From Khmer to Colonial
For much of the last 1000 years the region of Laos has been under the
influence of its South-East Asian neighbors – the Chinese, Burmese,
Cambodians, Siamese (Thais) or Vietnamese – making it difficult for Laos to
move forward as an independent nation.
Laos' earliest people originated from southern China. In the 11th century areas of Laos fell to the Khmer Empire, while other parts fell under
the influence of the Siamese Sukhothai Dynasty. After both the Sukhothai and Khmer empires crumbled in the 14th century,
a new empire was forged by King Fa Ngum – Land of a Million Elephants. Buddhism, practiced in the region since the 7th
century, was declared the national religion and it remains a prevalent part of Laos culture to this day.
By the late 1600s the kingdom had broken down into three sections. Slowly
the Siamese extended control over Laos once again and in the late 19th century, to counter
foreign invasion of their own land, they handed a mass of land that included Laos over to the French.
French Colonial rule defined Laos for over 50 yeas. Little infrastructure
was developed during this time and Lao people continued farming as they
had done for hundreds of years while their rulers traded opium.
In 1953 the French granted sovereignty to Laos. However, instead of unity,
years of civil war ensued between the Vietnamese-backed Pathet Lao
resistance group that had formed in the north and the new French-backed
royal government. By 1962 Laos was unable to form
a stable government and
the war in Vietnam was coming ever closer. Soon Laos was utterly and
illegally embroiled in the Vietnam War,
its people used as pawns by all
sides.
The Secret War
Many of the current problems in Laos stem back to the Vietnam War when
“neutral” Laos bore the brunt of an extremely brutal bombing campaign. It's
estimated that 2 million tons of bombs were secretly dropped on Laos by the
USA, and thousands of innocent villagers died. Bomb raids happened as often
as five times a day for nine years. In addition, USA, China and Vietnam used
northern Laos as a covert battleground. This “dirty” war raged until 1973,
and in 1975 the Pathet Lao finally took control of Laos, forming the Lao
People's Democratic Republic.
Picking up the pieces
In the years following the Vietnam War, Laos was in a state of chaos and
poverty. While foreign aid poured into Vietnam and Cambodia, Laos was
neglected, left with little infrastructure or opportunity to develop.
About 30 per cent of the bombs dropped by the USA lie undetonated in the
fields and villages of Laos to this day. These bombs do explode, and such
incidents injure and kill regularly. Along the Ho Chi Minh Trail bordering
Vietnam, land which was exposed to Agent Orange remains contaminated. The
villages in this area are impoverished, forced to sell off their natural
resources, like timber and minerals, for
a fraction of their real value.
In the rest of rural Laos it has been a struggle to rebuild, break free
of
poverty and forge a sustainable future. Education, health and vocational
opportunities are few. Laos is now receiving foreign aid from many INGOs but
there is still much to be done.
While
Vientiane city is becoming more modern each day, in the rural reaches of
Laos little has changed in 30 years.
Laos is a country of 5.8 million people. It is landlocked by Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar and has
a land mass of 237,000 sq km.
The capital city is Vientiane.
There are 68 ethnic groups in Laos comprising
three main groups; Lao Loum (lowland), Lao Theung (upland) and Lao Soung
(highland). 79 per cent of the population live in rural, mountainous and
river-system regions, while 21 per cent reside in urban areas.
The above information was taken from the Visit Laos website
www.visit-laos.com/sabbaidee
as well as from BBC news, World Press, UNDP and Care International Laos.
