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Laos, is a

landlocked nation in Southeast Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam,


that covers 236,800 square kilometers in the center of the Southeast Asian
peninsula, is surrounded by Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, the People's
Republic of China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Its location has often made it a buffer between more powerful neighboring
states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication. Migration and
international conflict have contributed to the present ethnic composition of
the country and to the geographic distribution of its ethnic groups.

Topography
Most of the western border of Laos is demarcated by the Mekong River, which is an important artery
for transportation. The Dong Falls at the southern end of the country prevent access to the sea, but
cargo boats travel along the entire length of the Mekong in Laos during most of the year. Smaller
power boats and pirogues provide an important means of transportation on many of the tributaries of
the Mekong.
The Mekong has thus not been an obstacle but a facilitator for communication, and the similarities
between Laos and northeast Thai societysame people, same languagereflect the close contact
that has existed across the river for centuries. Also, many Laotians living in the Mekong Valley have
relatives and friends in Thailand.
Prior to the twentieth century, Laotian kingdoms and principalities encompassed areas on both sides
of the Mekong, and Thai control in the late nineteenth century extended to the left bank. Although
the Mekong was established as a border by French colonial forces, travel from one side to the other
has been significantly limited only since the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
(LPDR, or Laos) in 1975.
The eastern border with Vietnam extends for 2,130 kilometres, mostly along the crest of the
Annamite Chain, and serves as a physical barrier between the Chinese-influenced culture of Vietnam
and the Indianized states of Laos and Thailand. These mountains are sparsely populated by tribal
minorities who traditionally have not acknowledged the border with Vietnam any more than lowland
Lao have been constrained by the 1,754-kilometre Mekong River border with Thailand. Thus, ethnic
minority populations are found on both the Laotian and Vietnamese sides of the frontier. Because of
their relative isolation, contact between these groups and lowland Lao has been mostly confined to
trading.

Laos shares its shortonly 541 kilometressouthern border with Cambodia, and ancient Khmer ruins
at Wat Pho and other southern locations attest to the long history of contact between the Lao and the
Khmer. In the north, the country is bounded by a mountainous 423-kilometre border with China and
shares the 235-kilometre-long Mekong River border with Burma.
The topography of Laos is largely mountainous, with the Annamite Range in the northeast and east
and the Luang Prabang Range in the northwest, among other ranges typically characterized by steep
terrain. Elevations are typically above 500 metres with narrow river valleys and low agricultural

potential. This mountainous landscape extends across most of the north of the country, except for
the plain of Vientiane and the Plain of Jars in the Xiangkhoang Plateau.
The southern "panhandle" of the country contains large level areas in Savannakht and Champasak
provinces that are well suited for extensive paddy rice cultivation and livestock raising. Much of
Khammouan Province and the eastern part of all the southern provinces are mountainous. Together,
the alluvial plains and terraces of the Mekong and its tributaries cover only about 20% of the land
area.
Only about 4% of the total land area is classified as arable. The forested land area has declined
significantly since the 1970s as a result of commercial logging and expanded swidden, or slash-andburn, farming.

Climate
Laos has a tropical monsoon climate, with a pronounced rainy season from May through October, a
cool dry season from November through February, and a hot dry season in March and April.
Generally, monsoons occur at the same time across the country, although that time may vary
significantly from one year to the next.

Rainfall varies regionally, with the highest amounts-- 3,700 millimeters (145.7 in) annuallyrecorded
on the Bolovens Plateau in Champasak Province. City rainfall stations have recorded that
Savannakht averages 1,440 millimeters (56.7 in) of rain annually; Vientiane receives about 1,700
millimeters (66.9 in), and Louangphrabang (Luang Prabang) receives about 1,360 millimeters (53.5
in).

Rainfall is not always adequate for rice cultivation and the relatively high average precipitation
conceals years where rainfall may be only half or less of the norm, causing significant declines in rice
yields. Such droughts often are regional, leaving production in other parts of the country unaffected.

Temperatures range from highs around 40 C (104 F) along the Mekong in March and April to lows of
5 C (41 F) or less in the uplands of Xiangkhoang and Phngsali in January.

