Vang Tao Incident
Encyclopedia
The Vang Tao Incident was a episode broadcast live on Thai
television. On July 3, 2000 a group of armed insurgents and mercenaries attacked a Lao
customs outpost at the southern border town of Vang Tao. The raiders, as they came to be described, were easily routed leaving six of their own dead and 27 were arrested by Thai authorities, of those 11 were Thai nationals.
The attack followed a series of bombings in Vientiane
attributed to Hmong
rebels and coincided with a month-long lobbying visit by Prince Sauryavong Savang
and Crown Prince Soulivong Savang
to the United States
. Some analysts concluded that the raid was likely a demonstration to gain financial and political support from Laotians abroad. There is a possibility that the military attack on the Communist government was financed by group called the United Lao Nation Resistance for Democracy in Laos based in California, USA.
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...
television. On July 3, 2000 a group of armed insurgents and mercenaries attacked a Lao
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...
customs outpost at the southern border town of Vang Tao. The raiders, as they came to be described, were easily routed leaving six of their own dead and 27 were arrested by Thai authorities, of those 11 were Thai nationals.
The attack followed a series of bombings in Vientiane
Vientiane
-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...
attributed to Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
rebels and coincided with a month-long lobbying visit by Prince Sauryavong Savang
Sauryavong Savang
Prince Sauryavong Savang is the youngest son of King Savang Vatthana of Laos. In 1965, he married Princess Dalavan and they have four children, Sthira Sauryavong, Dayavant Sauryavong, Balavant Sauryavong, and Krishnajina Sauryavong....
and Crown Prince Soulivong Savang
Soulivong Savang
Crown Prince Soulivong Savang , grandson of the last King of Laos Savang Vatthana, is the pretender to the Lao throne. Laos was a monarchy until 1975, when the communist Pathet Lao seized control of the nation, causing Savang Vatthana to abdicate his throne...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Some analysts concluded that the raid was likely a demonstration to gain financial and political support from Laotians abroad. There is a possibility that the military attack on the Communist government was financed by group called the United Lao Nation Resistance for Democracy in Laos based in California, USA.
External links
- The Exiled Lao Royal Family and the Vangtao Incident
- BANDITS OR REBELS? Hmong Resistance in the New Lao State
- Laos' Tourist Campaign Fizzles Bombings in capital, bandits in countryside keep visitors away by Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Laos Comes Under Attack
- Rebels Threaten Communists in Laos