President Choummaly Sayasone urges all citizens to strive for progress

Today, Vientiane residents and all ethnic people throughout the country have enjoyed the celebration of the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the nation's capital and the 35th founding anniversary of the Lao PDR, President Choummaly Sayasone said yesterday.

On this resounding and significant occasion, on behalf of the leadership of the Party and the government, I wholeheartedly praise cadres, soldiers, policemen and compatriots of all ethnic groups and Lao expatriates.

I convey the warm greetings and deep solicitude of the leadership of the Party and government to all cadres and fighters who are performing their noble tasks of protecting the territorial integrity of the country and the wellbeing of the multiethnic people.

The Lao nation has a long history of birth, presence and development in this region. From generation to generation, our ancestors and those who loved their country have fought to defend and build it until today.

We know that the great King Fa Ngum was the first sovereign to unite the principalities to form the Kingdom of Lane Xang in 1353, with a large territory, having as its capital Xieng Thong, the present Luang Prabang.

King Xaysetthathirath, the hero and king of Lane Xang, as a strategist in the military and economic fields, had a far reaching vision. He realised that the location of Xieng Thong was narrow, encircled by mountains and rivers, and was not well situated for defence and development.

At the same time, he saw that Vientiane was located in a vast and fertile plain, in the heart of the Lao L ane Xang Kingdom, which was convenient for administration and external cooperation. So, the king decided to move the capital from Xieng Thong to Vientiane in 1560.

Under the leadership of Xaysetthathirath, all sectors in Vientiane flourished.

The Lao nation and people and Vientiane, the very heart of the whole nation and its people, have gone through many periods, through tortuous paths, periods of bright civilisation and enlightenment, enjoying the praise and respect of foreign friends both near and far.

But there were also times of darkness and bitterness, when our country became a vassal of feudalists and a land dominated by colonialists.

Laos has a long history and its people have been trained to love their compatriots and country; they are honest and want peace and independence and to build relations with other nations. They also hated people who were unjust and invaded other lands.

Whenever the country was oppressed, the heroes of the nation led the people to fight proudly and bravely. This was evidenced in the struggles led by King Anouvong, Pho Kadouad, Ong Keo, On Kommadam and Chao Fa Patchay.

Even though these fights failed to achieve victory, the bravery of the Lao people in fighting and the lessons they learned were of great value and were passed down to successive generations.

In the 20th century, the world situation changed. The great October revolution resulted in victory and was the signal for colonies and semi-colonies to fight for national independence.

The establishment of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on March 22, 1955, was a historical necessity in response to the needs of the struggling movement of the Lao people and to pursue the glorious tasks of the Indochinese Communist Party.

Under the bright leadership of the Party, the movement of the multi-ethnic Lao people strengthened and it resolutely took the initiative. The movement won successive victories until the final victory resulted in the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

Over the past 35 years, especially the 25 years of implementing the new innovation policy, the people have together implemented the two strategic tasks of development and national production. They have been able to protect the gains achieved by their ancestors and compatriots, who lost both their blood and their life, as well as develop the country in all sectors.

Now the face of Vientiane and the country has rapidly changed and people's living conditions have significantly improved. The role of the country has been raised to international level and our friends have grown on every continent.

We are proud that in no other era has our beloved nation and Vientiane been as modern and developed as it is today. In this era, all ethnic Lao people are owners of their fate under the leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

In these circumstances, we are pleased at the continual growth of Vientiane as well as the whole country throughout the past 450 years. We remember the great gains of our ancestors and patriots who sacrificed their life for their country. We are especially proud of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, through which our beloved Kaysone Phomvihane and other leaders led the ethnic people to fight for their independence and territory with sacrifice, hardship and difficulties. Finally we achieved a historic victory and democracy and are now moving towards our targeted goals.

On the occasion of this resounding celebration and on behalf of the Party leadership and government, I praise Party members, officials, soldiers, police, all ethnic people, all classes of society, compatriots, and overseas patriots who have contributed to the development of Laos.

On this occasion I thank and am deeply grateful to the brotherly and friendly countries and international organisations that have continuously supported Laos.

It is essential to continue to protect and expand the heroic tradition that is the valued heritage of the Lao nation and of Vientiane in the new era, especially the tasks of protection and national development, to ensure civilization in line with the targets set by the Party and state.

I call on officials, Party members, soldiers, policemen, farmers throughout the state, private businesspeople and Lao people of all ethnic groups, as well as Lao expatriates, to further their solidarity under the leadership of the Party. It is vital to continue to learn and expand traditional patriotism and education, and to broaden knowledge. In the future, we must focus on our intellect and abilities in making use of our resources and minds towards socio-economic development in the period 2011-2015. This aims to secure political stability, in order to rid the country of poverty and build conditions so Laos can graduate from least-developed county status by the year 2020. This will lay the foundations for becoming an industrialised country through socialism.

To achieve these goals, we have absolutely adhered to and implemented the renovation policy with principle, seeking and enlarging the energy of all Lao people, as well as Lao expatriates, to continue to implement a foreign policy of peace, independence, unity and cooperation with other nations. This will contribute to stable peace and cooperation in development with other countries.

Let us continue to build Vientiane as the political, economic and socio-cultural centre of the country and make it a model for other provinces to learn from and follow.

In addition, all citizens should dedicate themselves to the development of the nation and the capital, to ensure strength in all sectors.