1959-08-19 — Page 4

THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1959.

The only war

in

the world

THE UMBRELLAS SEEM

A LITTLE RIDICULOUS,

THE ISSUE IS NOT!

by

STEPHEN CONSTANT

IN the kingdom of Laos an umbrella is traditionally considered more useful than a gun. This tiny landlocked Indo-Chinese kingdom of 25 post offices, 536 telephones, and 1,000,000 elephants has suddenly become the new pressure point between East and West.

And while Khrushchey and Eisenhower are getting ready to meet. trouble is creeping through the back door. Laos is in the kindest sense comic opera territory with shades of "The King and I,” Eric Ambler, and lots of "Quiet Americans" who have become unquiet in the last few days.

For now civil war is raging between the Government and Communist rebels. The must of this apparent come opern war is:-

For the Government:-

The King--who takes no direct part in politica. The Crown Prince-who does, but also colleels antiques.

The Premier-a dynamic anti-Communist who hero- worships de Gaulle.

Against ment-

the Govern-

Cambodia,

*nen

RED CHINA

804

BULATA

SIKAPORI

¥16931-

Love

LAGS INVASION

To lke from

Dd with lovely

Cummings

-(London Expfoss Serisien).

Monty's No. 2

munists in Laos, Viet Nam, and China. Hence the re- prosper.

volt.

the Already Communist neighbours Laos, forgetting old qpar- rels, are chubbing together to counter the Reds. In Laos

Num The Rebels-composed of Stam, and Burma.

It is as easy as pie to Communists and Blick Thui

Jeross the frontier into Laos trilemen.

from any of these countries,

And for ambitious Com munist China, Laos is the

The Red Prince-Prince Somplianouvong, leader of

of

the pro-Communist Op natural and easiest way of itself is a French air base.!

position, now under arrest. penetraling and grabbing To the north unlimited Chi-minh-the the whole of Indo-China, the supplies of Communist arms. bearded leader of Com Plains of Sium, and strategic

Nam and Malaya.

110

munist Viet me-time dishwasher at the old Carlton, London.

are:--

Rain shy

For

smart

Threat

શ

The Americans know this. That is why Laus got the.

The question is: will the largest amount of American Supporting cast, promp- aid per head of population Communist Chinese support

the revolt to the hilt? ters, an stuge managers in the world.

Ur is the disturbance a Chinese French influence in this corner of the okl French carefully planned

nimed at Empire is still strong (to be manoeuvre

know creating trouble just at must you

Russia and America are ready to talk? the Government French), hut the Americans time when

For there is no reason to American envoys who pump Be ousting it gradually.

The fuse of the present millions of dollars of aid inte

var in Laos was lit in 1954 think that China appeaves the country.

Con- of Summit talks. when the Geneva

There is strong evidence Indo- For the Rebels-mighly ference ended the Communist China, supplier chinese war between the that last year China inter- to the French and the Communists. yened and prevented Russia

fram talking at the Summit!

threatening to spoil by everything by invading the

of money and arms rebels,

It is not a big war. Only

a few thousand are actually

Corruption

Las emerged as an fighting. And at the first dependent State after

drop of rain, rifles

are conference.

droppal. For the Laotians

says it's time to call a truce...

A FRANK INTERVIEW... by TOM POCOCK

"OODNESS, how I wish these generals would stop quarrelling!" sighed Sir Francis de Guingand. "And I'm particularly surprised that Dick McCreery has now joined in.”

Sir Francis, a director of Tube Investments and once Chief of Staff to Field-Marshal Montgomery, was referring to an attack by General Sir Richard McCreery upon his wartime predecessor as 8th Army Commander. In his regimental journal Sir Richard has accused his old brother-in-arms Monty of bungling the battle of El Alamein.

"What is odd." continued Francia, rending the angry words through tortoise-

Sir

in Nationalist islands off For- siefl rimmed spectacles, "is

the mosa.

