Across the globe, spies love to gather in inconspicuous dens to meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores the Laotian capital's Five April International Shooting Range and its adjoining hotel.
In the eastern suburbs of Vientiane, the calm capital of Laos on the Mekong, one sometimes hears the dry pop and echo of distant gunfire. The source is to be found halfway between a pagoda and a Chinese cemetery: the Five April International Shooting Range, many of whose patrons stay at the adjoining 36Manor International Sport Hotel.
The shooting range