Laos: Background and U.S. Relations

For several years, United States-Laos relations were dominated by the debate over whether to grant normal trade relations status to Laos. On November 19, 2004, Congress approved legislation that granted nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of Laos. The Lao governments alleged poor treatment of former CIA-trained Hmong guerrillas was a key factor in the debate and remains a point of contention between the two countries. The United States and Laos cooperate in important areas, including recovering remains of Americans missing in action MIAs from the Vietnam War, counternarcotics operations, and de-mining efforts. This report discusses congressional interests in Laos, including international trade status, human rights conditions, recovery of MIAs, counternarcotics operations, land mine removal, foreign aid issues, opium production, and methamphetamine use the political and economic situation in Laos, including the assumption of power by Lao communists in 1975, the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party LPRP, antigovernment activities from 1999-2004, Laoss relations with other nations principally, Vietnam and China, economic conditions, and principal trading partners Vietnam, China, and Thailand and human rights issues, including the treatment and imprisonment of Hmong Guerrillas trained by the United States during the Vietnam War and persecution of nonmainstream religious groups.