River Mekong Seen As N.Z. Northern Frontier

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30725, 14 April 1965, Page 18

River Mekong Seen As N.Z. Northern Frontier

“Whether we like it or not, New Zealand’s northern frontier is the river Mekong and not, I repeat not, Spirits Bay,” the Chief of the Naval Staff (Rear-Admiral R. E. Washbourn) told the Christchurch Tin Hat Club last evening.

Admiral Washbourn was reviewing the current military and political situation in South-east Asia.

Not nearly enough interest was taken in the northern border, Admiral Washbourn said. That was understandable in times of peace and when the things happening there seemed remote and unreal; but there was still a real need to appreciate just where New Zealand’s interest and border lay. In the First World War and again in the second, New Zealand had sent men to the other side of the world to help to defend a common cause. It was only when the Japanese came into the war that it was realised that New Zealanders were really fighting to defend their homeland.

“Now a more menacing threat is developing—the spread of communism, particularly Chinese communism,” Admiral Wash-

bourn continued. Communism was a creed of the have-nots. The Russians were getting round to becoming a nation of haves. The Chinese were “a very different kettle of fish.” They were burning to spread their faith through the young nations of the Far East, and it had to be admitted that underfed people provided a fertile soil.

Admiral Washbourn then surveyed the countries of South-east Asia. North Lost

North Vietnam was lost to communism, he said. In South Vietnam the United States had a stake and had agreed to provide advisers. There were now 23,000 “advisers” in the country. It was a country with a very unstable and volatile government. The United States had several alternatives. Should the Americans and South Vietnam hold on? The French were unable to do that. A requirement was a stable government, and there seemed little prospect of that.

Should the United States withdraw? If it did the Communists would move in at once. There would be wholesale slaughter of the leaders who had been supported by the West, and the whole of Vietnam would go red. That would be a serious loss of prestige for the Americans and the West in general. Widening of the conflict by taking the war to the north was already happening, but there was always a danger of open war developing with China. Should there be formal combat units in Vietnam? If the other side played the same game there was a risk of escalation, Admiral Washbourn said. “Not Optimistic” Another alternative was negotiations, and Korea was sometimes quoted. “But we want the Communists to leave South Vietnam alone,” he said. “This they will never do of their own free will. We may persude them that the game is not worth the candle, but I am not at all optimistic about that.” Whatever happened, it seemed that the moment of truth was not far distant, he added. Looking at the other countries, Admiral Washbourn said that Laos was nominally neutral, but was governed by three warring parties. Cambodia had a ruler who was unreliable almost to the point of insanity. Cambodia was a small country trying to buy time by some quaint and unorthodox methods. The three countries had a population of less than 20m. Communist China had 700 m, and the Communists believed time was on their side. Thailand was described by Admiral Washbourn as stable and the linch-pin of the Western defence of South-east Asia. In a war with China the West must endeavour to hold Thailand. Thailand was the front line of defence. Fighting Ability On Indonesia, which had the largest Communist party outside Russia and China, Admiral Washbourn said that some doubts had been expressed about the Indonesians’ fighting ability. “It is always unwise to under-rate your enemies,” he said. “There is no doubt that the' Indonesians can operate the weapons they have been supplied with by Russia, perhaps not completely efficiently, but nevertheless they can operate them. Their army is good at jungle warfare, their navy has good, modern ships, their air force has good, modern aircraft.”