Kong Le
Encyclopedia
Kong Le is a former paratrooper
captain in the Royal Lao Army
known for overthrowing the government of Laos
in a 1960 coup d'état
. He obtained his training from the Armed Forces of the Philippines
in 1957 and joined the Royal Lao Army
in 1960.
, the paratroopers had unwittingly chosen a moment when the entire cabinet
was in Luang Phrabang conferring with King Sri Savang Vatthana. They informed their compatriots and the outside world by broadcasting their communiqués on the radio
. In a rally at the city football stadium on August 11, Kong Le expanded on his goals: end the fighting in Laos
, stem corruption, and establish a policy of peace
and neutrality
. Recalling the experience of the first coalition
when the country was temporarily at peace, Kong Le asked for the nomination of Souvanna Phouma
as prime minister
.
On August 11, General Ouane Rattikone
, as the cabinet's envoy, arrived in Vientiane from Louang Phrabang. After negotiations with Kong Le and Souvanna Phouma, Ouan returned to Louang Phrabang with a document in which the coup leaders requested the cabinet to return. Fearing violence in Vientiane, the premier, Prince Somsanith Vongkotrattana
, resigned, and the King named Souvanna Phouma prime minister. The new government was invested by thirty-four deputies on August 16. The next day, Kong Le declared his coup over and vacated the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
then went to Thailand
and with the help of its dictator, his mentor Sarit Dhanarajata
, returned to Laos to establish a competing capital in Savannakhet
. Phoumi proceeded to attack Vientiane, weakened by a Thai blockade, on September 18 but the neutralists with the help of the Pathet Lao
and the Soviet Union
, repulsed the attack. A coalition government was formed between neutralists, communists and rightists on November 18, 1960. On December 8, Souvanna Phouma relieved Kong Le from his command, but the next day Kong Le deposed Souvanna Phouma (who flew to Phnom Penh
with Prince Boun Om and his other ministers) and the leftist minister Quinim Pholsena
was appointed premier
. A few days later Phoumi took Vientiane and installed Boun Oum
(Boun Om's brother) as premier. After more than a year of negotiations a coalition government was formed under the leadership of Souvanna Phouma.
On November 27, 1962 Kong Le was appointed chief of the new army
(nominally the merged armies of the neutralist, communist and rightist factions).
but Kong Le now allied with Phoumi, repulsed the attack. The neutralist government was deposed by the right-wing generals Kouprasith Abhay
and Siho Lamphouthakoun April 19, 1964, but following international pressure, Souvanna Phouma was reinstalled as premiere.
On January 31, 1965 Phoumi and Siho led a coup, but Kong Le's troops defeated them by February 4. Phoumi and Siho fled to Thailand.
The right wing parliament was dissolved by Souvanna Phouma on October 7, 1966. There was a strong reaction from the right wing faction of the army. The struggle lasted until November 15 when Kong Le was dismissed as army chief and left the country. The mainly neutralist sector of the army went to the Pathet Lao
controlled zone.
Kong Le now lives in exile
, primarily in the United States
.
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
captain in the Royal Lao Army
Royal Lao Government
The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic...
known for overthrowing the government of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
in a 1960 coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. He obtained his training from the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
in 1957 and joined the Royal Lao Army
Royal Lao Government
The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic...
in 1960.
Coup of 1960
On August 9, Kong Le led the Second Paratroop Battalion in a nearly bloodless coup. In taking over VientianeVientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
, the paratroopers had unwittingly chosen a moment when the entire cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
was in Luang Phrabang conferring with King Sri Savang Vatthana. They informed their compatriots and the outside world by broadcasting their communiqués on the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. In a rally at the city football stadium on August 11, Kong Le expanded on his goals: end the fighting in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, stem corruption, and establish a policy of peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and neutrality
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
. Recalling the experience of the first coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
when the country was temporarily at peace, Kong Le asked for the nomination of Souvanna Phouma
Souvanna Phouma
Prince Souvanna Phouma was the leader of the neutralist faction and prime minister of the Kingdom of Laos several times, from 1951–1952, 1956–1958, 1960 and 1962-1975.-Early life:...
as prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
On August 11, General Ouane Rattikone
Ouane Rattikone
Ouane Rattikone , a Laotian general, was the commander-in-chief of the Force Armée Republic, the army of the Royal Lao Government, during the 1960s....
