Thao Ty

Thao Ty
Allegiance	Laos
Service / branch	Royal Lao Army
Rank

Brigadier-General Thao Ty (sometimes referred to as 'Thao Ly') was a Laotian Paratrooper officer and commander of the airborne forces of the Royal Lao Army (French: Armée Royale du Laos – ARL), the ground forces branch of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées du Royaume – FAR), the official military of the Kingdom of Laos during the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

Lt. Col. Thao Ty rose to prominence in 1963 when he replaced Brigadier-General Siho Lamphouthacoul as the commander of the Royal Lao Police (PRL) Directorate of National Coordination (DNC) para-commando regiment. After the DNC’s disbandement in February 1965, Thao Ty was transferred from the Police to the Royal Lao Army (RLA) and given command of the RLA’s second airborne regiment, Mobile Group 21 (French: Groupement Mobile 21 Aeroportée - GM 21). In 1970, he transferred again to the CIA-run guerrilla programme in Savannakhet and was posted in charge of all irregular Special Guerrilla Units (SGU) forces in the Military Region 3. During the following year he was promoted to Brigadier-General after its participation in retaking the town of Paksong in December 1972. He then transferred back to the regular Army in order to head its new 2nd Strike Division (French: 2éme Division d’Intervention). In May 1975 Brig. Gen. Thao Ty was quickly arrested and executed by the Pathet Lao.

See also

• Brigadier-General Thao Ma
• General Ouane Rattikone
• General Phoumi Nosavan
• Colonel Bounleuth Saycocie
• Royal Lao Armed Forces
• Royal Lao Army
• Royal Lao Army Airborne
• Royal Lao Police
• Laotian Civil War

References

• Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, The War in Laos 1960-75, Men-at-arms series 217, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1989. ISBN 9780850459388
• Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces, Elite series 33, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1991. ISBN 1-85532-106-8