The Best of Cambodia & Laos

There have been some tensions along
ethnic lines although this is more an issue
of political vendetta than genuine racial
friction. Over a millennia lowland Tai-Lao
migrants pressured the Lao Theung groups
forcing them to move to higher ground.
They also dominated them politically. The
Lao Theung were frequently referred to as
Kha, a derogatory term meaning “slave”
since they were historically often forced
into being indentured labor.
French colonial rule tended to favor
lowland Lao by granting them access to
education and putting them in a position
of authority. In the early 1900s, Lao
Theung and Lao Sung groups mounted
several insurgencies against the French and
the Lao-Thai. The rebellions were easily
suppressed, but the tensions lived on.
During the 1950s, significant numbers of
Lao Theung and Lao Sung fought for the
Pathet Lao. After 1975, the number of Lao
Theung and Lao Sung in positions of
government and social responsibility
increased, but even in the 1990s they were
still underrepresented.
The unresolved issue of Hmong resistance
to Communist rule persists. There
were about 30,000 Hmong recruited by
the CIA to fight against the Pathet Lao
and North Vietnamese in during the ’60s
and ’70s. When the Americans left, remnants
of this force (with their families)
remained stranded in the jungle and carried
on the war. There is a continuing refugee
problem for Thailand, Laos, and the
U.S. Some would say that for the situation
not to be solved suits certain political
vested interests. In 2003 Bangkok-based
Australian photographer Philip Blenkinsop
was the first foreigner to find these
beleaguered groups. Their situation was
one of intense distress.
6 LAOS IN POPULAR CULTURE
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
One of the most interesting books about
Laos (and indeed Vietnam and Cambodia)
is A Dragon Apparent by the celebrated
English travel writer Norman Lewis. Written
before Indochina was plunged into
Cold War conflict, it takes a look at the
end of French rule and is both insightful
(although very opinionated) and entertaining.
A Short History of Laos: The Land
in Between, by Grant Evans, published in
2002, is a good introduction to Lao history.
Ant Egg Soup by Natacha du Pont de
Bie is a foodie’s tour of the country. It
chronicles the author’s adventures and
describes the people she meets, the places
she visits and, of course, the food she eats.
Another Quiet American by Brett Dakin is
a subjective look at the expatriate community
in Vientiane at the start of this
century and lays out the author’s struggles
with the issues of poverty. One Foot in Laos
by Dervla Murphy is a quirky piece of
travel literature and a good light read. The
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by
Anne Fadiman portrays the struggle
between a Hmong refugee family and
their American doctors over the care of
their epileptic daughter. It is a tragic tale of
cultural misunderstanding and disconnection.
Voices from the Plain of Jars: Life
under an Air War compiled, with an introduction
and preface by Fred Branfman, is
written by a former volunteer in the ’60s
and addresses the secret war that killed so
many. The Politics of Heroin in Southeast
Asia by Alfred W. McCoy was so controversial
the CIA tried to have it banned. It’s
a book that really packed a punch when
published.
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LAOS IN POPULAR CULTURE