EAST ASIA BRIEF

Created: 8/26/1974

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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M.AO COMMUNIST PROPOSAL THAT THE LONG-DELAYED EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS OF UAR BEGIN ON SEPTEMBERASCCEPTED BY THE NON-COMMUNIST SXKtV

THE COMMUNISTS PRESENTED THE PROPOSAL AT THE MEETING EARLIER THIS HEEK OF THE JOINT CENTRAL COMMISSION TO IMPLEMENT THE AGREEMENT, THE COALITION GOVERNMENT GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING PRISONER REPATRIATION* THE PROPOSAL PROVIDES FOR

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REPATRIATION AT FOUR GENERAL UTZSn BUT DETAILS OF THE EXCHANGES MUST STILL BE WORKED OUT.V .

LAO CAPTIVES PROBABLY HILL BE AMONG THE FIRST GROUPS SET FREEANORTH VIETNAMESE PRISONERS ARE BELIEVED TO BE HELDHE NON-COMMUNIST SIDE. THE PAIVIITHET LAO ARE BELIEVED TO

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DISSIM BY

SlOtlC UMD THAI PRISONERS AND ONE AMERICAN, CIVILIAN CONTRACT PILOTi EHI1ET KAY.V

THE PATHET LAO ANNOUNCED THAT KAY WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST PRISONERS OF hiAR TO BE RELEASED ON. ACCORDING TO PRESS

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REPORTS FRON VIENTIANE.V

THE DECISION TO FREE KAY UAS UNEXPECTED. THE COMMUNISTS HAD CONSISTENTLY ARGUED THAT THEY DID NOT CONSIDERRISONER OF WAR BECAUSE HIS CAPTURE IN3 HAD OCCURRED AFTER THEAGREEMENT WAS

THE PATHET LAO PROPOSAL ON PRISONER EXCHANGES COMESURPRISE. THE COMMUNISTS HAD INSISTED THAT OTHER "HIGHER PRIORITY"AS THE DEMARCATION OF BOUNDARY LINES BETWEEN THE PATHET LAO AND NON-COMMUNISTRESOLVED BEFORE THE PRISONER PROBLEM COULD BE ADDRESSED. THE DEMARCATION EXERCISE IIS NOWHERE NEAR COMPLETIION. THE PROTOCOL SPECIFIED THATOUNDARY MARKERS WERE TO BE PLANTED NEAROINTS OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO ZONESi BUT TO DATE ONLY FOUR STAKES HAVE BEEN

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Original document.

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