Mr Taiboys gives promise of aid

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34109, 23 March 1976, Page 2

Mr Taiboys gives promise of aid

t.VZ.P.4. SinJJ Correspondent

BANGKOK. March 22.

The New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister (.Mr Taiboys) arrived in Bangkok today for a three-day visit overshadowed by Thailand’s decision to order American forces out within four months and a grenade explosion yesterday which killed three Thais and wounded more than 80 during an anti-American demonstration.

Soon after he arrived Mr Taiboys drove to Government House for talks with the Thai Prime MinisI ter (Mr Kukrit Pramoj), who ■once played the part of the I Prime Minister in the film, '“The Ugly American."

Mr Kukrit late last night (Presided at a Cabinet meeting which decided against declaring a state of emergency in Bangkok after yesterday’s bomb explosion. Mr Taiboys told him that the New Zealand Govern(ment would buy Thai rice tand supply powdered milk to infants of Indo-Chinese i refugees in the country. Mr Kukrit is almost ceri tain to have briefed the New (Zealand Minister on the situation after the decision to (send the Americans home. This followed deadlocked talks between the Thais and the Americans about the status of United States forces in the country.

The Thais insisted that they should have jurisdiction over American bases and

The atmosphere in thei capital today was tense; i—with a General Election two weeks away | and threats of more, i violence—but Mr Tai-; I boys saw no signs of ! demonstrations as he: /drove from Don Muang Airport to his hotel, after arriving from : Malaysia.

(forces allowed to stay, and' [the Americans refused to 'agree to this Mr Kukrit probably also: [explained his Government's, i policy of “equidistance” — keeping on good terms with all the major Powers — and its increasingly non-aligned | position. With ihe phasing out of, I the American presence in i I Thailand, the Thais are giv-: ing higher priority to their, bilateral relations with the [other countries of the Asso-i 'cation of S< uth-East Asian [Nations, and are expected to [put greater emphasis on I their relations with New [Zealand and Australia. Mr Taiboys is having talks later today with the [Under-Secretary for Foreign I Affairs (Mr Anand Punyarachun), the head of the Thai Foreign Ministry. The Thai Foreign Minister (Major-General Chatichai Choonhavan), who visited New Zealand last August, is out of Bangkok on an election campaign, and will not see Mr Taiboys. Mr Taiboys will fly to Chiang Main, in northern I Thailand, tomorrow to seel New Zealand aid projects and will then return to: Bangkok for the opening session and annual meeting; of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He will address the meet-1 [ing on Wednesday afternoon.' The Australian Foreign [ 'Minister (Mr Andrew Pea-

'cock), who was also to ha'e attended the E.S.C.A.P. meeting, has cancelled his visit because of family sickness. Mr Taiboys will fly to Hong Kong on Thursday.