What happened in Laos? The officially neutral country became a battleground in the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union, with American bombers dropping over two million tons of cluster bombs over Laos—more than all the bombs dropped during WWII combined. Today, Laos is the most heavily bombed nation in history.
What happened in Laos during the Vietnam War?
The war also went badly in southern Laos, where the CIA recruited, trained, advised, and paid indigenous personnel who were organized into Special Guerrilla Units. Heavy fighting erupted in 1971 for control of the strategic Bolovens Plateau, with Air America providing the essential air transport for the CIA-led forces.
What happened to the Pathet Lao?
On 12 February 1963 Kong Le's second in command, Colonel Ketsana, was assassinated. Shortly afterwards Quinim Polsena and his deputy were also assassinated. The neutralist camp was split with some going over to the Pathēt Lao. Fighting between the Pathet Lao and government troops soon resumed. [citation needed]
What is the history of Laos?
What we know as Laos today was built from an assemblage of different ethnic groups with distinct languages and cultures. A man walks past a 30+ year-old bomb crater in the middle of a village in Laos. Decades-old craters are all over the village. Europeans entered the fray in 1893, when France declared Laos part of French Indochina.
What happened in the year 2008 in Laos?
2008 January - Laos takes steps to become full member of the World Trade Organization. 2008 May - Some 69% of children in Laos lack basic health care, Save the Children charity reports. 2009 March - Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn opens a rail connection over the Mekong river, linking Thailand and Laos.
What happened in Laos during the Vietnam War?
For almost nine years Laos was a battlefield in the armed conflict between neighbouring North Vietnam and the United States. During the war, US forces flew over 500,000 aerial bombing raids over Laos, which were said to aim at gaining control of the Trường Sơn Strategic Supply Route (also known as Ho Chi Minh trail).
What happened in the Laos war?
From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than 2.5M tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing sorties—equal to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years – making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.
What happened in the Laos crisis?
By 1961, Laos was fragmented politically, with three factions vying for control. The United States had thrown its support behind General Nosavan Phoumi, whose forces were engaged in combat with a neutralist force under Kong Le. Soviet aircraft were conducting resupply missions for Kong Le's forces.
What happened Laos 1975?
The North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao eventually emerged victorious in 1975 in the slipstream of the victory of the North Vietnamese army and the South Vietnamese VietCong in Vietnam War. A total of up to 300,000 people from Laos fled to neighbouring Thailand following the Pathet Lao takeover.
Is Laos a US ally?
The Lao PDR and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, ASEAN Regional Forum, Mekong-U.S. Partnership, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and World Bank. The Lao PDR is a member of ASEAN and the United States is a Dialogue Partner.
Why did the US bomb Laos and Cambodia?
In March 1969, President Richard Nixon authorized secret bombing raids in Cambodia, a move that escalated opposition to the Vietnam War in Ohio and across the United States. Nixon believed North Vietnam was transporting troops and supplies through neighboring Cambodia into South Vietnam.
Is Laos still communist?
Independence and Communist rule (1953–present)
Did the US declare war on Laos?
The US never declared war on Laos, but it became the most heavily bombed country in history. Out of 2,858 days from 1964 to 1974, US planes flew bombing missions over Laos on 2,290 days.
Did napalm girl survive?
Though officially titled "The Terror of War," the photo is better known by the nickname given to the badly burned, naked 9-year-old at its center: "Napalm Girl". The girl, since identified as Phan Thi Kim Phuc, ultimately survived her injuries.
Where did US bomb Laos?
U.S. bombers were pummeling communist supply lines on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border, often with little regard for civilian casualties. They dropped an estimated 2 million tons of ordnance during the conflict, making Laos, on a per-person basis, the most bombed nation in history.
How many bombs are left in Laos?
80 millionDecades after the Vietnam War ended, there are around 80 million unexploded bombs left in Laos.
Where is the secret war?
LaosThough the “secret war” in Laos eventually came to light through a 1971 congressional hearing and subsequent media reports, its sheer scale and devastation remain invisible to much of the American public.
