Saturday, December 25, 2010

Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong: biography

Mr Thongsing Thammavong was appointed Prime Minister of Laos at the 10th Ordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the National Assembly on Thursday.
The sixth prime minister of the Lao PDR was born on April 12, 1944, in Xoneneua village, Viengthong district, Huaphan province.

He now lives in Sisangvone village, Xaysettha district, Vientiane. Lao Loum in ethnicity, he was educated to secondary school level and holds a diploma in political ideology.
Mr Thongsing joined the revolutionary movement on August 18, 1959, before becoming a member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on July 12, 1967.

From 1952 to 1958 he was a student in Xamneua district, Huaphan province. He then became a military medical student and served on the battlefield in the Laos-Vietnam border area from 1959 to 1960.

He attended cultural training from 1960 to 1963 before becoming Deputy Director of Xamneua Secondary School. He was Director of the lower secondary school and director of the Education Department in Xiengkhor district, Huaphan province.

From 1971 to 1976, he was Director of the upper secondary school and teacher training school in Sopbao, Viengxay district.

From 1976 to 1979 he held several positions. He was initially Deputy Director of the Personnel and Organisation Department of the Ministry of Education, then became Deputy Director of the Vocational Education Department and Acting Director of the Personnel and Organisation Department.

Mr Thongsing studied politics and administration from 1980 to 1981 before becoming a standby Party Central Committee member as well as President of the Newspaper and Radio Committee and Deputy Head of the Party Propaganda and Training Board from 1982 to 1983.

From 1983 and 1988, he served as Minister of Culture. From 1989 to 1991, he was Party Secretary and Vice President of the People's Supreme Assembly and was promoted to Acting President of the Assembly from 1991 to 1992.

At the Fifth Party Congress in 1991, he was elected Party Politburo Member and Head of the Party Central Committee Office.

At the Sixth Party Congress, he was elected Party Politburo Member, Head of the Party Central Committee Office and Standing Party Politburo Member.

In 2002, Mr Thongsing was elected as a Party Politburo Member and the Mayor of Vientiane, and in 2006 he was elected President of the National Assembly.