Transportation routes
Because of its mountainous topography and lack of development, Laos has few reliable
transportation routes. This inaccessibility has historically limited the ability of any government to
maintain a presence in areas distant from the national or provincial capitals and has limited
interchange and communication among villages and ethnic groups.
The Mekong and Nam Ou are the only natural channels suitable for large-draft boat transportation,
and from December through May low water limits the size of the draft that may be used over many
routes. Laotians in lowland villages located on the banks of smaller rivers have traditionally traveled
in pirogues for fishing, trading, and visiting up and down the river for limited distances.

Otherwise, travel is by ox-cart over level terrain or by foot. The steep mountains and lack of roads
have caused upland ethnic groups to rely entirely on pack baskets and horse packing for
transportation.
The road system is not extensive. A rudimentary network begun under French colonial rule and
continued from the 1950s has provided an important means of increased intervillage communication,
movement of market goods, and a focus for new settlements. In mid-1994, travel in most areas was
difficult and expensive, and most Laotians traveled only limited distances, if at all. As a result of
ongoing improvements in the road system started during the early 1990s, it is expected that in the
future villagers will more easily be able to seek medical care, send children to schools at district
centers, and work outside the village.
In October 2015 the first highway through the country was completed connecting southern China to
Thailand.[citation needed]

Natural resources
Hundreds of active fires burning across the hills and valleys of Burma Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam
(labelled with red dots).
Expanding commercial exploitation of forests, plans for additional hydroelectric facilities, foreign
demands for wild animals and nonwood forest products for food and traditional medicines, and a
growing population have brought new and increasing attention to the forests. Traditionally, forests
have been important sources of wild foods, herbal medicines, and timber for house construction.

Deforestation
Even into the 1990s, the government viewed the forest as a valued reserve of natural products for
noncommercial household consumption. Government efforts to preserve valuable hardwoods for
commercial extraction have led to measures to prohibit slash-and-burn agriculture throughout the
country. Further, government restrictions on clearing forestland for slash-and-burn cropping in the
late 1980s, along with attempts to gradually resettle upland slash-and-burn farming villages (ban) to
lowland locations suitable for paddy rice cultivation, had significant effects on upland villages.
Traditionally, villages rely on forest products as a food reserve during years of poor rice harvest and
as a regular source of fruits and vegetables. By the 1990s, however, these gathering systems were
breaking down in many areas. At the same time, international concern about environmental
degradation and the loss of many wildlife species unique to Laos has also prompted the government
to consider the implications of these developments.
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use:
arable land: 6.2%
permanent crops: 0.7%

permanent pasture: 3.7%


forest: 67.9%
other: 21.5% (2011)
Irrigated land: 3,100 km (2005)
Total renewable water resources: 333.5 km3 (2011)

MUSIC

OF

LAOS
Lao music
Lao folk music, known as Lam, is extemporaneous singing accompanied by the khene. The Lao
people also like to listen to some popular African music.

Mor lam
Ensembles typically include two singers (mor lam, the same term referring to the genre of music) one male and one female -, a khene player (mor khaen), and other instruments including fiddles,
flutes and bells. Music varies widely across Laos, with the lam saravane style being most popular,
while the city of Luang Prabang is known for a slow form called khaplam wai. An extremely popular
form developed in Thailand is called mor lam sing, and is faster and electrified.

Popular music
In the 1960s, Thai lam nu and lam ploen contributed to the development of lam luang, which is a
form of song (and dance) which often has narrative lyrics.

Instruments
The most distinctive Lao musical instrument is a bamboo mouth organ called a khene. The
instrument was supposedly invented by a woman trying to imitate the calls of the garawek bird. The
woman took the new instrument to her king, and he told her it was fair, but that he wanted more. She
modified the instrument and he replied "Tia nee khaen dee" (this time it was better).

Wot

ART OF

LAOS
Laotian art
Except for modern and contemporary visual arts, Lao
artistic
traditions developed around religion and the political and social circumstances that governed the
lives of the various ethnic groups in Laos. Many of these traditions, particularly sculpture, music, and
classical dance, were strongly influenced by the Khmer, Vietnam, and Thailand civilizations. The
physical artistic heritage of Laos encompasses archaeological sites, religious monuments and cultural
landscapes, traditional towns and villages, and a variety of highly-developed crafts including textiles,
wood carving, and basket-weaving. The two great performing art traditions of Laos are rich and
diverse folk heritage of the lam or khap call-and-response folk song and its popular theatrical
derivative lam luang; and the graceful classical music and dance (natasinh) of the former royal
courts.
Little is known about the earliest cultures in the region. The Plain of Jars, a large group of historic
cultural sites, containing thousands of large stone jars, which archaeologists believe were used
1,5002,000 years ago by an ancient Mon-Khmer race. Recently discovered kiln sites in the Vientiane
area indicate an active involvement with ceramics manufacture and artistry during the fifteenth to
the seventeenth centuries. The influence of Theravada Buddhism is reflected throughout Laos in its
language as well as in art, literature, and the performing arts. Buddhist sculptures and paintings
make up a large portion of the enduring artistic tradition of Laos.

