Workers removed nearly 40 Chinese language signs and posters from shops and businesses in Vientiane as the Lao government worked to beautify the capital’s streets ahead of this week’s ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting.
Vientiane’s Department of Public Works and Transport tore down 18 signs from stores and 20 signs facing toward nearby streets at a large Chinese shopping mall on July 19, officials told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
Business signs are required to include a Lao translation at the same size as the foreign translation, the official said.
“We insist that the Lao language be larger than Chinese because this is a business in Laos – our country,” she said.
But many of the removed signs were also the wrong color. Store signs should be a yellow-red mix for background and lettering, according to government regulations.
Some were removed because they used white-red, which is the color used by the Lao military, the Communist Party and the Security Department, the official said. White-blue is used by other government agencies.
“We had warned the Chinese businesses twice before and they hadn’t made any improvement,” she said. “So this time, the third time, we took all the signs down just for the tidiness of the street sides and for the beauty of the city.”
Most of the signs were taken from businesses at the San Jiang Shopping Mall in Vientiane’s city center, a second government official said.
“This shopping mall is Chinese. For most signs, the business owners either didn’t have permission or put the signs where it is forbidden,” he said. “One rule is that nothing should be standing and blocking the sidewalk.”
A woman who works at a publishing company near the shopping mall told RFA that authorities took their signs down because of their large Chinese lettering.
“This is the first time that our signs have been removed since our company has been in existence for six years,” she said.
Laos is serving as this year's chair for the 10-member regional grouping, which will also hold expanded meetings with China, Japan and the United States through Saturday.
Lao authorities have also recently reorganized street vendors along the Mekong River waterfront, built a new landscape near the city’s Victory Monument and installed Lao national flags on lampposts.
Translated by Max Avary. Edited by Matt Reed.