Politics, Not Religion'

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30192, 25 July 1963, Page 13

Politics, Not Religion'

(A.Z Press Association-Copyright! WASHINGTON, July 23. A United States Defence Department official said that the battle between Vietnamese Buddhists and the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem was not a religious struggle, as was widely believed.

United Press International said the official, who would not be named, said the conflict was political, fired by enemies of the Diem Government. The battle between Buddhists and the Government could eventually endanger the success af the campaign sga-mst Communist guerrillas, the official said. "The issue was seized on by politicians” who were unpopular with the Diem Government and has been magnified by them, he said Tnere was no evidence that the Communists had tried to ge* into ‘‘this so-called religious. but actually political, issue.” The officia. i-id there were “not many real, two-fisted Buddhists” m South Vietnam in spite of Saigon dispatches wtach had told of street clashes and Buddhists’ determ nation to end what they called Diem s repression. The official Mid that about lo to 20 per cent of ®e South Vietnamese are Christians. the rest belonging t- a great variety of sects largely of Chinese or.gin Another source, explaining —if not defending—Diems •■-’rong-man" tactics, said “ he middle of a war U not the customary time for liberahsatior " Officials reported, however, increasing success in programmes for economic and sreiai betterment of the S uth Vietnamese people—programme? carried out in

tne midst of military operatkns against the Communists The efforts are waged jointly by American and Vietnamese military units trained tor “civic action."

In the "strategic hamlet” programme there had been "one of the great migrations >, modern history ” The official said about 6,500.000 South Vietnamese peasants had been resettled in 7500 hamlets. Protected against Viet Cong raiders they had been provided with sanitation, medical care, education, water, roads anc other "betterment measures” on a scale unknown before.