I'm not surprise at all, this kinda thing is not happening only in LAOS, so is Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and Thailand...
Why the government don't flat the mountains to create airports, it has full of it , Why taking the land that owned by people, they endured many privations and hard working period of times ( almost all their life) to develop and convert from the wild land into an arable flat land ... it's nothing less than a rob ! and the ChaoMuang said he has order from government ...so the Lao government take seriously care of its people ! So, go on cheating your own people for your own pocket...poor lao people ! I had tears rolling down from my eyes !