1966 Laotian coup d'état

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1966 Laotian coup
Part of Laotian Civil War
DateOctober 21–22, 1966
Location
Laos
Result General Thao Ma forced into exile
Belligerents
Forces of Ouane and Bounthone Marthepharak Forces of Thao Ma
Commanders and leaders
General Ouane
General Bounthone Marthepharak		 General Thao Ma
Casualties and losses
23 dead None

The 1966 Laotian coup d'état was brought about by political infighting concerning control of the Royal Lao Air Force, and use of its transports for smuggling. General Thao Ma, who wished to reserve the transports for strictly military use, was forced into exile on 22 October 1966 by fellow generals angling to use the transports for smuggling opium and gold.

Overview

The 1966 coup grew out of political factionalism in the military high command of the Kingdom of Laos. When General Phoumi Nosavan was forced into exile in February 1965, he no longer could use his influence to shield the subordinates in his faction. Brigadier General Thao Ma, commander of the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF), was one of them.[1][2]

Background

Generals

C-47s were delivered to air force headquarters in Savannakhet, Kouprasith and Ouane demanded their transfer to Wattay, where they would be available to the generals. Thao Ma refused the transfer on the grounds that the transports would be used for smuggling gold and opium instead of military use. To retaliate, promotions within the RLAF were limited.[3]

On 1 April 1966, the General Staff held a planning meeting. After informing

Bounleut Saycocie, Thao Ty, and Nouphet Daoheuang on five consecutive nights. They decided to rebel against the General Staff on 4 June, the day before Thao Ma would pass command to his chief of staff.[6]

However, Thao Ma began his revolt two days early, on 2 June 1966. General Nouphet's regiment surrounded the Savannakhet airstrip. However, the other plotters took no action, and the insurrection was over within 48 hours. The transports were split off into a separate Military Airlift Command under Sourith, leaving fighter operations to Thao Ma. He moved 30 loyal pilots and a dozen

AT-28s to Luang Prabang.[6]

Thao Ma found himself under increasingly heavy emotional strain.

air operations centers in four separate Military Regions of Laos.[8] By early October, rumor had it that Thao Ma was about to be shuffled into a desk job.[9] On 16 October, the General Staff forced Kong Le into exile.[10] According to one source, Thao Ma was not immediately aware of this, and counted on Kong Le's aid in a coup situation.[11]

The coup

On 20 October 1966, General Ouane and General Bounthone Marthepharak were in Savannakhet on a duty round. In the wake of Kong Le's forced departure, Thao Ma felt both his career and his life were in danger. He lined up a $31,000 slush fund to bribe two regiments stationed in the vicinity of Savannakhet. Nouphet would seize Ouane and Bounthoune while Thao Ma would lead an air strike on General Staff headquarters in Vientiane. Nouphet would use his regiment to arrest Ouane and Bounthone. A second regiment would be airlifted from Savannakhet to Vientiane to arrest Kouprasith and Oudone if they survived the air strike, and to take charge of Vientiane.[9][12]

Thao Ma confided his plan for launching a coup to the assistant air attaché at Savannakhet. At dawn on 21 October, the coup was launched. The assistant air attaché warned the

F-102 interceptors. At 0830 hours, even as Thao Ma radioed a communique that Ouane had been detained, the AT-28s struck a gun park, two munitions depots, the Royal Lao Army headquarters, and Kouprasith's villa. The gun park and a nearby communications center suffered at least 23 dead.[9][12]

Thao Ma prepared to lead a second sortie. However, Ambassador

Udorn. The Lao coup troops spent eight months imprisoned before being granted political asylum by the Thais. Thao Ma was sentenced in absentia to the death penalty.[9][13]

Aftermath

Thao Ma was that rarity among Lao generals, a fighting man. His departure was a severe blow to RLAF morale. The loss of ten pilots' services seriously curtailed RLAF operations.[12] Sourith filled the RLAF commander's vacancy; he was responsive to Ouane.[9]

Once assured of air transportation, Ouane contracted for the opium shipment that was the focus of the 1967 Opium War.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Anthony, Sexton, pp. 150, 199–200.
  2. ^ Conboy, Morrison, pp. 123–125.
  3. ^ Conboy, Morrison, pp. 156–157.
  4. ^ Anthony, Sexton, p. 201.
  5. ^ Anthony, Sexton, p. 202.
  6. ^ a b Conboy, Morrison, p. 157.
  7. ^ McCoy (1972), p. 332.
  8. ^ Anthony, Sexton, p. 203.
  9. ^ a b c d e Conboy, Morrison, p. 158.
  10. ^ Anthony, Sexton, pp. 206–207.
  11. ^ McCoy (2003), pp. 332–333.
  12. ^ a b c Anthony, Sexton, pp. 207–209.
  13. ^ Shackley, pp. 132–136.
  14. ^ McCoy (2003), p. 333.

References

  • Anthony, Victor B. and Richard R. Sexton (1993). The War in Northern Laos. Command for Air Force History.
    OCLC 232549943
    .
  • Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995). Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos. Paladin Press.
    ISBN 0-87364-825-0
    .
  • McCoy, Alfred W. (1972). The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia. Harper & Row.
    ISBN 978-0-06012-901-9
    .
  • — (2003) The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity In The Global Drug trade (Revised Edition). Chicago Review Press.
    ISBN 978-1-55652-483-7
    .
  • ISBN 978-1-57488-922-2
    .
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