Assam's Veerangana commandos take part in a rehearsal for India's Republic Day parade at Khanapara in Guwahati, India January 23, 2017. India celebrates its annual Republic Day on January 26. (Photo by Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters)

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its population was estimated to be around 6.5 million in 2012. A third (33%) of the country's population lives below the international poverty line which means living on less than U.S. $1.25 per day.

India's Central Reserve Police Force personnel take part in a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade on a cold winter morning in New Delhi January 8, 2014. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

A Filipino fan lines up for the One Direction concert Saturday, March 21, 2015 in the suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines. One Direction's “On the Road Again” tour will continue with upcoming performances in Manila, Philippines, and Jakarta, Indonesia, despite the absence of one of its members Zayn Malik, who flew back to London due to “stress”. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

People climb on an artificial ice-wall in Liberec, about 100 km north of Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, January 23, 2015. The wall was prepared in a former quarry just near the centre of the city. (Photo by Radek Petrasek/CTK via AP Photo)

An Indian Army soldier marches next to a tableau during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, January 26, 2016. India celebrated its Republic Day Tuesday, highlighted by a march by different branches of the military as well as a display of arms and missiles. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Indian police women take part in a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in Srinagar January 24, 2015. India will celebrate its annual Republic Day on Monday. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)