"I sincerely feel monarchy is alive today because Buddhism has remained and these two elements are inseparable in my country," said Somsanith, who as a teenager witnessed the collapse of the six-century old monarchy in the aftermath of the bloody and protracted Vietnam War.

The 45-year-old artist and embroiderer, who now lives in France, travels extensively around the world to promote the Laotian art of gold thread embroidery, one of the monarchy's crowning ornaments and a symbol of royal power.

To reinforce his link with Buddhism, the religion of more than half of Laos' impoverished five million population, Somsanith often paints portraits of saffron-robed Buddhist monks with their traditional black umbrellas -- a big hit among art lovers.

"The communist government is facing a big hurdle now because they cannot and will not look at Laos history fairly and squarely," he said. "There are some things in the past which they cannot be open about."

But Somsanith, who holds a doctorate in educational psychology, said the larger message through his works, exhibited so far in Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France and the United States, was to inspire his compatriots, particularly the young, to strive for change.

Change for greater freedom in Laos?

"Freedom, yes, but freedom to be proud of the Lao heritage," he said in an interview with AFP in Washington where he is on a visit to hold exhibitions depicting his rare works at Radio Free Asia and the Sharon Fine Gallery.

Somsanith refused to directly answer questions pertaining to politics or whether he would be in the forefront of any opposition against the firmly-entrenched communist regime in Laos, situated northeast of Thailand and west of Vietnam.

"The Laotians are a proud people and very seldom go straight to the point," he said. "I just give my people the recipe and ingredients. It is up to the people to put this together and make the dish."

But he admits that the environment in Laos, one of the poorest and least developed countries in Asia, is not conducive for art to flourish, as Loatians tend to believe art is for the privileged or elite.

Somsanith said his paintings "are simpler and less exuberant," in order for Laotians to identify them with.

"I want to sow the grain in the minds of my people and foreigners of what is going on in Laos," he said. Among the hidden messages in his paintings is the deforestation problem in Laos.

At the age of six, the nimble-fingered Somsanith was already an apprentice in gold thread embroidery in the royal court -- waxing silk threads to straighten them, then threading them into needles for his grandmother and aunts.

At that time, his father was the adviser to the King and his grandfather the King's viceroy.

He remained in the country for 10 years after the monarchy was overthrown -- describing the period as "my hardest years" -- before he left for France to pursue arts studies and eventually making it his new home.

Thousands of former Royal Lao Government (RLG) adversaries were reportedly incarcerated in reeducation centers or "seminar camps," after the 1975 power grab by communists linked to neighboring Vietnam.

Three decades later, Somsanith continues to goad the Lao government in a silent way -- by endorsing his paintings with a controversial "prince" stamp.

But the Lao government has not stopped Somsanith from visiting the country, helping anthropologists conducting research in the mostly mountainous nation.

He also helps the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with restoration work in Luang Prabang, once the royal capital of Laos and where deforestation is a concern.

But the biggest test will come when Somsanith hosts his first exhibition in Laos.

He plans to return in October to discuss this possibility with several groups, including the French embassy, which has asked him he show his works.

"It is premature to talk about it now," he said. "Of course this is my dream."

What if the Lao authorities refuse to allow the exhibition?

"I have been accepted by several democracies. If the Lao government is not willing to accept me, it is their prerogative. It is okay with me."

TERRA.WIRE