A post-independence civil war began, which saw the communist resistance, supported by the Soviet Union, fight against the monarchy that later came under influence of military regimes supported by the United States. Laos's first expressway, the VientianeBoten Expressway, parallels both Route 13 and the BotenVientiane railway; the first section from Vientiane to Vang Vieng was opened in 2020, with other sections under construction. A number of Laotian sign languages are used in areas with high rates of congenital deafness.[46]. [79], In 1993, Vue Mai, a former Hmong soldier and leader of the largest Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, who had been recruited by the USEmbassy in Bangkok to return to Laos as proof of the repatriation programme's success, disappeared in Vientiane. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is a city steeped in legend and history. Laos is landlocked (it does not have a coast on a sea or ocean). The Pathet Lao began a war against the French colonial forces with the aid of the Vietnamese independence organisation, the Viet Minh. Asia. [65] [139]:3940, In 2004 the net primary enrollment rate was 84%. [129], In 2018, the country ranked 139th on the Human Development Index (HDI), indicating medium development. His reign is often regarded as Laos's golden age. Paul Lvy, ''Histoire du Laos'', PUF, 1974. The khaen traditionally accompanied the singer in mor lam, the dominant style of folk music. [179] Only 3.5% of women and 2.1% of men between the ages of 1549 were in a polygamous union as of 2017. One of the most problematic economic sectors in Laos is transport. Although some accusations of forced repatriation were denied,[82] thousands of Hmong people refused to return to Laos. [66][67] The incumbent head of government is Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. Bomb Tonnages Dropped on Laos and Cambodia, and Weighing Their Implications", "Fifty years of violent war deaths from Vietnam to Bosnia: analysis of data from the world health survey programme", Politics in Contemporary Southeast Asia: Authority, Democracy and Political Change, Renovation in Vietnam since 1988 a study in political, economic and social change, "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity", "Mekong Divides Different Worlds In 'Golden Triangle', "Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia", "East Asia/Southeast Asia:: Laos The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency", "Laos promotes PM Thongloun as leader of communist party", "OEC Laos (LAO) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners", "Q+A What is the East Asia Summit all about? For example, Khammu farmers in Luang Prabang plant the rice variety khao kam in small quantities near the farm house in memory of dead parents, or at the edge of the rice field to indicate that parents are still alive.[162]. [64] A new province, Xaisomboun province, was established on 13 December 2013. [94] Plans to resettle additional Hmong refugees in the United States were stalled 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. With an estimated population of 760,000 in 2015, the city is also the most populous in the nation. In fact, it feels more like a welcoming village, nestled in a bend of the Mekong River, Vientiane is dotted with temples and quirky, accessible attractions like the Buddha Park featuring surreal statues of the Buddha and the Monk Chat, a monthly opportunity to hang out with, you guessed it, monks. Built on three levels, it symbolises the ascent from earth to heaven. [12] Its capital and largest city is Vientiane. It is evident throughout the country, expressed in language, temples and the arts and literature. [26] Archaeological evidence suggests an agriculturist society developed during the 4th millennium BC. Population 6.7 million. THE government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has petitioned the District Court for the NMI to enforce foreign arbitral awards against Bridge Capital LLC and its principal John Baldwin in the total amount of $5,026,983.98. (Lao: , pronounced Loo-ang pah-bang and also spelled Louangphrabang, is the former capital of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage city. More than 540 mineral deposits of gold, copper, zinc, lead and other minerals have been identified, explored and mined. A coup d'tat in 1960 in the Lao capital, Vientiane, deepened the country's political instability. The Lao League is the top professional league for association football clubs in the country. French is also used in public works in central and southern Laos and Luang Prabang and is a language of diplomacy and of the elite classes, higher professions and elders. In response, the United States initiated a bombing campaign against the PAVN positions, supported regular and irregular anti-communist forces in Laos, and supported Army of the Republic of Vietnam incursions into Laos. [13] Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. [24], An ancient human skull was recovered in 2009 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. [109], Laos and Vietnamese (SRV) troops were reported to have raped and killed four Christian Hmong women in Xiangkhouang Province in 2011, according to the US-based non-governmental public policy research organisation The Centre for Public Policy Analysis, which also said other Christian and independent Buddhist and animist believers were being persecuted. Over the years, Vientiane has experienced civil wars, internal conflicts, and agitations which ultimately led to the freedom of Laos from French rule, and then from monarchial rule in 1975. The city also has a well-developed economy and a thriving tourism sector that attracts a large number of international investors. 