The Fall of the Kingdom of Laos: Tracking Down the Last King ◆ The Land symbolized by benign Buddhists and elephants Laos
The flag during the Kingdom era featuring three elephants. Indochina Peninsula After 'South Vietnam' (pop. 20 million) and 'Cambodia' (pop. 7 million) were completely communized, came Laos (pop. 3.3 million). In May 1975, the beautiful capital Vientiane was isolated under the total offensive of the Pathet Lao.
◆ May 11, 1975 Major General Koupraith Abhay, Deputy Commander of the Royal Lao Army and Commander of the Vientiane Guard Command (Similar to South Korea's Capital Defense Command) "Your Majesty, I resign today. My ride to Bangkok is waiting, so I'll keep this short. Those people are savage animals. The royal family should flee immediately."
The King responded with a dismissive gesture. "I will not run away. Laos must not have a history of shame."
The Royal Palace of Laos at the time (Located in Vientiane, formerly the French Governor-General's Palace.) (General Koupraith Abhay saluting King Sisavang Vatthana one year prior.)
◆ In 1954, Laos, a colony of French Indochina, gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy.
In August 1950, the communist party 'Pathet Lao' was founded. Pathet Lao started with 500 members, slowly grew in the countryside, and began winning the hearts of the poor masses. They put significant effort into assimilating monks into the popular ideology, converting them to the left.
(Pathet Lao soldier guarding an anti-aircraft gun) A few years later, the Laotian Civil War broke out—a conflict between the Royalists and the communist rebels, the Pathet Lao. The official academic name is the Laotian Civil War (1959–1975).
Neutral Laos suffered from interference from neighboring countries. North Vietnamese troops illegally stationed themselves in Laos, directly supporting the Pathet Lao, while anti-communist regimes in Thailand and South Vietnam supported the Royal Lao Government. Immediately after Laos's independence, the US began supporting the Royal Lao Government and the Royal Lao Army, which had been under French patronage. By 1955, the Eisenhower administration had already decided to initiate economic aid to Laos, alongside the full deployment of military advisors.
◆ Sisavang Vatthana (1907–?) briefly served as Prime Minister under his father in 1951, before ascending to the throne of Laos on October 29, 1959. However, he postponed his official coronation until the civil war ended. Faced with mountains of issues—public health, urban planning, public works, modern education, agriculture, finance, defense, and diplomacy—the new King proactively involved himself in Laotian politics to try and stabilize the political chaos.
(The King during his princehood, wearing a monk's robe) On August 7, 1930, he married Queen Khamphoui and had five children in total.
(Sisavang Vatthana was the only king, unlike his predecessors, who had no concubines and was extremely devoted to his queen.) Queen Khamphoui of Laos, beloved by the Laotian people for her graceful appearance.
As Laos moved from the 1950s into the 1960s, the confrontation between the three factions—the Royalists, the Neutralists, and the Pathet Lao—intensified.
Prince Souvanna Phouma, the "Neutralist," operated in Vientiane and received recognition from Moscow, Soviet Union.
Prince Boun Oum of Champasak in the south was the leader of the right wing, a "pro-American faction" who controlled the cities and railroads and was recognized by the US.
In the north, Prince Souphanouvong led the leftist Pathet Lao, receiving support from North Vietnam and building up the communist insurgency.
◆ When the May 1958 general election results showed significant gains for the communists, the Royalists, with active cooperation from the US, formed the right-wing Committee for the Defense of National Interests (CDNI) on June 17, 1958, to counter the left. The King, who had to protect the 600-year-old monarchy, heavily aligned himself with the CDNI due to royalist instigation. The CDNI harshly suppressed the leftist Pathet Lao, even arresting their leadership, including Prince Souphanouvong, causing the political situation in Laos to deteriorate daily. (Prince Souphanouvong soon escaped prison and returned.)
Military Assistance Advisory Group Laos (MAAG Laos)
The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon
◆ Finally, in April 1961, US President John F. Kennedy signed an order to fully back the Royal Lao Government and establish the Military Assistance Advisory Group Laos (MAAG Laos) in the country. (Meaning if you want to blame US involvement in Laos, the arrow points straight to Kennedy...)
(President Kennedy explaining North Vietnamese infiltration into neutral Laos)
US President Kennedy, the King of Laos, at the White House (USA President John F. Kennedy and King Savang Vatthana) Mediated by JFK, the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed in July 1962. Even after agreeing to exclude foreign interference, at least 5,000 North Vietnamese agents were still operating in Laos. Meanwhile, the US sharply commented that the 35,000-strong Royal Lao Army, which was "'deeply tinged with French color,'" was only good at "'rifle drill' and 'saluting.'"
