International Railroad Discussion > Railroads come to Laos

This article summarizes some of the imminent, planned and possible rail lines in Laos, a country which until now hasn't had any (other than a few kilometers of the Thai line from Bangkok to Nong Khai which was extended across the Mekong River into Laos. While this article is very positive, the Chinese rail line through Laos has sparked a great deal of human rights concern as people are being tossed off their farms and land with little or no compensation and anyone protesting risks jail or worse.

https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/laos-planned-railways-opening-a-national-rail-network-in-2021/

 

Since when did anyone have property rights under a Commo regime?

You are correct. People in Laos don't have property rights (unless they are wealthy and influential and connected to the regime). All land officially belongs to the State and can be confiscated even from families who have been in one place for generations. Laos has a particularly absurd form of Communism where private companies are allowed to operate with very little regulation. It's a weird combo of authoritarianism and frontier capitalism, the worst of both worlds.

That is a particularly odd form of Communism, for sure.

Lenin's 1921 Economic Plan allowed private ownership of some Soviet land and factories, that's one reason Armand Hammer was able to sell fertilizer in return for church gold and jewels. Henry Ford sold thousands of Fordson tractors to the Soviets, even as he was blocking unions in his US factories.