4 min. In an effort to halt the planned repatriation, the Republican-led USSenate 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 1977, a communist newspaper promised the party would hunt down the "American collaborators" and their families "to the last root". The attack resulted in the RLA largely demobilising, leaving the conflict to irregular ethnic Hmong forces of the "Secret Army" backed by the United States and Thailand, and led by General Vang Pao. Laos(nume oficial: Republica Popular Democrat Laos) este un stat fr ieire la mare din Asia de Sud-Est, ce se nvecineaz cu Birmania (Myanmar) i China la nord-est, cu Vietnamul la est, cu Cambodgia la sud i cu Thailanda la vest. [149], Hill people and minority cultures of Laos such as the Hmong, Yao (Mien) (Hmong-Mien), Dao, Shan, and several Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples have lived in isolated regions of Laos for many years. [144], Laos's population was estimated at 7.45million in 2020, dispersed unevenly across the country. . Savada, Andrea Matles (editor) (1994) "Events in 1945". [154] Healthy life expectancy was 54 years in 2007. Currently unexploded ordnance (UXO), including cluster munitions and mines, kill or maim approximately 50 Laotians every year. Layers of Chinese Loanwords in Proto-Southwestern Tai as Evidence for the Dating of the Spread of Southwestern Tai, "Let's hope Laos hangs on to its identity", "Slavery in Nineteenth-Century Northern Thailand: Archival Anecdotes and Village Voices", Creating Laos: The Making of a Lao Space Between Indochina and Siam, 18601945, "Laos Encyclopdia Britannica Overview", "Making More Enemies than We Kill? Lao People's Democratic Republic", Asian Migrations: Social and Geographical Mobilities in Southeast, East, and Northeast Asia, "Release of the Global Innovation Index 2020: Who Will Finance Innovation? A new province, Xaisomboun province , was established on 13 December 2013. [114][115][116], The Lao economy depends on investment and trade with its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China. Services and facilities for tourists are adequate in the capital, Vientiane, and in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, but are extremely limited in . The nation's most important government buildings, ministries, departments and foreign embassies are located in Vientiane. Besides, this place is also considered a library containing many ancient books written by hand on palm leaves. [47][52] Laos was requested in 1979 by Vietnam to end relations with the People's Republic of China, leading to isolation in trade by China, the United States, and other countries. From 1975 to 1996, the United States resettled some 250,000 Lao refugees from Thailand, including 130,000 Hmong. Laos, landlocked country of northeast-central mainland Southeast Asia. [141] The authorities in Laos have recently developed an innovative regulatory framework for publicprivate partnership contracts signed with small enterprises, in parallel with more conventional regulation of state-owned water enterprises. It was founded in 1563 and was prompted by fears of attacks from Burma. [81] Debate on the issue escalated quickly. Vientiane, the capital city of Laos in the 1990s. [17][18], The 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, the Lao people. 3, "Through Chaos to a New Order", in, Sanda Simms, ch. 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. His ministers, unable to tolerate his ruthlessness, forced him into exile to the present-day Thai province of Nan in 1373,[31] where he died. Travel over the land is hard. The small nation is bordered by China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. [164] One of the first commercial feature-length films was Sabaidee Luang Prabang, made in 2008. [citation needed], 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. [141] Laos's progress is notable in comparison to similar developing countries. Laos Laos is the only . Some Vietnamese, Laotian Chinese[148] and Thai minorities remain, particularly in the towns, but many left after independence in the late 1940s, many of whom relocated either to Vietnam, Hong Kong, or to France. [citation needed]. Evidence for modern human presence in the northern and central highlands of Indochina, that constitute the territories of the modern Laotian nation-state dates back to the Lower Paleolithic. A Chinese firm's plans to build a 100-meter-high Buddha statue in low-lying Vientiane encapsulate China's outsized . 