Prince Boun Oum (also Prince Boun Oum

Na Champassak The House of Champassak or the Na Champassak family ( lo, ນະ ຈຳປາສັກ; th, ณ จัมปาศักดิ์, ) was an important Lao royal house, descendants of Chao Yuttithammathon (Kham Souk), the 11th King of the Kingdom ...

; lo, ບຸນອຸ້ມ ນະ ຈຳປາສັກ; th, บุญอุ้ม ณ จัมปาศักดิ์; ; 2 December 1912 – 17 March 1980) was the son of King

Ratsadanay King Ratsadanay (1874-1945) was the last king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiq ...

, and was the hereditary prince of Champassak and also

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos The Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, formerly the chairman of the Council of Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the head of government of Laos. The highest position in the government, they direct the ...

from March 1949 to February 1950 and again from December 1960 to June 1962.

Early life

He was born in Don Talad in 1912, the eldest son of Prince Ratsadanay, Prince of Champassak by his fourth wife, Princess Sudhi Saramuni. He was educated at Wat Liep Monastery Sch. and l'École de Droit,

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

. He met Mom Bouaphanh Soumpholphakdy of Kengkok and married in 1943. The couple had six sons and three daughters: Prince Keo Champhonesak na Champassak, Prince Saysanasak na Champassak, Prince Keo Halusak na Champassak, Prince Simoungkhounsak na Champassak, Prince Vannahsak na Champassak, Prince Vongdasak na Champassak, Princess Ninhdasak na Champassak, Princess Keosondarasak na Champassak and Princess Keomanisak na Champassak. He has 11 grandchildren. He succeeded on the death of his father as Head of the Princely House of Champassak, June 1946. in the same time, he renounced his rights in order to establish a unified kingdom, the Kingdom of Laos, on 27 August 1946. He was appointed the President of the Royal Council in 1947. In 1949, he was appointed as Inspector-General of the Kingdom.

Prime Minister of Laos

Sympathetic to the French in Laos, he commanded a force of 15,000 that fought Japanese troops and the

Lao Issara The Lao Issara ( lo, ລາວອິດສະລະ ) was an anti-French, nationalist movement formed on 12 October 1945 by Prince Phetsarath. This short-lived movement emerged after the Japanese defeat in World War II and became the government ...

in the south of Laos. Titular leader of the royalist faction (and one of the

Three Princes of the Kingdom of Laos The Three Princes was a name given to Princes Boun Oum, Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong who represented respectively the royalist, neutralist and communist factions in the Kingdom of Laos in the post-WWII period. The trio were named by King S ...

), he served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from March 1949 to February 1950 and again from December 1960 to June 1962 when The National Assembly installed him by unanimous vote. He retired from politics to pursue business interests from his base in

Pakse Pakse (or ''Pakxe''; French: ''Paksé''; Laotian: ປາກເຊ 'mouth of the river'; th, ปากเซ) is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak, and the second most populous city in Laos. Loc ...

and Champassak but continued to be a major power broker until his exile in 1975, the year the communist Pathet Lao came to power. In 1975 he went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for medical treatment and never returned to Laos. He died in Boulogne-Billancourt, France in 1980 and his ashes are buried at the Cimetiere de Trivaux in

Meudon Meudon () is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees. One of t ...

France, next to his wife Princess Bouaphanh na Champassak (1920–2013).

Honours

National honours

* Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol The Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol, also called the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Umbrella ( lo, ອິສະຣິຍາພອນລ້ານຊ້າງຮົ່ມຂາວ ''Itsariyaphon Lan Sang Hom Khao ...

. * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Laos. * Commander of the Order of Civic Merit of Laos.

Foreign honours

* Knight Grand Cordon of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

, Thailand pecial class * Grand Officer of the

Royal Order of Cambodia The Royal Order of Cambodia ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា; french: Ordre royal du Cambodge) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use ...

. * Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. *

Combatant's Cross The Combatant's Cross (french: "Croix du combattant") is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus (French combat soldiers) of World War I worked toward recognition by the govern ...

(1940). * Croix de Guerre

ith palm and star The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

(1941). *

Medal of French Gratitude The Medal of French Gratitude (french: "Médaille de la Reconnaissance française") was a French honour medal created on 13 July 1917 and solely awarded to civilians. The medal was created to express gratitude by the French government to all t ...

st class(1946). * Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (1946). *

Indochina Campaign commemorative medal The Indochina Campaign commemorative medal (french: Médaille commémorative de la campagne d'Indochine) was a French military decoration established on 1 August 1953 by decree 53-722 to recognize participation in the Indochina War by the member ...

(1954). * Resistance Medal nd class(1945).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oum, Boun 1912 births 1980 deaths Boun Oum Laotian anti-communists People of the Vietnam War Prime Ministers of Laos Pretenders Laotian exiles Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People from Champasak province