The Laos–Thailand border is the international border between the territory of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

and

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 ...

. The border is 1,845 km (1,146 m) in length, over half of which follows the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

, and runs from the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

with

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

in the north to tripoint with

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

in the south.

Description

The border starts in the north at the tripoint with Myanmar at the confluence of the Kok and

Mekong river The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

s, following the latter towards the south-east. It then leaves the river and proceeds overland in a broadly southwards direction over various hill ridges, down to the

Hueang River The Hueang River ( th, แม่น้ำเหือง, , ) is one of the boundary rivers between Thailand and Laos. It originates in the hills of Na Haeo district, Loei Province. Outing there, it flows through Dan Sai, Phu Ruea, Tha Li distr ...

. It then follows this river to the north-east up to the confluence with the Mekong, from where it follows the Mekong for the majority of the border's length. Just north-west of

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 ...

the border leaves the Mekong and then follows the ridge of the

Dângrêk Mountains The Dângrêk Mountains (; km, ជួរភ្នំដងរែក, ; th, ทิวเขาพนมดงรัก, ), also the Dângrêk Range, is a mountain range forming a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand. Geography Despi ...

south the tripoint with Cambodia.

History

From the 1860s

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

began establishing a presence in the region, initially in modern

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, and the colony of

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

was created in 1887. The Lao kingdoms were at this point tributary states of the

Kingdom of Siam Kingdom of Siam may refer to: * Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1351) * Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767) * Thonburi Kingdom (1768–1782) * Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932) * Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and official ...

(the old name for Thailand), however all areas east of the Mekong were annexed to French Indochina in 1893 following the

Franco-Siamese War The Franco-Siamese War of 1893, known in Thailand as Incident of Thai solar calendar#Rattanakosin Era, R.S. 112 ( th, วิกฤตการณ์ ร.ศ. 112, , ) was a conflict between the French Third Republic and the Rattanakosin Kingdom, ...

. In 1902 Siam was forced to cede areas west of the Mekong to France, encompassing the modern province of

Sainyabuli Sainyabuli, ( lo, ໄຊຍະບູລີ; alternatively spelled ''Xaignabouli'', ''Xayaburi'', or ''Xayaboury'') is the capital of Sainyabuli Province, Laos. It lies on Route 4 which along with Route 13 connects it to Luang Prabang, roughly ...

and the western half of Champasak Province. More land was ceded in another treaty in 1904, and again in 1907. A minor treaty in 1926 cleared up the outstanding issue of sovereignty over islets in the Mekong. Following

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

’s

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

of French Indochina in 1940 the ceded areas west of the Mekong and south-western Laos were returned to Thailand, however this arrangement was annulled following Japan's defeat and the pre-war border reinstated. Laos obtained a partial independence from France in 1949, gaining complete independence in 1953, with the boundary then becoming one between two sovereign states. Thailand occasionally made claims on the territories ceded to Laos during the colonial era, with tensions rising following the victory of the Communist

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...

in the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

in 1975. Friendship treaties were signed in 1976 and 1979 in attempt to calm tensions, with both sides recognising the territorial integrity of the other.Brown, MacAlister, and Joseph J. Zasloff. "Relations with Thailand"
''Laos: a country study''
(Andrea Matles Savada, ed).

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(July 1994) However fighting broke out in 1984 over disputed villages adjacent to the frontier in Sainyabuli Province/ Uttaradit Province, and

again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * ''Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

in 1987–88 over a nearby area. A joint committee was established in 1991 which aimed to resolved the dispute peacefully, however discussions dragged on throughout the decade. A joint boundary commission was established in 1997, however its work was suspended in 1998 following the

Asian financial crisis The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...

. As of 2018 border demarcation is still ongoing.

Border crossings

As of 2019, there were 20 permanent border crossings and 29 checkpoints for border trade.

Permanent Border Crossing

Checkpoint for Border Trade

Border crossing open for cross-border local trade only. There are 29 checkpoints for border trade officially recognized by the Ministry of Interior, located in provinces. Entering the opposite country beyond these checkpoints and their associated markets is illegal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laos-Thailand border

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...