Paths to Conflagration: Fifty Years of Diplomacy & Warfare in Laos, Thailand, & Vietnam, 1778-1828 (Studies on Southeast Asia) [Paperback]

Mayoury Ngaosyvathn; Pheuiphanh Ngaosyvathn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0877277230 | ISBN-13: 978-0877277231 | Publication Date: February 1, 1998 | Edition: 3rd

A little studied area of interest, the 1827-1828 war between Siam and Laos had formidable and lasting repercussions on the rest of Southeast Asia and was a prelude to the expansion of European colonial powers. This cataclysmic event is studied through reports, documents, testimonies, and archives-written in an array of languages-which describe the conflict and its aftermath in an attempt to interpret the attitudes and ideologies of those involved. The ambitious project of the authors is to restore to the Lao people their roots and history and to reconcile them with the Thai. The work encompasses a story of war and peace, and the histories of Laos, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and the English in the Malay Peninsula.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Southeast Asia Program Publications; 3rd edition (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877277230
• ISBN-13: 978-0877277231
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,745,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Most Readable Book on the Tragedy of 1828, February 1, 2000

By 

Anonymous (East Hampton, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to Conflagration: Fifty Years of Diplomacy & Warfare in Laos, Thailand, & Vietnam, 1778-1828 (Studies on Southeast Asia) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that covers a neglected, but extremely important historical event, namely the holocaust of the Kingdom of Vientiane by the Siamese armies of Rama III in the earlier part of the 19th century. The Drs. Ngaosyvathn are apparently very accomplished researchers, and left no stone unturned in chronicling the event. This is a book that no serious scholar of Thailand, Laos or Southeast Asia can afford to ignore.