DISCUSSION BY JCIA SUB-COMMITTEE OF MISING-IN-ACTION AND THE WITHDRAWAL OF FORE

Created: 2/11/1975

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

SECRET

IS ANFINALIT EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE

EBRUARY

COUNTRY 5

subject cussion BY JCIA SUB-COMMITTEE ofANC THE withdrawal of foreign troops FROM LAOS

SQLOIEHS MHU Akfe MISSING-IN-ACT.ON (MIA) AND ThE WITHDRAWAL

or roreion trolws rROM lacs,

2. on the mia question colonel phao producedlists) ont containing the namesoldiers killed in action or hmo died orprison) thfeist orientiane sidedied op sickness in prison camp. phao concededhas some duplication hith regard to thoseor sickness in these lists

are being chfcckfcd carefull* by the vientiane side jcia

SECRETARIAT AGAINST NAMES OF LAC ARH."3 <RCES (FAR) IRREGULAR FORCES (LIF) PRISONERS-OF-WAR tPOWSIO THESESENT FROM SAM NE UA PHAO

SAID THAT he HAD NOTHING FURTHER TO SAV ON ThE SUB.-CT.

i i COLONEL ARYA THANKED PHAO FOR THE TWO LISTS AND PRQHQSED THAT THEY DISCUSS THREE CATEGORIES OF MiAS:

A. THOSE CAPTUREO BY THE LpF WHO ARE STILL ALIVE. THiiSE HE CATEGORISED AS BEING OF TwO TYPES i ThOSE STILL IN PRISON AND FORCED TO WORK AGAINSTLLS AND THOSE WHJ HAVE OPTED OF ThEIR OWN FREE WILL TO REMAIN IN THE LPr ZONE. Phau REFUSED CATEGORICALLY TO DISCUSS POWS STATING THAT All PRISONERS HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO ThE VIENTIANE IIOk. HE SAID THAT THOSE WHO REMAIN DO SO BY CHOICE AND ARE EMPLOYED AS GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONARIES. SOLDIERS. WORKERS. ENGINEERS. OR AS PART OF THE GENERAL POPULATION. ARYA SAID THE VIENTIANE OeLEGaTION. HOWEVER. HAD INFORMATION. SOME OF WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE AVAILABLE TO THE Lpf. THAT VIENTIANE POWS WERE IMPRISONED IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. PMAO AGREED TO ACCEPT THE INFORMATION AND TO DISCUSS THE SUBJECT ARE* BY AREA, BUT AGAIN REFUSED TO ADMJT

THAT LPF HAS MOLDING VIENTIANE SIPE "OwS.

b. 0 HAVE DIEr. THESE ARYA DESCRIBED AS BEING OF ThO TYPES. ThQSE WHO DIED IN PRISON OR WHILE ATTfcMPTlNG TO ESCAPE AND THOSE WHO HERE KILLEDy.ON, AMONG THE LATTER ARE THOSE WHO WERE BURIED ANDS CAN Be LOCATED. ARVA SAID THEREEED FOR

TO STUDY THE REMAINS. BONE AND TEETH. PhaQ aGREuO TO STUDY THIS UUESTION FURTHER BUT DID NOT AGREE AT THIS POINT TO ACCEPT FORMATION OF JOINT

C. THOSE whom NEITHER SIDE CAN CERTIFY ARE ALIVEEAt SUCH AS CREW AND PASSENGERS OF AIRCRAFT whICh CRASHED In THE JUNGLE. ThE REMAINS mjGhT BE IN OR NbAK THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT. ARYA SA ID THERE ISOSSIBILITY THAT SURVIVORS MIGHT BE ALIVE AND LIVING IN THE AREA OF THE CRASHi ARYA CITED THE CASE OF FAR COLONEL KHAMPHENG, WHO WAS LOSTELICOPTER FLIGHT IN MILITARY5 HE ALSO ME NTl0 PILOTS OF AMERICAN AIHC^aFT LOSTERRITORY who wEnT DOWN IN ThEJR PLANES OR HHO PARACHUTED INTO THE JUNGLE AND WERE NEVER FOUND. ARYA SUGGESTED FORMING ANDOINT TEAM TO SEARCH FOR

AND ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY SUCH MIaS. PhAO HAS UNPREPARED FOR The QUESTION BUT AGREED TO STUDY IT

OR THE LATEST LPF INFORMATION ON THE

ICi'.

| BEEN QUERIED BUT SAM NEUA HAS NOTREPLIED ANDSA* NEUA IS QUERYING LOCAL Lpr VARIOUS LOCALITIES. ARYA REMINDED PHAO THAT THE INFORMATION FROM FAR ESCAPEES FROM KHAMKEUT PRISON FLUSTERED*

REPEATED THAT SAM NEUA HAD TO QUERY LOCAL LPF AUTHORITIES.

