Laos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 
18°N 105°E
Lao People's Democratic Republic
- ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ
- Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
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|
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Motto: ສັນຕິພາບ ເອກະລາດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ເອກະພາບ ວັດທະນາຖາວອນ
"Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity" |
Anthem: Pheng Xat Lao
Lao National Anthem
|
|
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Capital
and largest city |
Vientiane
17°58′N 102°36′E |
| Official languages |
Lao |
| Recognised national languages |
French |
| Spoken languages |
|
| Ethnic groups (2005[1]) |
|
| Religion |
Buddhism |
| Demonym |
Laotian
Lao |
| Government |
Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party state |
| • |
General Secretary |
Bounnhang Vorachith |
| • |
President |
Bounnhang Vorachith |
| • |
Prime Minister |
Thongloun Sisoulith |
| • |
Vice President |
Phankham Viphavanh |
| Legislature |
National Assembly |
| Formation |
| • |
Kingdom of Lan Xang |
1354–1707 |
| • |
Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak |
1707–1778 |
| • |
Vassal of Thonburi and Siam |
1778–1893 |
| • |
War of Succession |
1826–8 |
| • |
French Indochina |
1893–1949 |
| • |
Independence from France |
19 July 1949 |
| • |
Declared Independence |
22 October 1953 |
| • |
Laotian civil war |
9 November 1953 – 2 December 1975 |
| • |
Lao Monarchy abolished |
2 December 1975 |
| Area |
| • |
Total |
236,800 km2 (84th)
91,428.991 sq mi |
| • |
Water (%) |
2 |
| Population |
| • |
2014 (Jul) estimate |
6,803,699[2] (104th) |
| • |
2005 census |
5,621,000[3] |
| • |
Density |
26.7/km2 (177th)
69.2/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) |
2014 estimate |
| • |
Total |
US$34.400 billion[4] |
| • |
Per capita |
US$4,986[4] |
| GDP (nominal) |
2014 estimate |
| • |
Total |
US$11.676 billion[4] |
| • |
Per capita |
US$1,692[4] |
| Gini (2008) |
36.7[5]
medium |
| HDI (2014) |
 0.575[6]
medium · 141st |
| Currency |
Kip (LAK) |
| Time zone |
ICT |
| Date format |
dd/mm/yyyy |
| Drives on the |
right |
| Calling code |
+856 |
| ISO 3166 code |
LA |
| Internet TLD |
.la |
| a. |
Including over 100 smaller ethnic groups. |
Laos, (
i Lao:
ປະຊາຊົນລາວ,
Pa Thēt Lāo) officially the
Lao People's Democratic Republic, (Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ,
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao) or commonly referred to its colloquial name of
Muang Lao (
Lao: ເມືອງລາວ,
Muang Lao) is a
landlocked country in the heart of the Indochinese peninsula of
Mainland Southeast Asia, bordered by
Myanmar (Burma) and
China to the northwest,
Vietnam to the east,
Cambodia to the south, and
Thailand to the west.
[7]
Present day Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to the kingdom of
Lan Xang Hom Khao (Kingdom of a Million Elephants Under the White Parasol), which existed for four centuries as one of the largest kingdoms in
Southeast Asia.
[8]
Due to Lan Xang's central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the
kingdom was able to become a popular hub for overland trade, becoming
wealthy economically as well as culturally.
[8]
After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke off into three separate kingdoms—
Luang Phabang,
Vientiane and
Champasak. In 1893, it became a
French protectorate, with the three territories uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after
Japanese occupation, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a
constitutional monarchy under
Sisavang Vong. Shortly after independence, a long
civil war ended the monarchy, when the
Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975.
Laos is a
one-party socialist republic. It espouses
Marxism and is governed by a single party communist
politburo dominated by military generals. The
Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the
Vietnam People's Army continue to have significant influence in Laos. The capital city is
Vientiane. Other large cities include
Luang Prabang,
Savannakhet, and
Pakse. The official language is
Lao. Laos is a multi-ethnic country with the politically and culturally dominant
Lao people making up approximately 60 percent of the population, mostly in the lowlands.
Mon-Khmer groups, the
Hmong, and other indigenous hill tribes, accounting for 40 percent of the population, live in the foothills and mountains.
Laos' ambitious strategies for development are based on generating
electricity from its rivers and selling the power to its neighbors,
namely
Thailand,
China, and
Vietnam, as well as its initiative to become a 'land-linked' nation, shown by the
planning of four new railways connecting Laos to those same countries.
[9] This, along with growth of the mining sector, Laos has been referred to as one of
East Asia and Pacific's fastest growing economies by the
World Bank, with annual GDP growth averaging 7% for the past decade.
[10]
It is a member of the
Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA),
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),
East Asia Summit and
La Francophonie. Laos applied for membership of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997; on 2 February 2013, it was granted full membership.
[11]
According to the anti-corruption non-governmental organisation
Transparency International,
Laos remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This has
deterred foreign investment and created major problems with the rule of
law, including the nation's ability to enforce contract and business
regulation.
[12] This has contributed to a third of the population of Laos currently living below the
international poverty line (living on less than
US$1.25 per day).
