Laos Asks Thailand To Move Nth Vietnamese

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32208, 29 January 1970, Page 9

Laos Asks Thailand To Move Nth Vietnamese

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 26.

The Laosian Ambassador says that his Government is asking Thailand to remove an estimated 40,000 North Vietnamese living as refugees in north-east Thailand because they are a potential Communist fifth column, the | Associated Press reported.

The Ambassador (Mr Khauking Souvanlasy) said in an interview that there was evidence that some North Vietnamese and Communist-led Pathet Lao elements in Thailand were crossing the Mekong River into Laos to make trouble. Other bands of Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese have been reported crossing the river from Laos into northeast Thailand for terrorist raids there. United States State Department officials agree that there has been an increase in North Vietnamese-style terror attacks in the last year in 'Laos.

They noted attacks on the Nam Ngum Dam area and the assassination of French, American and British nationals working on rural development. Recent attacks on the big United States Air Force bases at Udorn and Übon, however, are ascribed by American authorities to nonprofessionals rather than North Vietnamese Army experts in guerrilla warfare.

Mr Souvanlasy cited the November 29 ambush killing of Therese Horsefield, who was serving as a Colombo Plan expert in Thakhet, as having provided evidence of an attack carried out by terrorists living in Thailand. A Vietnamese was also killed.

In other killings, five French, five Thais, and three young American volunteers all engaged in rural development efforts, died. Both Thailand and Laos have shown serious concern about the United States troop withdrawal in Vietnam and Thailand and about the effect

this would have upon some 45,000 to 50,000 North Vietnamese troops who have remained in Laos.

There is fear in both capitals that without a United States military presence in South-East Asia, the North Vietnamese could easily overwhelm their neutral neighbour. The Laos Ambassador said that the North Vietnamese living in Thailand were refugees who had come there after the French fight with North Vietnam after World War 11. There were about : 75,000 North Vietnamese living in north-east Thailand. He said “about 75 per cent of the Vietnamese refugees

are pro-Ho Chi Minh and proNorth Vietnam, and they continue the political struggle. They are a possible fifth column to North Vietnam.” He disclosed that he had called on the Thai Ambassador (Mr Suntborn Hongladaron) to discuss means of either repatriating the Vietnamese refugees to North Vietnam, or moving them to South Vietnam, or if that failed to move them from the Mekong border area adjoining Laos to the southern part of Thailand.

The problem has been studied for many years, but the Vietnam war has made it impossible to return the refugees to their homeland.