The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the

Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Post-independence Burma, 1948–1962, Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Kingdom of Cambodi ...

from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the

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

. The Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953 gave Laos full independence but the following years were marked by a rivalry between the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma, the right wing under Prince

Boun Oum Prince Boun Oum (also Prince Boun Oum Na Champassak; lo, ບຸນອຸ້ມ ນະ ຈຳປາສັກ; th, บุญอุ้ม ณ จัมปาศักดิ์; ; 2 December 1912 – 17 March 1980) was the son of King Ratsadanay ...

of Champassak, and the left-wing, Lao Patriotic Front under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister

Kaysone Phomvihane Kaysone Phomvihane ( lo, ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ; 13 December 1920 – 21 November 1992) was the first leader of the Communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 1955 until his death in 1992. After the Communists seized po ...

. During this period, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to establish coalition governments.

Notable members of the RLG

*Prince Souphantharangsi – the secretary general of the royal palace and brother of the king. *Prince

Bovone Vatthana Bovone is an Italian surname A name in the Italian language consists of a given name ( it, nome), and a surname (); in most contexts, the given name is written before the surname. (In official documents, the Western surname may be written before t ...

– former provincial governor and half brother of the king. *Prince Thongsouk – director of protocol of the royal palace and half brother of the king. *Prince

Souk Bouavong A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in the ...

– former provincial governor and minister. * Touby Lyfoung – Deputy Minister of Telecommunications. * Pheng Phongsavan – Minister of the Interior.

First Coalition Government

The First Coalition Government was founded on the basis of the Vientiane Agreements of 1957. It would last until May 1958.

Second Coalition Government

The Second Coalition Government was founded as a condition toward enacting the

International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos is an international agreement signed in Geneva on July 23, 1962 between 14 states, including Laos, as a result of the International Conference on the Settlement of the Laotian Question, which la ...

in 1962. The Royalist defeat at the

Battle of Luang Namtha The Battle of Luang Namtha, fought between January 1962 and May 1963, was a series of clashes in the Laotian Civil War. It came about as a result of the turmoil following Laotian independence as a result of the First Indochina War with France. Th ...

weakened their bargaining position so that they agreed to the coalition.

Aftermath

After the communist takeover in 1975, the communist Pathet Lao government killed members of the Royal Lao family, including: * King Savang Vatthana, * Queen

Khamphoui Khamphoui ( lo, ພຣະອັຄຣະມະເຫສີເຈົ້າຍິງຄຳຜຸຍ/ພຣະນາງຄຳຜຸຍ; 12 July 1912 – 1982?) was the Queen of Laos by marriage to Sisavang Vatthana, the second (and last) King of L ...

, * Crown Prince

Vong Savang Vong Savang ( lo, ເຈົ້າຟ້າຊາຍມົງກຸດຣາຊະກຸມາຣວົງສະຫວ່າງ; 27 September 1931 – 2 May 1978) was the Crown Prince to throne of the Kingdom of Laos. After the Laotian Civil War i ...

, along with other former government officials, civil servants and those suspected of aiding forces that opposed the communist government.Indigenous Peoples' Human Rights – History of the Hmong

Sources

References

* Stuart-Fox, Martin (2008) ''Historical Dictionary of Laos''. Scarecrow Press. ISBNs 0810864118, 9780810864115.

External links

Country Study – Kingdom of Laos
{{Authority control History of Laos (1945–present) Laotian Civil War