What happened to Laos during the Cold War?
Laos, an officially neutral state, became a battleground of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. From 1964 to 1973, the US Air Surveillance dropped two million tons of ordnance on Laos- more than all the bombs dropped during World War Two combined.
What happened to Laos after the Vietnam War?
One hundred and fifty thousand Hmong have fled Laos since their country fell to communist forces in 1975. Displaced from their villages, which were either bombed out or burned by the North Vietnamese and the new Lao communist regime, many Hmong became refugees in their own country.
How much did the US bomb Laos?
From 1964 to 1973, the US dropped more than 2 million tons of bombs on Laos – about as many as there were people in the tiny Southeast Asian nation. More bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War than on Germany and Japan combined during World War II.
Did the US declare war on Laos?
The US never declared war on Laos, but it became the most heavily bombed country in history. Out of 2,858 days from 1964 to 1974, US planes flew bombing missions over Laos on 2,290 days.
Why has Laos been bombed?
American bombers dropped more than two million tons of bombs over the country as part of a covert attempt to wrest power from communist forces. A wall made from bomb casings in Na Kam Peng, also called Bomb Village, in Laos.
How many people died in 1975 in Laos?
By 1975, one-tenth of the population of Laos, or 200,000 civilians and members of the military, were dead. Twice as many were wounded. Seven hundred and fifty thousand, a full quarter of the population, had become refugees—including General Vang Pao himself.
Where is Laos?
Laos is a landlocked country bordered by China and Myanmar to the North, Vietnam to the East, Cambodia to the South and Thailand and the Mekong River to the West.
What was the pathet Lao?
The Pathet Lao was a communist group founded at Viet Minh headquarters in 1950 during the French war. Largely dependent on Vietnamese aid, their leader was Prince Souphanouvong, the “Red Prince.” Born to a prince of Luang Prabang and a commoner, his education in Vietnam led him to become a disciple of Ho Chi Minh and, later, to lead the opposition against his half-brother, Souvanna Phouma, who was Prime Minister of Laos five different times (from 1951-1954, 1957-1958, in 1960 and again from 1962-1972) and preferred a coalition government balancing the Pathet Lao with more conservative forces.
What was the first Lao state?
Fa Ngum founded the first recorded Lao state of “ Lan Xang ,” or “The Kingdom of a Million Elephants ,” in 1353. From 1353-1371, Fa Ngum went on to conquer most of today’s Laos and parts of what is now Vietnam and Northeast Thailand, bringing Theravada Buddhism and Khmer culture from the kingdom of Angkor (in today’s Cambodia) with him.
Why did President Kennedy bomb Laos?
Bombing Laos was seen as a safer means of cutting off communist supply lines into Vietnam before they could be used against American troops.
Where did Fa Ngum conquer?
From 1353-1371, Fa Ngum went on to conquer most of today’s Laos and parts of what is now Vietnam and Northeast Thailand, bringing Theravada Buddhism and Khmer culture from the kingdom of Angkor (in today’s Cambodia) with him.
What was the status of Laos in 1954?
The Geneva Conference of 1954, in addition to dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel, confirmed the status of Laos as an independent state . The nation would be ruled by the Royal Lao Government from Vientiane on the Mekong River. Members of the pro-Communist Pathet Lao would regroup in the northern provinces of Sam Neua and Phong Saly pending integration into the central regime. The French were allowed to maintain a small military presence in the country to train the Royal Lao Army (FAR).
How did the US help Laos?
Between 1957 and 1959, the unstable political situation in Laos led to a growing American presence in the country as the United States increased its support of the FAR. Air America–the name changed on 26 March 1959, primarily to avoid confusion about the air proprietary’s operations in Japan 16–provided essential transportation for the expanding American effort in Laos. The airline’s C-47s and C-46s passed more frequently through Vientiane to fulfill urgent airdrop requests. Blevins also was kept busy, landing throughout the country and making numerous airdrops to isolated FAR posts. He developed an especially close relationship with a CIA case officer who had arrived in October 1958 and who was assigned to support neutralist Capt. Kong Le’s parachute battalion. The case officer frequently called on Blevins to carry personnel and supplies.
