THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1967
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PAG r THREN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1987 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE THREE
Thai
EDITtIR'S NOTE: Thailand's bat-
te against a Communist insurgency
in its northeast has raised the
specter of another conflict similar
to that in Viet Namn. But AP mili-
tary writer Fred Hoffman, who vis-
ited Thailand after several months
in Viet Nam, found promising dif-
ferences between the situation in
Thailandsand that in Viet Nam. This
article is the second in a four-
part series.
By FRED HOFFMAN
BANGKOK, Thailand OP) -
Striking similarities exist between
the Communist insurgent move-
ment now being fought in Thai-
land and that in South Vietnam,
which grew into a major military,
struggle.
But the differences between the
two are more numerous-and in
every case favor the West against
the Communists.
As in Vietnam, the rebellion in
Thailand is supported and foster-
ed from North Vietnam and Red
China.
Guerrilla
War
Favors
Western
Interests
Red China began trying to bring
off a Communst takeover in Thai-
land 17 years ago with the estab-
lishment of the "Free Thai Move-
ment" and has greatly intensified'
its efforts in the last three years.
Thai Premier Thanom Kitti-
kachorn asserted in mid-December
that his government has "definite
evidence" to prove that North
Vietnam is supporting and nour-
ishing the Communist terrorism.
Most U.S. and Thai authorities
say the insurgents, whose num-
bers are generally estimated at
about 1,000, are largely indigenous,
as theyrwere in South Vietnam at
the start.
The Thai dissidents are using
methods tried and proven effective
by the Viet Cong. They have set
out to terrorize the villagers and
beat them into submission and
support. They are striking at au-
thority by assassinating and mo-
lesting local officials and teachers.
Disinterest
In both countries, the central
government has a history of being
remote and to a considerable ex-
tent disinterested in the well-being
of peasants upcountry.
Local police and government
functionaries in both countries
have a history of corruption and
exploitation of villagers and peas-
ants.
But there are fundamental dif-
ferences, some of which are rooted
deep in centuries of tradition, his-
tory and institutions.
The Thai insurgents lack the
patriotic glamor of the Viet Cong
-they cannot, like the Vietnam-
ese guerrillas, claim to be carry-
ing forward a war for independ-
ence.
Independent
Thailand never was a colony, as
Indochina was under the, French
for a century. Thai institutions
evolved over 600 years of nation-
hood.
"This is a country-not a mass
of people in search of an identity,"
one student of Thailand's history
observes.
"Nobody ever came in and rip-
ped up the political and social
values and institutions by the
roots."
Although there is discontent in
the northeast, observers say the
villages are not in ferment, "a
seething mass of discontented peo-
ple just is not here."
Military Oligarchy
The Thai government is an au-
thoritarian one, run by a military
oligarchy. But it is not a "harsh"
dictatorship.
While there appears to be no
great enthusiasm for the military-
led government, there seems to be
no great resentment either.
In short, the Thais are politi-
cally passive
Even students, normally the
most volatile elements in many
countries, are seemingly docile.
Constitution
At a recent soccer game between
two national universities, some
students carried placards saying:
"We are waiting for the constitu-
tion"-an appointed assembly has
been drafting a constitution for
eight years.
Government leaders
forecast'
completion of the new document
by midyear, 'with elections to fol-
low in about six months.
There is some opposition to this
idea among powerful elements of
the military oligarchy ruling Thai-
land. The last elections more than
nine years ago were nullified by
the military leaders.
King is Unifier
Although King Bhumibol, 39.
is only a constitutional monarch,
he is a unifying influence among
the people and a tempering in-
i
fluence on the military govern-
ment chiefs.
Not even the Communist in-
surgents criticize the royal family.
"There is in being a very ef-
fective government that recognizes
the problem in the northeast and
is moving to meet it at a very
early stage," said an American
political expert.
Viet Cong Terror
In Vietnam, the government of
President Ngo Dinh Diem was on-
ly about three years old when the
Viet Cong began the campaign of
assassination and terror.
Diem never exercised more than
slight political control over most
of South Vietnam-and there were
sizable Communist strongholds,
entirely denied to him and his
forces.
The apparatus of Vietnamese
local government, such as it was,
was ripped apart after the Viet
Cong began open armed attacks
in 1960.
The reverse is true in Thailand,
although local government cer-
tainly has been deficient in the
northeast.
Security Problem
"The Thais are not handling
their security problems by sending
people to shoot everybody who's
suspect," an American official
said. "They recognize the need to
combat the problem economically."
