View source for Pathet Lao

{{Short description|1950–1975 left-wing national liberation movement of Laos}}
{{About|the political movement|the country|Laos}}
{{Infobox War Faction
| name             = Pathet Lao
| war              = 
| image            = [[File:Flag of Laos.svg|250px]]
| caption          = Flag
| active           = 1950 – 2 December 1975
| ideology         = [[Communism]] <br>[[Left-wing nationalism]]<ref name= Topic>{{cite web |title=Pathet Lao |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pathet-Lao |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=2025-04-03}}</ref><br>Pro-[[North Vietnam]]<ref name= Topic />
| position         = 
| leaders          = Prince [[Souphanouvong]]<br>[[Kaysone Phomvihane]]<br>[[Nouhak Phoumsavanh]]
| clans            = 
| headquarters     = [[Vientiane]]
| size             = 
| partof           = 
| predecessor      = [[Lao Issara]]
| successor        = [[Lao People's Army]]
| allies           = '''State allies:'''
*{{flag|Soviet Union}}
*{{flag|China}} 
*{{flag|North Vietnam}}
*{{flagcountry|People's Socialist Republic of Albania}}
*{{flag|North Korea|1948}}
*{{flag|East Germany}}
*{{flag|Cuba}}
*{{flagcountry|Socialist Republic of Romania}}
'''Non-state allies:'''
*{{flagdeco|South Vietnam|1975}} [[Viet Cong]]
*{{flagdeco|Cambodia|1975}} [[Khmer Rouge]] 
*{{flagicon image|Flag of the Communist Party of Thailand.svg}} [[Communist Party of Thailand]]
| opponents        = *{{flag|Kingdom of Laos}}
*{{flag|South Vietnam}}
*{{flag|Khmer Republic}}
*{{flag|Australia}}
*{{flag|South Korea|1949}}
*{{flag|New Zealand}}
*{{flag|Philippines|1936}}
*{{flag|Taiwan}}
*{{flag|Thailand}}
*{{flag|United States}}
| battles          = [[First Indochina War]]<br>[[Vietnam War]] 
*[[Laotian Civil War]]
*[[Cambodian Civil War]]
[[Communist insurgency in Thailand]]
}}
{{History of Laos}}
{{Contains special characters|Lao}}

The '''Pathet Lao''' ({{langx|lo|ປະເທດລາວ|translit=Pa thēt Lāo|translation=Lao Nation}}),<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://countrystudies.us/laos/18.htm
|title= The Pathet Lao
|year= 1994
|access-date= August 8, 2011
|editor= Andrea Matles Savada
|work= Laos: A Country Study
|publisher= GPO for the Library of Congress
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626105217/http://countrystudies.us/laos/18.htm
|archive-date= June 26, 2022
|quote= .... The basic stance of this front's propaganda was the united struggle against the French without reference to political parties or ideology. Illustrative of this stance was the use henceforth of the name Pathet Lao (Lao Nation). 
}}</ref> officially the '''Lao People's Liberation Army''', was a [[communist]] [[political movement]] and [[political organization|organization]] in [[Kingdom of Laos|Laos]], formed in the 20th century. It ultimately gained control over the entire country of Laos in 1975, after the [[Laotian Civil War]]. The Pathet Lao were associated and dependent on Vietnamese communists and North Vietnam since their foundation, with the group being established after advice from Hanoi to create a Laotian counterpart of the [[Viet Minh]] or [[Viet Cong]]. During the civil war, it was effectively organised, equipped and led by the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN). They fought against the anti-communist forces in the [[Vietnam War]]. Eventually, the term became the generic name for Laotian communists.
Under orders from [[Mao Zedong]], the [[People's Liberation Army]] provided 115,000 guns, 920,000 grenades and 170 million bullets, and trained more than 700 of its military officers.<ref>Brazinsky, Gregg A. (2017) Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War, p. 249, The University of North Carolina Press</ref>

