In their opposition of the repatriation plans, Democratic and Republican Members of Congress challenged the Clinton administration's position that the government of Laos was not systematically violating Hmong human rights. All these changes were partly due to the inflow of foreign capital into the Lao economy in the form of direct investment. [124] Laos may have the greatest number of rice varieties in the Greater Mekong Subregion. The city is the home of the massive gilded stupa, Pha That Luang, a national symbol of Laos. [citation needed], Massive aerial bombardments against the PAVN/Pathet Lao forces were carried out by the United States to prevent the collapse of the Kingdom of Laos central government, and to deny the use of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to attack US forces in South Vietnam. An "urban" village is essentially a town.[58]. As the country opens up, with an increasing number of roads and bridges being built the tourist attractions are becoming more and more accessible. In 2010, one in every 11 jobs was in the tourism sector. Giant Buddha Statue Plan Rankles Residents of Laos' Capital: Report. [77] Pressure to resettle the refugees grew as the Thai government worked to close its remaining refugee camps. The Pha That Luang Temple in Vientiane, Laos. ", "Laos Deputy PM Douangchay Phichit dies in plane crash", "Laos plane crash kills defence minister and senior officials", "Lao Defense Chief Among Plane Crash Victims", "Hmong Leader's Vanishing In Laos Reverberates in U.S.", Reports on results of investigations of allegations concerning the welfare of Hmong refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand and Laos, "Refugee Admissions Program for East Asia", "History of the Hmong Resettlement Task Force", Report on the situation in the Xaysomboun Special Zone and 1100 Hmong-Lao refugees who escaped to Petchabun, Thailand during 20042005, Thailand: EU Presidency Declaration on the situation of Hmong refugees, "Hmong refugees facing removal from Thailand", Deportation of Hmong Lao refugees stopped in last minute, Hmong: UNHCR Protests Refugee Deportation, "Somsanga's Secrets | Arbitrary Detention, Physical Abuse, and Suicide inside a Lao Drug Detention Center", "In charts: How the Philippines fares in Southeast Asia", "Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review: Eighth session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council", "Human Rights Watch Concerns on Laos Submitted in advance of the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue October 2015", "Human Rights Abuses in Laos Must be Tackled Now", "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016", "Free former student leaders arbitrarily detained for 17 years", "Amnesty International Report 2016/17: Laos", "Laos, Vietnam troops kill Hmong Christians", "Laos, Vietnam troops kill four Hmong Christians: NGO", "Two teenagers rescued from forced prostitution in Laos", "Chinese marriage proposals become prostitution nightmares for some Lao girls", "Communism and Capitalism Are Mixing in Laos", https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341793965, "Preparing the Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Nam Ngum 3 Hydropower Project: Financed by the Japan Special Fund", "Briefing note for countries on the 2015 Human Development Report Laos", International Food Policy Research Institute, "UN expert: Lao PDR's economic strategy entrenches poverty", Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, European Council On Tourism And Trade Delegation Visit To Laos-World Best Tourist Destination European Council On Tourism And Trade, "The Lao People's Democratic Republic's Vision for Ecotourism", "China's BRI and its High-Speed Railways to Nowhere", "Focales n 8. The National University of Laos, one of the country's three universities, is located in Vientiane. Other carriers serving the country include Bangkok Airways, Vietnam Airlines, AirAsia, Thai Airways and China Eastern Airlines. When he died without an heir, the kingdom split into three principalities. [135] The European Council on Trade and Tourism awarded the country the "World Best Tourist Destination" designation for 2013 for architecture and history.[136]. Take more wonderful experiences in this Mystery . [141] Laos's progress is notable in comparison to similar developing countries. [47] Between 1964 and 1973, the US dropped two million tons of bombs on Laos, nearly equal to the 2.1million tons of bombs the US dropped on Europe and Asia during all of World War II, making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history relative to the size of its population; The New York Times notes this was "nearly a ton for every person in Laos". Karen J, "House Panel Hears Concerns About Hmong", States News Service, 26 April 1994. [12] Its capital and largest city is Vientiane. [139]:8 Electricity is available to 93% of the population. [171], As of 2018, Laos has three theatres dedicated to showing films.