Word: pathet
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...lastly, there is burly, mustached Prince Souphanouvong. the tough boss of the Communist-backed Pathet Lao rebels who have kept all Laos in turmoil for the past seven years. There is nothing enigmatic about Souphanouvong: he wants to take over Laos with Communist backing...
...countryside rule the country." Prince Souphanouvong, though fuzzy on his Marxism, took the guerrilla lessons to heart. Equipped with a pair of black boots, Viet Minh aides and money, he marched off into the northern Laotian provinces, and in the next three years formed the nucleus of the Pathet...
...time the French surrendered at Dienbienphu and the Geneva Conference declared Laos a neutral state, the "Red Prince" had established Pathet Lao control firmly in the two mountainous provinces of Samneua and Phongsaly...
...most often by Prince Souvanna, were not dedicated nationalists or zealous patriots toughened in a struggle for freedom from their colonialist masters-France had simply handed Laos its independence with chaotic haste in the closing days of its Indo-China disaster. By Geneva's rosy terms, the Pathet Lao were supposed to be integrated into a Royal Laotian Army that was to be trained and equipped by the French. But France, defeated and demoralized, had no interest in doing the job. Leaving behind a few advisers and a republic-style constitution, France quit Laos in 1954 as abruptly...
...please Souvanna, any new government will have to be broad-based, which in Laos means including as many important families as possible, as well as some Pathet Lao, at least in minor positions. To avoid argument over whether Souvanna or Boun Oum is the "legitimate" Premier, both sides would deal through King Savang Vatthana. Any solution is likely to be makeshift. Says one U.S. diplomat: "Laos is going to be a problem throughout our lifetime and longer." But for Laos to be declared neutral is not necessarily an inevitable step toward a Communist takeover. The Pathet Lao, still a tiny...