturing a key military base run by the government's elite Khamis Brigade and commanded by another of Mr. Gadhafi's sons.
On Sunday, Libyan state television broadcast a series of defiant audio messages from Mr. Gadhafi. The Libyan leader said he would stay in the capital “until the end” to defend the city and called on supporters to help liberate it.
Mr. Gadhafi has seen the areas under his control shrink significantly in recent weeks as rebels advanced on Tripoli after six months of fighting to end his four-decade long rule. NATO warplanes have been supporting the rebels by bombing pro-Gadhafi forces under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action to protect Libyan civilians from government attacks.