== Organization ==
The political wing of the Pathet Lao, called the "[[Lao Patriotic Front]]" ({{langx|lo|Neo Lao Hak Xat}}) served in multiple coalition governments, starting in 1956. Through the 1960s and 1970s the Pathet Lao battled the [[Royal Lao Government|Royal Lao government]] during the [[Laotian Civil War]], gaining control of the north and east of Laos. The Pathet Lao gained power throughout the country by 1975. In December, the US-backed government fell and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party formed a new government.<ref name="brit">
{{cite encyclopedia 
|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446407/Pathet-Lao 
|title=Pathet Lao |publisher=britannica |access-date=9 March 2013}}
</ref> 
<!-- un-cited content
Eventually, the term ''Pathet Lao'' became a generic name for Laotian communists.{{fact}}
During the civil war, it was effectively organized, equipped and even led by the Army of North Vietnam.{{fact}}
-->

==History==
=== 1940s and 1950s ===
[[File:PathetLao002.jpg|thumb|Pathet Lao at [[Xam Neua]] in 1953]]
The organization can trace its roots from the [[World War II|Second World War]], similar to the [[Khmer Issarak]] in Cambodia and the [[Viet Minh]] in Vietnam. Originally the [[Lao Issara]], an anti-French, non-communist nationalist movement formed on 12 October 1945, it was renamed the "Pathet Lao" in 1950 when it was adopted by Lao forces under Souphanouvong, who joined the Viet Minh's revolt against colonial French authorities in [[French Indochina|Indochina]] during the [[First Indochina War]].<ref name=Zasloff>{{cite book|last=Zasloff|first=Joseph|title=The Pathet Lao Leadership and Organisation|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|year=1973|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reports/2007/R949.pdf|isbn=978-0669867442|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719084408/https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reports/2007/R949.pdf|archive-date= July 19, 2022}}</ref>{{rp|12–3}}

Souphanouvong spent seven years in [[Nha Trang]]<ref name=Castle>{{cite book|last=Castle|first=Timothy|title=At War in the Shadow of Vietnam: U.S. Military Aid to the Royal Lao Government, 1955 - 1975|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0231079778}}</ref>{{rp|7}} and 16 years in Vietnam.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov">[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+la0031) Laos: The Pathet Lao] Library of Congress Country Studies</ref> In August 1950, Souphanouvong joined the Viet Minh in their headquarters north of [[Hanoi]], and became the head of the Pathet Lao, along with its political arm dubbed "Neo Lao Issara" (Free Lao Front).<ref name=Castle/>{{rp|142–3}} 

In 1953, Pathet Lao fighters accompanied an invasion of Laos from Vietnam led by Viet Minh forces; they established a government at [[Viengxay]] in [[Houaphanh province]], northeast Laos.<ref name=RAND>{{cite book|last1=Langer|first1=Paul|last2=Zasloff|first2=Joseph|title=Revolution in Laos: The North Vietnamese and the Pathet Lao|publisher=RAND Corporation|year=1969|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_memoranda/2008/RM5935.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213024453/https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_memoranda/2008/RM5935.pdf|archive-date= February 13, 2023}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|71–2}} 

The 1954 [[Geneva Conference (1954)|Geneva Conference]] agreements required the withdrawal of foreign forces, and allowed the Pathet Lao to establish itself as a regime in Laos's two northern provinces.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|73–8}} The Viet Minh and North Vietnamese never really withdrew from the border areas of Laos and the Pathet Lao continued to operate almost as a branch organization of the Viet Minh. Two months after the conference, the North Vietnamese formed [[Group 100]] with headquarters at [[Na Mèo]].<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|84–5}} 

A coalition government was established in 1957 between the monarchists and communists. In May 1959 two Pathet Lao battalions which had been selected for integration into the [[Royal Lao Army]] (RLA) were surrounded by RLA troops who attempted to disarm them. Part of one battalion was captured but the remainder fled to North Vietnam. Then in July 1959 Lao police arrested 16 Neo Lao Hak Sat members, including seven who had been elected to the National Assembly, on charges of treason. These actions brought about a resumption of fighting.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|85–9}}

