What made Khamsay Souphanouvong run for his life?
laos...@my-deja.com
What made Mr. Khamsay Souphanouvong run for his life?
Before answering this question I would like to tell you a short story
about Khamsay’s life and a few people related to him. Khamsay is the
third son of Tiao Souphanouvong, born in Savannakhet province, while
his father was building the Pakading Bridge. Khamsay went to study in
the Soviet Union majoring in railroad construction engineering. But
after a few years of studying, he changed his major to political
economy because he believed that it was impossible to build a railroad
in Laos. He joined the communist movement after he graduated. He did
not meet Kaison personally until 1985. Later, he became Kaison's
secretary along with Somsavat Lengsavat.
Khamsay had a big brother (the oldest son of Tiao Souphanouvong) that
was famous for being one of the smartest people in the communist camp.
Even Kaison acknowledged that Khamsay’s big brother will be the one to
succeed him, but his life was cut short. In the late 1960s he was
killed. Here, the story shows how he was killed: Khamsay’s big brother
was assigned to work in a remote village in Laos along with two of his
comrades (team of three). In those days, it was a communist policy that
the high-ranking officers’ sons must have an intern at the front.
However, Kaisone’s son was not sent to the front for his intern. One
morning in the late 1960s, Khamsay’s big brother went to take the bath
at the creek, a twenty-minute walk from his camp. This was his daily
routine. Usually it took him one hour to come back and forth, but that
day, after an hour he did not come back. Worried, his comrades started
a search and found his body hiding under a big tree. He was killed. His
neck was broken and there was a gun shot wound on his head.
The question was who killed Souphanouvong’s first son? The royal Lao
government said it was Kaison and the Vietnamese killed him because of
a large conflict he had with Kaison and the Vietnamese policy. But the
communist Lao denied the death of Souphanouvong’s son and the conflict
between him and Kaison. So the Souphanouvong family did not know who
their son’s murder was until the early 1980s. Remember that his two
comrades were Kaison's men. After 1975, these two men were promoted to
high-ranking officer in LPDR too, but in the early 1980s they too
started to have conflict with Kaison. They prepared to escape to
Thailand, but unfortunately they were caught the day before they
planned to cross the Mekong. The Lao KGB claimed that they found a
document in Long Cheng (Vang Pao’s headquarter) stating that it was
Vang Pao’s order to kill Souphanouvong's son, and the killers were the
two comrades of his team. After those two were caught, they confessed
that they were the killers and that it was Vang Pao's order. Later,
both of them were executed in Sam nua.
Now Fox, do you really believe that it was Vang Pao's order to kill
Souphanouvong's Son or was it the other way around?
The LPDR claimed that they found the document in Long Cheng. Do you
believe that? They can falsify any document in anyway to support their
claim. Now how about those two men’s confession, stating that it was
Vang Pao’s order. Was it true or were they pressured to say that?
After examining all the facts, I don’t believe that the
Souphanouvong's family believed that it was Vang Pao's order to kill
their son, but they don’t have a choice. They just have to accept what
Kaison told them.
Souphanouvong was a big man. He sacrificed his son for the sake of the
communist party by denying the evidence, which pointed to Kaison as the
real head of the murder. Not too long after that year, Souphanouvong
had a stroke, which almost killed him. But he had no longer the ability
to be the president.
Now let’s get back to Khamsay's story, as I mentioned above. Khamsay
did not meet Kaison in person after those two guys were executed. What
took Kaison so long to let Khamsay approach him? After that, Kaison
took Khamsay as his secretary, working along with Mr. Somsavat
Lengsavat. Both of them worked very hard for Kaison. In 1986, LPDR
asked the Soviet Union to plan for the Lao economy for them. They sent
five soviet experts to Laos and stay there for at least six months to
work with Nouhak (Nouhak is claimed to be an expert at the socialist,
communist economy and on Marxist-Leninist Doctrine) and his men. During
this time, even Khamsay himself, was working on a draft on how to take
the first step to stop the Lao people from leaving the country and how
to improve the Lao economy by Kaison’s request. Khamsay's proposal was
a market economy and to return all the real properties to the rightful
owner (Lao Nok), only if they come back to live in Laos. He wanted the
Lao Nok, foreign citizens, to be able to buy and own land or property
in Laos. But Kaison rejected this proposal. So he came up with the idea
of a land lease or property for 99 years and the right to transfer or
sell the lease. He opened Laos for tourists and welcomed all, except
some leaders such as Vang Pao and Thong Lit, for the Lao Nok to come
back and invest in Laos. At that time LPDR had no clue how to do
business with foreigners, but they believed that the Lao Nok has more
expertise on that area. Consequently, they let the Lao Nok come back
and used them to help LPDR. He proposed the opening of foreign banks in
Laos. Khamsay believed if LPDR would really permit the Lao Phai Nok
(including the Lao-Hmong) to come back to Laos, they will have less
fighting from the Vang Pao force and the LPDR could establish the
relationship with Thailand. Now if you look at Khamsay's proposal, it
was completely against the Marxist Leninism doctrine.