Buddhist sculpture
Monk repainting a naga (mythical dragon) at Pha That Luang
The earliest Buddha images in present-day Laos are those of the Mon and Khmer kingdoms of the
first millennium C.E. Dvaravati-style Mon Buddha images can be seen carved into the rock face at
Vangxang, north of Vientiane, and several Mon and Khmer Buddha sculptures recovered from the
central and southern provinces are exhibited in museums. The earliest indigenous Buddha images,

dating from 1353-1500, show a strong Khmer influence, but by the reign of King Wisunarath (15011520), a distinctive Lao style had begun to develop, and statues displayed characteristic beak-like
noses, extended earlobes, tightly-curled hair, and long hands and fingers. During this period, two
distinctive mudras (hand positions), found only in Lao Buddhist sculpture, appeared: "Calling for
Rain," in which the Buddha stands with both arms held stiffly at the side of the body with fingers
pointing downwards, and "Contemplating the Tree of Enlightenment" in which the Buddha stands with
hands crossed at the wrist in front of the body.
Many magnificent examples from the "golden age" of the Lao Buddha image, the period from 15001695, can be seen today in Ho Phra Keo, Wat Sisakhet and the Luang Prabang National Museum. With
the growth of Siamese influence in the region during the 18th century, Lao sculpture was increasingly
influenced by the contemporaneous Ayutthaya and Bangkok (Rattanakosin) styles. By the French
colonial period decline had set in, and Buddha images were cast less and less frequently.
Lao artisans used a variety of media in their sculptures, including bronze, wood, ceramics, gold, and
silver and precious stones. Smaller images were often cast in gold or silver or made of precious
stone, while the tiny, votive images found in cloisters or caves were made of wood and ceramics.
Wood was also commonly used for large, life-size standing images of the Buddha.
The Pak Ou (mouth of the Ou river) caves near Luang Prabang, Laos, are noted for their hundreds of
mostly wooden Lao style Buddha sculptures assembled over the centuries by local people and
pilgrims and laid out over the floors and wall shelves.
A few large images were cast in gold, most notably the Phra Say of the sixteenth century, which the
Siamese carried to Thailand in the late eighteenth century. Today, it is in enshrined at Wat Po Chai in
Nongkhai, Thailand, just across the Mekong River from Vientiane. The Phra Say's two companion
images, the Phra Seum and Phra Souk, are also in Thailand, in Bangkok and Lopburi. Perhaps the
most famous sculpture in Laos, the Phra Bang, is also cast in gold. According to legend, the
craftsmanship is held to be of Sinhalese origin, but the features are clearly Khmer. Tradition maintains
that relics of the Buddha are contained in the image.
The two best-known sculptures carved in semi-precious stone are the Phra Keo (The Emerald Buddha)
and the Phra Phuttha Butsavarat. The Phra Keo, which is probably of Xieng Sen (Chiang Saen,
Lannathai) origin, carved from a solid block of jade, rested in Vientiane for two hundred years before
the Siamese carried it away in the late eighteenth century. Today, it serves as the palladium of the
Kingdom of Thailand, and resides at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The Phra Phuttha Butsavarat, like
the Phra Keo, is also enshrined in its own chapel at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Before the Siamese
seized it in the early nineteenth century, this crystal image was the palladium of the Lao kingdom of
Champassack.

Brick-and-mortar was also used to construct colossal Buddha images. Perhaps the most famous of
these is the image of Phya Vat (sixteenth century) in Vientiane, though an unfortunate renovation
altered the appearance of the sculpture, and it no longer resembles a Lao Buddha.