Royal Lao Army (RLA) Following a series of military coups in Laos in 1964, the Pathet Lao, the Neutralists, and the right-wing forces became completely separated. From this point on, the Pathet Lao rejected all proposals for forming a coalition government or holding general elections, and both sides plunged into full-scale war. The agreement brokered during JFK's tenure also went up in smoke.
(The King of Laos (left) with King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The two royal houses were linked by blood.)
(French President Charles de Gaulle greatly admired and respected the Laotian King's Buddhist devotion.)
◆ Meanwhile, the escalating Vietnam War spread not only between North and South Vietnam but also into neighboring Laos and Cambodia.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail ran straight through Laos, making Laos a major battlefield of the Vietnam War. Lao Special Forces/Royal Lao Army troops fought against the North Vietnamese + Pathet Lao communist rebels, either acting as "road surveillance" teams along the Ho Chi Minh Trail or carrying out large-scale interdiction operations.
They participated in combat alongside the comprehensive operations of US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives and the US Army Green Berets, who had established secret bases in Laos.
(Green Beret members in Laos) The poorly equipped Royal Lao Army (RLA) was constantly overwhelmed just trying to cope with the endless stream of communist offensives pouring out of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
(Maximum extent of Pathet Lao influence)
Countless innocent mountain tribesmen lost their lives, while others were kidnapped by North Vietnamese forces, taken prisoner, forced into labor carrying supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and ultimately died under US Air Force bombing. Most of the mountainous regions of Laos were harsh tropical areas suffering from endemic diseases, lacking running water, electricity, air conditioning, and medical facilities, and dangerous to travel through.
◆ Houmphanh Rattanakhom, rated by the US as one of the competent Lao officers —Served in the Royal Lao Army and CIA special mission units
(After the communist takeover, he was forcibly confined to a re-education camp, where he suffered various tortures and harsh punishments, including crawling through minefields, before finally succeeding in escaping to Thailand.)
Brigadier General Soutchay Vongsavanh (Led Mobile Group 16 (GM 16) and excelled in joint operations with US Green Berets. Destroyed North Vietnamese supplies and barely escaped to the Thai border in 1975, eventually settling in Georgia, USA.)
In its attempt to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail running through Laos, the US conducted massive bombing campaigns for a staggering nine years, dropping over 2.1 million tons of ordnance. As a result, Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.
Royal Lao Army's Cadillac Gage armored car
Royal Lao Air Force 'Dakota' transport plane After the 1973 armistice agreement led to the US withdrawal from Laos, and all US military personnel and assets left, the Royal Lao Army became essentially stuck in fixed positions, unable to move.
Royal Lao Army Airborne
By May 1975, with all neighboring countries communized, the Kingdom of Laos had no means left to resist. Among the Kingdom's ministers and generals, those who could flee did so, and those who remained, remained.
A Japanese eyewitness at the time looked upon the deserted Vientiane, where the Sangha (Buddhist community) once flourished, and lamented, "Wouldn't the empty Forbidden City have looked just like this on the day the Ming Dynasty fell, with only the Chongzhen Emperor left?" Arson was happening all over the city, the Royalist elite were hastily fleeing, and the Royal Air Force pilots—who had so bravely sworn loyalty to the King—committed the disgrace of stealing fuel drums, filling their planes, and flying off to neighboring Thailand.
(The T-28D "Trojan" that flew to Thailand was repainted with Royal Thai Air Force markings.) The Pathet Lao (Lao People's Front), having seized hegemony over the entirety of Laos, executed a deceptive operation by leaving open the possibility of a joint Royalist-Communist government. They continued to employ tactics that stoked nationalist sentiment, successfully tying down key Royalist figures.
(Prince Souphanouvong congratulating 'Pathet Lao' soldiers) ◆ On August 23, 1975, a Pathet Lao victory parade was held in the capital, Vientiane.
(Pathet Lao soldiers entering Vientiane, having commandeered the same model 'Cadillac Gage armored car' shown earlier.)
"We got a full history lesson on the fall of the Lao monarchy, complete with a deep-dive debate on whether Souphanouvong was a proper 'Prince' or just a 'Vice-King relative.' Either way, great tragic history post!"
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