===1959 to 1975===
{{main|Laotian Civil War}}
In 1959, North Vietnam had reoccupied areas of eastern Laos.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|90–3}} The area was used as a transit route for men and supplies destined for the [[Viet Cong]] insurgency in [[South Vietnam]] which became known as the [[Ho Chi Minh trail]]. In September 1959, North Vietnam formed [[Group 959]] in Laos with the aim of securing the supply route to South Vietnam and building the Pathet Lao into a stronger counterforce against the Lao Royal government.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|95–6}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Nguyen|first=Lien-Hang|title=Hanoi's War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-8078-3551-7|pages=45–6}}</ref> Group 959 openly supplied, trained and militarily supported the Pathet Lao.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|141–4}} The typical strategy during this era was for PAVN regulars to attack first and then send in the Pathet Lao at the end of the battle to claim victory.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|181}}

In the 1960s, more attempts at neutrality agreements and coalition government were attempted, principally the [[International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos]] signed in Geneva on 23 July 1962, and as North Vietnam had no intention of withdrawing from Laos, these agreements failed. The Pathet Lao entered into another coalition government in June 1962 and by April 1963 the Pathet Lao abandoned the coalition and resumed fighting.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|113–5}}

Until 1968 military operations were conducted by units usually of [[Company (military unit)|company]] or at most [[battalion]] size. Typically the RLA would be dominant in the wet season from May through October when the PAVN/Pathet Lao were immobilized by the rains and the PAVN/Pathet Lao would dominate during the dry season from November through April.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|138–9}} PAVN forces in Laos were primarily focused on supporting and defending the Ho Chi Minh trail, with support for the Pathet Lao revolution as a secondary role. In 1968 of the estimated 40,000 PAVN troops in Laos, 25,000 were engaged in supporting the Trail, 700 as advisers to the Pathet Lao and the remainder in mobile units supporting Pathet Lao operations.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|171–2}} Publicly the North Vietnamese maintained that they did not have any troops in Laos and were respecting the Geneva Agreement, while the United States and its allies were violating it; the United States asserted the exact opposite.<ref name=RAND/>{{rp|188–9}}

The Pathet Lao supreme headquarters or center was located in the [[Viengxay caves]] near [[Xam Neua]] manned by approximately 500 personnel.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|50}} NLHS membership was estimated as being 11,000 in 1965 and 14,000 in 1978.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|30}}

In October 1965 the armed forces were renamed the Lao People's Liberation Army (LPLA). The LPLA's estimated strength was 25,000 in June 1965, 33,000 in April 1967, 48,000+ in 1970 and 35,000 in late 1972.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|69–70}} The LPLA was divided into regular, regional/popular and militia/guerrilla forces. LPLA forces had PAVN advisers assigned to them and were not mixed with PAVN forces.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|75–6}} Recruitment into the LPLA was based on appeals to the patriotism of young Laotians who were told that their country was rich in natural resources and the people were poor because of capitalism and US imperialism.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|78}} If volunteers were not forthcoming then youth would be drafted, with the draft age of 15, and in some cases conscripts were as young as 12.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|78}} Training was rudimentary with a greater emphasis placed on political indoctrination than on military skills as the "fighting will" was deemed to be the most important source of military strength.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|83–5}} Military units had [[political commissar]]s down to company level.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|86}} The LPLA were entirely dependent on the PAVN for the supply of weapons and munitions and were generally outgunned by the RLA.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|92}}

In May 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division invasion of Laos. The Pathet Lao effectively served as an auxiliary force to the PAVN.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|72–3}} In June 1969 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched [[Campaign Toan Thang]], their first wet season offensive. While US air bombardments contributed to the majority of PAVN/Pathet casualties, the RLA were unable to match the numerical strength of the PAVN/Pathet Lao forces.<ref name=Zasloff/>{{rp|73}} 

On 2 February 1971 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched [[Campaign 74B]] temporarily capturing the Plain of Jars and shelling [[Long Tieng]], the base of [[Vang Pao]]'s RLA aligned army before withdrawing.<ref name=Conboy>{{cite book|last1=Conboy|first1=Kenneth|last2=Morrison|first2=James|title=Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos|publisher=Paladin Press|year=1996|isbn=0-87364-825-0}}</ref>{{rp|295–300}} On 28 October 1972 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched [[Campaign 972]] scoring a series of victories over the RLA forces.<ref name=Conboy/>{{rp|394–5}}

