Cheng Sayavong

General Cheng Sayavong is the head of the Borisat Phattana Khed Phudoi (BPKP) or in English, the Mountainous Areas Development Company (MADC). He is one of the most powerful men in Laos, though he has not been known to dabble in national politics. His fiefdom is the far-flung hamlet of Lak Xao, where he controls much of the country's timber trade, including trade in Hinoki cypress, which he extracts by helicopter and ships to Japan via the Vietnamese port of Vinh. The Nam Theun II (NT2) dam is in his backyard. As construction gets under way, he may become more visible.