They have done this for 25 years now and it is no surprise to anyone in Laos, except foreigners. My friends, Laos is not a paradise for investors. Think this way, Laos is a communist state. A lawyer is useless in Laos. There is no justice.
Justice follows bullets.
You bark, bullets fly through your skull. Everybody follows the bogus state policy. If the govt said these people are guilty, the judges follow because the judges are scared to death too. If they follow their consciences, these judges might end up in jail somewhere licking the chicken droplets. Laos officials like FM Somsavat Lengsavad or PM Sisavat Keobounphan might smile at you guys during state dinners and welcome you to invest in Laos, but inside of them they are hiding their tiger teeth.