Independence Given By The Japanese Authorities
Towards the end of the Japanese Occupation of Laos in 1945, when the Japanese were losing the war against the Allied Powers, the Japanese pressured the Lao King (Crown Prince Savang Vatthana) to declare the independence of Laos on 8 April.
Following the Japanese surrender on August 15th 1945, Prince Phetsarath made an attempt to convince King Savang to officially unify the country and declare the treaty of the French Protectorate invalid because the French had been unable to protect the Lao from the Japanese. However, King Savang said that he intended to have Laos resume its former status as a French colony.
In October 1945, supporters of Laotian independence announced the dismissal of the king and formed the new government of Laos, the Lao Issara, to fill up the power vacuum of the country.
Read more about this topic: Lao Issara
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