Word: lao
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Premier Prince Souvanna Phouma of Laos is clearly a man who prefers the comforting sound of temple bells to the strident sounds of war. And although he was hoisted to the premiership by young (26) and moody Paratroop Captain Kong Le after a successful coup d'état in August, Souvanna basically abhorred soldiers in government ("There is always a coup in the offing"). He loved peace. To re-establish it after seven years of trouble with the pro-Communist Pathet Lao, Souvanna hopefully sought to end the nagging civil war by forming a government of "national union" that...
Prince Souvanna's first reaction was to accuse the U.S. Government of plotting against him. His next move amounted to public admission that with his support on the right vanishing, he had become a virtual prisoner of the Communist Pathet Lao guerrillas-who happen to be headed by his half brother, Prince Souphanouvong. Under pretext of negotiations with Souvanna, the Pathet Lao have ringed his jittery capital of Vientiane with 2,000 to 4,000 men, and not only civilians but Souvanna's soldiers as well must now get passes from the Pathet Lao to clear the Communist...
That left Laos about where it has been since 1954-a wobbly stake in the free world's fence against world Communism. Under the Geneva agreement ending the Indo-China war, Red China and North Viet Nam both guaranteed Laos' independence; the Communist Pathet Lao guerrillas in the north were supposed to lay down their arms. Stoked by the Communist Viet Minh from across the border, civil war has flickered for six years, and none of the varying parade of neutralist and anti-Communist Premiers in Laos has been able to put it down...
Last week's resumption of aid amounted to recognition of the fact that Prince Souvanna has the only government in sight. The U.S. hopes to strengthen his hand in negotiating with the Pathet Lao. But the negotiators only meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In Laos no one is in a hurry...
Diplomat Parsons reportedly warned Premier Souvanna that there would be no resumption of U.S. military aid if he persisted in bringing the Pathet Lao into a coalition government. Shrugged the Premier: "If the U.S. doesn't like our neutrality, we will have to seek aid elsewhere." Parsons reminded the Premier that the Communists "are not interested in neutral governments, only in having Communist governments...