Pro-Communists in control of Laos

Press, Issue 33842, 14 May 1975, Page 17

Pro-Communists in control of Laos

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright

VIENTIANE. Mav 13.

A pro-Communist Administration was in effective control of Laos today after the collapse of the Right-wing faction in the two-year-old coalition Government.

The rise to dominance of the Marxist Pathet Lao came almost immediately after the resignations of Right-wing Ministers announced last Saturday.

The Pathet Lao’s rise to power was not marked by violence although several Army units rebelled against Right-wing officers following the resignations.

The newly-appointed acting Defence Minister, a Pathet Lao Brigadier-General, Kham Ouan Boupha, has warned opponents of the non Leftistdominated coalition that it would crush any unauthorised movement of troops, aircraft or tanks. There has been no sign of any resistance to General Kham’s orders and it was believed that any Right-wing attempt to retain power by force would fail.

The majority of the country’s leading Sight-wing politicians and generals have left Laos and only one isolated power base in the southern Savannakhet province is left to the Right-wingers. In Savannakhet, the Rightwingers have a division of troops and a squadron of T2B propeller-driven fighter bombers but they are encircled by Pathet Lao forces or troops which have pledged allegiance to the present coalition.

The fall of the Right-wing leadership became apparent last Saturday when the neutralist Prime Minister Prince

ISouvanna Phouma, announced the resignations of I the Defence Minister, Mr ISisouk Na Champassak, the i Finance Minister. Mr Ngon I Sananikone, the Deputy i Foreign Minister. Mr Tianethone Chantharasy and the j Deputy Public Works MiniIster. Mr Houmphan Saigna-' pith. Mr Sjsouk had tried to j stage a coup d’etat, accord-; ing to the Pathet Lao radio. ' The departure of the topi Right-wingers from the Cabi-! net was accompanied by the' j dismissal of the Right-wing j i generals on whom the Ameri-i cans have based their strategy in Laos. They included Major Gfl Vang Pao, commander of the Special Forces of Meo tribesmen trained by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (C.1.A.), who fought the fiercest battles of the Laotian war in annual campaigns to control the strategic Plain of Jars north of Vientiane. Recent rebellions by various military groups against their Right-wing officers have further sealed the fate of the Right-wingers.

Meanwhile, Vientiane airport authorities have prevented 84 Taiwanese and Vietnamese from leaving for Bangkok because they said their travel papers were no longer valid.

Observers believe that the Pathet Lao were unlikely to do anything in the immediate future to upset the coalition arrangement and certainly not before the Right-wing forces in Savannakhet have given an assurance of their loyalty to the coalition.