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PAGE 2—THE BULLETIN, August 4, 1962
Situation In Laos
Given Run-Down As
Reds Enter House
(By Father Patrick O’Conner
N.C.W.C.NEWS SERVICE)
What’s what and who’s who
in Laos?
This is the Kingdom of One
Million Elepl ts and the White
Parasol. It is a land-locked
country in upper Indo-China,
with Burma, China, Vietnam,
Cambodia and Thailand as next-
door neighbors. Ithasthearrned
communists of China and North
Vietnam leaning over its back
fences - but there aren’t any
fences. So the communist neigh
bors, especially those from
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North Vietnam, have been com
ing into the back yard.
And now they’re in the kitchen
with an eye on the parlor.
Twice the size of Pennsyl
vania, Laos has a population
estimated at two million. Its
government is a constitutional
monarchy, with King Savang
Vatthana on the throne and ex
ecutive power in the hands of
a prime minister and his cab
inet.
Religion: The state religion is
Buddhism. But the mountain
people -- Meos, PhuThengs and
other ethnic groups — who form
more than one-third of the pop
ulation, are not Buddhists. They
are animists, worshippers of
spirits.
Catholics in Laos number
about 30,000. They are in two
vicariates, the mission equiva
lents of dioceses, one of Vien
tiane, the other of Thakhek, now
called Khammouane. Oblates of
Mary Immaculate, French and
Italian with Laos-born mem
bers, staff the first; the Paris
missionaries , also with local
priests, staff the second. The
Vicariate Apostolic of Vientiane
has recently recieved an auxil-
stand in Dien Bien Phu, where
they were overcome in May,
1954.
The Vietminh had taken some
of the Laotian nationalists under
their wing, saw that their move
ment was infiltrated by com
munists and set them up as
an organization on Vietnamese
soil.
Pathet Lao: This means
“Land of Laos.’’ It is the name
taken by the “resistance gov
ernment,’’ created under Viet
minh patronage, in North Viet
nam in 1950. It is now the name
of the communist-led military
forces in Laos.
Leo Lao Hak Sat: This,
meaning “Laos Patriotic
Front,’’ is the name of the
political party attached to the
Pathet Lao. It, too, is com
munist-controlled.
While there are communists,
obviously, in Laos, no party
calling itself communist exists
openly. It is said to exist in
secret, as a separate organi
zation, with a membership es
timated variously at from 70
to 600.
Armies: There are three.
One is the regular Royal Lao-
Little Hope Seen For
Geneva Agreement
SAIGON, Vietnam, - “You might as well try to carry
water in a sieve.’’
That’s the way most people in southeast Asia regard
the Geneva agreement for the neutrality of Laos. The
sieve may be well rounded by diplomatic hands, but it
is still full of holes.
It is most unlikely that the International Control Com
mission can check the withdrawal of North Vietnamese
communist soldiers by head count at designated exit
points in Laos.
The communist Pathet Lao have never admitted the
presence of even one Vietnamese soldier in Laos. The
integration of the three Laotian armed forces was ex
cluded from the Geneva agreement, thus the international
commission cannot even make a mild inquiry in regard
to the crucial matter.
The communist force, now the strongest, thanks to North
Vietnamese elements, is sure to grab the dominant part.
The communists violated the 1954 Geneva agreements on
Vietnam within a month and are still violating them.
iary bishop whose residence
will be in Luang Prabang.
The Church is young in Laos,
where the first missionaries
entered in 1881 and the first
vicariate was erected in 1899.
The Paris missionaries were
the pioneers. The first Laotian
priest was ordained in 1951 and
was killed by the communist-
controlled Pathet Lao in 1954.
There are about half a dozen
Laotian-born priests now.
Protestants in Laos number
some hundreds.
Recent background: Laos be
came a French protectorate in
1893. At the end of World War
II an independence movement
resulted in a provisional
government that lasted less than
a year. The principal men of
all three parties in the new
coalition government today
were members of this Lao-
Issara (Free Laos) movement.
France gave internal self-
government to Laos in 1946 and
independence, within the French
Union, in 1949.
Meanwhile the communist-
led Vietminh, under Ho chi
Minh, were fighting the French
next door in Vietnam. As part
of their strategy, they invated
Laos in 1953. It was to pro
tect Laos that the French made
their heroic but disastrous
tian army, which the pro-com-
munitst prefer to call the troops
of “the Vientiane regime.”
Then there is the Pathet Lao
as well.
When anticommunist Gen.
Phoumi started his counter
coup in December, 1960, Kong
Le retreated from Vientiane and
joined forces with the Pathet
Lao. He has recently made an
extended trip to communist
countries, including East Ger
many, Moscow, Peking and Han
oi. He was accompanied by the
field commander of the Pathet
Lao,. Brig. Gen. Singkapo.
