Timeline: Laos
A chronology of key events:
1893 - Laos becomes a French protectorate until 1945, when it is briefly occupied by the Japanese towards the end of World War II.
Monks gather outside That Luang, a religious landmark in Vientiane
Originally built in the 16th century, the present edifice dates from the 1930s
1946 - French rule over Laos is resumed.
1950 - Laos is granted semi-autonomy as an associated state within the French Union.
1954 - Laos gains full independence as a constitutional monarchy. Civil war breaks out between royalists and the communist group, the Pathet Lao.
1960s - Laos subject to extensive aerial bombardment by the United States in an attempt to destroy North Vietnamese sanctuaries and to rupture the supply lines known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. It's estimated that more bombs were dropped on Laos than were used during the whole of World War II.
1973 - Vientiane ceasefire agreement divides Laos between the communists and the royalists.

Communist take-over
1975 - The Pathet Lao - renamed the Lao People's Front - seizes power. King Savang Vatthana abdicates - he is later arrested and dies in captivity. The Lao People's Democratic Republic is proclaimed, with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) the only legal political party. Kaysone Phomvihane becomes prime minister. "Socialist transformation" of the economy is launched.
1979 - Food shortages and the flight of hundreds of thousands of refugees to Thailand leads the government to modify its approach. Some private enterprise within agriculture is permitted. Vientiane market: Rice dominates agricultural production
1986 - Encouraged by the Gorbachev reforms in the Soviet Union, Laos introduces market-oriented reforms.
1989 - First elections held since 1975. All candidates have to be approved by the LPRP. Communists retain power.
1991 - Security and cooperation pact signed with Thailand. A new constitution is endorsed. Kaysone Phomvihane becomes president, Khamtay Siphandon becomes prime minister.
1992 - President Phomvihane dies. Siphandon becomes head of the LPRP.
1994 - "Friendship bridge" over the Mekong linking Laos and Thailand is opened.
1995 - US lifts its 20-year aid embargo.
1997 - Laos becomes a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The Asian financial crisis decimates the value of the Lao currency, the kip.
1998 - Khamtay Siphandon becomes president.
2000 - A series of bomb blasts hits the capital - the authorities blame anti-government groups based abroad. Celebrations of 25 years of communist rule take place in Vientiane in December.
2001 March - Khamtay re-elected president.
2001 April - International Monetary Fund approves a new three-year loan for Laos worth $40 million. IMF officials expect the loan to help strengthen macroeconomic stability and reduce poverty "through growth with equity".
2001 April - Parliament introduces death sentence for possession of more than 500 grammes of heroin.
2001 December - UN World Food Programme (WFP) launches three-year initative to feed 70,000 malnourished children in Laos. Mekong irrigates fields, provides fish and transport
At 4,200 km (2,600 miles), world's 12th longest river
Forms boundary between Laos and Burma, and part of Laos-Thailand border Chinese dam-building upstream has led to falls in water level
2001: Mekong - Mother of Rivers
2002 February - Parliamentary elections. All but one of the 166 candidates are from the governing Lao People's Revolutionary Party.
2003 June - Two European journalists and their American translator arrested after making contact with Hmong ethnic group. Pair found guilty of obstructing security forces and briefly jailed.
US-based Lao exile group, the Fact Finding Commission, says the Lao Citizens Movement for Democracy (LCMD) has started a revolution in 11 provinces. The government dismisses the claim.
The LCMD says it has killed three soldiers in clashes. The government denies the claim.
2004 November - As chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), Laos hosts the organisation's summit.
2005 April - World Bank approves loans for Nam Theun Two hydroelectric dam project. Dam is expected to produce electricity for export; critics are concerned about its environmental, social impact.
2005 November - Foundation stone of Nam Theun Two hydroelectric dam is laid.
2006 March - President Khamtay Siphandone steps down as leader of the ruling communists and is replaced by Vice President Choummaly Sayasone.

Country profile: Laos

Laos, one of the world's few remaining communist states, is one of east Asia's poorest countries. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 it has struggled to find its position within a changing political and economic landscape.
Communist forces overthrew the monarchy in 1975, heralding years of isolation. Laos began opening up to the world in the 1990s, but despite tentative reforms, it remains impoverished and dependent on international donations.
OVERVIEW
Thailand is the largest foreign investor in Laos. Whilst this support is badly needed, the dangers of exposing Laos's fragile economy to world trends are clear.
The Asian currency crisis of 1997 caused the national currency, the kip, to lose more than nine-tenths of its value against the US dollar. National day celebrations: Communists proclaimed a republic in 1975 Laos is a landlocked, mountainous country, widely covered by largely unspoilt tropical forest. Less than 5% of the land is suitable for subsistence agriculture, which nevertheless provides around 80% of employment.
The main crop is rice, which is grown on the fertile floodplain of the Mekong River. Vegetables, fruit, spices and cotton are also grown. Part of the region's heroin-producing "Golden Triangle", Laos has all but stamped out opium production.
Outside the capital, many people live without electricity or access to basic facilities. But Laos is banking on the anticipated returns from a billion-dollar dam scheme, intended to generate electricity for export to Thailand, to boost its economy and infrastructure.
Several small bomb blasts in recent years in and around the capital, Vientiane, have suggested that opposition to the ruling party may be growing. But any public dissent is dealt with harshly by the authorities.
The country's human rights record has come under scrutiny. Laos denies accusations of abuses by the military against the ethnic minority Hmong. Hmong groups have been fighting a low-level rebellion against the communist regime since 1975.
FACTS
Population: 5.9 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Vientiane
Area: 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles)
Major languages: Lao, French (for diplomatic purposes)
Major religion: Buddhism
Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 56 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 new kip = 100 ath
Main exports: Clothing, timber products, coffee
GNI per capita: US $390 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain: .la
International dialling code: +856
LEADERS
President: Khamtay Siphandon

Khamtay Siphandon stepped down as head of the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) in March 2006. It was not immediately clear whether he would stay on as president; this would be an unusual step.
Khamtay: Three terms as president
The 82-year-old was replaced as party leader by Vice President Choummaly Sayasone.
The LPRP is the only legal political party in Laos and holds 98 of the 99 seats in the assembly.
Mr Khamtay is a general in the military and was previously prime minister. He oversaw Laos becoming a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 1997.
He was re-elected by members of the National Assembly for his third term as president in March 2001.
Mr Khamtay, who is married and has five children, was born in 1924 in Champassak province.

Prime minister: Boungnang Volachit
Foreign minister: Somsavat Lengsavat
Finance minister: Chansy Phosikham
MEDIA
The ruling party maintains strict control over the media in Laos. The government owns all newspapers and broadcast media. Newspaper circulation figures are extremely low.

Slandering the state, distorting party policies and spreading false rumours are all criminal offences.

The press
Vientiane Times - state-run, English-language
Vientiane Mai - state-run daily
Pasason - party monthly
Television
Lao National TV (TVNL)
Laos Television 3 - joint venture with Thai company
Radio
Lao National Radio
News agency

KPL - official

 

 

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