The Kung Sheung Daily News of Hongkong, commenting August 10 on the Asian peace conference proposed by the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia to end the Vietnam war, warned against appeasement of the Communists.
The paper said: "The foreign ministers of the Philippines. Thailand, and Malaysia issued a joint statement at the end of the Association of Southeast Asia meeting in Bangkok August 6 urging Asian countries to join in an appeal for an honorable solution to the Vietnam war.
"On the basis of information from various sources, we may sum up the proposal as follows: (1) The Philippines, Thai land, and Malaysia will issue invitations to 17 other Asian nations, including Peiping and North Korea; (2) if the invitations are accepted, an 'Asian peace conference' will be scheduled; (3) countries involved in the Vietnam war will be contacted; (4) countries which do not want to sit with Communist delegates may have separate meetings (5) the conference will be held in Manila.
"This peace move may be prompted by the idea of 'Asia for the Asians'. The three ASA countries believe Asian nations should have a chance to discuss their own problems, now that all non-Asian solutions have failed. The proposal may have been suggested or encouraged by Washington, which has never given up hope of bringing the Vietnam conflict to the conference table.
"We think the motive of the ASA countries is commendable. However, we would like to point out that Asians are longing for real and lasting peace, not the peace the Communists are talking about. The Communist peace is another name for war. Any peace moves before the Communists desist from aggression will amount to appeasement. "
The English-language China Post said August 11 that Hanoi's rejection of the ASA proposal is not surprising.
The paper said: "Following the lead of Communist China, the Hanoi regime has rejected the three ASA nations' proposal of an Asian peace conference to end the war in Vietnam, just as we predicted in these columns four days ago. The daily newspaper Nhan Dan, the North Vietnamese Communist Party's organ, described the proposal as 'a cheap farce staged by the third-class henchmen of U.S. imperialism'. 'Now that the peace negotiation fraud staged time and again by the Johnson administration itself has fallen flat,' declared the Nhan Dan, 'how can the cheap farce by third-class henchmen of the U.S. such as Khoman ... have any chance of working?' Then the Communist organ went on to attack Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia separately for what they have done to help the war efforts of South Vietnam and the United States.
"This unfavorable response of the Hanoi regime is nothing surprising. To the three nations which made the proposal it is certainly a heavy slap in the face. But this reaction of Hanoi is most natural. The Communists have never wanted peace. If they had been peacefully inclined, they would not have started the war in Vietnam. Supported by both Moscow and Peiping, the North Vietnamese think they still have a chance of winning the war. At least they refuse to believe that they can be defeated easily. Indeed, on account of the pledge repeatedly made by American leaders that the United States has no intention to destroy North Vietnam, they think that even the worst which may happen to them cannot be very bad.
"The fact of the matter is that the U.S.-Vietnamese allies, by placing many restrictions upon their military operations, are actually encouraging the Communists to fight on. So far as the North Vietnamese are concerned, they will feel no need for peace negotiations until they are on the verge of being completely crushed. The Communists will not come to the conference table — if they are coming at all - unless and until the U.S.-Vietnamese allies change their pre sent strategy, escalate the war, and proceed to destroy the Hanoi regime. If the Chinese Communists dare to intervene, let them suffer the consequences. After the Hanoi regime has been crushed, there are two alternatives open to the United States: either let the Saigon government reunify the whole of Vietnam or help North Vietnam to get on its feet again by giving all the economic assistance it needs so as to keep Washington's promise of not destroying the Hanoi regime."
The Shin Sheng Pao (New Life Daily News) of August 8 said the key to the Vietnam problem is in the hands of the United States.
The paper said: "The United States has tried to sound out the intentions of Hanoi, but Ho Chi Minh still Insists on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Vietnam.
"The United States also has probed the intentions of Peiping — only to be jeered and denounced.
"British Prime Minister Harold Wilson asked the Soviet Union to mediate the Vietnam conflict. He was told the Kremlin can not do so because of its rivalry with Peiping.
"Peiping wants the Vietnamese Communists to fight on to serve its policy of world revolution. Hanoi is still capable of fighting. The U.S. bombing of the Hanoi Haiphong area has not threatened the existence of the North Vietnam regime. It is assumed that only when existence of the Hanoi regime is threatened will Ho Chi Minh consider peace talks. We are therefore of the opinion that the United States should help the Saigon government carry the war to the north.
"If Hanoi is unable to fight, it will come to the conference table. If that is the case, Moscow may come forward to act as a mediator and Peiping would not object.
"It is the United States that can render Hanoi unable to fight. It can do so by escalating the war.
"The United States has been hesitating. This has encouraged the Vietnamese Communists to prolong the war.
"Policymakers in Washington should understand that Hanoi fears escalation of the war. On this basis, the policymakers should devise a new strategy."
