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50-680: Within the framework of the French Union, France also granted independence to the other nations in Indochina, the Kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia . The agreement led to the U.S. moving from a position of neutrality to supporting the French colonial empire in their Indochina and Bảo Đại's state. The agreement was compared to the British Commonwealth of Nations , though fell short in many aspects. Vietnam

100-673: A Laotian counterpart of the Viet Minh later Viet Cong . During the civil war, it was effectively organised, equipped and even led by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). They fought against the anti-communist forces in the Vietnam War . Eventually, the term became the generic name for Laotian communists. Under orders from Mao Zedong , the People's Liberation Army provided 115,000 guns, 920,000 grenades and 170 million bullets, and trained more than 700 of its military officers. The political movement of

150-713: A Vietnamese woman while in Vietnam, and solicited Viet Minh aid in founding a guerrilla force. In August 1950, Souphanouvong joined the Viet Minh in their headquarters north of Hanoi , and became the head of the Pathet Lao, along with its political arm dubbed "Neo Lao Issara" (Free Lao Front). The Pathet Lao founded resistance government with members: Souphanouvong (Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs), Kaysone Phomvihane (Minister of Defence), Nouhak Phoumsavanh (Minister of Finance), Phoumi Vongvichit (Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of

200-608: A coalition government. The First Government of National Unity was established in 1958 under Prince Souvanna Phouma , but collapsed after two months. The Prime Minister, who under the constitution appointed his ministers and received advice from the King, made a deal with his brother Prince Souphanouvong . Souvanna Phouma gave the Communists two seats in the Cabinet, and in return Souphanouvong would integrate 1,500 of his 6,000 Communist troops into

250-582: A government at Viengxay in Houaphanh province , northeast Laos. The communists began to make incursions into central Laos with the support of the Viet Minh, and a civil war erupted; the Pathet Lao quickly occupied substantial sections of the country. The 1954 Geneva Conference agreements required the withdrawal of foreign forces, and allowed the Pathet Lao to establish itself as a regime in Laos's two northern provinces. The Viet Minh and North Vietnamese, in spite of

300-665: A program to support the local currency, the kip . King Savang Vatthana visited the United States in 1963 to meet with President Kennedy . Laos was also supported by France , Australia , Burma , Thailand and Japan . In 1960, amidst a series of rebellions, fighting broke out between the Royal Lao Army and the Soviet Union -backed, communist Pathet Lao , a second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince Souvanna Phouma in 1962 proved to be unsuccessful, and

350-479: A sovereign, independent Laos, but did not stipulate who would rule the country. In the years that followed, three groups, led by the so-called Three Princes , contended for power: the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma , the right-wing party under Prince Boun Oum of Champassak, and the left-wing, North Vietnamese -backed Pathet Lao under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane . The Pathet Lao would eventually emerge victorious in

400-832: The Khmer Issarak in Cambodia and the Viet Minh in Vietnam. Originally the Lao Issara , an anti-French, non-communist nationalist movement formed on 12 October 1945, it was renamed the "Pathet Lao" in 1950 when it was adopted by Lao forces under Souphanouvong, who joined the Viet Minh's revolt against colonial French authorities in Indochina during the First Indochina War . Souphanouvong, who had spent seven years in Nha Trang during his sixteen years in Vietnam, met Ho Chi Minh , married

450-595: The Lao People's Liberation Army , was a communist political movement and organization in Laos , formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of Laos in 1975, after the Laotian Civil War . The Pathet Lao were always closely associated and dependent on Vietnamese communists and North Vietnam since their foundation, with the group being established after advice from Hanoi to create

500-508: The Laotian Civil War and establish the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was officially proclaimed when the new Constitution was promulgated in 1947, as part of the colonial French Union , and obtained full independence in 1953. The monarchy lasted until 2 December 1975, when the last king Sisavang Vatthana abdicated the throne to the Pathet Lao , who abolished

550-548: The Paris Peace Accords between the United States and North Vietnam. In April 1974, another Provisional Government of National Unity was established, with Prince Souvanna Phouma as Prime Minister. However, by this time, Pathet Lao forces controlled large areas of the country, and following the fall of Saigon and Phnom Penh to communist forces in April 1975, removed any chances of a coalition government forming in Laos. Following

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600-701: The Royal Lao Army , the Royal Lao Navy , and the Royal Lao Air Force , which was under the control of the Ministry of Defence in Vientiane. The United States supplied the Royal Lao Navy with twenty river patrol boats and sixteen amphibious landing craft. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$ 500 million in military assistance. The Royal Lao Government had close relations with