Bronze sculptures
Bronze is an alloy of copper, containing about two percent tin. Other materials are often added,
however, and the balance of ingredients determines the characteristics of the bronze. In Laos, like

Cambodia and Thailand, the bronze, which is called samrit, includes precious metals, and often has a
relatively high percentage of tin, which gives the newly-cast images a lustrous dark gray color. Other
images, such as the Buddha of Vat Chantabouri in Vientiane, have a higher copper and, probably,
gold content that give them a muted gold color.

A number of colossal bronze images exist in Laos. Most notable of these are the Phra Ong Teu
(sixteenth century) of Vientiane, the Phra Ong Teu of Sam Neua, the image at Vat Chantabouri
(sixteenth century) in Vientiane and the image at Vat Manorom (fourteenth century) in Luang
Phrabang, which seems to be the oldest of the colossal sculptures. The Manorom Buddha, of which
only the head and torso remain, shows that colossal bronzes were cast in parts and assembled in
place.

Buddha Park
The religious art tradition of the region has received an original contemporary twist in the
monumental fantastic sculpture gardens of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat: Buddha Park near Vientiane,
and Sala Keoku near Nong Khai, Thailand.
Buddha statues inside the lower park

Buddhist painting
Two forms of Buddhist painting, bas-relief murals and painted preaching cloths, were primarily
created for use in educational purposes and as aids in meditation. Images from the Jataka, the Lao
version of the Ramayana known as the Pharak Pharam, and other religious themes, were painted
without perspective using simple lines and blocks of uniform color, with no shadow or shading. The
Buddha and other important figures were depicted following strict artistic conventions. Lao temple
murals were painted directly onto dry stucco, making them extremely fragile and susceptible to
flaking. Those which are still in existence have been restored many times, often using modern
pigments; examples can be seen at Wat Sisakhet in Vientiane and at Wat Pa Heuk and Wat
Siphouthabath in Luang Prabang. Hanging cloths made by painting scenes from the Jataka or Pharak
Pharam onto rough cotton sheets were displayed while monks were preaching.
Luang Prabang, the site of numerous Buddhist temple complexes, was declared a United Nations
World Heritage Site in December 1995. The Cultural Survival and Revival in the Buddhist Sangha
Project was launched to revive the traditional skills needed to properly care for, preserve and
conserve temples by establishing a training school to teach young monks painting, gilding and
woodcarving.

Ceramics
The discovery of the remains of a kiln in 1970 at a construction site in the Vientiane area brought to
light a tradition of Laotian ceramics. Since then, at least four more kilns have been identified and
surface evidence and topography indicate at least one hundred more in the Ban Tao Hai (Village of
the Jar Kilns) vicinity. Archaeologists have labeled the area Sisattanak Kiln Site.
According to Honda and Shimozu (The Beauty of Fired Clay: Ceramics from Burma, Cambodia, Laos,
and Thailand, 1997), the Lao kilns are similar to the Siamese types found at Suphanburi and Si
Satchanalai. But Hein, Barbetti and Sayavongkhamdy say that the Lao kilns, which are of a crossdraft clay-slab type, differ substantially not only from the Siamese types but all other types in
Southeast Asia.
Radiocarbon dating of the kiln gives a fifteenth-seventeenth century time frame, with an earlier
period of that range most likely. This is supported by the evidence of surface finds, which indicate
that an increasing number of glazed wares were fired over time. Older wares were of a utilitarian
nature, including pipes, domestic wares and architectural fittings. Most of the glazed wares were
pipes; their quality indicates a well-developed tradition, and their motifs suggest the possibility that
they were export wares.
Much study remains to be done, but the site is evidence that Lao ceramic production was comparable
to that of other countries in the region. From the examples collected to date, it can be said that Lao
ceramics used one kind of clay, with 5 percent quartz added as a temper. Both the clay and the
quartz were finely crushed. The glazed wares were a light, translucent green (like celadon) or various
shades of brown. There have also been shards showing an olive-colored glaze, not unlike the type
found in Thailand.
Many of the glazed wares have ribbed or fluted exteriors, similar to that of the silver bowls ubiquitous
in Laos, both the regular silver bowls ("oh tum") and the silver stem bowls ("khan"). Glazed ceramic
stem bowls have been collected as surface finds at the Sisattanak Kiln Site. Decorations to glazed
wares show a great measure of restraint, with simple incisions, stamps and fluting. Unglazed wares
are similarly austere. They are generally not decorated with incisions or stamps, which are common
in other Southeast Asian wares.

