Suggestion Annoys Air Marshal Ky

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31276, 24 January 1967, Page 14

Suggestion Annoys Air Marshal Ky

A suggestion by Senator W. Fulbright that the United States should replace AirVice Marshal Ky if he refused to negotiate with the Viet Cong annoyed the South Vietnamese Prime Minister when it was referred to him at his press conference in Christchurch yesterday.

Senator Fulbright’s suggestion was made in a message cabled to New Zealand yesterday. “I haven’t had any report about what the Senator said, so I cannot give you an answer,” Air Vice-Marshal Ky said. ‘Tomorrow,” he told the press conference. A copy of the cable message was passed to him, and, went to one of his Ministers. About 10 minutes later he stopped a question by saying he could now reply to “Mr Funbright ... Mr Fulbright,” and appeared to read from a prepared answer. “Here are things that are said many times,” Air ViceMarshal Ky said. “But only the Vietnamese have the right to decide the destiny of Vietnam. But certainly I

am not the puppet of the American or any other government. Mr Fulbright and anyone else has nothing to say about Vietnam and about me personally. That’s my answer to Mr Fulbright.” Air. Vice-Marshal Ky later discussed a report of a reshuffle of his Cabinet. “When?” he asked, and on being told it was in ‘The Press” from Saigon yesterday morning, he said: “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe they will replace me. No, I don’t think so.” Asked what he intended to do if and when the military conflict was resolved, he said he would not wait until the war was ended to go back to the Air Force. He would wait until there was a constitution and elections were held, and then hand over the Government.