 He was born into the royal family, a well-known member of the Lao monarchy. As a child, he received only basic education, but with his patience, Prince Souphanouvong tied his life to the task of national liberation, freeing the country from the yoke of French colonialism and giving back independence and liberty to all ethnic peoples of Laos. In the long and honorable movement, which was full of challenges, under the leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Prince Souphanouvong, a patriotic man became a strong revolutionary, a very important person in the state leading body and President of Lao People's Democratic Republic. He contributed great achievements to the process of the growth of the revolution in Laos and Indochina at large. What was the source of energy and cunning that awakened Prince Souphanouvong to engage in the revolutionary movement, a road full of danger? Many factors encouraged the young royal boy to participate in the revolution. Prince Souphanouvong was born on July 13, 1909 in Luang Prabang, (former capital of Lane Xang Kingdom), graduated from the university of France in 1937 and became the first road and bridge engineer of Laos. His father was Viceroy Bounkong. Even though Souphanouvong was born into the royal family, he held the same fate as normal people whose country was under the French Indochinese colonial rule, in a remote, poor, dark area of the world. From Europe, France came to Indochina to occupy Laos and split the country into parts. Lao people were suffering because of this. Under the colonial system, all people in all countries were seriously oppressed. As a human being who saw the truth, Prince Souphanouvong dedicated his life to fighting for revolution. At the age of 7, Prince Souphanouvong began his education in Luang Prabang primary school. In 1920 he studied in An-Be-Xaro Secondary School in Hanoi. In October 1931, he studied in Xanh-lui Secondary School then he took the entrance exam to study in a university in France. He graduated from the university and got a degree in engineering. It was a very rare opportunity for people who were from colonial countries to receive such a high education. Prince Souphanouvong was not only among the few people who had the opportunity to study in university, but also one of few people who studied abroad. It was unbelievable that the French colonial goal in educating a few people that aimed to make their administration work easier brought upside-down results for them. In Hanoi, Prince Souphanouvong had good relations and understanding with his Vietnamese friends who were in the same fate under the French colonials. In Paris, Prince Souphanouvong found different ideas, which were banned back in Laos by the French colonials. According to a French journalist Boc Set, in Paris, Prince Souphanouvong communicated with French people who used to stay in Laos. He liked reading Justice, a newspaper of the French Communist Party. At the final year of his study, Prince Souphanouvong experienced with his own eyes the movement of French Government under the leadership of Leon Blum. He saw a glimpse of hope that the Government would bring one class of people into prosperity. According to a book titled "a battle in Laos" written by Arthur J Dommen published in 1971, Prince Souphanouvong travelled to remote areas of France to study irrigation systems. In North Africa, he worked in a ship factory in Le Haure and fought in a battle against fascists where he first met and became familiar with communists. In the new era of the great October revolution, national spirits in all colonial countries were awakened. The new era awakened people up, propaganda on national liberation was taken into new heights and more seriously. In colonial countries, this idea was quickly recognised, these people received news and information due to their own level of education. After returning from Paris, in Indochina, Prince Souphanouvong was sent to work in Ya Chang in Vietnam. It was a very important period for Prince Souphanouvong's decision to dedicate physical and intellectual property to the national liberation. After the August Revolution, 1945 was victorious, President Ho Chi Minh invited Prince Souphanouvong to Hanoi to discuss the relations between Laos and Vietnam. In Hanoi he was interviewed by a Polish journalist. He said "Because I have opportunity to meet with President Ho Chi Minh, I gained a lot of knowledge from him. I participated in the August uprising against fascist Japan. I am clear and understand things. After that I came back to my country to lead Lao people in liberating the country." On the way back from Vietnam to Laos, Prince Souphanouvong was guarded by Vietnamese soldiers. President Ho Chi Minh allowed them to take 100 of the 250 guns left in storage in the central Vietnamese revolutionary base. This was the first army assistance from Vietnam to the Lao revolutionary movement. Prince Souphanouvong made his commitment that he would fight until Laos was liberated. Prince Souphanouvong and his Vietnamese guards crossed Phou Luang mountain and took Road Number 7 to the Mekong in Savannakhet province. On the way, he encouraged many people in Savannakhet to participate in the movement. In Thakek (capital city of Khammuan), 1945, Lao and Vietnamese troops were set up under an agreement between the Lao Issara movement and the Vietnamese Democratic Republic. Early 1946, France began its army movement and occupied big and small towns in Laos. Prince Souphanouvong led the troops under his command and fought bravely against the French attempts to retake the town. Unfortunately due the lack of forces and experience, The French troops managed to defeat the Lao and Vietnamese troops. On March 21, 1946, Prince Souphanouvong ordered the troops to cross the river to Thailand, while he was crossing the Mekong, he was shot and injured. The Lao Issara troops withdrew safely out of the town after French troops occupied the town. In accordance with Souphanouvong' s proposal, in 1948, the Vietnamese Government agreed to assist Laos by helping set up a local army in southern Laos. On October 25, 1949, Khammao who was named as Prime Minister after the Independence Declaration from Japan surrendered to French troops in Vientiane. In response to the situation, Prince Souphanouvong organised a meeting to condemn the action of Khammao and committed himself to ensuring that the liberation movement of the Lao people would continue until the end. After a while, Souphanouvong and his members secretly came back to Laos and conducted the task of liberation in central Laos. Due to his great achievements contributing to the task of national liberation, Prince Souphanouvong, who worked tirelessly, became a Communist in 1953 and in 1953 he was elected to the Party Central Committee of the Lao People's Party (now the Lao People's Revolutionary Party). Prince Souphanouvong was known as the "Red Prince'' after leading the communist Pathet Lao for more than two decades of guerrilla warfare against the rightist government of his half-brother, Prince Souvanna Phouma. In December, 1975, Prince Souphannouvong was elected as the first President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. He stayed in the post until 1986 and passed away in 1995 at the age of 86. |
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