Textiles and crafts


Silk and cotton cloth is hand-woven on traditional wooden frame looms by the ethnic Lao and most
other Tai-speaking ethnicities to create wrap-round skirts with elaborately bordered hems (pha sin),
ceremonial shawls (pha biang), shoulder bags and many other articles of Lao traditional clothing.
Textiles are produced in many different styles and dyed in a range of different colors according to the
geographical provenance and ethnicity of the weavers. Various regional styles may be identified,
including the solid color and striped pattern mix of northern chok, supplementary thread silk textiles,
and the Khmer-style pha chongkraben of the southern provinces. Motifs vary from region to region,
but the use of gold and silver threads and protective diamond- and star-shaped designs and images
of mythical animals such as dragons and nagas are common to many parts of the country. In recent
years the migration of many provincial weaving families to Vientiane to seek employment there has

led to the evolution of a new, modern style of Lao textile which includes both regional and
international designs.
Traditional weaving techniques handed down from one generation to the next include chok
(discontinuous supplementary weft technique), khit (continuous supplementary weft technique), mat
mi (resist-dyeing technique), ghot (tapestry weave technique), muk (continuous supplementary warp
technique) and muko (a combination of the muk, mat mi and chok techniques).
Hmong, Yao, and Sino-Tibetan ethnicities such as the Lolo-Burmish speaking Akha, Ha Nhi, Lolo and
Phunoi are known for their sewing and embroidering skills, which have given rise to some of the most
spectacular and colorful traditional costumes in the world. In many parts of the country these colorful
costumes are decorated with copious amounts of silver jewelry. Silver smithing is still practiced by a
number of ethnic groups, predominantly by the Hmong, the Yao and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities such
as the Akha, but also by some Mon-Khmer groups in the southern half of the country. Several
ethnicities still utilize bronze drums in their religious ceremonies, though in many areas the art of
casting these drums is dying out.
Paper has been made by hand in Laos for over 700 years using the bark of the local sa or mulberry
tree (broussonetia papyrifera vent). The bark is crushed and soaked in water until it had dissolved
into a paste. The liquid is then scooped out, poured through a bamboo sieve and finally placed in a
thin layer on a bamboo bed and dried in the sun. Traditionally sa paper was used for calligraphy and
for making festive temple decorations, umbrellas, fans and kites. In former times it was also used as
a filter in the manufacture of lacquer ware. In recent years the art of sa paper handicraft has been
revived, particularly in Luang Prabang where it is now used to create lampshades, writing paper,
greetings cards and bookmarks.

The manufacture of household objects such as baskets, containers and furniture from bamboo, rattan
and various other types of reed has been practiced for centuries. Woodcarving was traditionally a
sculptural art, and with the spread of Buddhism it assumed an increasingly important role in the
production of Buddha images and the carving of temple and palace door frames, pillars, roofs, lintels
and decorative friezes. During the Lan Xang era skilled carpenters produced royal thrones, ornate
wooden furniture, royal barges, palanquins and elephant howdahs. By the early twentieth century,
their work had expanded to include the production of high-quality tables, chairs and cabinets for a
growing urban middle class.

Architecture
In the rural and mountainous districts of Laos, most ethnic minority groups live in small or mediumsized villages of stilted or non-stilted thatched houses constructed from wood and bamboo. The
residential housing of Tai-Kadai ethnicities varies in size and quality; many Northern Tai ethnicities
construct rudimentary single-roomed bamboo houses on stilts, but South Western Tai groups such as
the Tai Daeng, Tai Dam, and Tai Khao build large open plan stilted houses with tortoise shell-shaped
thatched roofs. Lao Isaan, Lao Ngaew and a few South Western Tai groups such as the Kalom and Phu
Tai live mainly in houses of traditional Lao design. In the past several Mon-Khmer ethnicities,
including the Bahnaric-speaking Brau, Sedang and Yae, the Katuic-speaking Ca-tu, Katang, Kui, Pa-co
and Ta-oi and Lavy, constructed stilted long houses up to 30 or 40 meters in length, to house
numerous extended families. Bahnaric and Katuic long houses were traditionally clustered around a
communal house, where ritual ceremonies were performed, guests received and village councils held.