[13] Laos has a low-income economy, with one of the lowest annual incomes in the world. In 2014, the country
ranked 141st on the
Human Development Index (HDI), indicating lower medium development.
[14] According to the
Global Hunger Index
(2015), Laos ranks as the 29th hungriest nation in the world out of the
list of the 52 nations with the worst hunger situation(s).
[15] Laos has also had a poor human rights record.
Etymology
The English word
Laos was coined by the French, who united the three Lao kingdoms in
French Indochina in 1893, and named the country as the plural of the dominant and most common ethnic group, which are the
Lao people. (In French, the final "s" at the end of a word is usually silent, thus it would be pronounced "Lao").
[16]
In the
Lao language, the country's name is "
Muang Lao" (
ເມືອງລາວ) or "Pathet Lao" (
ປະເທດລາວ): both literally mean "Lao Country".
[17]
History
Early history
An ancient human skull was recovered from the
Tam Pa Ling Cave in the
Annamite Mountains
in northern Laos; the skull is at least 46,000 years old, making it the
oldest modern human fossil found to date in Southeast Asia.
[18]
Archaeological evidence suggests agriculturist society developed during
the 4th millennium BC. Burial jars and other kinds of sepulchers
suggest a complex society in which bronze objects appeared around 1500
BC, and iron tools were known from 700 BC. The proto-historic period is
characterised by contact with Chinese and Indian civilisations.
According to linguistic and other historical evidence, Tai-speaking
tribes migrated southwestward to the modern territories of Laos and
Thailand from
Guangxi sometime between the 8th–10th centuries.
[19]
Lan Xang
Laos traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang (Million Elephants), founded in the 14th century, by a Lao prince
Fa Ngum,
[20]:223 who with 10,000
Khmer troops, took over
Vientiane. Ngum was descended from a long line of Lao kings, tracing back to Khoun Boulom. He made
Theravada Buddhism
the state religion and Lan Xang prospered. Within 20 years of its
formation, the kingdom expanded eastward to Champa and along the
Annamite mountains in Vietnam. His ministers, unable to tolerate his
ruthlessness, forced him into exile to the present-day Thai province of
Nan in 1373,
[21] where he died. Fa Ngum's eldest son, Oun Heuan, came to the throne under the name
Samsenthai
and reigned for 43 years. During his reign, Lan Xang became an
important trade centre. After his death in 1421, Lan Xang collapsed into
warring factions for the next 100 years.
In 1520,
Photisarath came to the throne and moved the capital from
Luang Prabang to Vientiane to avoid a
Burmese invasion.
Setthathirat became king in 1548, after his father was killed, and ordered the construction of what would become the symbol of Laos,
That Luang.
Setthathirat disappeared in the mountains on his way back from a
military expedition into Cambodia and Lan Xang began to rapidly decline.
It was not until 1637, when
Sourigna Vongsa
ascended the throne, that Lan Xang would further expand its frontiers.
His reign is often regarded as Laos's golden age. When he died, leaving
Lan Xang without an heir, the kingdom divided into three principalities.
Between 1763 and 1769, Burmese armies overran northern Laos and annexed
Luang Phrabang, while
Champasak eventually came under
Siamese suzerainty.
Chao Anouvong
was installed as a vassal king of Vientiane by the Siamese. He
encouraged a renaissance of Lao fine arts and literature and improved
relations with Luang Phrabang. Under Vietnamese pressure,
he rebelled against the Siamese in 1826. The rebellion failed and Vientiane was ransacked.
[22] Anouvong was taken to
Bangkok as a prisoner, where he died.
A Siamese military campaign in Laos in 1876 was described by a British observer as having been "transformed into
slave-hunting raids on a large scale".
[23]
French Laos (1893–1953)
Local Lao soldiers in the French Colonial guard, c.1900
In the late 19th century, Luang Prabang was ransacked by the Chinese
Black Flag Army.
[24] France rescued King
Oun Kham and added Luang Phrabang to the Protectorate of
French Indochina. Shortly after, the
Kingdom of Champasak and the territory of
Vientiane were added to the protectorate. King
Sisavang Vong of Luang Phrabang became ruler of a unified Laos and Vientiane once again became the capital.
Laos never had any importance for France
[25] other than as a buffer state between British-influenced Thailand and the more economically important
Annam and
Tonkin. During their rule, the French introduced the
corvée, a system that forced every male Lao to contribute 10 days of manual labour per year to the colonial government. Laos produced
tin,
rubber,
and coffee, but never accounted for more than one percent of French
Indochina's exports. By 1940, around 600 French citizens lived in Laos.
[26]
During
World War II in Laos,
Vichy France, fascist
Thailand,
Imperial Japan,
Free France, and
Chinese nationalist
armies occupied Laos. On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared
Laos once more independent, with Luang Prabang as its capital but on 7
April 1945 two battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city.
[27] The Japanese attempted to force
Sisavang Vong
(the King of Luang Phrabang) to declare Laotian independence but on 8
April he instead simply declared an end to Laos' status as a French
protectorate. The King then secretly sent Prince
Kindavong to represent Laos to the
Allied forces and
Prince Sisavang as representative to the Japanese.
