THAI COMMUNIST INSURGENTS INCREASE ACTIVITY

Created: 5/15/1970

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Thai Colonist Insurgents Increase Activity

guerrilla, which have been moderate so far this dry season, are on the increase. The major threat remains in the remote north End north-central provinces/orce of somensurgents continues to erode thes positions along the Lao border. The security situation is especially bad in portions of Man and Chiang Rai provinces, where guerrillas have harassed several army outposts, forcing the evacuation of at least one,

Bangkok has sought to ease guerrilla pressure by the heavy use of air and artillery strikes. An army sweep operation iast month into an insurgent stronghold near the Lao border in eastern Nan Province met with disastroushowever. The guerrillas shot down two governmentbesides managing toseveral government base camps andumber ofon Thai regulars. Thewas sparkedrowing nu^iser of reports that thewere trying to seize and administer whole villages in this region.

The security situation is mere favorable in the northeast, where the Communists are still on the defensive. The enemy's much-heralded cry-seasonhas not materialized, athat may furtherthe wavering morale of many rank-and-file guerrillas, as well as thef the insurgency to villagers. Guerrilla incidents involving the assassination ofand ambushes ofecurity teams remain endemiche northeast region, however.

Communist guerrillas in the mid-South region have sharplytheir activity inonths, particularly in theof Pnatthalur.g. Thecounterinsurgency apparatus has not made any meaningfultowith the markedof security in this area. esult, police are reluctant to wear uniforms; travel to outlying villages by provincial and district officials is reported to betandstill; and local officials appear uncertain about how to cope with increasedterrorism.

The counterinsurgency picture is considerably brighter in the southern reaches of the peninsula, where activity by the Malayanunisc Terrorist Organization has beenairly low level. In recent weeks joint ground and air operations by Bangkok and Kuala Lunour have uprooted severalbase camps along theborder, one of which was believed to have been theof theh "regiment-" (SEWUii JiU VU.^iU'i-

5Ecsi^r^

SUMMAtn

Xay 7C

6

Communist China Takes Over Tanzanian Military Program

now is virtually the sole provider of military aid and training to Tanzania, following the departure of Soviet andadvisers early this year. n^ll group of East Germanin Zanzibar, however, still shares naval training activities wi Mi the Chinese.

to two-and tech-has also defense

With tho elimination ofand Canadian advisers, work has begun on several long-term projects* aval base is being constructed, vith Chinese assist* ance, near Dar es Salaam. The base is partillion navalprogram toward which the Chinese are providing assistance of someillion agreed to in late In earlyanzamans went to Chinaong-postponed, one-year naval engineering nology course. Peking started work on an air "system" that reportedly willthe construction of an air base, the training of pilots, and

the provision of an undetermined number of aircraft. An unknown number of Chinese militaryexperts arrived in the early part of the year, reportedly to begin work on the military

Chinese military assistance to Oar es Salaam dates back tonailof advisers was sent to familiarize the army with the new Chinese small arms that had been delivered under the first contract signed in February of that year. Since that time, agreements totalingillion have been signed for military hardware small arms, antiaircraft guns, medium tanks, patrol boats and landing craft, and anof other military-related equipment- Part of the attraction of Chinese military aid is Peking's willingness to supply equipment free of charge, or, at most, on liberal credit terms. -tf*6Mi

10 WEEKLYMay

6

Original document.

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: