Nang Aen Cave to be tourist complex

(KPL) The development of Nang Aen Cave as a main tourist destination for Thakhek district, Khammouane province, will be
completed in 2013, according to developer.

� Nang Aen Cave is 1,980 m long. It is 18 km from Thakhek heartland. The cave bears things worth learning. People from generation to generation have told a story about the cave. In the cave, there is a stone looking similar to a hermit,� said Director of the Nang Aen Cave Tourist Complex Development Enterprise, Mr. Khempheth Keophiachanh.

Last week, Provincial Administration Authorities of Nakhonephanom and Kalasin of Thailand donated three boats to the Tourist Business Association of Khammouane to be used in surveying tourist sites in the province.

The handover of the assistance was between Mr. Somsorb Nitipod, Head of the Provincial Administration Authority of Nakhonephanom and Mr Khempheth. The event was witnessed by Deputy Director of the Tourism Service of Khammouane province.

"This assistance is meaningful for the cooperation on tourism development between the governments and private sectors of Laos and Thailand, particularly between Khammouane province and its Thai counterparts Nakhonephanom and Kalasin," said Mr. Khamphet.

There are 146 tourist sites in Khammouane. These include 115 natural tourist sites, two historical tourist sites and 29 cultural tourist attractions.

Ceremony to mark 40th anniversary of cave tragedy

Laos will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Tham Piew cave tragedy in Xieng Khuang province on November 24, an official in the province said yesterday.

The provincial admini-stration office's Deputy Head of Office, Mr Bounhome Thedthany, said Party and State leaders, officials and people from around the country would travel to the province for the occasion

The cave has been developed as a tourist site.

“This year a special mourning ceremony will be held to remember the people who died in the cave during the American offensive in Laos ,” he said.

“Thousands of people are expected to come to pay their respects to the 374 people killed when a US fighter aircraft attacked the cave with missiles 40 years ago.”

American attacks began in Xieng Khuang province in 1964 during the Indochina War. It was in the late afternoon of November 24, 1968, that Tham Piew cave was hit. Children and elderly people were sheltering in the cave while other villagers were working in the fields.

The US aircraft launched four missiles at the cave. The first and the second missed the target, while the third and the fourth entered the cave killing all 374 people inside.

All of those who died in the attack are buried in front of the cave, Mr Bounhome said.

Most people abandoned their houses when the Americans arrived in the area because the bombing switched from military to civilian targets, including homes, schools and hospitals. Some people made their home in the jungle, while others sought shelter in caves.

“Inside the cave fragments of Buddha images, cooking utensils, medical equipment and human remains were found,” Mr Bounhome said.

“The cave was also used as a makeshift hospital at the time.”

Traditional Lao Buddhist rit uals will be held on the morning of the ceremony, including a tak baat (alms giving) to the dead. The Central Lao Artists' Troupe and the Central Acrobatic Troupe will perform on the main esplanade outside the cave site the day before the anniversary.

The Ministry of Information and Culture is currently constructing a pavilion for the event at a cost of almost 200 million kip.

Tham Piew cave is located in Boumlong village, about 60km east of Phonsavanh town and is a popular tourist site. The Tham Piew museum contains items collected from the cave.

Laos is the most heavily bombed nation on earth. More than two million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on the country by American warplanes during the Indochina War.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update November 5, 2008)

Konglor Cave road opens to public in May

The renovation of the 36km-long road leading to Konglor Cave in Hinboun district, Khammuan province, will allow the passage of all vehicles to the cave from May, said a senior official yesterday.

At present the road is still under construction, and larger vehicles have been unable to navigate the detour road for the past two months.

Visitors to the cave are recommended to take a small vehicle if they want to experience this amazing cave.

The Director of the road-building project, Mr Somchay Khanthasane, told Vientiane Times yesterday that workers are asphalting the road so it is closed to traffic. Road users must temporarily use a detour road instead.

Mr Somchay said that although the road will open in May, it might be necessary to close it in the rainy season this year if the construction of two new bridges is not complete.

“We are now putting down the first layer of asphalt. We will continue the work after the rainy season and the road will be in perfect condition by the end of this year,” he said.

At the moment it takes three hours to get to the cave after leaving main road No A8, as the path passes through rice fields and is very bumpy. In the wet season it's almost impossible to get there.

Once the renovated road is finished, it should take just under one hour, said Mr Somchay.

The new road is costing about US$4.5 million to build. The Asian Development Bank has lent the Lao government more than 80 percent of the required funds, according to the Head of the Khammuan provincial Tourism Administration, Mr Thayaphone Singthong .

He said the road upgrade is part of tourism development in the province.

“Tourism development is very important for people living near the cave and will help to contribute to poverty reduction,” he said.

The 7.5km-long cavern that has been earmarked as a tourist attraction was discovered in the 16th century under the leadership of the governor of Nalae district, now Nakai district.

In 1997, the government invited French experts to survey the area before declaring it an official tourist site in 2002.

Mr Thayaphone recalled that in 2002 only eight foreign visitors came to the cave, but this number had increased rapidly since then.

The cave is 30 metres wide and between 20 and 100 metres high and is located in the National Protected Forest Area of Hinboun Mountain.

More than 100 foreign visitors make the journey to the cave each month on average, he said.

Mr Thayaphone said that in the past the cave was not seen as a source of income for local people, but had now become an important money-earner for many in the area.

“Unspoiled natural destinations have the potential to attract more tourists to the province,” he said.

Community-based ecotourism services, including village home-stays and boat trips through the cave, are provided by local people who proudly keep local customs alive.



By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update March 11, 2008)