One died and 20 others were injured following a rock-blasting operation at a Chinese-backed cement factory, Ket Thao Lao Co. Ltd.. Local authorities attributed the accident to the misuse of stockpiled explosives.

Business and Human Rights Resource Centre could not invite Ket Thao Lao to respond to the allegations in the media reports due to the lack of any publicly available information about the company. If the company wishes respond, its representatives may get in touch with Betty Yolanda, Asia regional manager, (yolanda [at] business-humanrights.org) or Golda Benjamin, Southeast Asia representative, (benjamin[at]business-humanrights.org).