1940s and 1950s in 1953 The organization can trace its roots from the
Second World War, similar to the
Khmer Issarak in Cambodia and the
Viet Minh in Vietnam. Originally the
Lao Issara, an anti-French, non-communist nationalist movement formed on 12 October 1945, it was renamed the "Pathet Lao" in 1950 when it was adopted by Lao forces under
Souphanouvong, who joined the Viet Minh's revolt against colonial French authorities in
Indochina during the
First Indochina War. Souphanouvong spent seven years in
Nha Trang and 16 years in Vietnam. In August 1950, Souphanouvong joined the Viet Minh in their headquarters north of
Hanoi, and became the head of the Pathet Lao, along with its political arm dubbed "Neo Lao Issara" (Free Lao Front). The 1954
Geneva Conference agreements required the withdrawal of foreign forces, and allowed the Pathet Lao to establish itself as a regime in Laos's two northern provinces. Group 959 openly supplied, trained and militarily supported the Pathet Lao. On 28 October 1972 the PAVN/Pathet Lao launched
Campaign 972 scoring a series of victories over the RLA forces. U.S. agencies believe that as many as 41 Americans may have been held prisoner by the Pathet Lao.
Charles Shelton who was captured on 29 April 1965 was listed as a prisoner by the DOD until September 1994. As of 26 July 2019 the DOD's
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency listed 286 Americans as missing in Laos, of which 263 were classified as further pursuit, 12 deferred and 11 non-recoverable. After the Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the Pathet Lao and the government of Laos signed a cease-fire agreement, the
Vientiane Treaty, on 21 February 1973. On 14 December 1974, the Pathet Lao
killed Charles Dean and Neil Sharman, backpackers who were captured near Vientiane. ==References==