[27] When Japan surrendered, some Lao nationalists (including Prince
Phetsarath)
declared Laotian independence, but by early 1946, French troops had
reoccupied the country and conferred limited autonomy on Laos.
During the
First Indochina War, the
Indochinese Communist Party formed the
Pathet Lao resistance organisation. The Pathet Lao began a war against the French Colonial forces with the aid of the
Vietnamese independence organisation (the
Viet Minh). In 1950 the French granted Laos semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the
French Union. France remained in de facto control until 22 October 1953, when Laos gained full independence as a
constitutional monarchy.
Independence and Communist Rule (1953–present)
The
First Indochina War took place across French Indochina and eventually led to French defeat and the signing of a peace accord for Laos at the
Geneva Conference of 1954. In 1955, the
US Department of Defense created a special
Programs Evaluation Office to replace French support of the
Royal Lao Army against the
communist Pathet Lao as part of the US
containment policy.
In 1960, amidst a series of rebellions in the
Kingdom of Laos, fighting broke out between the Royal Lao Army and the communist
North Vietnam-backed, and
Soviet Union-backed Pathet Lao guerillas. A second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince
Souvanna Phouma in 1962 proved to be unsuccessful, and the situation steadily deteriorated into large scale
civil war between the Royal Laotian government and the Pathet Lao. The Pathet Lao were backed militarily by the
NVA and
Vietcong.
Laos was a key part of the
Vietnam War since parts of Laos were invaded and occupied by North Vietnam for use as a supply route for its war against the
South.
In response, the United States initiated a bombing campaign against the
North Vietnamese positions, supported regular and irregular
anticommunist forces in Laos and supported
South Vietnamese incursions into Laos.
In 1968 the North Vietnamese Army launched a multi-division attack to
help the Pathet Lao to fight the Royal Lao Army. The attack resulted in
the army largely demobilising, leaving the conflict to irregular ethnic
Hmong forces of the "U.S. Secret Army" backed by the United States and Thailand, and led by General
Vang Pao.
Massive aerial bombardment against the Pathet Lao and invading
People's Army of Vietnam forces were carried out by the
United States to prevent the collapse of the Royal
Kingdom of Laos central government, and to deny the use of the
Ho Chi Minh Trail to attack US forces in the
Republic of Vietnam.
Between 1964 and 1973, US bombing raids made Laos the "most heavily
bombed country on earth," where American B-52s dropped an average of one
bomb-load every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, totalling more ordinance
than was dropped during the whole of
World War II.
[28] Up to 350,000 civilians in Laos died during the
U.S. bombing of Laos.
[29] (Due to the particularly heavy impact of
cluster bombs during this war, Laos was a strong advocate of the
Convention on Cluster Munitions to ban the weapons, and was host to the First Meeting of States Parties to the convention in November 2010.
[30])
In 1975 the
Pathet Lao, along with the Vietnam People's Army, and backed by the
Soviet Union, overthrew the
royalist Lao government, forcing King
Savang Vatthana to abdicate on 2 December 1975. He later died in prison. Between 20,000 and 70,000 Laotians died during the Civil War.
[31][32][33][34]
On 2 December 1975, after taking control of the country, the Pathet Lao government under
Kaysone Phomvihane renamed the country as the
Lao People's Democratic Republic
and signed agreements giving Vietnam the right to station armed forces
and to appoint advisers to assist in overseeing the country. Laos was
requested in 1979 by the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam to end relations with the
People's Republic of China, leading to isolation in trade by China, the United States, and other countries.
In addition to the
North Vietnamese invasion of Laos, by the
Soviet-backed Vietnam People's Army, the post-Vietnam War occupation of Laos continued during the 1970s and 1980s.
The conflict between
Hmong rebels and the Vietnam People's Army of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), as well as the SRV-backed Pathet Lao
continued
in key areas of Laos, including in Saysaboune Closed Military Zone,
Xaisamboune Closed Military Zone near Vientiane Province and Xieng
Khouang Province. From 1975 to 1996, the United States resettled some
250,000 Lao refugees from Thailand, including 130,000 Hmong.
[35] (See:
Indochina refugee crisis)
Geography
Laos map of Köppen climate classification.
Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and it lies mostly between latitudes
14° and
23°N (a small area is south of 14°), and longitudes
100° and
108°E. Its thickly forested landscape consists mostly of rugged mountains, the highest of which is
Phou Bia
at 2,818 metres (9,245 ft), with some plains and plateaus. The Mekong
River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand, whereas
the mountains of the
Annamite Range form most of the eastern border with Vietnam and the
Luang Prabang Range the northwestern border with the
Thai highlands. There are two plateaux, the
Xiangkhoang in the north and the
Bolaven Plateau at the southern end. The climate is tropical and influenced by the
monsoon pattern.
[36]
There is a distinct rainy season from May to November, followed by a
dry season from December to April. Local tradition holds that there are
three seasons (rainy, cold and hot) as the latter two months of the
climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the
earlier four months. The capital and largest city of Laos is Vientiane
and other major cities include
Luang Prabang,
Savannakhet, and
Pakse.