Sometimes the communal house took the imposing form of a rong house, characterized by a high
ground clearance and steep two- or four-sided roof with sculpted finials. Today residential long houses
and tall-roofed communal houses still exist, but over the past half-century communal house design
has become simpler and there has been a trend towards the construction of smaller, single-family
stilted houses of bamboo and wood, grouped in
clusters of 20 to 100.

Buddhist Temple at Haw Kham


(Royal Palace) Complex

Contemporary visual arts


Western-style oil and water-color painting arrived in Laos during the French colonial period. The first
Western art school was opened by the French painter Marc Leguay (1910-2001), who taught
traditional drawing, metalwork and graphic art there from 1940 to 1945, and later taught art at the
Lyce de Vientiane until 1975. Marc Leguay portrayed scenes of Lao life in vibrant colors and is
chiefly remembered for the postage stamp designs he produced on commission to the Royal Lao
Government during the 1950s.
Leguay was also involved in the founding of the National School of Fine Arts (now the National Faculty
of Fine Arts) under the Ministry of Education, Sport and Religious Affairs, which opened in 1962,
together with the National School of Music and Dance at Ban Anou in central Vientiane. After 1975
two provincial secondary art schools were established in Luang Prabang and Savannakhet, and a
National Arts Teacher Training School was also opened in 1982. Since the syllabus has always focused
mainly on copying classical or early modern Western masters, and Laos has remained relatively
insulated from contemporary international art trends and developments, a distinctive Lao style of
contemporary art has yet to develop. There is little market within Laos for contemporary art.
Established Lao painters and sculptors are obliged to support themselves by creating realistic
landscapes and scenes for the tourist market. There are at least two well-known overseas Lao artists,
Vong Phaophanit (b. 1961), who combines indigenous materials such as rice, rubber, and bamboo
with a striking use of neon light; and Phet Cash (b. 1973), who does botanical drawings and modern
abstract paintings.

Politics

of

Laos
The politics of Laos takes place in the framework of a one-party socialist republic. The only legal
political party is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The head of state is President
Bounnhang Vorachith, who also is LPRP general secretary.
The head of government is Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. Government policies are determined
by the party through the all-powerful nine-member Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party
and the 49-member Central Committee. Important government decisions are vetted by the Council of
Ministers.
The FY 2000 central government budget plan called for revenue of $180 million and expenditures of
$289 million, including capital expenditures of $202 million.

Political culture
Laos' first, French-written and monarchical constitution was promulgated on May 11, 1947 and
declared it to be an independent state within the French Union. The revised constitution of May 11,
1957, omitted reference to the French Union, though close educational, health and technical ties with
the former colonial power persisted. The 1957 document was abrogated on December 3, 1975, when
a communist People's Republic was proclaimed.
A new constitution was adopted in 1991 and enshrined a "leading role" for the LPRP. The following
year, elections were held for a new 85-seat National Assembly with members elected by secret ballot
to five-year terms. This National Assembly, which essentially acts as a rubber stamp for the LPRP,
approves all new laws, although the executive branch retains authority to issue binding decrees.
The most recent elections took place in April 2006. The assembly was expanded to 99 members in
1997 and in 2006 elections had 115.

Insurgency
In the early 2000s, bomb attacks against the government occurred, coupled with small exchanges of
fire, across Laos. A variety of different groups have claimed responsibility including the Committee for
Independence and Democracy in Laos and Lao Citizens Movement for Democracy.

Executive branch
Main office holders
Office

Name

President

Bounnhang Vorachith

Prime Minister

Party

Since
Lao People's Revolutionary Party20 April 2016

Thongloun Sisoulith

Lao People's Revolutionary Party20 April 2016

The president is elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term. The prime minister and the
Council of Ministers are appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a
five-year term.
There are also four deputy prime ministers. As of a cabinet reshuffle on June 8, 2006, they are Maj.
Gen. Douangchay Phichit (also defense minister), Thongloun Sisoulith (also foreign minister),
Somsavat Lengsavad and Maj. Gen. Asang Laoly.
The 28-member cabinet also includes Onechanh Thammavong as labour minister, Chaleuan Yapaoher
as justice minister, Nam Vignaket as industry and commerce minister, Sitaheng Latsaphone as
agriculture minister and Sommath Pholsena as transport minister.

Legislative branch
The National Assembly (Sapha Heng Xat) has 132 members, elected for a five-year term.

Judicial branch
The President of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee. The Vice President of the People's
Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee.