Why did Vang Pao organize a Hmong staybehind force?
When fighting broke out in Laos at the end of 1959, Vang Pao had grown concerned that the Hmong were likely to suffer reprisals from the Communists because of the Hmongs’ previous close association with the French. Encouraged by General Phoumi and assisted by a US Special Forces team, he began to organize a Hmong staybehind force on the southeastern edge of the PDJ. If the Communists occupied the Plaine, Vang Pao intended to relocate the Hmong to seven strategic mountaintops surrounding the PDJ and carry on the fight. 26
What helicopters did Air America use in Laos?
It was equally apparent that neither the underpowered H-19s nor the inexperienced Air America rotary-wing pilots could do the job. Both Rousselot and the CIA recognized that better equipment and properly trained pilots were needed to accomplish the mission. Rousselot hired four experienced US Marine Corps helicopter pilots who obtained their discharges in Okinawa to fly the H-19s. Later in the year, the CIA arranged for the Marine Corps to transfer four UH-34 helicopters to Air America to replace the H-19s. 20
What was the French mistake in Indochina?
Gen. Henri Navarre, the French military commander, wanted to lure the Vietminh into a setpiece battle in which superior French firepower could be used to good effect. Among the many mistakes made by the French in placing their troops 220 miles from Hanoi was their miscalculation of the air transport resources needed to keep their isolated forces supplied. Col. Jean-Louis Nicot, head of the French Air Transport Command in Indochina, lacked sufficient aircrews to meet the Army’s demands. Unless additional assistance could be obtained, the French garrison could not be kept supplied. 10
What war did the CAT fight?
CAT also became involved in the French war against Communist insurgents in Indochina. In April 1953, the French appealed to President Eisenhower for the use of US Air Force C-119 transports and crews to fly tanks and heavy equipment to their hard-pressed forces in Laos. “Having such equipment,” the French emphasized, “might mean the difference between holding and losing Laos.” 8
When did the CAT start flying in Laos?
CAT’s permanent presence in Laos began on 1 July 1957, when CAT pilot Bruce B. Blevins brought a C-47 to Vientiane to service a new contract with the US Embassy. Blevins found flying conditions primitive in Laos. At least Vientiane had a pierced steel plank runway and the only control tower in Laos. Elsewhere, he usually landed on dirt strips that had been built to support Japanese fighters during World War II. There were no aeronautical charts available, so he had to use French topographical maps. The only radio aid to navigation in the country was a 25-watt nondirectional beacon at Vientiane that was operated by employees of Air Laos, the country’s commercial airline, who turned it on when it suited them. 15
What was the purpose of the invasion of Laos?
The objective of the two-pronged invasion was the capture of the royal capital of Luang Prabang and of the Plain of Jars. In 9 November the Pathet Lao began its conflict with the Kingdom of Laos thus beginning the civil war and technically the Second Indochina War while the First Indochina War was still going.
What was the objective of the two-pronged invasion of Laos?
The objective of the two-pronged invasion was the capture of the royal capital of Luang Prabang and of the Plain of Jars. In 9 November the Pathet Lao began its conflict with the Kingdom of Laos thus beginning the civil war and technically the Second Indochina War while the First Indochina War was still going.
What percentage of Laos' population was Vietnamese?
Thus there was a nascent movement for independence amid the turmoil. Underlying all this was a strong undercurrent of Vietnamese involvement. Sixty percent of the population of Laos' six urban areas were Vietnamese, with the Vietnamese holding key positions in the civil bureaucracies and the police.
How many people died in the Vientiane bombing?
On 13 December, Phoumi's army began a three-day bombardment of Vientiane. Five hundred civilians and seventeen of Kong Le's paratroopers were killed by the shellfire. On the 14th, a U.S. carrier task force went on alert, and the Second Airborne Brigade stood by to seize selected Laotian airfields.
What was the end of World War 2?
