Thailand-Laos Border War (1987-1988)

The Thailand-Laos Border War of 1987-1988 was a border war can be considered a part of the ongoing Cold War. Laos was supported by Vietnam, which was also occupying neighoring Cambodia. Vietnamese and Cambodian forces also engaged in border conflicts with Thailand in the 1980s.

NAME OF CONFLICT:

Thailand-Laos Border War (1987- 1988)

BELLIGERENTS:

Thailand

vs.

Laos

DATES OF CONFLICT:

BEGAN: December, 1987

ENDED: February 19, 1988

TYPE(S) OF CONFLICT:

Border War

RELATED CONFLICTS:

PREDECESSOR: (Related conflicts that occurred before)

Thai-Laotian Border Clashes (1980)

Thai-Laotian Border Clashes (1984)

CONCURRENT: (Related conflicts occurring at the same time)

SUCCESSOR: (Related conflicts that occur later)

CAUSES OF CONFLICT:

In 1907, France (the colonial ruler of Laos), and Thailand (then known as Siam), signed a border treaty which later caused a dispute over the ownership of some border villages. Shooting broke out in 1984 over possession of three villages. Another cause of tension between the two Southeast Asian neighbors was the ongoing Hmong Rebellion in Laos. The rebels used bases in Thailand and often crossed the border to attack the Communist Laotian government.

It should also be noted that Thailand enjoyed an alliance with the United States, while Laos was a close ally of Communist Vietnam and the Soviet Union. These types of connections tended to make neighborly relations hostile in the tense atmosphere of the Cold War.

DESCRIPTION OF CONFLICT:

Fighting broke out in December of 1987 in a dispute over land claimed by Laos, which considered the territory as part of the Laotian Botèn District in Xaignabouri and by Thailand as part of Chat Trakan District in Phitsanulok Province.

Over 1,000 troops died before a cease-fire was put in place.