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Country : Laos Official name: Saathiaranarath Prachhathipatay Prachhachhon Lao (Lao People's Democratic Republic) |
Historical profile
Between the fourth and eighth centuries, communities along the Mekong river began to form into townships, called muang.
1353 This development culminated in the formation of the Lane Xang (million elephants) Kingdom by King FaNgum and established Xieng Thong, now known as Luang Prabang as capital of Lane Xang Kingdom.
1548–71 During the reign of King Setthathirat, the capital was moved to Vientiane. During this period the That Luang Stupa, a venerated religious shrine and a temple to house the Phra Keo, the Emerald Buddha, were constructed.
1641 A Dutch merchant of the East India Company, Geritt Van Wuysthoff established the first European contact with the Kingdom. Later, Italian missionaries visited.
1893 Laos was put under French administration.
1945 Laos was briefly occupied by the Japanese towards the end of the Second World War.
1950 Laos was granted semi-autonomy as an associated state within the French union.
1954 Laos gained independence and became a constitutional monarchy. Civil war began between monarchists and communists of the Pathet Lao.
1960s Laos was subjected to intensive bombing by the US in its war against the North Vietnamese in one of the worst aerial bombardments in world history.
1973 The Vientiane cease-fire agreement led to renewed divisions between royalists and communists.
1975 The Pathet Lao (the Lao Communist movement) won the civil war. The Lao People's Democratic Republic (LDPR) was proclaimed by a National Congress of People's Representatives. Pathet Lao was renamed the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), which became the sole legal political party. Kaysone Phomvihane was appointed prime minister and began a policy of socialist transformation of the economy.
1979 The government modified its approach following widespread food shortages and an exodus of Laotian refugees to Thailand.
1986 Laos introduced market reforms, encouraged by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1989 The first elections since 1975 were held, although all candidates had to be vetted by the LPRP. The LPRP retained power.
1991 A security and co-operation pact was signed with Thailand. A new constitution was promulgated. Kaysone Phomvihane became president and General Khamtai Siphandon became prime minister.
1992 President Phomvihane died. Siphandon became head of the LPRP.
1995 The US lifted its 20-year aid embargo.
1997 Laos became a member of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean). The Asian financial crisis undermined the value of the kip.
1998 Khamtai Siphandon became president.
2000 Anti-government demonstrations erupted and a series of bomb blasts were detonated by terrorists, possibly based in the US. In December, Laos celebrated 25 years of communist rule.
2001 Boungnang Vorachith was appointed prime minister. Laos agreed a three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF. Parliament introduced a death penalty for the possession of more than 500 grammes of heroin. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) launched a three-year programme to feed 70,000 malnourished children in Laos.
2002 The LPRP was re-elected. Khamtai Siphandon was re-elected president by the National Assembly.
2003 As part of reforms pledged to foreign donors three years ago, Laos' one-party parliament is in the process of amending its constitution, in a move towards decentralisation.
2004 Russia said it would help upgrade Laos' military hardware.
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