It coul! be that this new Government was the threat is Laos,

The Chinese fear that will settle her with America

year

are notoriously rain shy. formed in 1958 supported by The highest distinction is all anti-Communist elements Russin to be allowed to carry

a in the country. Its aim: to difficulties

der of the Garter.

But, though small, the Very war is very important.

me

that McCreery

Im- Kave of being critical of pression Monty at the time Indeed, after Alamein. he Was most mattering about him."

General McCreery, had told

earlier that been

to spurred attack Monty's generalship by the numbor of personal allacks that had been made in generais memoirs since the war.

*SLOGGING'

Look at the mup. If there Jeunes" ever WIM iL buffer State, Ones"). this is it. Laos is a soft The vigorous

surrounded

and by Communist centre. (clockwise) Red China, corruption measures of "Les Communist Viet Nam, Viet Jeunes" alarmel the Com-

white umbrella-the Jao stop the Communist advance without furthering China's had tian equivalent to the Or- and also to do away with interests.

So Laos is not only the old, corrupt politicos.

pro-Western and struggle between East and dynamic, the now Govern- West. It is also a trial of ment became known as "Les strength between China and

Russia. ("The Young

On its outcome may de-given antipend the Summit,

anti-

MARTE

A

Very Fine Cognac

MARTELL

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Obtainable Everywhere Solo Agents:--DODWELL & CO., LTD.

-Landon Errons Service).

POCKET CARTOON

by OSBERT LANCASTER

"Do you recall my saying, Crackenthorpe, that we must all be on aur guard Lest loyal sentiments degenerate into hopeless sentimentality ?!"!

McGreery, he said, wns

cavalryinen and did not like

Monty and Admirers.

'I am trying to make peace between Monty and Ike

-it may take a long time'

Naturally, Sir Francis said, war leaders kaw events through

their own eyes and from their

They go to the polls today, but.....

Malaya's Alliance Party won't win without a fight

IT

BY CORDON MUNG

Our Correspondent

Kuala Lumpur:

T is taken for granted that the ruling triple Alliance Party will be returned to power in the elections today, but the question in every- one's mind is "What majority will the Alliance win by ?"

The triple Alliance which is comprised of three parties, the United Malays National Organisation, the Malayan Chinese Association, the Malayan Indian Congress, seems to have healed up the breach when the MCA threatened to leave the Alliance over seat allocation for this election and Chinese education.

But some of the top men In party as opposed to communal. the MCA resigned and are now They are contesting the election standing as Independents in the on a socialist platform, which parliamentary electious. These includes the nations lantion Chinese "rebels” are trying to the country's tin and rubber In- form a unilled opposition to the dustry. Alliance.

Where

non-Alliança heavily an the Whether this recent crisis will parties lean have any effect on the Alliance theme of "Malays First" in thele in the elections is hard to tell, electioneering campaigns,

Party The parly now present a unifted People's tront to the nation but the open prenches a creed of "freedom clash a few months Age lid and equal treatment" for all.

harm the consolidurity of the

some

Progressive

the

Small in numbers since its in 1935 when its party. One of the mala problems tounding

Mr D. R. fucing the Alliance now is how Secretary General, long the party will stay unilled Seenivasagam, resigned from the has never and how the Chinese will vote Allance, the PPP this time.

presented a strong challenge

A reason

With the inroads made by the Pan-Malayan Istemle Parly In the recent state elections they won in Kelantan and Trengganu on the East Coast, while the Alliance won in the other nine states-the Alliance men in their campaiming have stressed upon the electorale that the party has carried out 80 per cent of their 1955 election promises since they came to power five years ago,

The Alliance leader, Tengku

who Abdul Rahman,

stepped down from the premiership to prepare the party for the forth-

to

л

the Alliance.

Seenivasagam, But Mr

such a bulli te lawyer, has reputation as the one-man op- irt the Legislative position Council that he has often been dubbed as Mr Opposition.

