other · Mainland Southeast Asia

Lao Issara

1945 CE – 1946 CE · capital Vientiane

The 'Free Laos' nationalist government formed in 1945 to resist the return of French rule, and the seedbed of Lao independence politics.

Origins

After the Japanese surrender, Prince Phetsarath, viceroy of the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, declared the unification and independence of Laos. When King Sisavang Vong sided with France and dismissed him, Phetsarath's supporters formed the Lao Issara government in Vientiane in October 1945 and deposed the king.

Rule and society

The provisional government, with Khammao Vilay as prime minister and princes Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong as ministers, had little money or army and relied on support from Vietnamese communities and the Viet Minh. It adopted a constitution and briefly restored Sisavang Vong as constitutional monarch in April 1946.

Decline and legacy

French forces retook Vientiane and Luang Prabang in April and May 1946, and the Lao Issara leaders fled to Bangkok, forming a government in exile. It dissolved in 1949, with Souvanna Phouma returning to the Kingdom of Laos and Souphanouvong founding the communist Pathet Lao.

Lineage

French protectorate of Laos 1893 CE – 1947 CELao Issara

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lao Issara. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lao-issara
MLA
“Lao Issara.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lao-issara. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lao Issara.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lao-issara.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lao Issara’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lao-issara (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