General Vilay Lakhamfong and his staff visit an injured policeman at the 103 Hospital in Vientiane.

DPM visits policemen injured in explosion during arrest

The government is providing assistance and has met with the families of police officers who were killed and injured when a man they were attempting to detain detonated an explosive device in Luang Prabang province last week.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, General Vilay Lakhamfong, and his officials on Saturday visited the four policemen undergoing treatment for their injuries at the 103 Hospital in Vientiane.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieut. Gen. Vanthong Kongmany on Friday also met the police families in Luang Prabang.
Ministry of Public Security has given 79 million kip to each of the families of the three policemen who were killed in the blast and 31 million kip to the each of the families of the policemen who were injured.
The man who detonated the device was a suspected drug dealer and was also killed.
The shocking incident took place in Huaychor village, Viengkham district, Luang Prabang province.
Police apprehended the suspect around 9pm on September 1 and, finding himself surrounded, he set off what may have been a grenade, killing himself and the three police officers.
A nurse at the district hospital said two of the victims suffered serious head injuries and lost their hands in the blast.
Local police are conducting enquiries into the tragic event and attempting to track down the suspect’s associates. Two other men believed to be part of the drug ring were detained immediately following the incident.
This was the first recorded killing of police officers in the line of duty while attempting to arrest a suspected drug dealer.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 7, 2022)