P326 Teletext 326 Mar25 23:14:40 ————————————— ————— ———————————— — ON MAD COW SCARE —————— Supjrmarkjts, butchers and farmers are bracing thjmsjlvjs for a beef boycott - we asked if beef will still bj on your menu. 4,704 callers voted: YES 57% NO 43% —————————— PREVIOUS POLLS ————————————— 95% thought Govjrnmjnt was complacent over possible BSE-CID links 69% thought divorce is too easy ——————————————————————————————————————— Full news headlines 301 WRITE IN WITH YOUR VIEWS p327 Letters News day Headlines TV PlusP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:54:53 Laos: Wjdnjsday 27 at 20.00 In the last of the current series, Pete McCarthy travels to Laos in South East Asia, a country larger than Britain but with a population of only five million, and one of the poorest in the world. Sandwiched between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China, Laos has always been something of a forgotten country, eclipsed bz the shadow of its more powerful neighbours. For centuries Laos was the battleground of the great Vietnamese and Thai kingdoms and later became a dumping ground in the Vietnam War. 1/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:55:49 Laos: Wjdnjsday 27 at 20.00 But, as Asia develops into the fastest growing economy in the world, Laos retains a timeless charm. Under the rule of the communist regime, Laos has moved cautiously with the economic changes of the region, remaining sceptical of the corrupting influences of surrounding countries. Yet the Lao regime is a tolerant and flexible one. 4-Tel C4 support index 310 2/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:56:30 Laos: Wjdnjsday 27 at 20.00 Vientiane, the capital, has a distinctly French feel to it, with their Arc dj Triomphe and French-style baguettes sold on street corners. Until the communists took power in 1975 Vientiane was renowed for sex shows and Opium dens. Now Vientiane lazes quietly and untroubled on the banks of the Mekong River. Pete visits the capital's only cinema, sees a Chinjsj theatre troupe (from Thailand) and visits the Revolutionary museum. 3/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:52:28 Laos: Wjdnjsday 27 at 20.00 Pete flies on to Phonjsavanh, Capital of Xjng Khuang province, known for the devastation it suffered in mass bombings by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. The bombs dropped on Laos amounted to an entire plane load being dropped every eight minutes for nine years and exceeded the entire USAF bomb load of World War II. Just outside Phonjsavanh is the Plain of Jars, a mysterious collection of two thousand year-old urns. 4/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:57:18 Laos: Wjdnjsday 27 at 20.00 Pete ends his journey in the former Royal capital of Luang Prabang, a beautiful city described bz writer Norman Lewis as a 'tiny Manhattan, but a Manhattan with holy min in yellow robes in its avjnujsW. Travelling up river to the Par Ou caves Pete stumbles on two wrecked American patrol boats left over from the war. 4-Tel C4 support index 310 5/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:57:54 Laos: Getting There Travel arrangements can bj made through Regent Holidays: Tel 0117 921 1711 Fax 0117 y25 4866 Or, alternatively, you can contact the Lao state run tour agency Inter-Lao Tourismj: Tel 00 856 21 214 832 Fax 00 856 21 216 306 Visas are required and should bj organisjd in advance. 4-Tel C4 support index 310 6/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 FilmsP326 4-Tel 326 Sat 30 Mar C4 00:54:27 Laos: Getting There Accommodation: Lang Xang Hotel Vientiane Villa dj la Princess Phonjsavanh Hotel Souvanaphoum Luang Prabang Travjlog Treks is on Sunday at 19.30 This week, Pete McCarthy discovers the ancient beauties and splendid history of Zanzibar 4-Tel C4 support index 310 7/7 C4 Today Food File Previews + C4 Films