Lethal drinks have been sold for years in this tropical party town... but corrupt police care more about extorting tourists than saving them.

FOR backpackers and gap-year students, the Banana Pancake Trail has become an unmissable part of any trip to south-east Asia. It's named after the breakfast typically served up to foreigners, and of all the stop-offs along the route, one of the most popular is the party town of Vang Vieng, in the heart of communist Laos. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]