"Lao Villagers Lose Farmland to Chinese Banana Grower", 3 April 2020

Villagers in Laos say a Chinese-owned banana plantation...has unfairly acquired the land of 46 families in the northern part of the country, many of whom were coerced by authorities into selling for a miniscule compensation package

[...]

When the plans for the banana plantation were revealed, several of the families refused to sell. They were taken to the local police station to be "reeducated," according to one of the affected villagers.

"The district authorities summoned three people to the police station and held them for about a week until they gave up their land," the villager told RFA's Lao Service....

The villager said that prior to the forced sale, the families lived on this land by growing rice and maize. After what the villager characterized as a "seizure," the families have no farmland and are experiencing hardship.

[...]

An official of Meung district told RFA...that there was very little the district could do.

"The villagers have already given up their land and accepted the money [in compensation]. [The Chinese company] has assessed and measured their portion of the land, so up until now we've not been able to act on behalf of [the villagers]."

[...]