[citation needed]
In 1993 the Laos government set aside 21 percent of the nation's land area for habitat conservation preservation.
[37] The country is one of four in the opium poppy growing region known as the "
Golden Triangle". According to the October 2007 UNODC fact book
Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia, the poppy cultivation area was 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi), down from 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi) in 2006.
Laos can be considered to consist of three geographical areas: north, central, and south.
[38]
Administrative divisions
Laos is divided into 17
provinces (
khoueng) and one prefecture (
kampheng nakhon) which includes the capital city Vientiane (
Nakhon Louang Viangchan). The new province,
Xaisomboun Province, was established on 13 December 2013. Provinces are further divided into
districts (
muang) and then villages (
ban). An "urban" village is essentially a town.
[38]
| 1 |
Attapeu |
Attapeu (Samakkhixay District) |
10,320 |
114,300 |
| 2 |
Bokeo |
Ban Houayxay (Houayxay District) |
6,196 |
149,700 |
| 3 |
Bolikhamsai |
Paksan (Paksane District) |
14,863 |
214,900 |
| 4 |
Champasak |
Pakse (Pakse District) |
15,415 |
575,600 |
| 5 |
Hua Phan |
Xam Neua (Xamneua District) |
16,500 |
322,200 |
| 6 |
Khammouane |
Thakhek (Thakhek District) |
16,315 |
358,800 |
| 7 |
Luang Namtha |
Luang Namtha (Namtha District) |
9,325 |
150,100 |
| 8 |
Luang Prabang |
Luang Prabang (Louangprabang District) |
16,875 |
408,800 |
| 9 |
Oudomxay |
Muang Xay (Xay District) |
15,370 |
275,300 |
| 10 |
Phongsali |
Phongsali (Phongsaly District) |
16,270 |
199,900 |
| 11 |
Sayabouly |
Sayabouly (Xayabury District) |
16,389 |
382,200 |
| 12 |
Salavan |
Salavan (Salavan District) |
10,691 |
336,600 |
| 13 |
Savannakhet |
Savannakhet (Khanthabouly District) |
21,774 |
721,500 |
| 14 |
Sekong |
Sekong (Lamarm District) |
7,665 |
83,600 |
| 15 |
Vientiane Capital |
Vientiane City |
3,920 |
726,000 |
| 16 |
Vientiane Province |
Phonhong (Phonhong District) |
15,927 |
373,700 |
| 17 |
Xieng Khouang |
Phonsavan (Pek District) |
15,880 |
229,521 |
| 18 |
Xaisomboun Province |
Anouvong (Anouvong District) |
8,300 |
82,000 |
|
An updated map of the Laos provinces(from 2014).
|
Environmental problems and illegal logging
Laos is increasingly suffering from environmental problems, with deforestation a particularly significant issue,
[39]
as expanding commercial exploitation of the forests, plans for
additional hydroelectric facilities, foreign demand for wild animals and
nonwood forest products for food and traditional medicines, and a
growing population all create increasing pressure.
The
United Nations Development Programme
warns that: "Protecting the environment and sustainable use of natural
resources in Lao PDR is vital for poverty reduction and economic
growth."
[40]
In April 2011,
The Independent newspaper reported that Laos had started work on the controversial
Xayaburi Dam on the
Mekong River
without getting formal approval. Environmentalists say the dam will
adversely affect 60 million people and Cambodia and Vietnam—concerned
about the flow of water further downstream—are officially opposed to the
project. The
Mekong River Commission, a regional intergovernmental body designed to promote the "sustainable management" of the river, famed for its
giant catfish,
carried out a study that warned if Xayaburi and subsequent schemes went
ahead, it would "fundamentally undermine the abundance, productivity
and diversity of the Mekong fish resources".
[41] Neighbouring Vietnam warned that the dam would harm the
Mekong Delta,
which is the home to nearly 20 million people and supplies around 50
percent of Vietnam's rice output and over 70 percent of both its seafood
and fruit output.
[42]
Milton Osborne, Visiting Fellow at the
Lowy Institute for International Policy
who has written widely on the Mekong, warns: "The future scenario is of
the Mekong ceasing to be a bounteous source of fish and guarantor of
agricultural richness, with the great river below China becoming little
more than a series of unproductive lakes."
[43]
Illegal logging is also a major problem. Environmental groups
estimate that 500,000 cubic metres (18,000,000 cu ft) of logs are being
cut by
Vietnam People's Army(VPA) forces, and companies it owns, in co-operation with the
Lao People's Army
and then transported from Laos to Vietnam every year, with most of the
furniture eventually exported to western countries by the VPA
military-owned companies.
[44][45][46][47]
A 1992 government survey indicated that forests occupied about 48
percent of Laos' land area. Forest coverage decreased to 41 percent in a
2002 survey. Lao authorities have said that, in reality, forest
coverage might be no more than 35 percent because of development
projects such as dams, on top of the losses to
illegal logging.