A THfeN RAlStD THE SUBJEC* OF THE HIThDRAHAL TROOPS. PHAO SAID HE HAD NQ INFORMATION ON ThESUGGESTED THAT THEY SAVE THIS TOPIC FOR THE NEXTOBJECTED, PHAO SAID THAT THE LPF KNOWS THATAND THAI ORGANIZATIONS REMAIN IN LAOS. THAT IF THE LPF HAS PROOF THAT AMERICAN ORFORCES REMAIN INHE LPF SHOULD PRODUCESO THAT IT CAN BE CHECKEDOINT TEAM.

GOING TOO DEEP IN THEIR DISCUSSION OF THE

SEC/"'

th

WIf FOREIGNHAO 'T WASTWO SIDES NOT GIVE DETAILS Of THEIRTHE PHESS BUT MERELY STATE THAT THE TWO SIDES HADCURRENT QUESTIONS CONCERNING MIAS AND THE WIFOREIGN TROOPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH JClA DOCUMENTSTHESE ATEBRUARY

MEETING OF THE VIENTIANE SIDE DELEGATION TO THE JClAi ARYA RfcPURTtD S MEETING KITH PHAO BOUNN APHOL. ARYA

OECOMMcNUhD that THE VIENTIANE SIDEHAO'S REOUEST AND

not give details of their meeting to the prfess, at first chief delegateilaysan has opposed to this tactic taking tht position that the vientiane side should apply maximum pressure on the lpf through press releases and the resultant pressure of public opinion. after some discussion, soukan agreed to hithhqldi nli details from the press initially to see if phao -ill continue to. phao did not admit that north vietnamese army (nva>

TRQUkS -ere STILL in LAOSIhe did NOT DENv itWILLING to DISCUSS THECOMMENT I PHAO

APPEARED to BE WELL AWARE THAT NVA TROOPS ARE STILL in LAOS he APPEARED to BE BOTHERED BY ThE DILEMMA OF NOT WANTING to Lie ABOUT it.) ARYAd THATARRIED COUPLE CANNOT ALWAYS LISTEN to THEIR PARENTS BUT MUST LEARN TO GET ALONG TOGETHER AND SHARE 1HINGS TOGETHER. IN THE SAME WAY. he SAID. it is IMPORTANT FOR THE LAO to LEARN to GET ALONG TOGETHER. he ADDED IF THE LPF SUSPICIONS ABOUT AMERICAN AND ThAI TROOPS ARE CORRECT. THE VIENTIANE SIDE HILL BE GLAD to GtT THEM OUT of LAOS BUT THAT THE VIENTIANE SIDE

SECRET

KANT ALSO TO MbLP THb LPF TO GET TROOPS, PHAO

comhenti it was

SAID THE LPP KNOW THE THAI s AND AMERICANS ARE WW AND

these go. "THE1HS" can go too.

implicit in phao's remarks and manner that he meant that thfc lpp's foreigners can go too, thus while not admitting that nva troops are in laos. he did not deny it.) to showrya said. the vientiane side has prepared to sfctoint teah to investigate lpf charges of foreignut 0nlv if the vientiane side coulo hake similar cktcks in the lpf zone. the vientiane side would be willing to have the joint team conduct checks with the far general staff provided the vientiane side could conduct checks with the lpf general staff in sah neua. arya said there here sevehal vnva ralliers in far custody hho had provided detailed information on the presence of nva troops in laos, he thenouple of biographic reports hith photographs and saio that the Vientiane side has prepared to hake these detailshe lpf and even have the ralliers testify before the jcia in order that the lpf coulo receive the details directly, PhaO said The inforhation could have

Original document.

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