A ceremony was held at Vientiane Station of the China-Laos Railway on August 5 for the first batch of Laotian drivers on the railway who receive the license allowing them to drive the train independently. It was for the first time that a train on the railway was independently driven by a Laotian driver. On behalf of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Laos, Deputy Minister Saysongkham Manodham presented the licenses to the 14 Laotian drivers. Later, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith gave the departure order. At Saleumxay"s order, a fully loaded train, independently driven by a Laotian driver, left the station and headed for Kunming, China. (Bo)