Vietnam outlines facts on border dispute with Cambodia | By JAMES LEECH TORONTO — Luong Manh Tuan, second secretary of the Embassy of the Socialist Repub- lic of Vietnam in Canada, brought back to mind in a recent trip to Toronto, that blend of patience and determination which typified the Vietnamese during their long struggle. He was speaking, of course, of the border war between Cam- bodia (Kampuchea) and Vietnam. While he catalogued the hor- rors of the Cambodian attacks on Vietnamese territory and people, Tuan reiterated the point of view of his government: ‘‘To us it is a very pressing necessity to sit down and talk,”’ so that the two sides can reach a peaceful settle- ment. “‘ The imperialists and reac- tionaries want to destroy amity between the Kampuchean and Vietnamese peoples and govern ments,”’ he charged. : Today's seemingly inexplica- ble struggle is being ‘‘reported on’ and twisted to its own anti- communist, anti-progress pur- poses by the capitalist media. In contrast, a detailed review of events since April 1975 has been given by the Vietnamese, with dates, names or places, and de- scriptions of actions taken. It is from these documents that Luong Manh Tuan drew his statements — emphasizing that Vietnamese policy has been consistent from beginning to end. They, the Vietnamese, seek to maintain fraternal relations be- tween the two parties and the two peoples; to respect the indepen- dence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia; but they are compelled, it was stressed, to defend the territorial intégrity and the lives of Vietnamese citizens. Self-Restraint Even in the most provocative circumstances, the Vietnamese armed forces are ordered by the ministry of defence to practice self-restraint, to protect the lives and property of the Cambodian people. At the same time, the Vietnamese side, has never ceased urging that the two sides sit down and negotiate. Referring to the conflict, Viet- nam’s Prime Minister Pham Van Dong remained conciliatory, but said forthrightly that where Cam- bodian troops have violated Viet- nam’s borders, and killed or mis- treated Vietnamese, ‘‘our armed forces . . . have been compelled to take self-defence actions with firm resolve to defend our sovere- ingty and territory, and to protect the life and property, and the peaceful labor of our people.’’ He Vietnam is determined to protect its hard-won gains and continue the reconstruction of its war-torn nation. Photo shows the building of a new hydro-electric power station. Anger, outrage expressed on Wilmington 10 decision Anger and outrage was expres- sed. at the refusal of North Carolina Governor James Hunt to grant freedom to the Wilmington Ten, imprisoned civil rights activists. Rep. Parren J. Mitchell called the decision ‘‘a gross miscarriage of justice with very obvious polit- ical overtones’’. Governor Hunt claiming to have spent thousands of hours studying the case ignored com- pletely that the three prosection witnesses have admitted giving false evidence under pressure and bribery by the district attorney and other officials. Rev. Ben Chavis, leader of the Ten at a press conference held after Govemor Hunt’s decision said: “‘We say to you, Governor Hunt the Wilmington Ten will not accept what you said last night.”’ Chavis went on to say ‘‘We re-. main innocent victims of racism, punished for our civil rights activ- ity. We remain political prisoners — prisoners of conscience.”’ Wilmington Ten _ supporters now plan to step up their activity, plans are underway to make the justice department and president Carter intervene on behalf of the Ten. : PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 10, 1978—Page 8 said this in an interview with the Vietnam news agency on Jan. 4. The Vietnamese put forward these facts: e Immediately after the victory of Cambodian independence, April 17, 1975, Cambodia began subjecting to ill-treatment Viet- namese nationals living in Cam- bodia, killing thousands of them, Tuining tens of thousands and driving them back to Vietnam. e May 4, 1975: Cambodia forces attacked Phu Quoc island. e May 8, 1975: Cambodian forces encroached on Vietnamese territory on a line from Ha Tien to Tay Ninh. e May 10, 1975: they occupied Tho Chu island. e In more than two years since then, repeated violations have taken place. Killings, abductions and plunder have been committed on a large scale, Barbarous crimes have been committed. Complex Border Problems The border issue contains a number of complex points, the Vietnamese point out. Control in the area was previously adminis- tered by the French on a 1/100,000-scale map. In 1967, the South Vietnam National Front for Liberation, and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued a statement af- ‘firming respect for the territorial sovereignty of Cambodia within its present borders. These state- ments were warmly welcomed by the Royal Government of Cam- bodia. In May 1976 a preparatory meeting in Phnom Penh to pre- pare a high-ranking meeting the following month of members of the central committeés of the two ruling parties, was broken off by Cambodia. Although the Cambo- dian side has not yet agreed to further consultation, three mea- sures were agreed upon at the meeting in May 1976: 1. The two sides strive to edu- cate the cadres (leading groups), combatants, and people of their respective countries in the border areas to strengthen solidarity and friendship and avoid conflict; 2. All conflicts must be settled in a spirit of solidarity, friendship and mutual respect; and 3. The Liaison Committees of the two sides must investigate the conflicts and meet to settle them. Following that meeting, border incidents decreased, but in 1977 they rose seriously. In May of 