Lao People's Democratic Republic's Political Geography
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Capital: Vientiane
Type of Government: Communist state
Independence Day: July 19
Chief of State: President Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone
Head of Government: Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong
Executive Branch: Appoints prime minister and cabinet, and is in charge of executory tasks of the government. Elected by National Assembly.
Judicial Branch: In charge of interpreting the constitution and upholding the law.
Appointed by National Assembly Standing Committee.
Legislative Branch: Elects the president, approves appointments by president and is in charge of creating legislature. 132 members elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies.
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Type of Government: Communist state
Independence Day: July 19
Chief of State: President Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone
Head of Government: Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong
Executive Branch: Appoints prime minister and cabinet, and is in charge of executory tasks of the government. Elected by National Assembly.
Judicial Branch: In charge of interpreting the constitution and upholding the law.
Appointed by National Assembly Standing Committee.
Legislative Branch: Elects the president, approves appointments by president and is in charge of creating legislature. 132 members elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies.
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
National Holidays
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The white circle on the blue field is said to represent the moon shining over the Mekong River. The blue stripe represents wealth, and the red represents the blood shed during the internal struggle for freedom.
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National SymbolsAnimal: Indian Elephant
Coat of Arms: Adopted in 1992, the emblem of Laos depicts the national shrine Pha That Luang flanked by stalks of rice. The two inscriptions on the bottom, in Lao script, read: "Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity." Flower: Plumeria Motto: "Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity" DrugsLaos was long regarded as one side of the Golden Triangle, which was responsible for producing over half of the world's opium as recently as the 1990s. At one point smoking crude opium had become a macabre tourist attraction for foreign visitors slumming it in northern Laos. 43.5% of the population are expected to be on drugs.
Human Trafficking: Lao men, women, and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Thailand. While there are no reliable estimates on the number of Lao who are trafficked, the Thai authorities estimate that at least 180,000 undocumented Lao worked in Thailand. World Vision Laos reported that 44 percent of parents do not know where their children are. Of children who returned home, half reported their experience was terrible, and 40 percent reported being locked up, and 13% report they were raped. |
International Disputessoutheast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu;
talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River; concern among Mekong River Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries will affect water levels; Cambodia and Vietnam are concerned about Laos' extensive upstream dam construction Quantities of...interally displaced persons: 4,500
refugees: 7,745 stateless persons: 0 |