News
MANGKRA SOUVANNAPHOUMA
Laos - Autopsy of a murdered monarchy Mangkra SOUVANNAPHOUMA (Clères 54-57)
I'm reading a book that moves me with its precision, simplicity, truth and sensitivity, as it deals with the tragedy of a nation we hold dear: LAOS.
It was written with all his heart, with courage, in the midst of his suffering, by our friend Mangkra SOUVANNA PHOUMA, formerly of Clères. It is about:
LAOS, Autopsie d'une monarchie assassinée, published by l'HARMATTAN.
Enjoy your reading.
Philippe DAIN (Clères 1953 - 1959)
How did the Kingdom of Laos disappear on December 2, 1975, to the general indifference of the world? Founded in 1353 by the young prince Fa-Ngum, the Kingdom of Laos became an independent state in 1949 as part of the French Union. It was dragged into the Indochina War until 1954, with the birth of the Laotian Communist Party, the Pathet-Lao, which allied itself with Hô-Chi-Minh.
From then on, Laos was caught up in the Vietnam War, which culminated in 1975 in the seizure of power by the pro-communist Vietnamese Nèo-Lao-Hak-Xat.
The seven-century-old monarchy was abolished and replaced by a so-called "People's Democratic Republic" on the payroll of Communist Vietnam.
In March 1978, the King, Queen, Crown Prince and all the princes detained in the royal capital of Luang-Prabang were deported, to the indifference of the Asian and European monarchies and the signatory states of the 1962 Geneva agreements recognizing the kingdom's sovereignty and neutrality. More than 30,000 political prisoners (civil servants, soldiers and students) were sent to "samanâs" camps, veritable gulags created by the Laotians: most never returned.
Prince Mangkra SOUVANNAPHOUMA (Clères 54 - 57), a Royal Lao Air Force pilot officer and graduate of the Ecole supérieure de guerre de Paris, is the nephew of the last Laotian sovereign. Through his work with his father, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defense and the General Staff, he is a privileged observer of the dramatic period in the history of Laos that saw the monarchy disappear in favor of the Communist regime. With precision, he brings new elements to our knowledge of Laotian history.
5
1 Comment
Log in to post comment. Log in.