Laos   (map)

Recent Events | Terrorism

For centuries, Laos was ruled by a Monarch.  After World War II, the French became stewards  of the country, with the monarchy still existing until 1946 when it gained its independence.

During the Vietnam war, U.S. and allied troops were restricted from entering Laos, despite North Vietnamese using the Laos route to make end runs around troops that had cut off their escape into North Vietnam.  Laos jungle tribes were recruited to help and covert operators worked with these tribal groups to harass North Vietnamese.  Eventually, U.S. aircraft operating out of Thailand began covert strafing missions near the end of the war and U.S. pullout.

After the U.S. pullout, Communist forces began moves to consolidate all of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.  In 1975, the Communists took over the government of Laos.  An easing of foreign investment laws and encouragement of private investment began in the late 1990s and the country has joined ASEAN, an economic and trade organization.

The Laos economy, which has slowed since the regional financial problems in the mid 1990s,  is based upon wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin and its labor force is 80% agricultural with products consisting of sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, and poultry.  Manufactured products such as machinery and other modern goods make up chief imports.

National Problems

Laos chief problem lies in smuggling, both illicit drug crops, with Laos being the world's third largest opium grower as well as all sorts of contraband.  In the past, some 300 appliance smugglers attacked a customs checkpoint on the border between Laos and Vietnam when they were stopped in their attempt to smuggle electric fans, rice cookers, freezers and TV sets across the border.

A longer term problem for the country has been persecution of the Hmong tribes,  with recent activity including near genocidal attacks on them.  World pressure to protect the Hmong appears to be falling on deaf ears, however, and in 2004 human rights advocates began calling for sanctions and other pressures to be brought to bear in order force the government to stop an apparant massacre of the tribesman.

From time to time anti communist forces will attack military or government infrastructure, however, in order keep indigenous support, are careful to not target citizens and in fact on occasion have given warnings to ensure people have time to evacuate.  The government has deemed these anti-government forces as terrorists, but so far there is no world support for that assessment.
 

Terrorist Groups Thought to be Active in Laos

• al-Qaida- Osama Bin Laden's international offshoot of the Islamic Jihad organization, this group is active in the Philippines due to its current goal is to "reestablish the Muslim state" throughout the world. Works with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non Islamic" and remove Westerners from Muslim countries.  This includes supports for Moros and their efforts to form independent states, as well as funding Filipino communist rebels.
• Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF) - little information on this organization claimed to be active by the current government in Cambodia, while opposition leaders believe the group is a figment of the leadership's imagination.  Readers should note the group is not recognized by the U.S. as a terrorist group, however, clandestine sources may say otherwise.  Activity in Laos is spill over of terrorist activty in Cambodia
  

1. Terrorism in Southeast Asia, The Australian Parliment, April 11, 2003
   

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