[172]. There is limited external and internal telecommunication, but mobile phones have become widespread. "Muay" comes from the Sanskrit term meaning "to box" but is generally used to describe the unarmed martial art found throughout Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It was not until the arrival of the French in 1893 that the city was revived. This slim paperback by Sam Brier and Phouphanomlack (Tee) Sangkhampone boasts an intuitive, sound-based way to learn the written Lao alphabet and sounds of the Lao language. [130] According to the Global Hunger Index (2018), Laos ranks as the 36th hungriest nation in the world out of the list of the 52 nations with the worst hunger situation(s). English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has become increasingly studied in recent years. The Laos government, through attorney Colin M. Thompson, filed the petition on Monday and also named Lao . Laos's first French-written and monarchical constitution was promulgated on 11 May 1947, and declared Laos an independent state within the French Union. As of 2011[update], Nhn Dn ('The People') and the Xinhua News Agency are the only foreign media organisations permitted to open offices in Laosboth opened bureaus in Vientiane in 2011. [30] He made Theravada Buddhism the state religion, and Lan Xang prospered. Vientiane has a total area of 3,920 square km and an average elevation of 174 m. The city experiences a tropical savanna climate. "Laos refuses to take back Thai-based Hmong refugees", Smith, Philip, Washington, D.C. (12 December 2014), Kyophilavong, Phouphet, et al. [143], The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the Lao language, ethnic Lao people, language or customs. [176][177], Polygamy is officially a crime in Laos, though the penalty is minor. Setthathirath became king in 1548, after his father was killed, and ordered the construction of what became the symbol of Laos, That Luang. He has been General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, a position making him the de facto leader of Laos, since January 2021. [152], Sixty-six percent of Laotians were Theravada Buddhist, 1.5 percent Christian, 0.1 percent Muslim, 0.1 percent Jewish, and 32.3 percent were other or traditional (mostly practitioners of Satsana Phi) in 2010. Layers of Chinese Loanwords in Proto-Southwestern Tai as Evidence for the Dating of the Spread of Southwestern Tai, "Let's hope Laos hangs on to its identity", "Slavery in Nineteenth-Century Northern Thailand: Archival Anecdotes and Village Voices", Creating Laos: The Making of a Lao Space Between Indochina and Siam, 18601945, "Laos Encyclopdia Britannica Overview", "Making More Enemies than We Kill? [139]:8 Songthaews are used in the country for long-distance and local public transport. [179] Only 3.5% of women and 2.1% of men between the ages of 1549 were in a polygamous union as of 2017. The Lao PDR is one of the world's few socialist states openly endorsing communism. Collectively, they are known as Lao Soung or highland Laotians. . Mon-Khmer groups, the Hmong, and other indigenous hill tribes live in the foothills and mountains. [13] Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. [citation needed], Laos's emergence from international isolation has been marked through improved and expanded relations with other countries including Russia, China, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. The Tai-Kadai Languages, ":: Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, R.o.c. [94] Plans to resettle additional Hmong refugees in the United States were stalled by provisions of President George W. Bush's Patriot Act and Real ID Act, under which Hmong veterans of the Secret War, who fought on the side of the United States, are classified as terrorists because of their historical involvement in armed conflict. Additionally, many elite and French-educated Lao immigrated to nations such as the United States and France to escape government persecution. The proto-historic period is characterised by contact with Chinese and Indian civilisations. The stupa is open from 8am-4pm daily (with a one hour break from 12-1) and costs 5,000 kip to enter the inside. Theravada Buddhism has coexisted peacefully since its introduction to the country with the local polytheism. The indigenous Khmers are believed to have been largely displaced or killed during the 11th and 12th centuries, when the Lao people entered the region. Major religion Buddhism. The khaen traditionally accompanied the singer in mor lam, the dominant style of folk music. [1] These earliest human migrants are Australo-Melanesians associated with the Hoabinhian cultureand have populated the highlands . [80] Following the Vue Mai incident, debate over the Hmong's planned repatriation to Laos intensified greatly, especially in the United States, where it drew strong opposition from many American conservatives and some human rights advocates. settlement scattered around a Hindu temple. [109], Laos and Vietnamese (SRV) troops were reported to have raped and killed four Christian Hmong women in Xiangkhouang Province in 2011, according to the US-based non-governmental public policy research organisation The Centre for Public Policy Analysis, which also said other Christian and independent Buddhist and animist believers were being persecuted. [63], Laos is divided into 17 provinces (khoueng) and one prefecture (kampheng nakhon), which includes the capital city Vientiane (Nakhon Louang Viangchan). Laos is a landlocked country on the Indo-Chinese peninsula between Thailand and Vietnam. Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter. It consists of an irregularly round portion in the north that narrows into a peninsula-like region stretching to the southeast. For example, Khammu farmers in Luang Prabang plant the rice variety khao kam in small quantities near the farm house in memory of dead parents, or at the edge of the rice field to indicate that parents are still alive.[162]. The stated policy objectives of both the Lao government and international donors remain focused upon achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. 1353 - Lan Xang (Million Elephants) Kingdom, founded in the 14th century by Fa Ngum. Political power is centralized in the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. "Lao Refugees Return Home Under European Union Repatriation Program", Associated Press Worldstream, 22 11, 1994. 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