650-566: The United States , which gave the country aid and assisted it in the campaign against the Pathet Lao and the North Vietnamese Communist movement. During 1957, the United States spent more per capita on foreign aid for Laos than it had on any other nation. That worked out as US$ 150 per Laotian, twice the average person's annual income. Some of the money went to support pro-American candidates in an election, while other money went to

700-637: The Viet Cong insurgency in South Vietnam which became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail . In September 1959, North Vietnam formed Group 959 in Laos with the aim of securing the supply route to South Vietnam and building the Pathet Lao into a stronger counterforce against the Lao Royal government. Group 959 openly supplied, trained and militarily supported the Pathet Lao. The typical strategy during this era

750-619: The communist government of Hồ Chí Minh by the Soviet Union in January 1950, Americans eventually abandoned their policy of neutrality regarding the political dispute in Indochina when recognizing the State of Vietnam of Bảo Đại in February and later giving military aid to the French Union army during the war as part of their anti-communist foreign policy. Meanwhile, China became a great aid provider to

800-565: The 1960s and 1970s the Pathet Lao battled the Royal Lao government during the Laotian Civil War , gaining control of the north and east of Laos. The Pathet Lao gained power throughout the country by early 1975. In December, the US-backed government fell and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party formed a new government. The organization can trace its roots from the Second World War , similar to

850-645: The Ho Chi Minh Trail, with support for the Pathet Lao revolution as a secondary role. In 1968 of the estimated 40,000 PAVN troops in Laos, 25,000 were engaged in supporting the Trail, 700 as advisers to the Pathet Lao and the remainder in mobile units supporting Pathet Lao operations. Publicly the North Vietnamese maintained that they did not have any troops in Laos and were respecting the Geneva Agreement, while

900-667: The Interior), Souk Vongsak, Sithon Kommadam, and Phaydang Lobliayao. This was an attempt to give a false front of authority to the Lao communist movement by claiming to represent a united non-partisan effort. Two of its most important founders were members of the Indochinese Communist Party , which advocated an overthrow of the monarchy as well as the expulsion of the French. In 1953, Pathet Lao fighters accompanied an invasion of Laos from Vietnam led by Viet Minh forces; they established

950-665: The North Vietnamese handed the Americans a list of prisoners of war in Laos which included only nine Americans: seven servicemen and two civilians. U.S. agencies believe that as many as 41 Americans may have been held prisoner by the Pathet Lao. Charles Shelton who was captured on 29 April 1965 was listed as a prisoner by the DOD until September 1994. As of 26 July 2019 the DOD's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency listed 286 Americans as missing in Laos, of which 263 were classified as further pursuit, 12 deferred and 11 non-recoverable. Shortly after

1000-567: The PAVN for the supply of weapons and munitions and were generally outgunned by the RLA. In May 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division invasion of Laos. The Pathet Lao effectively served as an auxiliary force to the PAVN. In June 1969 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched Campaign Toan Thang , their first wet season offensive. Even though US air bombardments contributed to the majority of PAVN/Pathet casualties,

1050-661: The Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the Pathet Lao and the government of Laos signed a cease-fire agreement, the Vientiane Treaty , on 21 February 1973. On 4 April 1974 the Provisional Government of National Union (PGNU) was formed in Laos. In December 1974, the Pathet Lao killed Charles Dean and Neil Sharman , backpackers who were captured near Vientiane. The peace envisaged by

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1100-432: The Pathet Lao abandoned the coalition and resumed fighting. By the mid-1960s, the country had fallen into proxy warfare between pro-US and pro-North Vietnamese irregular military groups. The PAVN/Pathet Lao battled the RLA, US irregular forces (including Air America and other contract employees and Hmong commandos ) and Thai volunteer forces in Laos winning effective control in the north and east. The government itself

1150-535: The Pathet Lao fight the Royal Lao Army. The attack resulted in the army largely demobilizing, leaving the conflict to irregular forces raised by the United States and Thailand. Massive aerial bombardment against Pathet Lao and PAVN forces was carried out by the United States. It has been reported that Laos was hit by an average of one B-52 bombload every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, between 1964 and 1973. US bombers dropped more ordnance on Laos in this period than

1200-429: The Pathet Lao signed an agreement with Vietnam that allowed Vietnam to station part of its army in the country and to send political and economic advisors into Laos. Vietnam afterward forced Laos to cut any remaining economic ties to its other neighbours, including Thailand and Cambodia. After the Pathet Lao took over the country in 1975, the conflict continued in isolated pockets. In 1977, a communist newspaper promised

