Ton Pheung district explained

Ton Pheung district
Native Name Lang:lo
Settlement Type:District
Mapsize:300px
Mapsize1:150px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Laos
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Bokeo province
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2015
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:34,476
Population Urban:15,023
Timezone:ICT
Utc Offset:+7

Ton Pheung is a district (muang) of Bokeo province in northwestern Laos.[2] The district lies in northwest Laos and borders Tachileik district of Burma and Chiang Saen district and Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai province, Thailand. In addition, The district is the location of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.

History

Given its location, the district has been the center of much conflict in the past. A dispute broke out in 1999 over Thai farmers cultivating on district lands and on 25 February 2008 an attack broke out on the Burmese border involving Burmese drug lords.[3]

Economy

The district economy and also that of Bokeo Province is now dominated by the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GT SEZ) in Ton Pheung District. In 2007, Kings Romans Group, owned by well-connected Chinese husband and wife Zhao Wei and Su Guiqin, entered into a 99-year lease for 10,000 hectares on the banks of the Mekong.[4] The company was granted 3,000 of these hectares as a duty-free zone, now the SEZ. As gambling is illegal in China, and the SEZ is only a two-hour journey by road from China, casinos and hotels catering to a Chinese clientele were built.[5] A robust industry involving trafficking in endangered animals has grown up around the Chinese tourist trade.[6] In January 2018, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against what it called Zhao's transnational criminal organisation, engaging in illicit activities, including human trafficking and child prostitution, drug trafficking and wildlife trafficking.[4]

Settlements

Transport

Air

Bokeo International Airport, which serves international flights in Bokeo province, opened on February 5, 2024

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Results of Housing and Population and Housing Census 2015 . United Nations Population Fund in Laos . Lao Statistics Bureau . 24 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240219171021/https://lao.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/PHC-ENG-FNAL-WEB_0.pdf . 19 February 2024 . 101.
  2. http://www.maplandia.com/laos/bokeo/ton-pheung/ Maplandia world gazetteer
  3. News: Drug Gang Blamed for Chinese Boat Attacke. The Irrawaddy. February 29, 2008. November 4, 2009.
  4. http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2141464/mr-big-wildlife-trafficking-could-elusive-laos A Mr Big of wildlife trafficking: could elusive Laos casino operator be behind rackets that run to drugs, child prostitution?
  5. News: Hance. Jeremy. High-end Laos resort serves up illegal wildlife for Chinese tourists. 20 Mar 2015. The Guardian. 2015-03-19.
  6. Book: Sin City Illegal Wildlife Trade in Laos’ Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. March 2015. Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). London.