For many Australians, Laos is a scenic, off-the-beaten path, holiday destination for adventurous travellers.
Relatively few know that it's also a repressive one-party state with a long record of restricting basic rights, and imprisoning or forcibly disappearing critics or citizens who dare to form groups or hold protests without government permission.
Last week, Australia had a chance to throw light on Laos' darker side when on 5 March, Canberra hosted officials from Vientiane for the fourth b