Cabinet Undecided On Vietnam Force

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30741, 4 May 1965, Page 1

Cabinet Undecided On Vietnam Force

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 3.

The Government has made no decision on whether to provide “extra military support” in South Vietnam, but is giving the matter further consideration.

This was stated tonight by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake), after a late sitting of the Cabinet. Asked if the Cabinet had discussed further military assistance for South Vietnam, he said: “We discussed the matter as we have done every week for months.”

Mr Holyoake said the Cabinet had been discussing for some time where New Zealand’s armed forces could best be deployed —either in Malaysia, Thailand or South Vietnam.

“We were considering a year ago whether or not to send combatant or non-com-batant troops to South Vietnam but it was decided to send a non-combatant unit,” he said. (New Zealand has a 25man engineering team and a small medical team in South Vietnam, and a 35-man engineering team in Thailand).

The Prime Minister said South Vietnam had not invited New Zealand to send either further non-combatant aid or combatant troops. “But this is a continuing question,” he said. Mr Holyoake, who met the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (Mr Arthur Bottomley) for talks today, said Mr Bottomley had outlined Britain’s stand on Vietnam. “He told us the British Prime Minister (Mr Wilson) had on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, given complete support to the United States efforts—including the retaliatory strikes against North Vietnamese targets,” said the Prime Minister.