The Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) is situated in the centré of Indochina. Its area is 236,800 square kilometres and its population is over 3.5 million. Laos is populated by 68 tribes and ethnic minorities classified into three major ethnic 3ups: the Lao Loume (lowlanders, or valley Lau), the Lao Teng (midlanders, or mountain slope Lao) and the Lao Sung (highlanders, or mountain peak …