Nation forces in recent weeks.
=************ activity rapidly resumed and small army posts and air bases were repeatediy harassed. Over 800 outposts were simply abandoned by the ARVN in this period. Rear bases of the ARN such as the airfield of Bien Hou near Sargon were rocketed, and the oil refinery at Nha Be was destroyed.
The main highways linking the regime-controlled towns in the Central Highlands were rapidly cut-by the The bulk of Thieu's anny pinned down and spread out through the entire South were denied any possibility of initiatives and became increasingly demoralised. Desertions climbed 1o 18,000 a month.
Tbe NEF wete now better equip ped than ever before, being able to match the ARVN in effeutive firepower for the first time. They begun to extend their tactic of strategit counter-offensives, carrying the fight ing into the more populated areas of the Mekong and Central Provinces AL Ben Cat, Just north of Saigon, a massive battle developed in which the NLF re liberated the district. Elsewhere two other district capitals were freed and over 115.000 ARVN troops put out of action.
DAVID JOHNSON, who has reported regularly on events in Indochina for Red Weekly over the last 18 months, explains the background to the dramatic advances made by the libermese are now experiencing stability there for the first time in 30 years.
NLF until they were all totally isolated, is being developed.
The uneven rhythms of the ladochinese Saigon in Mekong Delta though life is till tough, many Vietna- the black market at grossly inflated prices).
Agrarian reform has given land to the peasants and produced an actual surplus of food (this on land previously cultivated by bombs, mines, shrapnel. barbed wire, and murderous explosive booby traps). Rice, water and fuel ure all readily available, and a comprehen sive education and health prograntme lectivised, the class of rich peasant cap- led afteripis by the US to set in train Although thie land is not tuily col Italists has been swept away tor ever.
Revolation ate also at work in Laod where the result of the Accords of 1973 was an uneasy coalition between the Vientiane with the growth of opposition student. intellectual ano politico religious groupings to produce a broad, active opposition in the cities which has org anised big demonstracions, mass meet ings and demonstrations OPPOSITION CURRENTS These opposition currents reflect the chronic crisis of the regime and the deepening radicalisation of the masses, who have a tradition of clas struggle that goes buck to the begin ning of the century. It is a situation that rules out the emergenice of a cap italist alternative (for all the condem nation of Thieu in the Nationa) Assembly), and has polarised the petty bourgeoisie to the lett.
Of course, the opposition is very diverse and mixed, but under the inpact of the PRC victories, the increas ing repression, and the recently re-introduced conscription laws, it has begun to crystallise into two cicar The People's Anti-Corruption Movement, whose chief spokesman is the pricst Tra Hou Thanh, is firmly hased on the State bureaucracy and the Catholie hierarchy which formerly constituted Thieu's social base. Their programme airs basically to remove Thieu and replace him with an admin istration that can niore offenre!y con bat the PRG.
They quite cynically admit that their campaign is based on anti-corrup tion populism necanse only by doing uway with the corruption of the reg ime can the masses be mobilised against the PRG. It was members of this grouping who were recently arre ted after a meeting will ex-dictasor Ky, out of whuch Thien suspected a coup was being hatched The other main opposition groun ing is the Forces for National Reconc lation, which are under the nomina leadership of the militant An Quang Pagoda. This movement embraces
Is Rang and Du Liong, Indochines her with bourgeois nationalist deh created by Ha Chi Minh and a occupy Saigon. Vietminh disarm skyists. Then French troops enter Minh comments, He was a great All those who do not follow the Vietnam as a 'Tree state within the Olate acreement and bombard Minh Government forced to anises army and begins distribution apper state with emperor Boo Dai ecognised as Tree states within the al established with Vietminh help in der at Dien Bien Phu. Significant inh controls two thirds of the overnment in French-controlled sa besssured by Hussians and They agree on condition that free eld within two years Unned cause, as President Eisenhower later nam In Laos a coalition "Governmen: 1 Lao is established but soon collapses unet Pather Lao. Further coalition hern yuerillas. National Liberation wwww.
many Buddhists and 'neutralists', as well as having trade union support and a real mass base. Trenchantly anti-imperialist, it is almost certainly penetrated by PRG cadre and connected to the clandestine revolutionary commuttees that exist in all the cities. In Da Nang and Hue, this movement was responsible for leading the uprisings and mobilising people to welcome the libcration fofces.
POLITICAL VICTORIES
This crisis of Thieu's regime came startlingly into focus when the PRO launched the present offensive only a few weeks ago, This was almost cer tainiy intonded to be a limited drive to further split the ARVN and push Thieu closer to the brink. The first step was the massive battle which freed Phuoc Binh and isolated Tay Ninh (narth of Saigon). Once it was clear that this time there would be no firm response from the US, activity was concentrated in the Central Highlands It must be understood that the victories which followed were primanly 1961 1963 regime and head off resistance 1964 North Vietnam 1965 1968 1969 1970 ARTISTESA 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 Which face of Vietnam?
