Mr Watt Met Ky In Saigon

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31276, 24 January 1967, Page 12

Mr Watt Met Ky In Saigon

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, January 22. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Watt) said tonight that he met Air ViceMarshal Ky in Vietnam last year and formed his opinion of him them.

a “Unlike the Prime Minisist ter,” he said, “who supports r e . the Ky administration, I was L_ convinced after our interview that he was a military dictator and that his type of govn- eminent was completely fortie sign to New Zealand’s way of life.

“In New Zealand Air ViceMarshal Ky will throw off the mantle of the dictator and endeavour to convince the people of this country that he is the champion of freedom and democracy. “In his own country he rules by military might. He told us that he reserved the right to ‘vet’ candidates standing for the recent elections. He is not prepared to stand for election himself.” Mr Watt was replying to criticism of the Labour Party’s attitude to Air ViceMarshal Ky’s visit by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake). “Mr Holyoake knows full well,” said Mr Watt, “that I stated that I would not be attending any functions in honour of Air Vice-Marshal Ky long before the Federation of Labour had discussed the matter. “He also knows that I stated at the time that the

| Labour Party had not made a ] decision to boycott any funcItions, but that it was left to the individual members to determine their own action if invited.” Yet the Prime Minister inferred that the Labour Party was dominated by the Federation of Labour on the issue. “Why does he not stick to the facts when he knows full well the true situation?”

Mr Watt said the Parliamentary delegation to South Vietnam would have failed in its duty if it had not interviewed as many heads of state as possible while in Saigon. As New Zealand taxpayers’ money is being spent in Vietnam he considered it a duty to obtain as much information as possible concerning the type of government New Zealand was supporting. “We are not the guests of Air Vice-Marshal Ky and the Prime Minister knows it,” Mr Watt said. Some transport was provided by the United States Government, the rest by the New Zealand Government, which also paid for accommodation.