1250-454: The Pathet Lao was called first the "Lao People's Party" (1955–1972) and later the " Lao People's Revolutionary Party " (1972–present). Key Pathet Lao leaders include Prince Souphanouvong , Kaysone Phomvihane , Phoumi Vongvichit , Nouhak Phoumsavanh and Khamtay Siphandone . The political wing of the Pathet Lao, called the " Lao Patriotic Front " ( Lao : Neo Lao Hak Xat ) served in multiple coalition governments, starting in 1956. Through

1300-534: The Plain of Jars and shelling Long Tieng , the base of Vang Pao 's RLA aligned army before withdrawing. On 28 October 1972 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched Campaign 972 scoring a series of victories over the war-weary RLA forces. With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on 27 January 1973 all U.S. prisoners were to be released under Operation Homecoming . The United States Department of Defense (DOD) listed 311 Americans as missing in Laos, however on 1 February 1973

1350-543: The RLA were unable to match the numerical strength of the PAVN/Pathet Lao forces, and the RLA took heavy losses. In September 1969 the RLA attacked PAVN/Pathet Lao positions on the Plain of Jars and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. While initially successful, the RLA forces were eventually pushed back by the PAVN/Pathet Lao Campaign 139 . On 2 February 1971 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched Campaign 74B temporarily capturing

1400-486: The United States and its allies were violating it; the United States asserted the exact opposite. The Pathet Lao supreme headquarters or center was located in the Viengxay caves near Xam Neua manned by approximately 500 personnel. NLHS membership was estimated as being 11,000 in 1965 and 14,000 in 1978. In October 1965 the armed forces were renamed the Lao People's Liberation Army (LPLA). The LPLA's estimated strength

1450-457: The United States initiated a bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese positions, supported regular and irregular anticommunist forces in Laos, including those led by Hmong General Vang Pao , and supported Army of the Republic of Vietnam incursions into Laos. It also provided supplies, training and funding for the central government. In 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division attack to help

1500-650: The Vientiane Treaty lasted only two years. The Pathet Lao refused to disarm and the PAVN did not leave the country. In late February 1975, the Pathet Lao, with PAVN assistance, began attacking government strongholds on the Plain of Jars. With the fall of the Cambodian government to the Khmer Rouge on 17 April and the fall of the South Vietnamese government to the PAVN on 30 April 1975 the non-communist elements of

1550-511: The agreement, never really withdrew from the border areas of Laos and the Pathet Lao continued to operate almost as a branch organization of the Viet Minh. Two months after the conference, the North Vietnamese formed Group 100 with headquarters at Na Mèo . The unit effectively controlled and directed the Pathet Lao movement. It was formed into an official party, the Lao Patriotic Front (Neo Lao Hak Sat (NLHS)), in 1956. Its stated goal

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1600-464: The communist victories in both countries, they advanced on to Vientiane. On 2 December 1975 in Vientiane, Prince Vong Savang submitted the letter of abdication of King Savang Vatthana to the Pathet Lao. The Lao People's Democratic Republic was established with Prince Souphanouvong as President . Kaysone Phomvihane acted as Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party . About 30,000 to 40,000 citizens and members of

1650-676: The communists in Vietnam. Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was the form of government in Laos from 1947 to 1975. Located in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula , it was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. The country was governed as a constitutional monarchy beginning with its independence on 22 October 1953. It survived until December 1975, when its last king, Sisavang Vatthana , surrendered

1700-577: The kingdom and proclaimed Laos as a communist state . Following the Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953, which gave Laos independence, the Royal Lao Government took control of the country. This treaty established a constitutional monarchy, with Sisavang Vong as King and Prince Souvanna Phouma as Prime Minister . Many attempts were made by the Three Princes and King Sisavang Vatthana to establish

1750-547: The name of Việt Minh , the Elysée Accords had the opposite effect - showing Vietnamese nationalists that the French were unwilling to compromise their interests in Indochina. Ngô Đình Diệm , a conservative and anti-communist nationalist who initially supported Bao Dai, rejected an offer of Prime Minister in the new Vietnam, saying "The national aspirations of the Vietnamese people will be satisfied only when our nation obtains

1800-413: The national government decided that allowing the Pathet Lao to enter power would be better than to have them take it by force. Long Tieng was evacuated in mid-May. On 23 August 1975, Pathet Lao forces quietly entered the capital Vientiane. On 2 December 1975, the Pathet Lao firmly took over the government, abolishing the monarchy and establishing the Lao People's Democratic Republic . Shortly thereafter,

1850-462: The old government, including the royal family, were taken to re-education camps in remote areas of Laos. The King, Queen and Crown Prince all died in captivity. 17°58′N 102°36′E  /  17.967°N 102.600°E  / 17.967; 102.600 Pathet Lao Non-state allies: Non-state opponents: The Pathet Lao ( Lao : ປະເທດລາວ , romanized :  Pa thēt Lāo , lit.   'Lao Nation' ), officially

