Problems for forestry in Laos should not soley be placed on the Lao government by any means. Multinationals and foreign governements pressed Laos to decentralize control of resources to the province, where once done, these regions were immediately plundered by foreign countries and companies.

NGO’s, foreigners, from shifting agriculture policy and bans, the opium eradication, forestry, it has all been initiated and run by foreigners plundering the country, all the way back to US bombs which are still there.

That is where the finger pointing has got to go.

Matthew McDaniel