1976 attacks sup- ported by. mortars and artillery were made on 13 of the 14 villages along the border in An Giang pro- vince, by Cambodian forces. De- nsely populated areas were shel- led, including Chau Doc provin- cial capital. Savage Killing, Rape Wherever the Cambodian forces went, states the Com- munist Party of Vietnam’s Cent- tal Committee, in a letter to its opposite and to the government of Cambodia, “‘they engaged in ar- son, destruction, and very savage killing. At some places, they set . fire to schools, at others. they raped women, ripped open the’ bellies of pregpant women, cut off the heads and tore out the livers of adults, massacred children and threw their bodies into houses in flames. “*A whole family of nine mem- bers, including a new-born baby, was killed,’’. the .letter states. “‘Great human and material los- ses were thus caused to the local population: over 200 persons kil- led, more than 600 wounded, at least 500 houses and a great deal of other property destroyed ... ““We have tried, but in vain, to discover the reason why the Kampuchean armed forces have taken such actions. The use of considerable armed forces for simultaneous operations on a large area and for such a long period cannot proceed from the initiative of local authorities ... Then have these actions been perpetrated by a group, a fraction of ill-intentioned persons in an at- tempt to sabotage the traditions of solidarity and fraternal friendship binding our two parties and peoples?”’ The letter goes on to “‘propose that a high-level meeting between our two parties and governments be convened, as soon as possi- ble.’’ It suggests that participants include a leading party member with the. rank of deputy prime ‘minister, and leaves to the Cam- bodian side the choice of site — Phnom Penh or Hanoi, ‘‘For our part we shall be very glad to wel- come your representatives in our capital city.”’ In reply to the Vietnamese let- ter, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea proposed that they ‘‘let some time elapse for the situation to return to normal, to avoid any border incidents on land or at sea,’’ be- fore a meeting of the two sides. Under Unified Guidance However, the Vietnamese point out, while waiting for ‘“‘the situation to return to normal’’ the Cambodian armed forces have in- creased the number and serious- ness of their violations. At the same time, as Pham Van Dong said in his Jan. 4 interview, ‘‘the Government of Democratic ‘Kampuchea grossly slandered the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,”’ accusing Vietnam of aggression. To back its claims it published its own map in August 1977 showing frontiers “‘which do not conform to the facts of history:”’ led to take self-defence actions to defend our sovereignty and territ- ory,” minister Pham Van Dong in outlin- ing the facts behind the current border dispute. The Vietnamese see this as evidence that ‘‘the violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty and ter- ritorial integrity by the Kampuc- hean armed forces are premedi- — tated, carefully prepared actions © committed under unified gui- © dance.” These efforts at a land © grab are documented in various ~ Cambodian leaflets. In the days ahead, Canadians will undoubtedly read more about the Cambodia-Vietnam border clashes. We’ll most likely be sub- jected to more of the ‘“‘reporting”’ typical of the Toronto Star in its © leading role as an anti-communist distorter of facts. (The Star’s Jack Cahill ‘‘reported’’ Cambodian Premier Pol Pot leading ‘“‘his little Where Cambodian troops have _ violated Vietnam’s borders... our — armed forces have been compel- — said Vietnamese prime | but crucially strategic country ina | new war, this time against power- ful invading Vietnamese ...”’ In the meantime, both the” Communist Party of Vietnam and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam hold this viewpoint: e Each people has the sacred task of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity; e In border problems between. — neighboring countries there often arise disputes left over by history, at times very complex, requiring a thorough study; e The countries concerned ‘should examine these problems in a spirit of equality, mutual re- spect, friendship and good neighborliness, and settle them through negotiations. GDR backs proposals for Vietnam-Cambodia peace Special to the Tribune BERLIN ‘— ‘‘We are firmly convinced that through negotia- tions a peaceful solution of the conflict on the Vietnam-Cam- bodia border can be achieved’’. That was the stand taken here this week by the Vietnam Com- -mission of the Solidarity Commit- tee of the German Democratic Republic. It represents the gen- eral viewpoint found here in all circles. “The dangerous sharpening of the conflicts in this area,’ the GDR Solidarity Committee said in a statement, ‘‘serves only the interests of those reactionary forces for whom the construction of socialism in Vietnam, the nor- malization of social life in Cam- bodia and the strengthening of the - solidarity between the peoples of Indochina are a thorn in the flesh.”’ The Committee ‘‘wholehear- tedly supports the declaration of . the Government of Vietnam on the border question last Dec. 31. The Vietnamese declaration ‘‘re- flected the great sense of respon- sibility of the Vietnamese Com- munist Party and Government for the guaranteeing of peace in southeast Asia and the mainte- nance or reestablishment of. the fraternal community of struggle of the peoples of Vietnam and Cam- bodia.”” Erich Mueckenburger, a member of the political bureau of the Socialist Unity Party, has been visiting Vietnam and Laos this past week as part of the friendly exchanges between the GDR and these two countries.