With the signing of the [[Paris Peace Accords]] on 27 January 1973 all U.S. prisoners were to be released under [[Operation Homecoming]]. The [[United States Department of Defense]] (DOD) listed 311 Americans as missing in Laos, and on 1 February 1973 the North Vietnamese handed the Americans a list of prisoners of war in Laos which included nine Americans: seven servicemen and two civilians.<ref>{{cite news|title=Laos P.O.W. list shows 9 from U.S.|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/02/archives/laos-pow-list-shows-9-from-us-document-disappointing-to-washington.html|date=2 February 1973|page=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611064025/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/02/archives/laos-pow-list-shows-9-from-us-document-disappointing-to-washington.html|archive-date= June 11, 2022}}</ref> U.S. agencies believe that as many as 41 Americans may have been held prisoner by the Pathet Lao.<ref>{{cite news|title=POW pilots left in Laos, files suggest|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|author=Thomas W. Lippman|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/01/02/pow-pilots-left-in-laos-files-suggest/513d8702-3edc-495e-a311-a15040b3d465/|date=2 January 1994|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119201803/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/01/02/pow-pilots-left-in-laos-files-suggest/513d8702-3edc-495e-a311-a15040b3d465/|archive-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> [[Charles Shelton]] who was captured on 29 April 1965 was listed as a prisoner by the DOD until September 1994.<ref>{{cite news|title=Children of the Last P.O.W. Close a Pain-Filled Chapter|work=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E5D9153DF936A35753C1A962958260|date=5 October 1994|page=10|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106041232/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/05/us/children-of-the-last-pow-close-a-pain-filled-chapter.html|archive-date= November 6, 2022}}</ref> As of 26 July 2019 the DOD's [[Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency]] listed 286 Americans as missing in Laos, of which 263 were classified as further pursuit, 12 deferred and 11 non-recoverable.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/VietnamAccounting/2019_stats/Statistics%20as%20of%20July%2026,%202019.pdf|title=Vietnam era statistical report Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia|publisher=Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency|date=26 July 2019|access-date=6 September 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618235029/https://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/VietnamAccounting/2019_stats/Statistics%20as%20of%20July%2026,%202019.pdf|archive-date=June 18, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Vientianne1973.jpg|thumb|right|Pathet Lao soldiers in Vientiane, Laos, 1973]]

After the Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the Pathet Lao and the government of Laos signed a cease-fire agreement, the [[Vientiane Treaty]], on 21 February 1973.<ref name="World Book">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[World Book Encyclopedia|The World Book Year Book 1974]] |title=Laos |last=Stalker |first=John N. |year=1974 |publisher=[[Field Enterprises|Field Enterprises Educational Corporation]] |location=[[Chicago]] |isbn=0-7166-0474-4 |lccn=62-4818 |page=[https://archive.org/details/1974worldbookyea00fiel/page/375 375] |url=https://archive.org/details/1974worldbookyea00fiel/page/375 }}</ref>

On 14 December 1974, the Pathet Lao [[killing of Charles Dean and Neil Sharman|killed Charles Dean and Neil Sharman]], backpackers who were captured near Vientiane.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pentagon Recovers Remains Believed to Be Howard Dean's Brother|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/pentagon-recovers-remains-believed-to-be-howard-deans-brother|agency=AP|publisher=Fox News|date=18 November 2003|access-date=14 November 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612021621/https://www.foxnews.com/story/pentagon-recovers-remains-believed-to-be-howard-deans-brother|archive-date= June 12, 2022}}</ref>{{relevance|date=July 2025}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Grant |title=A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between |date=2002 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=9781864489972 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nFEhbm1DZk0C |access-date=17 October 2019}}

{{Laos topics}}

==External links==
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034101/http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/lima/laos1962.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034105/http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/lima/laos1954.htm
*http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0859186.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904231913/http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0859186.html |date=2006-09-04 }}
*http://countrystudies.us/laos/
*http://countrystudies.us/laos/14.htm
*http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9058717/Pathet-Lao
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anti-imperialism]]
[[Category:Communism in Laos]]
[[Category:Defunct communist militant groups]]
[[Category:Factions of the First Indochina War]]
[[Category:Factions of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:History of Laos (1945–present)]]
[[Category:Laotian Civil War]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organizations based in Laos]]