Khampheng Boupha

Khampheng Boupha (Lao: ຄຳແພງ ບຸບຜາ; 15 January 1923 – 2011) was a Laotian politician who served as a member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao Women's Union.

Khampheng Boupha
ຄຳແພງ ບຸບຜາ
Personal details
Born	(1923-01-15)15 January 1923 Luang Prabang, Laos
Died	2011 (aged 87–88)
Political party	Lao People's Revolutionary Party
Spouse	Khamphay Boupha ​ (m. 1943)​
Occupation	Teacher

Early life

Khampheng Boupha was born in Luang Prabang and completed her schooling from there.^[1]

Career

Khampheng began her career as a teacher and later took up translation work.^[2] From 1946 to 1949, she stayed in Thailand with her husband, a member of the Lao Issara government. A year later, both of them joined the Free Laos Front. She won the May 1958 supplementary elections for Luang Prabang and became a member of the National Assembly of Laos. It was during this time that the Boupha couple was actively involved with the Pathet Lao communist movement in Vietnam.^[1]

In 1979, Khampheng became a member of the newly formed Lao Front for National Development's Standing Committee and three years later was elected to the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.^[1] Owing to health issues, she did not stand for re-election. She also served as president of Lao Women's Union and Secretary of State for Rural Affairs.^[3][4]

Personal life

In 1943, Khampheng married Khamphay Boupha,^[1] who served as the Laotian deputy minister of foreign affairs from 1975 to 1985.^[5] Kampheng Boupha died in 2011.^[6]