Though mining was a major draw for foreign investors into the Lao PDR in the mid-1990s, the Asian economic crisis beginning in 1997 reduced Thailand's demand for fossil fuels, weakening this industry in Laos. Around the same time, the Government issued an amendment to the Investment Law, requiring that all applications for investments involving natural resources have to be approved by the Prime Minister. No foreign investment license has been given in the mining sector since 1999.

The Lao PDR has a plentiful supply of the following natural resources: coal, natural gas, tin, iron ore, gold, and precious stones.

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