Laos arrests 'bomb plotters'

 The five were nabbed on Saturday in the northern province but were now detained in the capital, Vientiane, the source said.

Lao Foreign Ministry's spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy neither denied nor confirmed the report saying there was no report on the plot and the arrest from local authorities.

Speaking on a phone interview from Vientiane on Wednesday, Yong said "We have no report about the incident, only a newspaper report is in the file so far."

The five are accused of planning to bomb seven spots on the seventh day of the seventh month - last Saturday - including the city hall, airport, provincial hospital and radio station, the source said.

Lao armed forces boosted troops in the province and along the Mekong River, which forms the border with Thailand, and tightened control over movement of people.

Authorities in Bokeo learnt about the dissident group last week and began to search the province. Some 20 suspects were arrested over the past week for allegedly feeding intelligence information to dissidents abroad, the source said.

Lao authorities cracked down on at least five villages in the province on Sunday and clashed with dissidents, the source said, but gave no detail on casualties.

Vientiane has consistently denied any movement of Hmong dissidents within the country and has sought cooperation from Thailand to block any moves by "rebels" here.

Early last month, police in the US arrested highprofile Hmong leader Vang Pao and nine associates over an alleged plot to topple the communist regime in Laos. Prosecutors allege that Vang Pao and the Hmong group ordered the pur¬chase of weapons to be shipped through Thailand for use by dis¬sidents in Laos.

//The Nation