11 Facts About Sisavang Vatthana

Sisavang Vatthana ruled from 1959 after his father's death until his forced abdication in 1975.

Sisavang Vatthana's rule ended with the takeover by the Pathet Lao in 1975, after which he and his family were sent to a re-education camp by the new government.

Sisavang Vatthana was a distant cousin of Prince Souvanna Phouma and Prince Souphanouvong.

Sisavang Vatthana attended a lycee in Montpellier and obtained a degree from Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques in Paris, where French diplomats were trained.

Sisavang Vatthana's father sent him to the Japanese headquarters in Saigon, where he vigorously protested about the Japanese actions, when they invaded Laos and forced them to declare independence from France.

Sisavang Vatthana was never officially crowned king, deferring his coronation until the cessation of civil war.

Sisavang Vatthana refused to leave the country and in 1976 he surrendered the royal palace to the Lao Government, which turned it into a museum, and moved to a nearby private residence where he was later placed under house arrest.

In March 1977, fearing Vatthana might escape to lead a resistance, the Communist authorities arrested him along with the Queen, Crown Prince Vong Savang, Prince Sisavang, and his brothers Princes Souphantharangsri and Thongsouk and sent them to the northern province of Viengxai.

Sisavang Vatthana was transported to Xam Neua and imprisoned in "Camp Number One," which held high-ranking officials from the former government.

Sisavang Vatthana was the oldest prisoner in the camp and turned 70 during the earlier months of his imprisonment, whereas the average age of prisoners was around 55.

However, according to Kaysone Phomvihane, Sisavang Vatthana died in 1984, at the age of 77.