Katay Don Sasorith (July 12, 1904 – December 29, 1959) was a Laotian nationalist, politician, author, and the 8th

Prime Minister 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 ...

(October 25, 1954 – March 21, 1956). After working as a civil servant, Katay became chief spokesman of the national resistance movement against the Japanese and then the French, during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He held a post as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

in the provisional government, but had to join the government in exile in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. He published a newspaper under the pseudonym William Rabbit (Katay meaning rabbit). After returning to Vientiane in 1949, he was appointed as the

from 1951 to 1954. Katay was elected prime minister in 1954. In that position, he managed to play on U.S. fears of the

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

invading Laos to get substantial aid for his country. He was succeeded in 1956 by prince

Souvanna Phouma Prince Souvanna Phouma (; 7 October 1901 – 10 January 1984) was the leader of the neutralist faction and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos several times (1951–1954, 1956–1958, 1960, and 1962–1975). Early life Souvanna Phouma was the s ...

. Katay Don Sasorith died in

Vientiane, Laos 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 t ...

Works

* ''Contribution à l’histoire du mouvement d’indépendance national Lao'' ("Contribution to the History of the Lao National Independence Movement", 1948) 1904 births 1959 deaths Prime Ministers of Laos Finance Ministers of Laos National Progressive Party (Laos) politicians People from Vientiane {{Laos-politician-stub