The end of World War II left Laos in political chaos. The French, who had been displaced from their protectorate by the Japanese, wanted to resume control of Laos, and sponsored guerrilla forces to regain control. The Japanese had proclaimed Laos independent even as they lost the war. Though King Sisavang Vong thought Laos was too small for independence, he had proclaimed the end of the French protectorate status while simultaneously favoring the French return. He let it be known he would accept independence if it should occur. Thus there was a nascent movement for independence amid the turmoil.
What was the Laotian Civil War?
The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao (including many North Vietnamese of Lao ancestry) and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War, with both sides receiving heavy external support in a proxy war between the global Cold War superpowers. It is called the Secret War among the CIA Special Activities Center and Hmong veterans of the conflict.
When did the Laotian War end?
Due to the Vietnam War, the Laotian War has been almost forgotten by the majority of people around the world, even in the United States and Vietnam. Twenty-two years following the end of the Laotian War, on 15 May 1997, the U.S. officially acknowledged its role in the Secret War.
Overview
Laotian Civil War (1953–75)
Between 1964 and 1968 the conflict in Laos was essentially between the US-supported government forces and the Pathēt Lao, backed by North Vietnam. The Pathēt Lao in these years was not a real threat to the government. The real problem for the government was corruption and warlordism within the national army. Regional army commanders did not co-operate with each other effectively and spent more time on political manoeuvres than on fighting the Pathēt Lao. S…
Kingdom of Laos
On 27 August 1945 Prince Phetxarāt took charge of Viang Chan from the Japanese, although as Prime Minister of Luang Phrabāng he had no authority outside the Kingdom's borders. The French were already in control of Luang Phrabāng, and with the support of the Prince of Champāsak they were also regaining control in the south. When it became clear that the King would not b…
Communism in Laos
The Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) was founded by Ho Chi Minh and others in Hong Kong in 1930. Its membership was at first entirely Vietnamese, but, as its name indicates, it was given responsibility by the Communist International in Moscow for the whole of French Indochina. During the 1930s it recruited a handful of Lao members, mainly teachers and other middle-ranking civil servants with some western education. In terms of social structure, Laos offered few opportuniti…
Geneva and the first coalition (1954)
The early 1950s saw continuing instability in the Lao government in Viang Chan. The influx of French forces, accompanied by much French and American aid money, fuelled an economic boom, accompanied by high inflation, in the towns, but this did little to benefit the peasant majority. The diversion of funds to military purposes retarded development of fields like health and education. Th…
North Vietnamese invasion (1958–1959)
In December 1958, North Vietnamese Army units crossed into Laos and took by force several villages in Xépôn District. As contrasted to their other occupations, in this instance North Vietnam began flying their flag over the territory and officially announced it was part of Vietnam. Though the government was granted extraordinary powers to deal with the crisis by the National Assembly, …
Failure of neutralism (1960-1964)
Despite its repression of the Pathēt Lao, Phuy's government did not give the right-wingers the sort of power they wanted, and in December Phūmī Nôsavan staged Laos's first military coup. Viang Chan was occupied and Phuy arrested, but Phūmī was forced to back down when the King, at the urging of western ambassadors, refused to appoint him Prime Minister. A compromise was reac…
Communist Laos (1975–1991)
In March 1975, confident that the US no longer had the wherewithal to intervene militarily in Indochina, the North Vietnamese began their final military offensive in South Vietnam, which by the end of April carried them to victory with the fall of Saigon. A few days earlier the Khmer Rouge army had entered Phnom Penh. The Pathēt Lao now knew that victory was within reach, and with the Vietnam war over the North Vietnamese authorized the seizure of power in Laos.
Where Is Laos?
History of Laos
Laos Civil War and The Pathet Lao
The CIA’s Secret Army
The U.S. Bombing of Laos
Air America
Laos Bombing Casualties and Legacy
- By 1975, one-tenth of the population of Laos, or 200,000 civilians and members of the military, were dead. Twice as many were wounded. Seven hundred and fifty thousand, a full quarter of the population, had become refugees—including General Vang Pao himself. Declassified documentsshow that 728 Americans died in Laos, most of whom were working for t...