Ky Plans To Move Border Civilians

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31344, 14 April 1967, Page 13

Ky Plans To Move Border Civilians

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SAIGON, April 13.

The South Vietnamese Government is considering a plan to remove civilians from much of the northern province of Quang Tri because of the growing menace of Communist forces in the area, the Associated Press reports. The idea arose a week ago after Viet Cong troops stormed into Quang Tri City, the provincial capital, 20 miles south of the demilitarised zone, and held it for several hours.

The attack was so serious that the Prime Minister, Air ViceMarshal Ky, flew to Quang Tri for a personal inspection.

Vietnamese sources said the plan under consideration calls for removal of most of the 273,000 residents from the sector just below the demilitarised zone. The civilians would be given the option of moving to North Vietnam—which borders Quang Tri province at the 17th parallel—or being resettled further south. The area then would be considered a full war zone and anyone caught there by the South Vietnamese or Americans would be considered an enemy. Jungle Trails United Staes 852 bombers, for the twelfth time in five days, struck yesterday at the northern Ashau valley area, where the Communists were reported working with heavy equipment to widen jungle trails so that they can handle trucks bringing military supplies from North Vietnam, United Press International reported.

The bombers, now flying from Thailand as well as Guam, dropped tons of high explosive bombs on the Ashau valley, a key infiltration route, which runs south-east from the Laotian border. United States military sources reported that North Vietnamese labourers with heavy equipment have been working for weeks on the supply route. The Communists have already an all-weather supply road through Laos from the Mu Gia pass in North Vietnam and the new link would speed the flow of war materials into South Vietnam’s northern provinces. According to United States military sources, the Communists have been on the road-building since United States Marine patrols closed most infiltration routes through the demilitarised zone. Parachute Landing To the south, a battalion of South Vietnamese paratroopers, spearheading a 3000-man Government force, parachuted into Mekong delta rice paddies, 80 miles south-west of Saigon in a drive to flush out Viet Cong from one of their stronghold areas.

men riding in personnel carriers with machine-guns took part in the drive.

Initial contact in the operation was reported light. At least two Viet Cong were killed and two captured in the first hours of the push. Viet Cong guerrillas killed 56 civilians, wounded 151 and abducted 95 in South Vietnam last week, a United States mission spokesman reported today.

Some armoured infantry-