And in this. economic counter-,
attack, the Thais are aided by a
firm national economy and a
rising national and personal in-
come.
"The Baht, their monetary unit,
is more solid than the dollar,"
said an American economist.
American Programs
While the Thai government
machinery is no model by Western
standards, it functions compara-
tively well .And the Thais are be-
ginning to enjoy the fruits of
American programs under which
young Thais were trained, many
in U.S. universities, starting in
the 1950s.
Of utmost importance is the
fact that the Thai government has
the chance to redress the injust-
ices and neglect of the north-
easterners while the country is at
peace.
In Vietnam, the difficulty of
accomplishing 'nation building"
while the country is racked by
war still defies solution.
Apart from all these factors,
there is one more whose impor-
tance cannot be dismissed-reli-
gion.
"Buddhism here is a cohesive
binding presence-over there it
was divisive," said an American
who lived through the Buddhist-
fomented unrest in Vietnam.
Peking Radio Admits Gain
MONSOONS HINDER:
U.S. Continues Bombing Pace,
Has No Plan To Halt Attacks
Of
Liu
Forces
In
Cities
Mao and Liu
Factions Are
Deadlocked,
Red Guard Posters
Deride Purge, Favor
Anti-Mao Leadership
TOKYO (P)-Red China's radio
acknowledged yesterday that Mao-
Tse-tung's rivals were firmly en-
trenched in Peking, where one
report said wall posters appeared
praising Mao's arch foe, President
Liu Shao-chi.
Radio Peking spoke of dissidents
loyal to Liu still holding "bastions
of counterrevolutionary revision-
ism" in the Red capital, and re-'
ported similar conditions in the
big 15ort of Shanghai. Only Tues-
day, the Mao faction was claiming
a big victory~ in Shanghai.
On the basis of this and other
reports, it appeared that the Mao
and Liu factions were deadlocked
in their struggle for power.
Japanese press reports said
youthful Red Guards were swarm-
ing into Peking's police head-
quarters, hospitals and schools
claiming the places were still oc-
cupied by "bourgeois reaction-
aries."
The correspondent of the Jap-
anese Broadcasting Corp. said
!wall posters appeared in Peking
during the day defending Liu
and denouncing Mao's purge lead-
ers as "opportunists." In the latter
criticism were purge chief Chen
Po-ta and Mao's wife, Chiang
Ching, who is Chen's deputy.
Radio Moscow predicted the
masses eventually will win over
"Mao and his group," which is
violently anti-Soviet. In a Japa-
nese language broadcast, Moscow
said: "Farmer and workers are
opposing Maoist policy which is
striking a direct blow to their
vital interests."
Saying clashes between Red
Guards and worker-farmers were
increasing, the broadcast said:
"The Communist and Labor par-
ties the world over firmly be-
lieve that the Chainese people will
eventually find "a way out of the,
present difficult situation."
According to wall posters, the
Tokyo paper Yomturi's Peking
correspondent said, pro-Mao Red
Guards from Peking law academy
and pro-Mao revolutionary rebels
of the public security headquar-
ters had seized and were super-
vising police headquarters. They
acted with the blessing's of Mao's
wife and the pu.jlic security min-
ister, Hsien Fu-chih.
Asahi's Peking correspondent
said wall papers reported that
the pro-Mao revolutionary group
had seized control of Hsieh Ho
Hospital.
Court Denies
Protection
To Powell
Arrest, Imprisonment
Possible Upon Entry
Into New York Area
WASHINGTON (MP - Pentagon a grave with 19 previously felled
sources said Wednesday the by air or ground strikes. This in-
United States is continuing bomb- creased -to 495 the announced toll
ing of Vietnam at approximately on the enemy through 11 days' of
its earlier pace and has no plans Operation Cedar Falls, the war's
to halt the raids. biggest offensive.
These sources -provided figures A booby-trapped tunnel yielded
showing that the number of at- 82 enemy weapons, including four
tacks in recent, weeks has changed 1machine guns.
only slightly. This change was at- U.S, Army helicopters and Viet-
tributed to poor visibility result- names soldiers hunted .along the
ing from the winter monsoon. central coast for Michele Ray, 26,
In November-before controver- a blonde French free-lance photo-
'sial Dec. 13 and 14 raids on the
Hanoi area-the Air Force was
flying 122 sorties a day over North I
Vietnam. World Now,
In January. with worsening
weather. the number of sorties
dropped to 115 per day. WASHINGTON - The Justice
dcri aflimht }i n 1n acrial crr thA 'F d Pr
grapher and former model who
vanished Tuesday.
