DOCUMENT RESUME ED 086 636 SO 006 869 . AUTHOR Whitaker, Donald P.; And Others TITLE Area Handbook for Laos. INSTITUTION American Univ., Washington, D.C. Foreign Area Studies. REPORT NO DA-Pam-550-58 PUB DATE 72 NOTE 346p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402 ($4.50) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$13.16 DESCRIPTORS *Area Studies; Cultural Background; Demography; *Developing Nations; Economic Change; Economics; *Foreign Culture; Foreign Relations; Geography; Governmental Structure; Guides; History; Military Organizations; National Defense; Religion; Social Attitudes; Social Structure; Social Systems; Sociocultural Patterns; Values IDENTIFIERS *Laos ABSTRACT The volume on Laos is one of a series of handbooks prepared by the Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of the American University. It is designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, military institutions and practices of Laos. An objective description of the nation's present society and the kinds of possible or probable changes that might be expected in the future are emphasized. An extensive bibliography, a glossary, and an index are provided. Related documents are ED 080 414 and SO 006 670.(Author) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO OUCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EOUCATION POSITION OR POLICY I I AREA HANDBOOK FOR 1 Pr LAOS OD Co-Authors Donald P. Whitaker Helen A. Barth Sylvan M. Berman Judith M. Heimann John E. MacDonald Kenneth W. Martin..ale Rinn -Sup Shinr. Research and writing were completed June 1971 Published 1972 (This handbook supersedes DA Pam 550.58, June 1967, including all changes. DA PAM 550-5 8 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-600173 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington, D. C. 20402Price $4.50 FOREWORD This volume is one of a series of handbooks prepared by Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of The American University, designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, and military institutions and practices of various countries. The em- phasis is on objective description of the nation's present society and the kinds of possible or probable changes that might be expected in the future. The handbook seeks to present as full and as balanced an integrated exposition as limitations on space and research time permit. It, was compiled from information available in openly published material. An extensive bibliography is provided to permit recourse to other published sources for more detailed in- formation. There has been no attempt to express any specific point of view or to make policy recommendations. The contents of the handbook represent the work of the authors and FAS and do not represent the official view of the United States government. An effort has been made to make the handbook as comprehensive as possible. It can be expected, however, that the material, in- terpretations, and conclusions are subject to modification in the light of new information and developments. Such corrections, additions, and suggestions for factual, interpretive, or other change as readers may have will be welcomed for use in future revisions. Comments may be addressed to: The Director Foreign Area Studies The American University 5010 Wisconsin Avenue, N. W. Washington, D. C. 20016 PREFACE Since the writing of the 1967 edition of the Area Handbook for Laos new information and source materials have become available on the area of Laos controlled by the Lao Patriotic Front (Neo Lao Hak Sat NLHS ). This new information makes it clear that at the time of preparation of this revised handbook the country was in fact a divided one, with divergent ideologies,different economic systems, and two de facto administrations. The current volume is largely a new presentation based upon the realities of the situation in Laos. Some materials, however, have been used from the 1967 edition, which was written by a team headed by T. D. Roberts and which included Mary Elizabeth Carroll, Irving Kaplan, Jan M. Matthews, David S. Mc Morris, and Charles Townsend. A major political development not covered in this edition is the general elections for a new National Assembly held by the Royal Lao Government on January 2, 1972. The NLHS again refused to participate, as it had refused to take part in the general elections of 1965 and 1967, on the same roundsthat the elections were "illegal." Voting, therefore, was confined to Royal Lao Government- controlled areas. Military operations of the Lao People's Liberation Army and the North Vietnamese forces in Laos were continuing in early 1972 at a stepped-up pace both in the northern and southern parts of the country. They were apparently aimed in the north at strengthening their control in the Plain of Jars area; this would further secure the