Taiwan Today

The fighting in Indo-China, which has been going on for eight long years between the French and Vietnamese forces on the one hand and the Vietminh rebels on the other is not only indecisive but appears to be interminable. It has become such a seesaw affair that on one can possibly tell when it will come to an end. This is a war, however, which Ho Chi Minh's Communist forces should not be permitted to win. What is at stake in Indo-China is not merely French prestige or the freedom of the Indo-Chinese peoples but the future of the democratic cause in Southeast Asia. Just as the Korean war was a test of strength between democracy and Communism, so is the war in Indo-China. Although the United Nations' "police action" in Korea did not result in the unification of that country, it did at least prevent the North Korean Communists from seizing the Republic of Korea south of the 38th Parallel. In Indo-China, therefore, the Communists should be prevented from gobbling up Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. If the Communists should be permitted to occupy Indo-China, then Thailand, Burma and Malaya would be doomed and India, too, despite Nehru's pro­-Communist "neutralism," would be ripe for the plucking. With the whole of Southeast Asia firmly in their clutches the Communists would be able to exploit its abundant natural resources and bring the Far East completely under their domination, and that would be a big stride toward the realization of their dream of world conquest. To the free world the war in Indo-China is one which must be won by the forces of democracy, and it can be won only under two conditions. The first is an unswerving determination on the part of France. Several months ago peace overtures were made by Ho Chi Minh when he hinted that he was willing to negotiate for a settlement. Ho's offer, of course, was merely a trap. If negotiations had been started, the Communists would have laid down terms tantamount to a demand for the unconditional surrender of the French and Vietnamese forces. Unfortunately, some war-weary politicians in Paris are still frequently harping on the possibility of a negotiated peace. As a matter of fact, no such possibility has ever existed. For France to carry on the fighting and at the same time hope for a negotiated peace is to make her effort in Indo-China appear to be no more than half-hearted, and this is certainly not calculated to enhance the morale of the French and Vietnamese troops fighting against the Communists. The second prerequisite for victory in Indo-China is American assistance, which during the last couple of years has been extended to France on an increasing scale in the form of money and war supplies. In the days to come this American aid should be continued and further intensified. The arrival of more American planes and technicians in Indo-China is a very encouraging sign, and the optimistic remarks recently made by President Eisenhower and Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson are a welcome indication of the American Government's conviction that the war in lndo-China must be won at all costs. Punishments vs. Rules of Propriety If you guide the people by political means and make them be­ have with punishments, they will try to evade your orders and be without any sense of honor. If you guide the people by moral means and make them behave with rules of propriety, they will have a full sense of honor and walk in the right path. 道之以政，齊之以刑，民免而無恥。道之以德，齊之以禮，有恥且格 From The Confucian Analects. Translated by Durharn Chen.