Further Escalation
The Chung Hua Daily News (China Daily News) said August 4 that further escalation of the Vietnam war is inevitable.
The paper said: "Since Communist rejection of peace moves by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Indian Prime Minister Indian Gandhi, and U.N. Secretary-General U Thant, the possibility of further escalation of the Vietnam war has become a topic of world discussion.
"In our opinion, the conflict in Vietnam will continue to escalate for these reasons:
"First, for the Communists there is no choice except to fight on. The battle is a life-and-death struggle for Hanoi, a measure of success or failure for Peiping's anti-revisionism and a must in Moscow efforts to preserve its leadership of the Communist world. This is why the North Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian Communists are still shouting that they will fight to the bitter end, although they know their strength is no match for that of the United States.
"For South Vietnam and its allies, the war is also a 'necessary evil.' Saigon is fighting for its survival. The United States is fighting to fulfill its global commitments and safeguard its interests in the Western Pacific. The smooth coordination of the allied forces and the stability of the Saigon government in recent months have encouraged the free world to seek an honorable peace or even a military victory.
"We would also like to venture this prediction on the degree of the escalation: (1) When Hanoi has been paralyzed by U.S. bombings, the Chinese Communists may march their troops into Vietnam and turn the conflict into another Korean war; (2) as the war drags on with no end in sight, Peiping may instigate large-scale uprisings by Communists in Thailand and Laos."
Next Target
The English-language China News said August 3 that if Vietnam falls, Thailand will be next on the Communist aggression timetable.
"But what if Vietnam doesn't fall? Will Thailand then get off the hook?" the paper asked.
"Frankly, we don't think so. Communist infiltration and attempted subversion of Thailand have already begun.
"If things go badly in Vietnam, that could signal a large-scale offensive in Thailand, together with a heating up of the war in Laos.
"Fortunately, the government in Bangkok is well aware of Communist intentions and probable actions. The Reds in northeastern Thailand are being combatted directly, and also with government attention to the development of a region that long has been ignored.
"Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn is giving his personal attention to the anti Communist suppression campaign in the northeast. He has strongly — and rightly — warned against a witch hunt that hauls in everybody as a suspected Communist. The Prime Minister has recalled the tragic experience of Vietnam in the late 1950s, and urged that the evidence be carefully weighed in each individual case.
"The Vietnam experience in the years from 1954 to 1961 is little known. It de serves more attention.
"President Ngo Dinh Diem had a far more difficult problem than does Thailand. After the Geneva conference had divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, one million anti-Communists made their way to the south. Scarcely any pro-Communists went from south to north. They were left in the south as 'sleepers' to bore from within and — when the time was ripe — raise a guerrilla rebellion.
"Vietnamese authorities determined to round up known and suspected Communists. One of Ngo Dinh Diem's greatest mistakes was to permit the witch hunt that ensued — although to his credit, he may not have known about some of its abuses.
"Throughout South Vietnam, the professional anti-Communists descended upon suspect villages of the countryside and decimated the male population. Often the accused were not executed — merely placed in camps to repent. But the effect upon the innocent was invariably the same: they were driven into Viet Cong ranks.
"Not all the people so punished were originally pro-government. But neither were they anti-government. Many were sitting on the fence making up their minds. Government oppression helped them decide in favor of Communism.
"This is what Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn has warned against in Thailand. As he says, not every resident of the Thai area along the border is necessarily a Communist. To presume so can only drive most of the population of the northeast into the hands of the Reds.
"Thailand must be as vigilant as South Vietnam was a decade ago — but much more intelligently so. The mistakes of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime were not entirely responsible for the Vietnam war of today. They helped, however, and Thailand's survival may depend on not falling into the same pattern of error."
Peiping's Isolation
The Lien Ho Pao (United Daily News) of August 14 said the Peiping regime is facing an ever worsening situation.
The paper said: "The Peiping regime is more isolated from both the free world and the Communist bloc as a result of political upheaval on the mainland.
"The Red regime reached the high point of its diplomacy in the first half of 1965. It won the support of such Communist-oriented countries as Indonesia, Cambodia, and Pakistan. Such Communist bloc countries as North Korea, North Vietnam, and Albania and the Communist Parties of Japan and New Zealand were on Peiping's side. The Chinese Reds attempted to establish another world organization to counter the United Nations, quarreled with Soviet Union, and opposed the United States on every International issue.
"However, this golden age ended quickly. With the aborting of coup d'etat in Indonsia, Peiping began to be shunned by those countries that formerly had supported it.
"Poland and Outer Mongolia, which had been neutral in the Peiping-Moscow conflict, began to back the Soviet Union. Rumania has become increasingly cool. North Korea has changed its attitude toward Peiping and announced it will not 'dance to other people's music'. The Japanese Communists have said they will no longer take orders from Peiping.
