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Thailand returns seized Laos territory
At the end of World War II Thailand was compelled to return territory it had seized from Laos, Cambodia and Malaya. The exiled King Ananda returned -
Laos becomes and independant states
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became independent states in a French Union -
Minh invades Laos
Viet Minh invaded Laos with 40,00 troops -
French troops evacuate northern Laos
French troops evacuated northern Laos -
Laos gains independence from France
Laos gained full independence from France -
SEATO created
SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization), a sister organization to NATO, was created under the Manila Pact by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, to stop communist spread in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). The United States, Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand signed the mutual defense treaty. SEATO dissolved in 1977. -
Laos gov. flees to Cambodia
The Laos government fled to Cambodia as the capital city of Vientiane was engulfed in war. -
Kennedy discusses communist involvement in Laos
John F. Kennedy met with British Premier Macmillan, in Washington to discuss increased Communist involvement in Laos. -
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CIA has secret army in Laos
The CIA backed a secret army in Laos to help fight the communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese. An estimated 50,000 Hmong civilians died over this period. CIA director William Colby acknowledged the US and Hmong alliance in 1994. -
Laos forbides US from invading Laos
The Geneva Conference on Laos forbade the United States to invade eastern Laos, site of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. -
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Us drops 2.3 millions tons of bombs on Laos
US warplanes carried out 580,000 bombing missions over Laos and dropped an estimated 2.3 million tons of bombs. In the years that followed over 200 people per year died from bombs that had initially failed to explode. In 2001 filmmaker Jack Silverman produced "Bombies," a documentary on the effect of cluster bombs on civilians -
Herbicides dumped on Laos forests
American troops began the largest offensive of the war, near the Cambodian border. In order to deny the Vietcong cover, and allow men to see through the dense vegetation, herbicides were dumped on the forests near the South Vietnamese borders as well as Cambodia and Laos. -
Operation Tailwind in effect
In Laos the US Operation Tailwind began with the objectives of reconnaissance, intelligence collection, and a diversion for a larger operation to the north. In 1998 it was reported that the secret raid called Operation Tailwind by a Special Forces unit called the Studies and Observations Group (SOG) used the nerve gas sarin in Laos to kill American armed service members who had defected. A report in 1998 allegedly confirmed that over 100 people were killed including up to 20 American military de -
Laos communists take over vientiane city
In Laos Communists took over the administration of Vientiane city -
NVA troops use Laod to stage attacks on allies
Vietnamese troops were reported to be occupying 400 square miles in Cambodia. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops were using Laos and Cambodia as staging areas for attacks against allied forces. -
ASEAN met to allow Burma to become a member
The 7-member ASEAN alliance, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, met in Kuala Lumpur and agreed to allow Burma to become a member in July. Laos and Cambodia were also admitted. The members were Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. -
Laos cultivates 154 tons of opium
The US estimated that Laos cultivated 154 tons of opium poppy this year. -
Holiday made in honor of Lan Xang
The Laos government declared this day a national holiday in honor of King Fangum, "the father of Lao unity" and the 650th anniversary of the founding of Lan Xang in1353. -
Laos and Thailand sign pact to eliminate attack borders
Laos and Thailand signed a pact aimed at stamping out border attacks by unknown militants -
non-aggression pact signed so East-Asian free trade can occur
The ASEAN summit concluded in Vientiane, Laos. Australia agreed to sign a non-aggression pact with the group in exchange for an invitation to another summit, where ASEAN hopes to start work on an East Asian free-trade area. -
Laotians voted new parliament
Laotians voted for a new parliament in a largely symbolic exercise since all the candidates belonged to the communist party. But in an effort to bring in fresh faces, only about a quarter were incumbents. -
Laos joined International Whaling commission
Japanese officials said the landlocked nation of Laos has agreed to join the International Whaling Commission at Japan's request and is highly likely to support Tokyo's high-profile pro-whaling campaign.