western frontier of North Vietnam and at the same time improve the bargaining position of the NLHS in any political settlement with the Royal Lao Government. In the south the operations were designed to strengthen control of the area traversed by the Ho Chi Minh Trail complex. Important in the economic field was the devaluation by the Royal Lao Government of the official free market rate of the national currency, the kip (see Glossary). The devaluation, from K500 per US$1 to K600 per US$1, took effect on November 8, 1971. Foreign Area Studies expresses its deep appreciation for the assistance and contribution to the present study by Dr. Joseph J. Zasloff, who made a thorough review of the initial materials, and by Arthur J. Dommen, who helpdd greatly to clarify points on which data were incomplete or lacking. The authors are grateful for the special assistance given by Kate Day in providing research materials and to Beth M. Blake for a critical reading of the chapter on social systems. Acknowledgment is also made of the contribution of materials in the early stage of the study by Frank S. Soriano and John 0. Weaver. An appendix, the Geneva Agreement of 1962, around which so many of the domestic and international events associated with Laos have revolved since that date, and a glossary have been included for the reader's convenience. The Gazetteer of Laos (1963), con- taining standard names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names, prepaied by the United States Department'of the Interior, has been used as the basic source for the spelling of Laotian place names; however, accent marks have been omitted for Laotian words. English spellings follow those contained in Web- ster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary. vi COUNTRY SUMMARY 1. COUNTRY: Kingdom of Laos. Landlocked, it borders on Thailand, Burma, People's Republic of China (PRC), Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and the Khmer Republic (Cambodia). 2.GOVERNMENT: Country divided between two rival, de facto political systemsthe Royal Lao Government and the communist-dominated Lao Patriotic Front (Neo Lao Hak Sat NLHS). Royal government area, ruled from Vientiane, was a constitutional monarchy, with the king as head of state and prime minister as head of government (cabinet): legal basis of this government was agreements of 1961 and 1962 by rightist, neutralist, and leftist political groups to form a tripartite coalition. Political situations from the mid-1960s rendered this tripartite framework unworkable. In NLHS area, the rival administration (seated in Samneua) was under the overall direction of the People's Party of Laos (Phak Pasason LaoPPL), a semisecret communist organization that was under strong North Vietnamese influence in political, economic, and military matters. In spite of opposition to the royal government, the NLHS still recognized the authority of the king as head of state and as a symbol of national unity; royal capital at Luang Prabang. 3.POPULATION: Estimated 3,033,000 (mid-1971). Annual rate of growth between 2.4 and 2.5 percent. Population density, thirty- three persons per square mile (sparse for Southeast Asia), chiefly concentrated in valleys along Mekong River basin and tributaries. I Between one-third and one-half total population ethnic Lao (chiefly in lowlands); 10 to 20 percent tribal Tai (living in upland river valleys and plateaus); 20 to 30 percent Lao Theung (Mon-Khmer- speaking hill peoples living on mountain slopest; 10 to 20 percent Lao Sung (Miao-Yao speakers living at altitudes exceeding 3,500 feet). Population in area under Royal Lao Government control approximately two-thirds of total population, primarily ethnic Lao; NLHS area had about one-third of population, 80 percent consisting of minority peoples. More than 10 percent of total population in refugee status in 1971. Strong social and linguistic bonds tie various groups in Laos to ethnically related peoples across international borders. 4.SIZE: 91,428 square miles. Greatest north-south distance, 700 miles; east-west, 275 5. TOPOGRAPHY: North, roughly three-fifths of totalarea mostly rugged mountain terrain, but also contains comparatively large Plain of Jars. Southern two-fifths of country, panhandle- shaped, bordered on east by high Annamite Chain and on west by vii alluvial plains of Mekong River and tributaries. In south also fertile and extensive Bolovens Plateau. Mountains form barriers to easy contact with eastern, northern, and northwestern neighbors. Mekong River acts as connecting link with Thailand. 6.CLIMATE: Monsoon cycle, with wet season May to October, dry season November to April. Most areas receive at least sixty inches of rain per year. 7.LANGUAGES:Official language is Laotian Tai, or Lao, a dialect of Tai language family; also serves as lingua franca for rural people generally.