This proposal was the first conflict between Khamsay and Nouhak. After
the Soviet experts finished their proposal and submitted their plan to
Nouhak, Nouhak brought it to the communist party meeting for approval.
Khamsay rejected that proposal, pointing that the Soviet plan was not
adequate to Laos, saying the Soviet Union’s economy is shaky and ready
to fall at any time. He did not like following the Vietnamese model or
the Chinese way, saying both of them were like cancer. Probably Khamsay
understood what Uncle Ho said to his followers: “Don't you understand
that there is no such good neighbor around you but carnivore. I would
rather serve the French than serve the Chinese for the rest of my
life. The French or other Western foreigners will leave our land
someday but if the Chinese come they will never leave.” He wanted to
do it the Lao way. He still has some true Lao blood in him even though
he is half-Vietnamese. So Khamsay proposed his plan. Nouhak was
furious, calling Khamsay a traitor and pro-capitalist. He ordered his
men to arrest Khamsay, but Khamsay ran faster than Nouhak’s men, and
was able to hide, until Kaison interfered. Few days ago when RFA
interviewed Mr. Somsavat Lengsavat, He mentionned that some time
Khamsay was missing a whole month and nobody knew where he was. This
was the event that Khamsay was hiding from Nouhak men trying to arrest
him.
Kaison went along with Khamsay's plan and rejected Nouhak’s soviet
expert plan. In 1989, the communist soviet disappeared. Then, Kaison
rushed to implement Khamtay's plan, worrying whether there would be any
delay of the implementation. The Freedom Fighter force will crush the
LPDR and the Lao Phai nai will over throw them. It was a successful
plan for the LPDR. The Lao Phai Nok rushed back to Laos, hoping that
they can do business in Laos. In the early 1990s, many Lao Phai Nok
claimed their properties and many Lao Phai Nok were able to visit their
families. The Laotians and Thai were able to establish a relationship
through Khamsay’s cousin, Chao Valit. A rumor said Chao Valit was Tiao
Phetsarat’s illegitimate son). The Lao Freedom Fighters was divided
and later outlawed by the Thai government.
Khamsay was admitted to be one of the 49 exclusive communist elite
members. Then Kaison promoted him to the Minister of Finance.
The conflict between Khamsay and the Military:
During his administration, he proposed to limit the military power. For
example, Like Gen. Cheng Sayavong (the head of Bolisat khetphoudoi)
would borrow money directly from foreign countries to support his
operation without submitting to Khamsay’s office first. Since the
foreign bankers required that the loan must be guaranteed by the
Central Bank and the office of Minister of Finance of Laos before the
loan could be approved. Khamsay rejected the way that Gen practiced. He
wanted all the loans must be disclosed to his office first, before they
could submit the loan to foreign bankers, and asking for their
accountability to use that money. Khamsay proposed that the three
companies, which were controlled by the military, must submit their
proposal to the Minister of Finance before they could take any action.
For example, Bolisatphatthanakhetphoudoi must get approval from his
offices on the forest area that Bolisatphathanakhetphoudoi wish to use
the timber before those companies could cut any tree or sell any
mineral. He claimed that the office of the Minister of Finance is
responsible of the treasury of Laos, which includes, land, minerals,
timber, and all the natural resources of Laos, according to their
constitution. Before Mr. Khamsay took office, those companies were not
required to submit to the office of Minister of Finance. They just had
to ask the Prime Minister or Kaison for approval.
Conflict between Khamsay and the offfice of Prime Minister:
In 1994, Khamsay criticized the Prime Minister’s office of requiring
all the ministries to obtain a second approval from the Prime Minister’
s office. The smaller ministries thought it was unnecessary to get a
second approval because as long as the each ministry gave its own
consent, it was okay since they are expert in their own field and the
Prime Minister office did not have the expertise of every field.
Because of this, a problem formed. They wanted to accomplish their own
projects, independently without a second approval from the Prime
Minister’s office. Consequently, Khamtay and Phao Bounaphon fired 7
Khamsay’s right hand men on the day that he left for a world bank
meeting in Spain.
