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| Lao People's Democratic Republic ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ | |
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 Emblem
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.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Vientiane |
| Government | Marxist-Leninist socialist state |
• President | Thongloun Sisoulith |
• Vice President | Bounthong Chitmany |
• Prime Minister and General Secretary | Phankham Viphavanh |
| History | |
• Establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2 December 1975 |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 7,749,595 |
Laos, officially, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPRP), is a modern-day socialist country, established in South-East Asia after having achieved independence through its liberation movement led by Kaysone Phomvihane (a figure analogous to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh).[1]
The Laotian constitution states that the LPRP "is a people’s democratic state" defending "the interests of the multi-ethnic people of all social strata with the workers, farmers and intelligentsia as key components."[2]
History
French colonization
Before French colonization, Laos existed as the kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Khao. Laos was annexed by the French in 1893 after a war against the Rattanakosin Kingdom in modern-day Thailand. In 1898, Laos was incorporated into French Indochina.[3]
Laotian Civil War
The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), led by Kaysone Phomvihane, waged a war of liberation against the Kingdom of Laos and its allies, including the United States. During the civil war, the US military dropped 2.5 million tons of bombs on Laos[4]—more than they dropped in all of World War II,[5] killing hundreds of thousands and turning a quarter of Laotians into refugees. 78 million unexploded bombs remained after the war, which still kill or injure 50 civilians every year.[6]
Independence
After liberation, Kaysone would dominate Laotian politics until his death in 1992.[7] In 1986, Laos began the New Economic Mechanism, based on the New Economic Policy of the USSR.[4]
Geography
Laos is a landlocked country and straddled between the tropical monsoon climate which prevails in the Southern half of the country and the temperate and mountainous climate of the North.
Politics
In recent years, the issue of malnutrition is still present in Laos, though the government has made inroads in combating this problem with the help of UNICEF.[8] In addition, Laos has tackled such problems as inequality and poverty in its aim to shed its Least Developed Country Status by 2024. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and as The Laotian Times reports, "Lao PDR’s Human Development Index (HDI) value which is calculated based on the life expectancy, level of education and income per capita of a country’s people, has increased by over 50% since 1990."[9] From 1992 to 2008, the poverty rate decreased from 46% to 28%.[4] Laos is also the only ASEAN member to give up luxury state cars in a move by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to reclaim all Lao leaders' luxury vehicles.[10]
References
- ↑ Andre Barahamin (2017-11-05). "The hero of Laos: Kaysone Phomvihane"
- ↑ Constitution of Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDF)
- ↑ Morgan Artyukhina (2017-09-22). "Mung Lao: A Portrait of The Lao People’s Democratic Republic" Liberation School. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Laos: Building the foundations of socialism" (2018-05-02). Socialist Voice. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
- ↑ Ralph McGehee (1995-10-09). Bombing Laos Archived from the original. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ↑ Rebecca Wright (2016-09-06). "'My friends were afraid of me': What 80 million unexploded US bombs did to Laos" CNN. Retrieved 2021-31-21.
- ↑ Andrew Nette (1996-03-27). "LAOS: Kaysone – Big in Life, Bigger in Death"
- ↑ (October 19, 2018) https://laotiantimes.com/2018/10/19/nutrition-kids-unicef-xepon-laos/
- ↑ (October 30, 2018) Inequality, Disasters Risks to Development as Progress Pushed in Laos: UNDP
- ↑ Yap, Jasmina (February 23, 2017) "Laos Only ASEAN Member To Give Up Luxury State Cars"