500 BC - The Plain of Jars, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia, dates from between 500 BC and 500 AD. Pakxe has also experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand and Vietnam. It has failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup, but has participated in minor competitions like the AFC Solidarity Cup and the AFF Championship. Collectively, they are known as Lao Soung or highland Laotians. Pakse. Additionally, many elite and French-educated Lao immigrated to nations such as the United States and France to escape government persecution. settlement scattered around a Hindu temple. Theravada Buddhism has coexisted peacefully since its introduction to the country with the local polytheism. There are some public holidays, festivities and ceremonies in Laos. Government policies are determined by the party through the eleven-member Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the 61-member Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. [96][97] In The Economist's Democracy Index 2016 Laos was classified as an "authoritarian regime", ranking lowest of the nine ASEAN nations included in the study. [13] After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke into three separate kingdoms: Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak. Vientiane (/ v i n t i n / vee-EN-tee-AHN, French: ; Lao: , Viangchan, pronounced [ tn]) is the capital and largest city of Laos.Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. [123] Approximately 77% of Lao farm households are self-sufficient in rice. The main investor is Thailand. Entitled The Rocket, the film appeared at the 2013 Melbourne International Film Festival and won three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. The major roads connecting to urban centres, in particular Route 13, have been significantly upgraded in recent years. The national basketball team competed at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games where it beat Myanmar in the eighth place game.[185]. This slim paperback by Sam Brier and Phouphanomlack (Tee) Sangkhampone boasts an intuitive, sound-based way to learn the written Lao alphabet and sounds of the Lao language. Fa Ngum was born into the royal family in Muang Sua, the capital of a small state ruled by King Souvanna Khampong. The city is Laos' capital and is located along the banks of the Mekong River. Setthathirath became king in 1548, after his father was killed, and ordered the construction of what became the symbol of Laos, That Luang. Overall, the country extends about 650 miles (1,050 km) from northwest to southeast. Area 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles) Major languages Lao, French. The streets are lined with trees, French colonial buildings, street markets, Buddhist temples, and noodle shops. [163] The first feature-length film made after the monarchy was abolished is Gun Voice from the Plain of Jars, directed by Somchith Pholsena in 1983, although its release was prevented by a censorship board. [140], Laos has made particularly noteworthy progress increasing access to sanitation. 900-1300 AD - Most of Laos is subordinate to the Khmer Empire at Angkor. Updated on November 19, 2021. [9] Durante o quarto milnio a.C., frascos de sepultamento e outros tipos de sepulcros sugerem uma sociedade complexa em que os objetos de bronze . 15. English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has become increasingly studied in recent years. Sticky rice is generally preferred over jasmine rice, and sticky rice cultivation and production is thought to have originated in Laos. Giant Buddha Statue Plan Rankles Residents of Laos' Capital: Report By Sebastian Strangio A Chinese firm's plans to build a 100-meter-high Buddha statue in low-lying Vientiane encapsulate China . A second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince Souvanna Phouma in 1962 was unsuccessful, and the situation steadily deteriorated into large scale civil war between the Royal Laotian government and the Pathet Lao. The proto-historic period is characterised by contact with Chinese and Indian civilisations. However, as of 2018, there are approximately 1.9million of Lao's population who could not access an improved water supply and 2.4million people without access to improved sanitation. The mountainous geography of Laos had impeded Laos's ground transportation development throughout the 20th century. For other uses, see, , "Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity", Independence and Communist rule (1953present), The State respects and protects all lawful activities of Buddhists and of followers of other religions, [and] mobilises and encourages Buddhist monks and novices as well as the priests of other religions to participate in activities that are beneficial to the country and people, Sanda Simms, ch. , have been significantly upgraded in recent years 's most important government buildings, ministries, departments foreign. 2013 Melbourne International Film Festival and won three laos capital at the Berlin International Film Festival and three! 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