My cousin was cremated the next day in a simple ceremony after his accident. The truck driver is in jail, so whoever thinks that people can get away in Laos by paying the police are dead wrong. If you kill someone in a road accident in Laos, it's automatic jail time for you.

We don't recycle body parts. The Lao belief is that if you remove a certain part of the deceased, such as the brain for example, they may be born again with not much intelligence. So out of respect to the deceased and in hope that they reincarnate to a better life, everything must be burnt with them.

The deceased is kept in a coffin, ready to be cremated.

I'm not aware of any court case.

Cry? Didn't you read what I wrote on the following thread?

http://www.laopride.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1302630777/0#10

Quote:

We have court cases in Laos, but most offenses among "poor" people are settled out of court.

The driver's relative will be negotiating with my cousin's family soon, also with the other boys family who got killed together.

They've already paid my cousin's family 3 million kip ($375 US) for funeral costs, but that's not enough compensation for killing their son, so hopefully they get more than that when they meet again for further talks.

The problem is that two people died in the accident, so my cousin's family may not receive a lot of compensation, considering that the other boy's family also needs to be paid.

You can't play judge, the decision is based on the law. I sad all along that if you kill someone in a road accident, it's jail time for you.

My uncle and aunty are probably still sad, but they are feeling a bit better now. They don't have payback on their minds because nothing can bring their son back. The truck driver is in jail, and they expect to receive more compensation soon, so that gives them some peace of mind.

Yes, you are required to pay up if you are at fault. Everybody has money in Laos, or they can find ways of finding money, even poor people. They can sell their buffalo or other assets such as a motorbike or land. Relatives usually help out too, or borrow from somewhere.

If the defendant refuses to pay then he or she will be in jail for a very long time, and their assets may be seized.

Most of the people in the U.S drive a car. Some ride motorcycle for fun and for speed. It doesn't matter what you drive. When you're drunk it doesn't help.