The Evolution of the Lao State

Laos is the heart of the S.E. Asia and has a land area of 236,800 square kilometres and a population of about 5.5 million and shares common borders with five countries, viz. the People’s Republic of China, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Union of Myanmar. Laos with no access to the seas fell prey to two types of colonialism and neo-colonialism and carried out long years of struggles for freedom and national independence. It has thrice gone through political turmoil and joint efforts among internal political forces leading to important changes that culminated in the proclamation of the Lao People’s democratic republic on 2 December 1975. The Evolution of the Lao State is an attempt which takes into account past events and the direction that the Lao PDR has taken under the guidance of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) to create a favourable political environment by increasing good relations with the immediate neighbouring countries and joining the Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The book also throws light on the policies of the Party and the Lao Government in addressing the consequences brought about by war, the attempts to eradicate the poverty of the people, and the building of a new political environment by shifting to a liberal free market economy to attract foreign investment as well as creating conditions that will turn this land-locked country into a land-linked one, expanding its relations with foreign countries in the age of globalization for the benefit of the Lao people and for the cause of peace, stability and development cooperation in the region.