76
to fight the enemy. After the tribesmen move down to the settlement, the sub- sequent development will follow, There will be roads linking with each com- munity and town, and not so long the settlement will be civilized once society is set up.
I have realized that the new community will create good understanding and relationship between the Laotian people because marriage life in the new world of those tribes can bring about unity, leading to no split of the nation. I'm pretty sure what I have said above will solve many problems and get rid of various conflicts, such as:
-self-selfish, family-selfish, city-selfish, but bring about worldwide knowledge, sacrifices and donation.
Turning to security and peace, this is the most significant problem of the country, because the enemy have created bad attitudes and no self-confidence to the people of Laos. The enemy have instigated the people to fight against the government for the purpose of overthrowing the Royal throne. If the tribesmen can move down, there have to be a massive training among them as follows:
To educate them to realise the importance of peace and happiness.
To arrange them in group for any possible action.
To train them to assemble arms and provide them with weapons. To impose rules and regulations.
When the children are brought up in good way, they will realise that they have to fight for country. This programme takes time because we have to prepare everything ready to cope with the present situation. Now the FAR needs man- power to serve the nation so that peace will come. Various disputes or conflicts between compatriots cause no peace, and only peace can bring about happiness to the people from all walks of life.
RESERVATION OF FOREST AND WATER
As I have studied about reserving forest and water, we should not cut down the trees. We can cut the trees down but we have to grow young trees in their places. Many students who studied abroad. France, Canada and India, and come back to serve the country but cannot solve this problem. If you can fly in a plane to upnorth, you will see many points of the mountains and hills being dried, compared to the plain at the foot of the hills or mountains, many parts of the fertile land are abundant of trees. A great deal number of our relatives abandoned their home villages from the abordering areas closed to China and Vietnam to settle down their life in the new area, leaving some families on the mountain. Anyhow, up to 600,000 people of various tribes have been in an exodus since 1960. They were afraid earlier that they would be killed if they moved down because the weather down the hill was very hot for them to be alive. Now, Meo and Nhao tribesmen are cultivating their land in the plain, and some others on the mountain are willing to move down too. This is a golden opportunity for the government to take. Some uncleared parts of land in the plain should be prepared for our relatives who will abandon their opium farmland to join us. If most of the tribesmen or all of them come down, many problems will be thrashed out. In order to maintain peace in the refugees' communities, the gov- ernment should send out some educated officials to live with them, training them in various aspects, particular politics.
Whenever they all move down, the national budget or the national gross will come up to 50 times. Besides their self-reliance, they will bring in national income to Laos. Laos can solve the problem of opium whenever all of the tribesmen move to live in the plain settlements, because they will not be able to grow opium in the warm climate.
Vientiane, June 1, 1970.
Gen. QUAN RATHIKOUN.