Page 75 - Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

of the United States’ post-war policy in Southeast Asia. In the decades directly following
_SP PYO ZQ _SP bL] ?SLTWLYO ^Lb L Y`XMP] ZQ OTʬP]PY_ [ZWT_TNLW ]PRTXP^ XZ^_Wd XTWT_L]d
dictatorships. Change began to manifest itself in the early 1970s with the student-led October
14 uprising in 1973.

For the next few decades, the government would vacillate between civilian democracies and
military regimes. A recent example of this type of political reversal occurred in 2006 with the
dissolution of parliament and a bloodless coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,
which was resolved by a 2007 national referendum approving a new constitution. The
subsequent general election in 2007 gave a majority to the People’s Power Party, which was
allied with the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin. But in 2008 the party was forced to disband
amidst a storm of controversy over charges of election fraud.

The 2006 coup and subsequent controversy continue to mark Thai politics. The two main
factions—the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts—each accuse each other of having been
involved in some wrongdoing. The Red Shirts view the Yellow Shirts as supporting the coup
and therefore interfering with the democratic process; the Yellow Shirts counter that the
Red Shirts are controlled by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they view
as corrupt.

Although there have been some clashes, the resulting demonstrations by both groups have
been largely peaceful and often mediated by the royal family, for whom both sides have shown
great respect. (As a constitutional monarch the power of the king is limited to a symbolic
ʭR`]PSPLO SZbPaP] _SP TY^_T_`_TZY PWTNT_^ S`RP LXZ`Y_ ZQ ]P^[PN_ LYO ]PaP]PYNP Q]ZX _SP
Thai people.)

Laos

Facts & Figures

• Area: 91,429 square miles

• Capital: Vientiane

• Languages: 7LZ T^ _SP ZʯNTLW WLYR`LRP& 1]PYNS 0YRWT^S LYO aL]TZ`^ P_SYTN WLYR`LRP^
are also spoken.

• Ethnicity: Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26%

• Location: Laos is bordered by Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, and Burma.

• Geography: Unlike many of its neighbors, Laos is somewhat sparsely populated. The
]`RRPO LYO OTʯN`W_ _P]]LTY XLVP^ QL]XTYR L ^_]`RRWP LYO bSTWP ʭ^STYR T^ TX[Z]_LY_
along the rivers, Laos has no coastline. The Mekong River, an important source of
commerce and transportation, runs through Laos and links the country to the outside.

• Population: 6,803,699

• Religions: -`OOST^_ !" .S]T^_TLY Z_SP] LYO `Y^[PNTʭPO

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