Her parents in Nice, France,
shared with American authorities
a fear that she was in Viet Cong
hands. They said that, in planning
a film on "Men in War," she had
remarked that she wanted to get
the Viet Cong, side, as well as the
American, "and the. best way to
get there is to have myself kid-
naped."
's Roundup.
4
A sortie is a ign ty one plane: Department. asked te xeaerai
WASHINGTON (/P)-Rep. Adam. against one target. Communications Commission on
Clayton Powell Jr. lost another The U.S. Command in Saigon yesterday to . reconsider its ap-
battle yesterday, this time in the describes air operations over proval of the merger of the Amer-
North Vietnam only in terms of ican Broadcasting Co. and the In-
U.S. Supreme Court. missions - which can consist of ternational Telephone & Tele-
Faced with the prospect of im- varying numbers of aircraft graph Co.
mediate arrest and imprisonment against one or more targets. The Justice Department said
if he sets foot in New York City, The sortie rate has been labeled the FCC had not given the merger
the Harlem Democrat had asked secret in recent months to prevent adequate 'onsideration and it
Justice John M. Harlan for the the Communists from knowing strongly hinted that if its request
right to visit his home city with- how many planes were being used is not granted the government
out winding up in jail. over North Vietnam. may' take the case to court.
This Harlan refused to do, with- Pentagon sources, however, felt The FCC approved the merger
out explanation or comment. it important to show that the U.S. s
The arrest order, one of the ;air effort has not changed meas- last Dec. 21, just D1 hours after
many troubles that have beset urably, since the recent contro- receiving a Justice Department
Powell, was issued Nov. 28 by versy over civilian deaths result-'memo on the matter.
from the serialization of the book.
Stern, which bought German seri-
alization rights from Look, has
refused to make deletions request-
ed by Mrs. John F. Kennedy and
concurred in by Look.
Look, with the book's author,
William Manchester as coplaintiff,
charged the Daily News in a fed-
eral court complaint in Chicago
with "unfair competition; and
deliberate impairment of rights of
contract."
WASHINGTON - The Penta-
gon plans to merge or shut down
39 military activities-including 33
in 18 states and six overseas-it
was learned yesterday. The Army,
Navy and Air Force are affected.
Sources said major actions will
include merging of four East
Coast naval districts into two
larger ones and consolidation of
two West Coast districts. There
also will be a major consolidation
of activities at the big Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base at Fair-
born, Ohio.
-Associated Press
PRESIDENT JOHNSON ACCEPTED yesterday the resignation of Secretary of Commerce John T.
Connor, right, and named Asst. Secretary Alexander B. Trowbridge, left, as acting secretary. The
White House indicated Johnson does not plan to nominate a full successor to Connor, at least in the
foreseeable future pending congressional action on his proposal to merge the Commerce and Labor
Departments into a single department of business and labor.
BIPARTISAN ACTION:
Antifilibuster Rule Cange
Defeated bySenate, 5-
Justice Arthur Markewich ofthe
New York State Supreme Court.
It stemmed from Powell's con-
viction on criminal contempt of
court charges and is enforceable
on any day of the week lncludinz
ing from bombing.
The sources said poor weather'
has forced the cancellation of
about 2 per cent of the air attacks
over North Vietnam in recent
weeks.
till idy flayUl tal: Wbrl ilreluultgn
Sunday. But reduced visibility resulting
New York City from fog, overcast and rain clouds
So ar s i knwnPowllhas caused as many as three-
So far as is known, Powell ari ftesi ad ce e
hasn't been in New York City fourths of the air raids scheduled
since, nor has he stood in his for north of Hanoi to be diverted
pulpit at the Abyssinian Baptist to targets in southern areas, they
church in Harlem, of which he is Tdsaid.
the minister.j The sources said the shift of
raids as required by season
Ten days ago, on the same day weather conditions should not be
that House Democrats stripped interpreted as a change in.bomb-
'Powell of his chairmanship of the ing policy.
Education and Labor Committee, In military action yesterday, a
the congressman's attorney filed B52 fire raid lofted pillars of
a motion with Harlan asking that smoke from jungles that have
the arrest order be blocked while sheltered Viet Cong for 20 years.