[48]
Government and politics
The Lao People's Democratic Republic, along with
China,
Cuba and
Vietnam, is one of the world's four or five remaining (North Korea is disputed
[49])
socialist states that openly espouse
Communism. The only legal political party is the
Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The head of state is
President Bounnhang Vorachith, and he is the
General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.
The head of government is Prime Minister
Thongloun Sisoulith,
who is also a member of the Lao Communist Party's Politburo. Government
policies are determined by the party through the all-powerful
eleven-member
Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the 61-member
Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Important government decisions are vetted by the Council of Ministers. The
Socialist Republic of Vietnam maintains significant influence over the Politburo of Laos and the one-party
communist state apparatus and military
[citation needed].
Laos's first, French-written and monarchical constitution was
promulgated on 11 May 1947, and declared Laos to be an independent state
within the
French Union.
The revised constitution of 11 May 1957 omitted reference to the French
Union, though close educational, health and technical ties with the
former colonial power persisted. The 1957 document was abrogated on 3
December 1975, when a communist People's Republic was proclaimed. A new
constitution was adopted in 1991 and enshrined a "leading role" for the
LPRP. In 1990, deputy minister for science & technology
Thongsouk Saysangkhi resigned from the government and party, calling for political reform. He died in captivity in 1998.
[50]
In 1992 elections were held for a new 85-seat
National Assembly
with members, nominated by the one-party communist government, elected
by secret ballot to five-year terms. The elections were widely disputed
and questioned by Lao and Hmong opposition and dissident groups abroad
and in Laos and Thailand. This National Assembly, which essentially acts
as a
rubber stamp
for the LPRP, approves all new laws, although the executive branch
retains authority to issue binding decrees. The most recent elections
took place in April 2011. The assembly was expanded to 99 members in
1997, to 115 members in 2006 and finally to 132 members during the 2011
elections.
[citation needed]
Military
The Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) are small, poorly funded, and
ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal
security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent and opposition
groups; with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government,
the
Lao People's Army
(LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery and, as such, is expected
to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies.
The LPA has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks;
there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains
strong ties with the neighbouring Vietnamese military (2008)
[citation needed].
The army of 130,000 is equipped with 25 main battle tanks. The army
marine section, equipped with 16 patrol crafts, has 600 personnel. The
air force, with 3,500 personnel, is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles
and 24 combat aircraft. Militia self-defence forces number
approximately 100,000 organised for local defence. The small arms used
by the army include the Soviet
AKM assault rifle,
PKM machine gun,
Makarov PM pistol, and
RPD light machine gun.
Since its founding, the LPA has received significant support,
training, advisers, troop support and assistance from the Socialist
Republic of
Vietnam and the
Vietnam People's Army.
On 17 May 2014 the Defense Minister, who was also Deputy Prime
Minister, Major General Douangchay Phichit, with other top ranking
officials was killed in a plane crash in the north of the country. The
officials were to participate in a ceremony to mark the liberation of
the Plain of Jars from the former Royal Lao government forces. Their
Russian-built Antonov AN 74–300 with 20 people on board crashed in
Xiengkhouang province.
[51]
Hmong conflict
The government of Laos has been accused of committing
genocide, and
human rights and
religious freedom violations against the Hmong ethnic minority within its own borders.
[52]
Some Hmong groups fought as CIA-backed units on the Royalist side in the
Laotian Civil War.
After the Pathet Lao took over the country in 1975, the conflict
continued in isolated pockets. In 1977, a communist newspaper promised
the party would hunt down the “American collaborators” and their
families “to the last root”.
[53]
As many as 200,000 Hmong went into exile in Thailand, with many
ending up in the U.S.A. A number of Hmong fighters hid out in mountains
in
Xiangkhouang Province for many years, with a remnant emerging from the jungle in 2003.
[53]
In 1989, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the support of the United States government, instituted the
Comprehensive Plan of Action, a programme to stem the tide of
Indochinese refugees
from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Under the plan, the status of the
refugees was to be evaluated through a screening process. Recognized
asylum seekers were to be given resettlement opportunities, while the
remaining refugees were to be repatriated under guarantee of safety.
Hmong girls in Laos in 1973
After talks with the UNHCR and the Thai government, Laos agreed to
repatriate the 60,000 Lao refugees living in Thailand, including several
thousand Hmong people. Very few of the Lao refugees, however, were
willing to return voluntarily.
[54]
Pressure to resettle the refugees grew as the Thai government worked to
close its remaining refugee camps. While some Hmong people returned to
Laos voluntarily, with development assistance from UNHCR, allegations of
forced repatriation surfaced.
[55]
Of those Hmong who did return to Laos, some quickly escaped back to
Thailand, describing discrimination and brutal treatment at the hands of
Lao authorities.
[56]
In 1993, Vue Mai, a former Hmong soldier and leader of the largest
Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, who had been recruited by the US Embassy
in
Bangkok to return to Laos as proof of the repatriation programme's success, disappeared in
Vientiane. According to the US Committee for Refugees, he was arrested by Lao security forces and was never seen again.
