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| Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lao PDR) |
State in the central part of the Indochina Peninsula. Territory - 236.8 thousand sq. km. Population - 3.7 million (1980, estimate); lao (over 70%). ahem, meo, yao, etc. The capital is Vientiane (about 200 thousand inhabitants, 1980). The official language is Lao. The Kingdom of Laos was formed in the 8th century. n. NS. In 1893 France declared it its protectorate. During the Second World War, the country was occupied by Japan. 12.X 1945 as a result of a popular uprising, Laos was proclaimed an independent state of Pathet Lao (Country of Lao). At the beginning of 1946, French troops again occupied Laos. The struggle of the Lao patriots led to the creation in August 1950 of the government of the National Resistance. In October 1953, France declared Laos an independent state, but it was only under the Geneva agreements of 1954 that its independence received international recognition, and France withdrew its troops from Laos. After the coup d'état on August 9, 1960, the country's right-wing forces, with direct support from the United States, unleashed a civil war in Laos. In May 1961, hostilities ceased, and an international conference on Laos opened in Geneva, the participants of which on 23 July 1962 signed the Declaration and Protocol to the Declaration of Neutrality of Laos. In June 1962, a national unity coalition government was formed from representatives of the Lao Patriotic Front, neutralists and the right. In April 1963, under the threat of physical harm, representatives of the patriotic forces were forced to leave Vientiane. The right-wing group provoked the resumption of hostilities in the country. In May 1964, American aircraft began bombing areas controlled by patriotic forces. The United States sent its servicemen to Laos under the guise of "advisers" and "experts", and created military bases and airfields. The CIA financed and directed the so-called. "Special troops". On November 21, 1973, in Vientiane, an Agreement was signed on the restoration of peace and the achievement of national accord in Laos. In accordance with this agreement, on 5IV 1974, the Provisional Government of National Unity and the National Political Coalition Council of Laos were formed, which included representatives of the patriotic forces and the Vientiane side. In May - August 1975, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (PNRPL), rallying around itself broad sections of the working people, achieved the creation of local people's revolutionary government bodies. In November, elections were held across the country for local people's councils. On 1-2.XII 1975, the National Congress of People's Representatives was held in Vientiane, at which the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the NPRPL K. Fomin-Khan made a political report. Having approved the report of K. Fomvihan, the Congress accepted the abdication of the king from the throne, proclaimed the country the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), dissolved the Provisional Government of National Unity and the National Political Coalition Council, created the Supreme People's Assembly and the government of the Lao PDR. Thus, the national democratic revolution ended in Laos, and the people's democratic system was established. The country began building a socialist society, bypassing the capitalist stage of development. In the Lao PDR, a public sector has been created, the private sector has been placed under state control, private banks have been nationalized, cooperatives and state farms are formed in agriculture, work is underway to form a new, national in form, socialist in content, culture. In foreign policy, the Lao PDR firmly adheres to the course of strengthening fraternal relations with socialist countries on the basis of the principles of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, as well as developing relations with all other countries on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. support for national liberation movements. The Lao people, under the leadership of the NPLP, are fighting the forces of internal reaction, acting with the help of international imperialism, and also fighting back the Beijing hegemonists, who not only organize armed provocations on the Lao-Chinese border, but also carry out intelligence and subversive activities in Laos, and roughly interfere in his internal affairs. The struggle of the NPLP for freedom, independence and social progress is supported by the countries of the socialist community, the international communist and national liberation movements, all the peace-loving, democratic forces of the planet. The CPSU and the Soviet state have always provided effective support and assistance to the NPL. 19.IV-4.V 1976 an official visit to the USSR of a party and government delegation of the Lao PDR headed by K. Fomvihan took place, which ended in the signing of a joint Soviet-Laotian communique and a number of agreements on cooperation in various fields. Important milestones in the history of relations between the CPSU and the NPL, the USSR and Lao PDR, the Soviet and Lao peoples were the meetings of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Comrade Leonid I. Brezhnev, with Keison Fomvihan on 6 September 1976, 16 May 1977 and on IX 1979, during which measures were outlined for their further all-round development. Laos is a people's democratic republic. The highest legislative body is the Supreme People's Assembly. The President of the Republic and the Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the NRPL Suphanouvong. The executive body is the government. Prime Minister - K. Fomvihan. The organizing and guiding force of the Lao people is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (PLRP), which stands on Marxist-Leninist positions. Created on March 22, 1955. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the NPLL - Keison Phomvihan. The central organ of the party is the newspaper Sieng Pasason (Voice of the People). The NRPL leads the country's most massive organization - the Front for National Construction of Laos - FNSL (until November 20, 1979 - the Patriotic Front of Laos - PFL). Chairman of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Federal Tax Service - Suphanouvong. The Federation of Patriotic Trade Unions, the Association of Patriotic Women, the People's Revolutionary Youth of Laos and other public organizations operate in the country. Laos is an agrarian country with elements of a subsistence economy. In the bowels there are deposits of tin, copper, zinc, lead, iron, etc., in the forests - valuable species of wood (teak, cinchona, etc.). Since 1978, the rise of the country's economy has been carried out on the basis of plans for the development of the national economy. Agriculture employs over 80% of the independent population. The main crop is rice. The sown area is 720 thousand hectares, the average annual production is 700-800 thousand tons of refined rice. Corn, cotton, vegetables, tobacco, coffee are also cultivated. The annual fish catch is 5.5 thousand tons. Animal husbandry is developed (there are about 1 million heads of cattle, almost 900 thousand pigs, 4.4 million poultry). There are 4 sectors in the industry: public, cooperative, public-private and private. All private enterprises are controlled by the state. There are about 700 medium and small enterprises for the production of tobacco, cigarettes, furniture, footwear, etc., of which more than 500 are in the state and public-private sectors. In 1979, 906 million kWh of electricity were produced. Handicraft production is well developed. The state supplies all enterprises, regardless of their social and legal nature, with raw materials and spare parts, sells products (wholesale trade), and fully controls the monetary and financial system. The USSR renders great assistance in the economic and social development of the country to Laos . With his technical assistance, a bridge was built across the river. Nyon, a hospital, a tank farm, a car repair shop, a large state farm is being created, and another hospital is being built. With the help of the USSR, it is planned to build a polytechnic, a radio station, a workshop for the repair of agricultural equipment, two large bridges The length of highways and dirt roads is about 8 thousand km, of which only 1414 km are paved. Since February 1976 the state-owned airline Lao Aviation has been operating. Zhel. there are no roads. The monetary unit is kip. Laos trades with socialist countries, with the countries of Southeast Asia, Japan. Main imported goods: prom. equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, means of transport, etc. Exported: products of forestry and woodworking products, coffee, electricity, tin concentrate. The government is taking steps to improve the lives of workers. The network of medical institutions is expanding in the country, a system of free medical care has been introduced, and illiteracy has been largely eliminated.
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