Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Minh's influence over Souphanouvong took its toll on the unity of the Lao Issara, and by May
1949 the rift had become irreparable; Souphanouvong was removed from his post. In July,
France appealed to moderate elements of the Lao Issara by conceding greater authority to
the Vientiane government. The Lao Issara announced its dissolution. As Souvannaphouma,
along with two dozen moderate Lao Issara leaders, returned to Vientiane on board a French
transport plane, Souphanouvong set out from Bangkok on foot for Viet Minh headquarters.
Meanwhile, the leader of the movement, Phetsarath, remained behind, refusing to return to
Laos until 1957, when his title of viceroy was finally restored by the king.
The Pathet Lao
When Souphanouvong arrived at Viet Minh headquarters in Tonkin in late 1949, he was
warmly welcomed by Ho Chi Minh, who had ambitious plans for him. Souphanouvong, who
sought only arms and money, also received some advice from Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary
Vietnamese general who would later defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu. In the course of the
meeting, Giap told Souphanouvong to keep away from towns, saying “Remember, those who
rule the countryside rule the country.”
While the moderate members of the dissolved Lao Issara joined the new
Royal Lao
Government
(RLG) in 1950, Souphanouvong founded his own government, which saw itself
as the successor to the Lao Issara. In August 1950, in a far corner of northern Laos, Souphan-
ouvong presided over the
First Resistance Congress
, which was supervised by the Viet
Minh. The Congress adopted a twelve-point manifesto, at the bottom of which appeared the
notation “
Pathet Lao
”, literally “the Land of the Lao”. This became the name by which his
resistance group was to be known. The manifesto called for a truly independent and unified
Laos to be governed by a coalition government with the RLG, and the Pathet Lao pledged
cooperation with the Vietnamese and Khmer in the common struggle against the French.
The Pathet Lao then focused on recruiting members in northern and eastern Laos. Cadres
moved into remote villages, promoting literacy, building schools and organizing village mi-
litias. Kaysone Phomvihane directed the Committee for the Organization of the Party, which
recruited new cadres, until the
Lao People's Party
was formally established in 1955.
The First Indochina War
By the early 1950s, the
First Indochina War
had engulfed the region. Chinese military aid
flowed to the Viet Minh, while the US, smarting from the fall of China to the communists,
supported France. After the routing of the nationalists in China and the outbreak of the
Korean War, the French could portray, with greater success, their struggle against the Viet
Minh not as a colonial war but as a fight in defence of the “Free World”.
