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Griffin Daily News
TIEDE
- Laos' Prince Hopes for the Best
(First of Two Parts.)
By TOM TIEDE
% NEA Staff Correspondent
VIENTIANE, Laos—
(NEA)—The government of
Prince Souvanna Phouma is
•’ one of the wackiest, shakiest
and most threatened in all
the world.
Some of his highest-rank-
* 'ng assistants are plotting
In the middle of
*
the Laotian
muddle—a stubby,
pipe-smoking,
pacifistic prince
holds office
because no other
effective leader
can be found
and denies what
everyone
suspects.
his overthrow. One-quarter
’ of his people ignore his pro
nouncements. One-half of his
soil is the same as foreign.
At least 20,000 Chinese have
invaded his north, more than
50,000 North Vietnamese
have taken over his east and
a minimum of 30,000 of his
own countrymen roam the
’ land, eager to get him into
range of their rifles.
What does the prince do
about it?
“What can I do?” he says,
“I hope for the best. We are
a small nation — only three
million people. We are farm
ers and merchants — not
soldiers. I fight as I can to
save the government. I fight
as I’m able to save the coun
’ try. But, in the end, fighting
will not save either. I must
pray for diplomatic reason—
it is the only hope Laos has
for peace.”
The kingdom of Laos is
an impoverished, landlocked
country shaped like the cloud
’ of a large bomb. The con
figuration is fitting. The na
tion is bordered by China,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thai
> land and Burma—the most
combative region on the
globe.
By international agree
i ment, Laos is supposed to be
neutral and ruled by an un
aggressive, right-center-left,
coalition government. In
, fact, part of the country
sides with international com
munism, part sides with the
Free World—and the official
, leftist leaders are too busy
planning their revolution to
participate in any coalition.
Also by inter national
agreement, Laos is supposed
’ to be peace and brotherhood.
But in fact one of the world’s
most savage wars rages here
daily.
’ The situation, frustrating
enough, is further exacer
bated by incredible vague
ness and secrecy.
’ Communist leaders will
not admit to being Commu-
any more questions?
PETERBOROUGH, England
(UPl)—Peter Hawes, who is 6
feet 6, is tired of answering
stupied questions. So he had a
’ card printed which says:
“I am six feet six inches tall,
252 pounds in weight and the
possessor of size 14 shoes. No, I
’ am not cold up here, nor am I
the tallest man in the world.
Yes, I do give the tailor a
, headache. No, I do not like low
’ doors, overhanging shop awn
ings or single beds.
“Any further questions will
) be gladly answered.”
Wednesday, Jan. 21,1970
15
looks in on the current state of confusion in Vietnam's
next door neighbor, the landlocked land shaped like a
bomb cloud where all is supposed to be serene but savage
and inconclusive war rages daily.
nist, and Communist infiltra
tors from other nations will
not admit to infiltrations.
The Lao government, on the
other hand, clings to the fa
ca d e of “impartiality,”
M Worth 100 EXTRA ■
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steadfastly denying what
everyone suspects — that
United States military as
sistance is perhaps the sole
reason the Red Star is not
the official Laotian flag to-
day.
Thus, tiny Laos, insignifi
cant Laos, is one of the dark
est worry spots on the earth.
So many commitments have
been made by all arguing
parties that many feel a sec
ond Vietnam-like war can’t
be long avoided.
In the middle of the mud
dle, of course, is Prince Sou
vanna Phouma. Stubby, dap-
per, 67 years old and politi
cally scarred. Several times
ejected from office, each
time he has returned when
no other effective leader
could be found.
A simple man, the prince
lives and works (14 hours a
day) in a modest ranch
house a few miles out of the
capital. There, sitting on a
sofa, smoking a pipe, look
ing out through lightly
shaded glasses, he daily
“hopes for the best.”
On the Communists:
“There is no doubt they
want to control my govern
ment. But they are men,
same as me, and they must
wdnt peace, too. My tactic
is to try to show them diplo
matically that co-operation
is the best way.”
On the United States:
“Your country is helping us
in many nonmilitary ways.
We appreciate it, of course.
But we can’t rely on you for
everything. We are a neutral
nation, a sovereign nation
and can accept only certain
assistance.”
On war: “I have never
been a soldier. I am a Budd
hist and I am a pacifist. But
I could not stand by and
watch my country devoured.
I send my troops wherever
I can to do what is neces
sary.”
On Laos: J‘We are a poor
nation. We need schools and
hospitals and better farms.
And we need peace. But I
am optimistic. The leader
must be optimistic. One of
the difficulties of being pre
mier is to always be optimis
tic.”
Optimism these days must
be the largest of difficulties
for Souvanna Phouma. Be
sides his Eastern enemies,
he also has Western ones—
chiefly U.S. critics of Wash
ington involvement in Laos.
As of now, American assist
ance continues ($53 million a
year nonmilitary, unknown
millions for military, per
haps 1,000 civilian-CIA-Army
combat advisers). Rut the
local worry is this aid might
suddenly slow or even stop.
And without the U.S. help,
over or under the table,
Prince Souvanna privately
and pessimistically knows
that all the good cheer and
diplomacy in his troubled
domain could not long keep
Communist wolves from the
door.
(NEXT: Confident
Opposition.)
(Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)