Left, one of the thousands of prostitutes in Saigon recruited to serve American Gls. Below: children in North Vietnam being cared for in munity nurseries.
and the peasants and workers stayed It is now clear that Thiew's strategy after the fall of Ban Me Thuot on 10 March was to pull back his forces, redweing losses, and then to regroup American military advisers begin to arrive American backed coup overthrows Diem in attempt to whitewash Saigon Tonkin Gulf incident' used as pretext by Americans to start bombing of Thieu becomes President of South Vietnam. American advisers" now total 20.U00. Anerans sig up bomong or worn vietnarn and corenc. full scale invalvement of troops. At height of involvement Americans have over 500,000 troops in Vietnam. Other foreign troope include 50,00D South Koreans, 11,000 Thais, as well as a contingent from Australia. Thern is also the entire South Vietnamese army (ARVN). On 30 January the NLF launches Tet oftensive. Hue captured for several weeks and every major city attacked. US President Johnson's credibillty shatterco by orrense no announces ne wi not seek re-ereetion a President. In March limitations placed on bombing of North Vietnam. In May Paris "peace negotiations" commence.
New President Nixon announces withdrawal of US troops, bur Stops up air war in the South to unprecedented levels. Establishment of Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam in liberated areas. Sihanouk Government overthrown by Lon Not in ClA-becked coup in March. This paves way for invasion of Cambodia by Americans and South Americans and South Vietnamese invade Leos Invasion routed PRG launches general offensive in South Vietnam, Takes Quang Tri and surround: An Loc. United States recommences bombing of Nortil anc mines Haiptiong and other northern parts.
Paris Peace Accords signed in January. Americans start to withdraw remaining forces and end bombing. Gigantic American arms supplies to Thieu stepped up. In one month 50 transport planes, 230 fighter bombers and 270 helicopters handed over to Thieu.
Heavy fighting continues in South Vietnam, In Laos, Pathet Lao enters new coalition mare or less on its on terms. in Cambodia, Red Khmer nsurgents now control most of country Phnom Penh surrounded and Mekong River blocked. In March PRG launches offensive. Within weeks Saigon is only major city left in Thieu's hande. Lon Nol flees from Phnom Penh.
them cloier to Saigon and in the Bible demoralisation of conscripted one of the excellent com by the PRG over this period. string of coastal bases built by the US a day). in the late 1960s. What he left our of consideration was firstly, the incredtroops who had been trapped in iso Jated bases and subjected to continual harassmcnt for the last year; and secondly, the massive political base built The result was that as soon as th withdrawal from Kontum and Pleiku was attempted it turned into a rout. Half of the cotire ARVN just disin tegrated and ran. As the panic spread officers fled from their units, and the troops left behind other rioted or just deserted (at the rate of a thousand because they gloss over the class conAs the troops ran trom one threatened town to the next they herded along in front of them thousands of refugees-partly for protection, but also probably because of instructions to depopulate the territory. Many of the refugees, of course, are genuinely afraid of the 'RO some with good reason -and often are the families of fleeing soldiers. But many are forced evacuees. At least two ARVN battalions refused to guard the evacuation in this way and went into the liberated zones, taking several thousand refugees with them, Hundreds of thousands of refupoes have also fled to the of life Liberated areas by themselves.
The impact of this rout has been phenomena. The literation forces are in some places only 20 miles from Saigon, and 80% of the country is now freed from puppet rule. Half of the ARVN has been destroyed.
In Saigon there have been growing demands for Thieu's resignation, and demonstrations against him have turned into victory celebrations. Hourding has pushed the price of rice up by lOs already, and individual capitalists ure hurriedly trying either to leave the city or convert all their money into dollars. However, it seems that Tien has now temporarily consolidated his remaining forces around Saigon. The US has for the last few weeks been shipping in by air lons of ammunition, guns and tanks to strengthen the city s defences.
WHAT NEXT What happens next depends on a number of factors. Of first importance are the initiatives of the PRG, who have repeatedly stated that they are prepared to negotiate the formation lime free after the defeat of the of a coalition government of nations. reconciliation if Thieu is overthrown It is true that they have repeatedly exposed and warned against rightist manoeuvres in this context (and re asserted their position that the PRG is the only legitimate representative of the Vietnamese people in the South). recoup its losses We can expect the But the loose formulation of their statements at one with their policy of 'national concord'-are dangerous flicts underpinning the Vietnamese Revolution.
It is these which prevent any sort of reconciliation between the proletariat and peasants on the one hane, and the weak national bourgeoiste (which is in any case tied hand and foot to imperialism) on the other. This can only hamper the moration and political clarification of the Saigon opposition. Similarly, the PRG's Talure to develop a strategy for build ing organs of popular control weakens the ability of the opposition to org anise independently and confront tbe puppet administration in all spheres ARVN MORALE Another key factor is the morale of the ARVN. Cerlainly Thieu has-and for at least a short time, will continue to have-sufficient arms to resist a direct offensive. But Liese will be use less if his army won't fight, and this Is so far an unknown factor Troops arriving back in Saigon from the Central Highlands have been herded into concentration camps. with hundreds of them being shot, in an attempt to prevent them from affecting the morale of the troops based around the capital. But is is clearly an impossible task in the pre sent atmosphere. When the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh is liberated their will to fight can be expected to take another dive.
Last but not least of these factors will be the aid given to the PRG by China and the USSR-minimal in the past when not directly treacherous and by the international solidarity movement In 1945 Saigon was for a short Jupanese and the massive hammering taken by the French during the war. Then the British Army stepped in to retrieve the situation for impersalsim. But today, when imperialisns is once again losing its hold, the world context is such that it cannot hope to 30th anniversary of Free Saigon to be celebrated by the raising of the PRG lag again in the cury,
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LAOS - revolution