Souvanna Phouma, Prince (b. 7 Oct. 1901, d. 10 Jan. 1984). Prime Minister of Laos 1951–4, 1956–8, 1960, 1962–73 A nephew of King Sisavang Vong (r. 1904–59), and half-brother of
Souphanouvong, he studied as an engineer in Paris and Grenoble before returning to
Indochina in 1931. After the collapse of Japan in 1945 he served briefly in the provisional government, but when his uncle welcomed the return of the French in 1946, he joined the neutralist Free Laos (Lao Issara) movement, in opposition both to the French-supported monarchists, and the
Vietminh-aided Communist Pathet Lao. As Prime Minister he managed to negotiate Laotian independence through the
Geneva Agreements, while failing to obtain a truce with the Pathet Lao led by Souphanouvong. He finally managed to form a coalition government with the Pathet Lao in 1957, though this broke up in 1958 owing to internal squabbles, and the withdrawal of US aid. Civil war resumed between his forces and the Pathet Lao until 1973, apart from a brief period in 1962–3, when he formed another coalition government. He tried desperately to maintain a semblance of neutrality for his country, despite the heavy involvement of the Pathet Lao in the
Vietnam War. He continued to strive for a reconciliation between all the warring fractions in Laos, and in 1973, encouraged by the
Paris Peace Accords, he agreed to a cease-fire and to a coalition government with the Pathet Lao under the leadership of Souphanouvong, though this did not come into effect until 1974. He was greatly weakened personally by a heart attack, and politically by the fall of
Saigon, which made a Communist takeover by the Vietnamese-sponsored Pathet Lao inevitable. He thus resigned, but remained on friendly terms with the new government of Souphanouvong.