Kong Le’s officers vigorous
ly deny that they are commun
ists and seem to mean it. They
are the official bodyguard for
neutralist Prince Souvanna
Phouma, now Prime Minister.
Prince Souvanna Phouma,
half-brother of PrinceSouphan-
ouvong, is now 60. He was ed
ucated in Hanoi and in France
and has a degree in architec
tural engineering. He is
married to a Catholic, half-
French, half-Laotian, and all
the children have brought up
as Catholics. He does not like
communism but he is regarded
as being easily swayed - or
pushed.
“I am only an intermediary
between the two wings,” he
said last month to some for
eign journalists.
Prince Souphanouvong, aged
50, French-trained engineer,
has been friendly with Ho chi
Minh, leader of the Vietnamese
LEADS LAOS COMMUNISTS - Prince Souphanouvong
(foreground), deputy premier of Laos and head of the
procommunist Neo Lao Sat party, is shown leaving his
well-guarded villa in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Standing behind the Prince is Quinim Pholsena, neutral
ist minister of foreign affairs. Prince Souphanouvong,
one of two deputy premiers in the new coalition govern
ment, is also minister of economics and planning. The
other deputy premier is anti-communist Gen. Phoumi
Nosavan. - (NC Photos)
ill
communists, since 1945. He was
head of the Pathet Lao “re
sistance government” set up in
communist territory in north
Vietnam in 1950. In 1951 he was
a delegate to the congress of the
Lao Dong (Workers ) party,
which is the Communist party
of Vietnam. His wife is a Viet
namese, a supporter of Ho chi
Minh. He is a Deputy Premier
and Minister of Economics and
Planning in the coalition.
General Phoumi Nosavan,
aged 42, another Deputy
Premier, Minister of Finance,
fought as a guerrilla against
the Japanese during World War
II. He joined the first Laotian
independence movement but has
always been anti-communist.
He entered the Laotian regu
lar army in 1950. He is a
cousin of Gen. Sarit Thanarat,
the Premier of Thailand.
Priests To Be
Observers At
Council Session
VATICAN CITY, (NC) —The
Secretariat,.Promoting
Christian Unity has named two
priests to serve as official Ca
tholic observers at the meeting
of the Central Committee of
the World Council of Churches
in Paris beginning August 7.
They are Father John B.
Sheerin, C.S.P., of New York,
editor of the Catholic World,
monthly magazine and Father
Jerome Hamer, O.P., theolo
gian attached to the Dominicans’
Le Saulchoir house of studies
at Soisy, just north of Paris.
Father Hamer is a consultant
to the Christian unity secre
tariat.
The 100-member Central
Committee of the World Coun
cil, policy-making body of the
Protestant and Orthodox group,
will meet for 10 days. Last
fall, when the World Council
held its general assembly in
New Delhi, the Holy See de
signated five official Catholic
observers.
J3elU
1689 S. Lumpkin Street
At Five Points
OFFICE:
1247 Prince Avc.
Vlhcns, Georgia
1247 Prince Avenue
Prince Plaza Shopping Center
School Bus Law
Question Taken
Under Advisement
ANNAPOLIS, Md., (NC)-The
Maryland Court of Appeals
heard 90 minutes of argument
and then took under advisement
a technical question related to
a controversy about a new
school bus law.
There was no indication from
the court (July 23) when it
would rule.
The question before the trib
unal is whether Maryland’s At-
tourney General acted proper
ly in rejecting a petition for
a state referendum on a law
which would authorize larger
numbers of private school pu
pils to ride tax-paid school bus
es in Baltimore County.
The Attourney General, as
he had with two other unrela
ted referendum petitions, re
jected the school bus applica
tion on the basis that one in
valid signature made the en
tire petition invalid. He found
several invalid signatures.
The bus law was adopted
in 1961 by the state legisla
ture^ It authorized .Baltimore
County to remove the ceiling
of $15,000 on its annual ap
propriation to pay for the trans
porting of private school pu
pils who live along public school
bus routes. In addition, the
law provides for the establish
ment of bus routes for non-
public school students.
Opponents of the measure,
largely non-Catholic church
groups banded together as “The
Anti- Bus Bill Committee,”
launched a campaign for sig
natures to force a state ref
erendum on the law.
The opponents submitted a
petition with more than 20,000
signatures. But the bus bill’s
aughor, Rep. Herbert H. Tyler,
charged the petition contained
invalid signatures. The matter
was referred to Thomas B.
Finan, State Attourney Gener
al, who rejected the petition.
