Thailand May Send Troops
(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copy rig ht) BANGKOK, December 30. Thai leaders have begun serious discussions about sending fighting units to South Vietnam, informed sources said.
They said the leaders discussed the question at an emergency meeting earlier this week, but all official statements so far deny that Thai troops will be involved in the fighting. Thai leaders must consider their internal security needs to combat infiltration in the north-east and Communist forces along the ThaiMalaysian border before committing troops to Vietnam. The sources said that if the decision were reached a Thai battalion of between 700 and 800 men would go to Vietnam' to join American, Australian, Filipino, South Korean and New Zealand troops fighting alongside South Vietnamese. The Thai troops would have a dual purpose: helping in Vietnam and acquiring greater experience in guerrilla warfare to help in the fight against infiltration in their own country, the sources said. Thailand has contributed supporting military units in the form of two transport aircraft and two naval vessels. General Praphas Charusathien, the Interior Minister,
said that “Thailand should have sent combat troops to South Vietnam instead of supporting units only.” But the situation in Thailand has not so far been favourable. Apart from internal security problems the Thai forces have been inadequately equipped.
Thailand, over the last year, has been drawn closer to the Vietnam conflict. American forces working from or based in Thailand have risen from 10,000 last year to 30,000 this year, according to wellinformed sources. American pressure on the Thais to increase their help in Vietnam has increased. Of the seven nations which attended the Manila summit conference on Vietnam in November, only Thailand was without combat troops in Vietnam.
The United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Rusk) said recently that an unnamed Asian ally would send combat troops to South Vietnam soon.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 11
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308Thailand May Send Troops Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 11
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