Prince Sauryavong Savang (22 January 1937 – 2 January 2018) was the youngest son of King

Savang Vatthana Sisavang Vatthana ( lo, ພຣະບາທສົມເດັຈພຣະເຈົ້າມະຫາຊີວິຕສີສວ່າງວັດທະນາ) or sometimes Savang Vatthana (full title: Samdach Brhat Chao Mavattaha Sri Vitha Lan X ...

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

. In 1965, he married Princess Dalavan and they had four children, Sthira Sauryavong, Dayavant Sauryavong, Balavant Sauryavong, and Krishnajina Sauryavong. Control of 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 Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

was seized by

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

forces in August 1975. In November 1975, the Prince escaped from Laos by swimming across the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

river to

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 was head of the Laotian royal family and acted as

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

to his nephew Crown Prince

Soulivong Savang Crown Prince Soulivong Savang ( lo, ເຈົ້າຟ້າຊາຍມົງກຸດຣາຊະກຸມາຣ ສຸລິວົງສ໌ ສະຫວ່າງ; born 8 May 1963), grandson of the last King of Laos Savang Vatthana, is the prete ...

. Prior to leaving Laos, he headed the Office of Crown Properties. He died in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and worked for

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. In September 1997, he and his nephews Crown Prince

and Prince Thayavong Savang initiated a Royal Lao Conference in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

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, over three hundred Lao

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

s and representatives of the

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

community. A

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

was established at this historic meeting between the Lao and

leaders and the Royal Family and it held the common goal to change "the totalitarian regime to a genuine democratic system", and "the reunification of the Lao people". In July 2000, he came under harsh criticism from some quarters after allegedly ordering the Vang Tao raid; he denied prior knowledge of the military attack against the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

government of

. He worked along with other surviving members of the Laos Royal Family such as Prince Mangkra Souvannaphouma, Crown Prince

and Prince Thayavong Savang to establish a

Constitutional Monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

in Laos. He died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on 2 January 2018.

Quotes

* "The fact that the anti-communist fighters called for the return of the Constitutional Monarchy makes an excellent path for the restoration of Liberty, Peace and Democracy in the country." * "Once a dialogue has been established, we can discuss how democracy and freedom should be restored in Laos"

External links

Photographs of Royal Family of LaosPress release of the Lao Royal Family
(Photos)

(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sauryavong Savang 1937 births 2018 deaths Laotian royalty Laotian exiles Laotian anti-communists People from Luang Prabang Sons of kings