International School
Opening
FRIBOURG, Switzer
land, (NC) - The Mar-
ianist Fathers and Brothers are
opening a new international
school here this fall. To be
staffed mostly by American
Marianists, it will follow an
American curriculum.
BROOKHAVEN
The Budget
Grocery
Choice Meats
Fresh Vegetables
Delicatessen
Rox Latham, Mgr.
3174 Peachtree Rd.
Atlanta
'Dial-A-Saint Receives
846,300 Calls In 2 Years
OMAHA, Neb., (NC) - “Dial-
A-Saint,” an inspirational tele
phone service, has receiv
ed 846,300 calls since its in
ception in this archdiocese two
years ago.
The local service, part of a
five-year-old program which
has established “Dial-A-
Christian Art Exhibition
ESSEN, Germany, (NC)-Two
marble supports from the
entrance of the former Basil
ica of St. Peter will be on
display at the exhibition of
“Christian Art From Rome” to
be opened here in September by
Gustavo Cardinal Testa of the
Vatican administrative staff.
The fragments, discovered
a few years ago during ex
cavations under St. Peter’s are
masterpieces of stonecutting,
with larger-than-life busts of
the Apostles Peter and Paul.
They are important as exam
ples of the architecture of the
Saint” in 100 U.S. cities, is
operated at the Jesuits’ Creigh
ton Prep by Father Thomas Hal
ler, S.J., who records daily in
spirations! messages into four
answering units.
Residents in the Omaha area
can “Dial-A-Saint” day or
night.
old basilica started in 323 dur
ing the reign of Constantine the
Great. The old basilica was
replaced by the present struc
ture in the 16th century.
Educators Meet
LONDON (NC)—Educators
from 66 countries took part
in the three-day meeting here
of the Catholic International
Education Office. Among the
participants were Bernard Car- 1
dinal Alfrink, Archbishop of
Utrecht, the Netherlands, who
is protector of the organization,
and William Cardinal Godfrey,
Archbishop of Westminister.
ATLANTA
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F0RD TRUCKS
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SALES SERVICE PARTS
2139 Main St. PL 3-2121
East Point, Ga.
BOYETTE'S
DOWNTOWN
PHARMACY
68 Forsyth, N.W., Atlanta, Ga.
Dial JA. 2-7457
PRESCRIPTIONS
Given Prompt Attention
Drugs — Sundries — Sick Room
Supplies
Complete Luncheon Service
Wm. R. Boyette, Reg. Pharmacist
C&S REALTY
COMPANY
“Specialists in Commercial
and Industrial Real Estate”
.Suite 200
Henry Grady Bldg.
Atlanta 3, Ga.
Warehouses, Stores, Mfg.
Plants, Acreage,
Shopping Center Dev.,
Industrial Dev.,
Subdivision Dev.,
Insurance
524-2052
MIKE & STEVE SERTICH
“Buy Your Slax From Max”
MAX METZEL, Owner
MAX'S MEN'S SHOPS
5494 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Chamblee Plaza Shopping Center
Phone 451-1911
975 Peachtree, N.E.
Phone TR. 4-9582 — At 10th St.
For the best T. V.
service in town
call TWO B’S T.V.
AND RADIO CO.*
CE 1-4429
Night and Sun. CALL
Tr. 5-2840
Any color Bank W T.V.
STERIO Hi-Fi
Reasonable prices on
labor and parts.
3998 Peachtree Rd., N.E.
Atlanta, Ga.
JOHN MARSHALL
LAW SCHOOL
JUNIOR COLLEGE
105 Forrest
Ave., N. E.
JA. 3-8580
“Around the Corner from
Sacred Heart Church”
Day and Evening Classes
2730 Piedmont Road, N. E.
Atlanta 5. Georgia
Thousandaire Headquarters
WEST END
GORDON AT ASHBY
TENTH STREET
1 124 PEACHTREE
BUCKHEAD
PEACHTREE AT PIEDMONT
LAKEWOOD
LAKEWOOD AT STEWART
COLLEGE PARK
3581 MAIN STREET
BROOKHAVEN
4008 PEACHTREE
MAIN OFFICE
MARIETTA AT BROAD
Atlanta Federal Savings
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
THE FLEA MARKET
Used Furniture, Antiques, and
Odd Pieces of All Kinds
BUCKHEAD
3063 Peachtree Road, N. E. 237-6126
Atlanta 5, Ga.
ATHENS
ATHENS LUMBER
COMPANY
Successor to R. L. Moss Manufacturing
Company
Manufacturers of Sash, Doors
and Architectural Millwork
PHONE LI. 6-0161 ATHENS, GEORGIA