1900-507: The people were poor because of capitalism and US imperialism. If volunteers were not forthcoming then youth would be drafted, with the draft age of 15, but in many cases conscripts were as young as 12. Training was rudimentary with a greater emphasis placed on political indoctrination than on military skills as the "fighting will" was deemed to be the most important source of military strength. Military units had political commissars down to company level. The LPLA were entirely dependent on

1950-540: The royal army. Prince Souphanouvong was given the post of Minister of Planning, Reconstruction and Urbanization, while another member of the Communist Party was named Minister of Religion and Fine Arts. The legislature of the Kingdom was bicameral. The Kingdom of Laos was divided into five military regions. The Royal Lao Armed Forces were responsible for the defense of the country, comprising three branches of service:

2000-552: The same status India and Pakistan enjoy." On 22 July 1949, the United States State Department declared that the Elysée Accords were developments that realized the aspirations of the Vietnamese people, though the United States did not immediately recognize the new state, much to the disappointment of France. After the loss of China to the Chinese Communist Party on 1 October 1949 and the recognition of

2050-498: The situation steadily deteriorated thereafter as the conflict in Laos became a focus for superpower rivalry. During the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos , the Pathet Lao were backed militarily by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Vietcong . Laos was also dragged into the Vietnam War after parts of Laos were invaded and occupied by North Vietnam for use as a supply route for its war against South Vietnam . In response,

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2100-400: The throne to the Pathet Lao during the civil war in Laos , who abolished the monarchy in favour of a Marxist–Leninist state called the Lao People's Democratic Republic , which has controlled Laos ever since. Given self-rule with the new Constitution in 1947 as part of the French Union and a federation with the rest of French Indochina , the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established

2150-501: Was 25,000 in June 1965, 33,000 in April 1967, 48,000+ in 1970 and 35,000 in late 1972. The LPLA was divided into regular, regional/popular and militia/guerrilla forces. LPLA forces had PAVN advisers assigned to them but were not mixed with PAVN forces. Recruitment into the LPLA was based on appeals to the patriotism of young Laotians who were told that their country was rich in natural resources but

2200-641: Was a strong advocate of the Convention on Cluster Munitions to ban the weapons and assist victims and hosted the First Meeting of States Parties to the convention in November 2010. In 1975, the Pathet Lao, along with the PAVN and backed by the Soviet Union, overthrew the royalist Lao government, forcing King Savang Vatthana to abdicate on 2 December 1975. A ceasefire was finally attained in February 1973, following

2250-509: Was captured but the remainder fled to North Vietnam. Then in July 1959 Lao police arrested 16 Neo Lao Hak Sat members, including seven who had been elected to the National Assembly, on charges of treason. These actions brought about a resumption of fighting. In late 1959, North Vietnam had reoccupied areas of eastern Laos. The area was used as a transit route for men and supplies destined for

2300-466: Was dropped during the whole of the Second World War. Of the 260 million bombs that rained down, particularly on Xiangkhouang Province on the Plain of Jars , some 80 million failed to explode and continue to injure and kill residents to this day. Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the world. Because it was particularly heavily affected by cluster bombs during this war, Laos

2350-438: Was effectively powerless. Until 1968 military operations were conducted by small units, usually of company or at most battalion size. Typically the RLA would be dominant in the wet season from May through October when the PAVN/Pathet Lao were immobilized by the rains and the PAVN/Pathet Lao would dominate during the dry season from November through April. PAVN forces in Laos were primarily focused on supporting and defending

2400-528: Was empowered to control its own finances and the path was paved for the creation of the Vietnamese National Army . Vietnam was granted the right to appoint diplomats to China , Thailand , and the Vatican City , whilst the remainder of Vietnamese foreign policy remained under French control. Whilst intending to prevent further nationalist sentiment in the war against communists who were being in

2450-499: Was for PAVN regulars to attack first but then send in the Pathet Lao at the end of the battle to claim victory. In the early 1960s, more attempts at neutrality agreements and coalition government were attempted, principally the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos signed in Geneva on 23 July 1962, but as North Vietnam had no intention of withdrawing from Laos, these agreements all failed. The Pathet Lao entered into another coalition government in June 1962 but by April 1963

2500-458: Was to wage the communist struggle against capitalism , as well as Western colonialism and imperialism . Unstated was its subordination to the Communist Party of Vietnam . A coalition government was established in 1957 between the monarchists and communists. In May 1959 two Pathet Lao battalions which had been selected for integration into the Royal Lao Army (RLA) were surrounded by RLA troops who attempted to disarm them. Part of one battalion

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