[57]
Following the Vue Mai incident, debate over the Hmong's planned
repatriation to Laos intensified greatly, especially in the United
States, where it drew strong opposition from many
American conservatives and some
human rights advocates. In a 23 October 1995
National Review article,
Michael Johns, the former
Heritage Foundation foreign policy expert and
Republican White House aide, labelled the Hmong's repatriation a
Clinton administration "betrayal", describing the Hmong as a people "who have spilled their blood in defense of American geopolitical interests."
[58] Debate on the issue escalated quickly. In an effort to halt the planned repatriation, the Republican-led
US Senate and
House of Representatives
both appropriated funds for the remaining Thailand-based Hmong to be
immediately resettled in the United States; Clinton, however, responded
by promising a veto of the legislation.
In their opposition of the repatriation plans, Democrat and
Republican Members of Congress challenged the Clinton administration's
position that the government of Laos was not systematically violating
Hmong
human rights. US Representative
Steve Gunderson
(R-WI), for instance, told a Hmong gathering: "I do not enjoy standing
up and saying to my government that you are not telling the truth, but
if that is necessary to defend truth and justice, I will do that."
[58]
Republicans called several Congressional hearings on alleged
persecution of the Hmong in Laos in an apparent attempt to generate
further support for their opposition to the Hmong's repatriation to
Laos. Democratic Congressman
Bruce Vento, Senator
Paul Wellstone,
Dana Rohrabacher and others also raised concerns.
Although some accusations of forced repatriation were denied,
[59]
thousands of Hmong people refused to return to Laos. In 1996 as the
deadline for the closure of Thai refugee camps approached, and under
mounting political pressure, the United States agreed to resettle Hmong
refugees who passed a new screening process.
[60] Around 5,000 Hmong people who were not resettled at the time of the camp closures sought asylum at
Wat Tham Krabok,
a Buddhist monastery in central Thailand where more than 10,000 Hmong
refugees had already been living. The Thai government attempted to
repatriate these refugees, but the Wat Tham Krabok Hmong refused to
leave and the Lao government refused to accept them, claiming they were
involved in the
illegal drug trade and were of non-Lao origin.
[61]
Following threats of forcible removal by the Thai government, the
United States, in a significant victory for the Hmong, agreed to accept
15,000 of the refugees in 2003.
[62]
Several thousand Hmong people, fearing forced repatriation to Laos if
they were not accepted for resettlement in the United States, fled the
camp to live elsewhere within Thailand where a sizeable Hmong population
has been present since the 19th century.
[63]
In 2004 and 2005, thousands of Hmong fled from the jungles of Laos to a temporary refugee camp in the Thai province of
Phetchabun.
[64]
These Hmong refugees, many of whom are descendants of the former-CIA
Secret Army and their relatives, claim that they have been attacked by
both the Lao and Vietnamese military forces operating inside Laos as
recently as June 2006. The refugees claim that attacks against them have
continued almost unabated since the war officially ended in 1975, and
have become more intense in recent years.
Lending further support to earlier claims that the government of Laos was persecuting the Hmong, filmmaker
Rebecca Sommer documented first-hand accounts in her documentary,
Hunted Like Animals,
[65] and in a comprehensive report which includes summaries of claims made by the refugees and was submitted to the UN in May 2006.
[66]
The European Union,
[67] UNHCHR, and international groups have since spoken out about the forced repatriation.
[67][68][69][70] The Thai foreign ministry has said that it will halt deportation of Hmong refugees held in Detention Centres in
Nong Khai, while talks are underway to resettle them in
Australia,
Canada, the
Netherlands and the United States.
[71]
For the time being, countries willing to resettle the refugees are
hindered in their immigration and settlement procedures because the Thai
administration does not grant them access to the refugees. Plans to
resettle additional Hmong refugees in the United States have been
complicated by provisions of President George W. Bush's
Patriot Act and
Real ID Act,
under which Hmong veterans of the Secret War, who fought on the side of
the United States, are classified as terrorists because of their
historical involvement in armed conflict.
On 27 December 2009, the
New York Times reported that the Thai military was preparing to forcibly return 4,000 Hmong asylum seekers to Laos by the end of the year:
[72] the BBC later reported that repatriations had started.
[73]
Both United States and United Nations officials have protested this
action. Outside government representatives have not been allowed to
interview this group over the last three years.
Médecins Sans Frontières
has refused to assist the Hmong refugees because of what they have
called "increasingly restrictive measures" taken by the Thai military.
[74] The Thai military jammed all cellular phone reception and disallowed any foreign journalists from the Hmong camps.
[73]
Human rights
Human rights violations remain a significant concern in Laos.
Prominent civil society advocates, human rights defenders, political and
religious dissidents, and Hmong refugees have disappeared at the hands
of Lao military and security forces.
[75] Magsaysay Award-winning Lao activist
Sombath Somphone disappeared at the hands of Lao secret police and security forces in 2012 causing an international outcry for his release.
Ostensibly, the
Constitution of Laos that was
promulgated
in 1991, and amended in 2003, contains most key safeguards for human
rights. For example, Article 8 makes it clear that Laos is a
multiethnic state and is committed to equality between ethnic groups. The Constitution also contains provisions for
gender equality,
freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, and freedom of press and assembly. On 25 September 2009, Laos ratified the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
nine years after signing the treaty. The stated policy objectives of
both the Lao government and international donors remain focused upon
achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.