After Souphanouvong’s death, Khamsay was removed from his office and
replaced by Kaison’s son.
Later He was stripped off from the communist elite member.
Business conflict between Khamsay and Nouhak:
Since LPRD was not able to run Lane Xang Hotel, it went bankrupt, so
they decided to sell the Lane Xang Hotel’s business right to
foreigners. Nouhak represented Aphetsara (the former Miss Universe who
was from Thailand) to bid on the Lane Xang Hotel. Khamsay and Kaison’s
wife represented a Thai-Chinese businessman. Khamsay and Kaison’s
wife’s client won the bid.
After Kaison’s death in 1992, Nouhak and Khamtay gained more power.
Due to these conflicts, they ordered Lao KGB to tap Khamsay’s
telephone (he can not use his regular telephone, so he used only
cellular telephone from Thailand). Almost every night, the Lao KGB
watched his residence. The Lao KGB checked all the cars that parked in
front of Khamsay’s residence. The Lao KGB created a rumor, started
early as 1992, saying that Khamsay made a lot of money from business
deals.
Because of exploding bombs in Vietiane recently and all threatening
rumors, Khamsay felt that his life was threaten.He did not want to be
killed like his oldest brother. For this reason, he believed that all
the frightening circumstances were occurred will be used for a reason
for the communist to catch him.
Laos2020
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laos...@my-deja.com
drsouk
The first son of Soupha (I don't remember his name) was killed in 1967, not
60!
casalao
a sort of fake propaganda suggesting that it was the cia doing as it has
been led to believed after all these years on this score alone if the cia
men really wanted to kill a high-ranking lpdr official why would they go
with souphanouvong's son? they would have gunned down the red prince himself
or some other big laodeng honchos. there's always a tendance to blame the
cia for all the ills in the world well save for the wrong bombing of the
chinese embassy in belgrade of late, the bay of pigs fiasco, and some other
shady and unsavory backstabbing in southvietnam and indonesia.
khamsay has done the right thing in running for his life. he was in the fox
den so he better knows what's waiting for at the end of the tunnel. most
authoritarian regimes are ruthless when it comes to their survival.
casalao
colone...@my-deja.com
Your story of Khamxay brought some thoughts about running SOLO too fast
in a regime that only recognizes ONE STRONG MAN at a time.
Even with similar struggle against "colonism" or "imperialism", Laos
does not have a Sihanouk, a Kim Jung Il or a Gorbachev.
Histroy will tell if Khamxay could be considered a hero of democarcy
with high standards for human rights.
Col. Pacha
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In article <8uia6t$3hm$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
laos...@my-deja.com wrote:
AKM 74
>with souphanouvong's son? they would have gunned down the red prince himself
>or some other big laodeng honchos.
That would be very counter-productive to the U.S. War effort in Laos at the
time. The CIA was so close to gunned down Souvanna Phouma for his Neutrality
Stance. But again, they realized the counter-productiveness of the event in
South Vietnam when they ousted Ngo Din Diem.
Huk pang,
Akm-74
lan...@my-deja.com
after the courageous Chao Anou.
You can read more in a book "Laos: war and revolution".
--
Wherever I am, my heart and soul will always be with the once great
LanXang.
laodengrathjavong
Since Mr. Khamsay Souphanouvong USED TO BE minister of finance, the
recent ECONOMIC DOWNTURN in Laos could have been his sole responsibility
or partially under his leadership. This is only MY RAW OPINION. If we
together can interpret the political development in Laos in the early
90s throughly, he must have done some thing SERIOUSLY WRONG that can
cost him a POLITBURO TITLE. My fellow Lao people, as soon as Mr. Khamsay
Souphanouvong establish his residency in foreign country, he will loose
the sense of'KUOAM PENG LAO'. He can't not have what he used to have in
Laos. He will learn by doing what is like life of'KON XIN XAT'.....
Welcome Mr. khamsay Souphanouvong...join homesick camp of
Laodengrathjavong..'Pen Phee U Tan Den'
do...@my-deja.com
I have the same speculation as yours. What about this scenerio, how
comes no one think about this? Some people in here painted him as a
good guy and blame the cause to LPDR. What about corruption? Remember
that he's the minister of FINANCE. From what Dr. Souk was saying in the
earlier post, Khamxay is quite a greedy guy. He's gotta do something
seriously wrong, that's why LPDR wanted to get rid of him by allowing
or indirectly encouraging him to go abroad. The New Zealand govt. will
find out soon enogh whether he's involved in the corruption or not by
looking at his bank account and his life style. Best of luck for his
new life in New Zealand.
Dohr
In article <8ut08b$9e3$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,