Ton Pheung district

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Ton Pheung district (muang) is in Bokeo Province, northwestern Laos, right on the border with Myanmar and Thailand. In 2015 about 34,476 people lived there, with around 15,023 in urban areas. The time zone is UTC+7.

The district is famous for the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GT SEZ). In 2007, the Kings Romans Group, owned by Zhao Wei and Su Guiqin, leased 10,000 hectares along the Mekong for 99 years, with 3,000 hectares made into a duty-free zone that became the SEZ. Because it’s close to China—only about a two-hour drive away—casinos and hotels were built to attract Chinese visitors. This growth brought a booming economy but also problems, including wildlife trafficking and other illegal activities linked to tourism.

Ton Pheung has a history of conflicts, such as a 1999 dispute over Thai farmers working on local land and a February 25, 2008 attack on the Burmese border tied to drug groups.

In January 2018, the US Treasury sanctioned Zhao Wei’s transnational criminal organization for crimes including human trafficking, child prostitution, drug trafficking, and wildlife trafficking.

Bokeo International Airport began serving international flights in the province on February 5, 2024.