, as the cabinet's envoy, arrived in Vientiane from Louang Phrabang. After negotiations with Kong Le and Souvanna Phouma, Ouan returned to Louang Phrabang with a document in which the coup leaders requested the cabinet to return. Fearing violence in Vientiane, the premier, Prince Somsanith Vongkotrattana
Somsanith Vongkotrattana
Prince Somsanith Vongkotrattana was the Prime Minister of Laos. He was born in Luang Prabang, Laos. His mother, Sanghiemkham, was one of Prince Bounkhong daughters, married Souvannarath, would late become Prime Minister, making Prince Souvanna Phouma, Prince Souphanouvong, Prince Phetsarath and...
, resigned, and the King named Souvanna Phouma prime minister. The new government was invested by thirty-four deputies on August 16. The next day, Kong Le declared his coup over and vacated the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Neutralist government to coalition
General Phoumi NosavanPhoumi Nosavan
Phoumi Nosavan was a Lao military and political figure of the Vietnam War . Nosavan was of Chinese descent....
then went to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and with the help of its dictator, his mentor Sarit Dhanarajata
Sarit Dhanarajata
Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat , was a Thai career soldier who staged a coup in 1957, thereafter serving as Thailand's Prime Minister until his death in 1963. He was born in Bangkok, but grew up in his mother's home town in Lao-speaking northeastern Thailand and considered himself a northeasterner...
, returned to Laos to establish a competing capital in Savannakhet
Savannakhet
Savannakhet or Kaysone Phomvihane is a city in western Laos and the capital of the Savannakhet Province, previously known as Khanthabouli . This is the second-largest city in Laos, after Vientiane. The city is birthtown of Kaysone Phomvihane, former president of Laos, and was named after him in...
. Phoumi proceeded to attack Vientiane, weakened by a Thai blockade, on September 18 but the neutralists with the help of the Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, repulsed the attack. A coalition government was formed between neutralists, communists and rightists on November 18, 1960. On December 8, Souvanna Phouma relieved Kong Le from his command, but the next day Kong Le deposed Souvanna Phouma (who flew to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
with Prince Boun Om and his other ministers) and the leftist minister Quinim Pholsena
Quinim Pholsena
Quinim Pholsena was a leftist minister and the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from 1962 to 1963, under Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma.-Early life:...
was appointed premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
. A few days later Phoumi took Vientiane and installed Boun Oum
Boun Oum
Prince Boun Oum was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassack and also Prime Minister of Laos.-Early life:...
(Boun Om's brother) as premier. After more than a year of negotiations a coalition government was formed under the leadership of Souvanna Phouma.
On November 27, 1962 Kong Le was appointed chief of the new army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
(nominally the merged armies of the neutralist, communist and rightist factions).
Renewed conflict
The neutralist group was soon divided between right-leaning neutralists (headed by Kong Le) and left-leaning neutralists (headed by Quinim Polsena and colonel Deuane Sunnalath). On February 12, 1963 Kong Le's second in command, Colonel Ketsana, was assassinated. Shortly afterwards Quinim Polsena and his deputy were also assassinated. Fearing for their lives, the left wing ministers fled to Khang Khay, capital of the Pathet Lao zone. The Pathet Lao and neutralist-leftists attacked the Plain of JarsPlain of Jars
The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. Scattered in the landscape of the Xieng Khouang plateau Xieng Khouang, Lao PDR, are thousands of megalithic jars...
but Kong Le now allied with Phoumi, repulsed the attack. The neutralist government was deposed by the right-wing generals Kouprasith Abhay
Kouprasith Abhay
General Kouprasith Abhay was a Laotian military and political figure from the Vietnam War .He was born into the privileged ruling family of Khong Island...
and Siho Lamphouthakoun April 19, 1964, but following international pressure, Souvanna Phouma was reinstalled as premiere.
On January 31, 1965 Phoumi and Siho led a coup, but Kong Le's troops defeated them by February 4. Phoumi and Siho fled to Thailand.
The right wing parliament was dissolved by Souvanna Phouma on October 7, 1966. There was a strong reaction from the right wing faction of the army. The struggle lasted until November 15 when Kong Le was dismissed as army chief and left the country. The mainly neutralist sector of the army went to the Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
controlled zone.
Kong Le now lives in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, primarily in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.