[76][77]
However, the government of Laos frequently breaches its own constitution and the rule of law, since the
judiciary and judges are appointed by the ruling communist party—an
independent judicial branch does not exist. According to
Amnesty International,
[78] Human Rights Watch,
The Centre for Public Policy Analysis,
and other independent human rights organisations and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), serious human rights violations are ongoing.
[citation needed]
Amnesty International raised concerns about the ratification record
of the Laos Government on human rights standards, and its lack of
co-operation with the UN human rights mechanisms and legislative
measures—both impact negatively upon human rights. The organisation also
raised concerns in relation to freedom of expression, poor prison
conditions, restrictions on freedom of religions, protection of refugees
and asylum-seekers, and the death penalty.
[78]
In October 1999, 30 young people were arrested for attempting to
display posters calling for peaceful economic, political and social
change in Laos. Five of them were arrested and subsequently sentenced to
up to 10 years imprisonment on charges of treason. One has since died
due to his treatment by prison guards, while one has been released. The
surviving three men should have been released by October 2009, but their
whereabouts remains unknown.
[78]
Laos and Vietnamese (SRV) troops were reported to have raped and killed four Christian Hmong women in
Xieng Khouang province in 2011, according to the US-based non-governmental public policy research organisation
The Centre for Public Policy Analysis.
[clarification needed] CPPA also said other Christian and independent Buddhist and
animist believers were being persecuted.
[79][80]
The Centre for Public Policy Analysis,
Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch,
US Commission on International Religious Freedom, the
Lao Veterans of America,
Inc. and other non-governmental organisations (NGO)s have reported
egregious human rights violations, religious persecution, the arrest and
imprisonment of political and religious dissidents as well as
extrajudicial killings, in Laos by government military and security
forces.
[81] Human rights advocates including
Vang Pobzeb,
Kerry and Kay Danes
and others have also raised concerns about human rights violations,
torture, the arrest and detention of political prisoners as well as the
detention of foreign prisoners in Laos including at the infamous
Phonthong Prison in Vientiane. Concerns have been raised about the high-profile abduction of Laotian civic activist and Lao PDR's only living
Ramon Magsaysay Award laureate
Sombath Somphone by Lao security forces and police on 15. December 2012.
Economy
The Lao economy depends heavily on investment and trade with its
neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China.
Pakxe
has also experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand
and Vietnam. In 2009, despite the fact that the government is still
officially communist, the Obama administration in the US declared Laos
was no longer a Marxist–Leninist state and lifted bans on Laotian
companies receiving financing from the
US Export-Import Bank.
[82] In 2011, the
Lao Securities Exchange began trading. In 2012, the government initiated the creation of the
Laos Trade Portal, a website incorporating all information traders need to import and export goods into the country.
Subsistence agriculture
still accounts for half of the GDP and provides 80 percent of
employment. Only 4.01 percent of the country is arable land, and a mere
0.34 percent used as permanent crop land,
[83] the lowest percentage in the
Greater Mekong Subregion.
[84] Rice dominates agriculture, with about 80 percent of the arable land area used for growing rice.
[85] Approximately 77 percent of Lao farm households are self-sufficient in rice.
[86]
Through the development, release and widespread adoption of improved
rice varieties, and through economic reforms, production has increased by an annual rate of five percent between 1990 and 2005,
[87] and Lao PDR achieved a net balance of rice imports and exports for the first time in 1999.
[88]
Lao PDR may have the greatest number of rice varieties in the Greater
Mekong Subregion. Since 1995 the Lao government has been working with
the
International Rice Research Institute of the
Philippines to collect seed samples of each of the thousands of rice varieties found in Laos.
[89]
Morning market in Vientiane
The economy receives
development aid from the
IMF,
ADB, and other international sources; and also
foreign direct investment for development of the society, industry,
hydropower
and mining (most notably of copper and gold). Tourism is the
fastest-growing industry in the country. Economic development in Laos
has been hampered by
brain drain, with a skilled emigration rate of 37.4 percent in 2000.
[90]
Laos is rich in mineral resources and imports petroleum and gas.
Metallurgy is an important industry, and the government hopes to attract foreign investment to develop the substantial deposits of
coal, gold,
bauxite,
tin,
copper,
and other valuable metals. In addition, the country's plentiful water
resources and mountainous terrain enable it to produce and export large
quantities of hydroelectric energy. Of the potential capacity of
approximately 18,000 megawatts, around 8,000 megawatts have been
committed for exporting to Thailand and Vietnam.
[91]
The country's most widely recognised product may well be
Beerlao which is exported to a number of countries including neighbours
Cambodia and
Vietnam. It is produced by the
Lao Brewery Company.
The
Mining industry of Laos
has received prominent attention with Foreign Direct Investments (FDI).
This sector, since 2003-04, has made significant contributions to the
economic condition of Laos. More than 540 mineral deposits of gold,
copper, zinc, lead and other minerals have been identified, explored and
mined.
