Souvanna Phouma

One of three Laotian princes (Boun Oum, Souvanna Phouma, and Souphanouvong), who, after the Second World War, took a neutralist political position, and became interim Prime Minister under the French Union. he was later overthrown by a rightist coup by Kong Le in 1960, but the Geneva conference restored a coalition in 1962. That coalition broke up when the Communist Souphanouvong and Pathet Lao withdrew.