Word: boun
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Last week terror was added to the growing pressure from the left; an unidentified assailant tossed a hand grenade into a car full of rightist politicians and Chinese businessmen. Among the three killed was former Minister of Religion Boun Om, brother of the warlord of southern Laos, whose name is Boun Oum, and uncle of Sisouk na Champassak, the powerful Minister of Defense, who was among those that resigned. It was the first assassination of a rightist political figure since the ceasefire, and has unsettled many leading rightists. They now fear for their own and their families' safety; Boun...
National Assembly deputies for Southern Laos are hand-picked by Boun Oum and include both family members and wealthy businessmen who enjoy the family's patronage. Sedone province is typical: the four-man delegation is led by Boun Oum's brother, Boun Oua, who was once Vice-President of the Assembly, and includes two of the richest businessmen in Laos...
...Although Boun Oum's power has not been based on a commercial empire, it has facilitated his accumulation of substantial commercial interests, apart from his airline and the profits from buildings rented to Americans in Vientiane. These include cement and pig iron factories in Thakkek, a tin mine which accounts for perhaps one fourth of the Country's total production, saw mills in Sedone and Savannakhet, and substantial forests and agricultural land...
...claims to know how wealthy Boun Oum is, but these commercial ventures constitute only a part of his income, which also includes tribute from the many officials who owe their jobs to his sponsorship, as well as income from his relationship with the Americans...
...most spectacular symbol of Boun Oum's dynasty in Southern Laos is the enormous palace now being constructed in Pakse, at a cost estimated by one of his assistants at 400 million kip ($800,000,000). The palace, a blend of Lao and French colonial architecture, was begun two years ago and is not expected to be completed for two more years...