[92]
Tourism
The tourism sector has grown rapidly, from 80,000 international visitors in 1990, to 1.876 million in 2010.
[93]
Tourism is expected to contribute US$679.1 million to the gross
national product in 2010, rising to US$1.5857 billion by 2020. In 2010,
one in every 10.9 jobs was in the tourism sector. Export earnings from
international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate 15.5
percent of total exports or US$270.3 million in 2010, growing in nominal
terms to US$484.2 million (12.5 percent of the total) in 2020.
[94]
The official tourism slogan is "Simply Beautiful". The main
attractions for tourists include Buddhist culture and colonial
architecture in
Luang Prabang; gastronomy and ancient temples in the capital of
Vientiane; backpacking in
Muang Ngoi Neua and
Vang Vieng; ancient and modern culture and history in
The Plain of Jars region (main article:
Phonsavan);
Laos Civil War history in
Sam Neua; trekking and visiting
hill tribes in a number of areas including
Phongsaly and
Luang Namtha; spotting
tigers and other wildlife in
Nam Et-Phou Louey; caves and waterfalls near
Thakhek; relaxation, the
Irrawaddy dolphin and
Khone Phapheng Falls at
Si Phan Don or, as they are known in English, the Four Thousand Islands;
Wat Phu, an ancient
Khmer temple complex; and the
Bolaven Plateau
for waterfalls and coffee. The European Council on Trade and Tourism
awarded the country the "World Best Tourist Destination" designation for
2013 for this combination of architecture and history.
[95]
Luang Prabang and Wat Phu are both
UNESCO World Heritage sites, with the
Plain of Jars expected to join them once more work to clear
UXO has been completed. Major festivals include Lao New Year which is celebrated around 13–15 April and involves a
water festival similar, but more subdued than that of Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.
The Lao National Tourism Administration, related government agencies
and the private sector are working together to realise the vision put
forth in the country's National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan.
This includes decreasing the environmental and cultural impact of
tourism; increasing awareness in the importance of ethnic groups and
biological diversity; providing a source of income to conserve, sustain
and manage the Lao protected area network and cultural heritage sites;
and emphasising the need for tourism zoning and management plans for
sites that will be developed as
ecotourism destinations.
[96]
Laos is known for its silk and local handicraft product, both of
which are on display in Luang Prabang's night market, among other
places. Another speciality is
mulberry tea.
Infrastructure
Rivers are an important means of transport in Laos.
The main international airports are Vientiane's
Wattay International Airport and
Luang Prabang International Airport with
Pakse International Airport also having a few international flights. The national carrier is
Lao Airlines. Other carriers serving the country include
Bangkok Airways,
Vietnam Airlines,
AirAsia,
Thai Airways International,
China Eastern Airlines and
Silk Air.
Much of Laos lacks adequate infrastructure. Laos has no railways,
except a short link to connect Vientiane with Thailand over the
Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge. A short
portage railway, the
Don Det—Don Khon narrow gauge railway was built by the French in
Champasak Province but has been closed since the 1940s. In the late 1920s, work began on the Thakhek–Tan Ap railway that would have run between
Thakhek,
Khammouane Province and
Tân Ấp Railway Station,
Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam through the
Mụ Giạ Pass. The scheme was aborted in the 1930s. The major roads connecting the major urban centres, in particular
Route 13,
have been significantly upgraded in recent years, but villages far from
major roads can be reached only through unpaved roads that may not be
accessible year-round.
There is limited external and internal telecommunication, but mobile
phones have become widespread in urban centres. In many rural areas
electricity is at least partly available.
Songthaews (pick-up trucks with benches) are used in the country for long-distance and local public transport.
Laos has made particularly noteworthy progress increasing access to
sanitation and has already met its 2015
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target.
[97]
Laos' predominantly rural (68 percent, source: Department of
Statistics, Ministry of Planning and Investment, 2009) population makes
investing in sanitation difficult. In 1990 only eight percent of the
rural population had access to improved sanitation.
[97]
Access rose rapidly from 10 percent in 1995 to 38 percent in 2008.
Between 1995 and 2008 approximately 1,232,900 more people had access to
improved sanitation in rural areas.
[97]
Laos' progress is notable in comparison to similar developing countries.
[97]
This success is in part due to small-scale independent providers
emerging in a spontaneous manner or having been promoted by public
authorities. The authorities in Laos have recently developed an
innovative regulatory framework for Public–Private partnership contracts
signed with small enterprises, in parallel with more conventional
regulation of State-owned water enterprises.
[98]
Demographics
The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the Lao language,
ethnic Lao people, language or customs. It is a political term that
includes the non-ethnic Lao groups within Laos and identifies them as
"Laotian" because of their political citizenship. Laos has the youngest
population of any country in Asia with a median age of 21.6 years.
Laos' population was estimated at 6.5 million in 2012, dispersed
unevenly across the country. Most people live in valleys of the Mekong
River and its tributaries. Vientiane prefecture, the capital and largest
city, had about 740,010 residents in 2008. The country's population
density was 27/km
2.
[99]
![Location of Laos (green)in ASEAN (dark grey) – [Legend]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Location_Laos_ASEAN.svg)