Powell appeals it in the courts. The aim was to destroy trees,
Harlan turned thumbs down. brush and vines and open up the
And the justice, whose area of Communist stamping ground to
judicial responsibility includes visual observation and attack.
New York, also refused to block American troops in the adjacent
enforcement of a $164,000 damage Iron Triangle reported they killed
award to Esther James, a Harlem 20 more Viet Cong and uncovered
woman Powell had been found -
NEW YORK - Look magazine
announced yesterday that it has
brought separate lawsuits against
the Chicago Daily News and the
German magazine Stern over the
book, "The Death of a President."
In a statement, Look accused
the Daily News of breaking, an
embargo on publishing material
Subscribe to The
e Michigan Daily
n, !i I
Dept. of Comparative Literature
presents
WASHINGTON (IP-The Sen-
ate dealt a double blow yesterday
to efforts to open the way for a
vote on easing its antifilibuster
rule.
The result apparently means
that Rule 22, which requires a
two-thirds majority of senators
voting to choke off a filibuster,
will continue unchanged.
The key vote was a 61-37 re-
fusal to table a point of order
raised by Senate Republican Lead-
er Everett M. Dirksen of Illinois
against a move to halt debate on
the issue by the majority vote.
Dirksen, attacking the cutoff
motion made by Sen. George Mc-
Govern (D-S.D.) said: "This is a
summary motion to chop off de-
bate in this body."
The GOP leader insisted that.
Senate debate can be ended only
by a two-thirds majority of sen-
ators voting.
McGovern has been trying since
the new Congress convened last
week to bring about a Senate vote
on his "middle way" proposal for
relaxing Rule 22.
His plan would make it possible
to invoke debate-limiting cloture
by a three-fifths majority, instead
of the present two-thirds. Critics
contend that adoption of the Mc-
Govern plan would be a foot in
the door for those who want to
cut the required margin down to
a majority of 51 of the 100 sen-
ators.
After refusing 61 to 37 to reject
Dirksen's point of order, the Sen-
ate went on to vote 59 to 37 af-
firmatively to sustain it.
Senate Democratic Leader Mike
Mansfield of Montana then an-
nounced that he and Dirksen and
others will file a cloture petition
Thursday to end debate on Mc-
Govern's motion to take up his
proposed three-fifths rule.
Under the rules, the Senate will
vote on this next Tuesday and un-
less the McGovern supporters can
muster a two-thirds majority-
and they concede they cannot-
their cause is lost.
Only two of the 100 senators
were absent when Wednesday's
pivotal vote was taken. They were
Sens. Vance Hartke (D-Ind.), who
was reported by aides to be at-
tending an educational confer-
ence in Indiana, and Eugene J.
McCarthy (D-Minn.), who is in
the Virgin Islands recovering from
a bronchitis attack.
Supporting Dirksen and Mans-'
field in the showdown were 33
Democrats and 23- Republicans.
Aligned with McGovern on the
losing side were 29 Democrats and
8 Republicans.
McGovern contended that with
the start of a new Congress the
Senate has a right to adopt rules
by majority action, and is not
bound by the two-thirds require-
ment of Rule 22.
He cited Article 1, Section 5 of
the U.S. Constitution which pro-
vides that "each house shall con-
stitute a quorum to do business.
McGovern then moved to stop
the talk and take up his three-
fifths proposal for consideration.
THE EMPEROR JONES
by Eugene ONeill
and
Le Rol Jone's
DUTCHMAN
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
WED.-SAT., JAN. 18-21
$2.00, $1.50, $1.00
Box office opens 10 a.m.
Monday before performance
guilty of defaming.
ConstitutionalityI
Powell's attorney, Henry R. Wil-
liams of New York City, claimed
the arrest order was, "repugnant
to the Constitution of the United
States." If carried out, Williams
said, Powell would be prevented
frm attending House sessions al-
though voters in his district have
re-elected him.
GRANDE BALLROOM
The questions is: IS Uncle Ross
really Grandalf? Friday Night the
MC-5 and The Trees. Sat. night
the Scott Richard Case, and the
House of Lords. Grand River at
Beverly, 1 block'south of Joy Road
in Detroit.
if
CINEMA I
presents
The Guns of
Navarone
(Cinema Scope and Color)
GREGORY PECK
ANTHONY QUIN N
DAVID NIVEN
FRIDAY and
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it's happening, Ernest
this Saturday
at 2:00 p.m.
banjo pickers
bongo pickers
I
come to play
to listen
ud pickers
or
pool pickers
for both
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