Government

Brigadier General Somkeo Silavong, Minister of Public Security


Onchanh Thammavong, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare
Dr. Bounkert SANGSOMSACK, Minister of Justice
Soulivong Daravong, Minister of Energy and Mining
Vilayvan Phomkhe, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
Khemmany Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce
Dr. Bounchanh Sinthavong, Minister of Public Works and Transport
Somdy Douangdy, Minister of Planning and Investment
Dr. Lien Thikeo, Minister of Finance
Pr.Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism (update 2013)
Saysi Santivong. Minister of Home Affairs (Interior)
Prof. Dr. Eksavang Vongvichit, Minister of Public Health
Pr. Dr. Boviengkham Vongdara, Minister of Science and Technology
Nulinh Sinbandith, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment

Hiem Phommachanh, Minister of Post and Telecommunication

Presidential Palace Office


Phongsavath Boupha, Minister to Presidential Palaces Office

The Presidential Palace Place


in Vientiane

PM Office

Sonxay Siphandone, Minister to the Prime Ministers Office, Head of the government
Secretariat committee
Bounpheng Mounphosay, Minister to Prime Ministers Office, Head the Public Administration
and Civil Service Authority (PACSA)
Bounheuang Douangphachanh, Minister to the Prime Ministers office, Chairman of the
National Steering Committee for Rural Development and Poverty Reduction
Dr Douangsavath Souphanouvong, Minister to Prime Ministers Office
Dr Bounteim Phitsamai, Minister to Prime Minister's Office
Khempheng Pholsena, Minister to Prime Ministers Office
Phupeth Khamphounvong, Minister to the Prime Ministers Office
Somphao Phaysith, Governor of Lao PDR Central Bank

National Assembly (April 2016)

President of the National Assembly: Pany Yathotou (re-elected)


Vice-President of the National Assembly: Somphanh Phengkhammy (re-elected),
Sengnouan Sayalath, Bounpone Bouttanavong and Sisay Leudethmounsone

Peoples Supreme Court

President of People's Supreme Court: Khamphanh Sithidampha


Supreme Peoples Prosecutor: Khamsane Souvong

Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party:

Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone, General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary
Party

Thongsing Thammavong, Prime Minister (since 23 December 2010)


Colonel Bounnhang Vorachith, Vice President of Lao People's Democratic Republic,
Standing Member of the Secretariat
Pany Yathotou, Chairwoman of the National Assembly (since 23 December 2010)
Dr Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the
Party's National External Relations Committee
Maj. Gen. Asang Laoly, Deputy Prime Minister
Lt. Gen. Douangchay Phichith, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence (died
in 2014)
Somsavat Lengsavad, Deputy Prime Minister
Dr. Bounthong Chitmany, Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Commission for
Inspection, Chairman of the State Inspection Committee.
Dr Bounpone Bouttanavong, Deputy Prime Minister
Dr. Phankham Viphavanh, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education and Sports

Secretariat of the Party Central Committee:

Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone


Bounnhang Vorachit (PCC Standing Secretariat)
Dr Bounthong Chitmany, Chairman of the Commission for Inspection, Chairman of the
State Inspection Committee
Dr Bounpone Bouttanavong, Head of Lao Party Central Office, Deputy Prime Minister
Dr Thongban Seng-aphone, Minister of Public Security (died in 2014)
Chansy Phosikham, Head of the Party's Central Organisation Commission
Soukan Mahalath, Secretary of the Vientiane City Party Committee, Vientiane Mayor
(died in 2014)
Lt. Gen. Sengnuan Xayalath, Acting Minister of National Defense (June 2014)
Cheuang Sombounkhanh, Head of the Central Propaganda and Training Commission
(died in 2014)

Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee

Bounthong Chitmany (President)


Thongsy Ouanlasy
Sinay Mienglavanh
Khamsuan Chanthavong
Thongsouk Bounyavong
Singphet Bounsavatthiphan
Bounpone Sangsomsak
Party Central Committee Advisor: Khamtai Siphandon

Administrative divisions
Laos is divided into 17 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* ( nakhon luang
vientiane, singular and plural):
Attapu, Bokeo, Borikhamxay, Champassack, Houaphan, Khammouane, Louang Namtha,
Luangphabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly, Saravane, Savannakhet, Saysomboune, Sekong, Vientiane*,
Vientiane, Sayaboury, Xieng Khouang.

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