A spate of incidents involving Lao government critics has sparked fears of a crackdown as the country gears up to take the Asean chair next year. - AFP
BANGKOK (AFP): An isolated murder, a brutal attempted killing and a murky disappearance: Laotian activists have been caught up in a series of alarming recent incidents that have spooked the reclusive communist state's embattled dissident community.
Landlocked, poor and deeply tied to China, Laos is one of the world's most repressive countries, with independent civil society barely present, free media non-existent and rare protests quickly dispersed.
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