CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Against the current drama of the Iraqi issue, other national and regional developments seem to fade out of focus. One such "minor event" that is heading toward oblivion concerns the tiny landlocked country of Laos. At the beginning of the year, unexpected news from there made regional waves, raising more questions than answers: The Vientiane regime had surprised observers by officially unveiling a large statue of legendary King Fa Ngum. Why had a powerful chieftain of the 14th century been suddenly resurrected and rehabilitated by an administration that was otherwise divorced from royal ideology and institutions? And why choose a symbol of Buddhism?

According to a Thai academic, this move by the authorities was aimed at preserving Laos' identity "before it further fades into the Thai orbit of cultural supremacy."

In the opinion of a knowledgeable analyst of Indochina, the authorities "had to yield a little for the sake of preserving their essential influence." In other words, they took a small step in the direction of popular beliefs at the expense of a less-rigid party line.