"To save the situation, the Chinese Reds launched the 'cultural revolution'. But they have little chance of succeeding. More and more countries are aware of the nature of Mao's brand of Communism, and the Peiping regime is becoming ever more isolated.
"Shaken by purges and anti-Communist movements at home and isolated abroad, the Peiping regime is on the brink of collapse. No matter how hard the Chinese Reds try to improve the situation, they will only slip deeper into the abyss with each passing day."
The Shin Sheng Pao (New Life Daily News) of August 10 said anti-Mao forces in the Chinese Communist Party are gathering strength.
The paper said: "The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party has passed a resolution on the 'cultural revolution'. The committee charges that party members of various levels are lukewarm in carrying out the revolution and has ordered intensification of the purges and tighter control of intellectuals and youths.
"We can see that Chinese Communist leaders have been frustrated in the course of purging anti-Mao elements.
"Diehard elements in the Chinese Communist Party seem to be losing strength while anti-Mao forces are growing stronger. If so, Mao Tse-tung is no longer the idol of the Chinese Communists and has lost control over his party. This is why he has to rely on the army to carry out the purges.
"Chinese Communist Party members have ceased to be loyal to Mao Tse-tung because his thinking is contrary to rationality and common sense. They think if they continue to follow Mao Tse-tung, they will be destroying themselves.
"Although Mao Tse-tung relies upon the army to maintain his rule, the Army Liberation Daily is not reliable. Chief of Staff Lo Jui-ching and Director of the General Political Department Hsiao Hua have been purged for anti-Mao activities.
"Those charged with anti-Maoism may not be anti-Communists. Wu Han, Teng To, and Liao Mo-sha, whose works were branded as anti-Mao, may hope to save the Peiping regime. But if Mao Tse-tung continues to use high-handed methods, the anti-Mao elements may become anti-Communist.
"We should grasp the opportunity to win over the workers of the Chinese Communise organizations abroad so as to accelerate change. In doing so, we may pave the way for our counteroffensive against the mainland."
Mao's Directives
The China News of August 8 commented on two directives recently issued by Mao Tse-tung.
The paper said: "Mao Tse-tung has issued two directives demanding that the armed forces and the people get with it in putting politics and Mao-think to the fore.
"These directives can be looked at in several different ways.
"Many observers will be inclined to laugh and put the orders in the same category as Mao's swim down the Yangtse — further evidence that Mao himself is off his rocker and that his propagandists are also mad or in desperate fear of their lives.
"Supporting evidence for this point of view is considerable. The similarity between backyard steelmaking and the newest of Mao ukases is striking. Mao is telling the army to farm the land and operate factories. At the same time he is ordering factory workers and farmers to become soldiers, factory workers to become farmers, and farmers to become factory workers.
"Everybody is supposed to do anything and do it perfectly. If you heed the voice of Mao-think, you cannot fail. The plumber can become a nuclear scientist merely by saying: 'Hocus-Pocus Dominocus, Mao Tse-tung'.
"But is even the Chinese Communist world of Mao Tse-tung this crazy? Maybe yes and maybe no, and thus there is a second explanation for directives.
"The Chinese Communist system is already in bad shape, as shown in purges that now have spread from cultural circles to the armed forces. Something new is needed, something to inspire flagging faith in the Great Utopia among the cadres and something to raise hopes of a square meal and a decent suit of clothes or a new dress among the people.
"You can't eat the words of Mao-think, or make anything but nonsense out of them.
"But who is to prove this to a senile, ailing Mao? Those who fawn after him are sycophants still, and dare not tell him the truth. This is with some reason, because if they did, their heads would fall.
"A third possibility: that the mainland situation has become so desperate that anything and everything must be tried. Mao has been built up and up. The Reds may hope that an appeal in his name will have some effect in turning back rising anti-Communist tides.
"We don't know which analysis is correct. Perhaps there is some truth in all three — or in the several other possibilities.
"But we can say with certainty that:
"— two and a half million military men are not going to become productive farmers and industrialists overnight.
"— a hundred million or so workers are not going to wave magic wands and bring a great plenty from the soil.
"— more than five hundred million peasants are not going to become soldiers, masters of culture, and great statesmen in one minute.
"This is what the Mao directives demand.
"But the real intention is perhaps revealed in Mao's insistence that schooling should be cut short and 'domination by bourgeois intellectuals' terminated. Mao means that intellect should give way to Mao-think and to the tyranny of the Communist state and the proletarian revolution.
"Whatever the real meaning of the Mao directives, their issuance implies that the anti-Communist, anti-Mao revolution has progressed farther than most of the world has thought."