Along broad lines, the PPP wants

to transform

· Asplay a with Inio a welfare 'talo balanced, industrist and agri- cultural economy. Its power is concentrated among

Chiness in Perak.

Swiss-type

the

Another communal party, the

coming elections-he has since Party Negara, which is more or aver less run on the strength of its claled that he will take

the reins of government it the controversial Malay leader, Dato an ultra- party returned to power-hus Ona bin Ja'afar, has

"Muleys first" out- Just completed an extensive 18- Nationalist

the look, making it almost similar to day election campaign on East Coast to try and break the the PMIP. hold the village elders and the Moslem religious leaderS over the Malayun veters there.

One of the reasons Kuccess

Because of their identical out- have look, both parties have a work- ing arrangement to co-operate in tho for the the state of Trengganu in of the

PMIP, which coellons. wants to lurn Matuya into an

Apart from these parties, there Islamic nation for Malays only, is also the ineffective Mainyan in this area is that the undeve- Party, which wants a Swiss-type loped East Coast is largely in of government for Malaya, und habited by Malay villagers who a number of Independents run- follow what their elders and ing for election. Emams (religious leaders) say.

'Malays first'

a

3fc had, therefore, at last vent to his criticisms, the mast damaging of which is that. Monty did not know how to

The Alliance will win this handle tank Forces.. He wrote:

election but it will not be a TC- "The wearing of a black beret.

peat performance of the hands- down even with two badges on it, did

victory the Alliance not make a tank expert.

snatched in the 1955 elections General de Guingand de-

The faulty Intelligence...the orders When I was in America the The Tengku has said that his when it stcontrolled into power tended Menty in detail,

smashing 31-1 acat to villages with "whisper campaign" German defences at Alamein which were misinterpreted. 1 other day I had lunch alone with had been so strong and so deep all seems so straightforward lke at the White House and we "gone PMIP" on the East Coast victory. that the only way through them when you look back over the discussed Monty.

was a great success. Referring

In this election there will be was "solid, slogging dog years."

"What he said was in to the two PMIP states, 258 candiester for the 104 Beats Aghting."

confidence but Ikon tay Tangku said that the party had

in in the new House of Representa- a good fighting change" that Ike has a mass of Trongganit, but the Alliance was lives. The Alliance are fleiding "defensive" in a full complement of 104 candi- papers and evidenço with stil on the which he believes he could Kelantan, Pahang, another East dates, which include 32 Chincio have from the MCA and three Indians rest aro mony of Monty's Coast state where PMIP

InBuence, he double criticisms when he is free to

would vote Alliance from the MIC. The

from the UMNO. arcording to the Tengku.

One the biggest ovyote, of The Mir assessment of the Alliance in an assessment of other their prospects in these three is popularity alongside states are: Kelantan-We hope opposition parties in the eyes of while other to get all 10 seuls; Trengganu the people is that -We have a CG-40 obanes political parties are prom!*ing here; and Pabong-WVe are Malay as the national language, sinto religion, Islam as the doing our bosi.

education, urban and rural bene- The Malaya People's Social- as if they are voted into power, ist Front-made up of the Labour all these schemes have been im Party of Malaya and, the Party plemented by the Alliance since years Ha'ayalla on up and coming it came into power five party although only five years ago. uld. In the recent State elec Taking the recent State elec- flons, 10 seats fell to the Front tions as a barometer

secing tanks used in this way. Nobody did, said de Guingand, but there was no other wily. He added, "Monly was

but how often I infantryman saw the so-called armour ex- perts of pre-war days fail dis- mally in war."

answor

own position and they some- times tended to target facts that disagreed with their views. For example, ап

he said, whether the war In Europe would have ended in 1944 even do so." had Montgomery's plan been adopted,

I mentioned General Me- Greery's charge

that

"Monty says it would have Monty ended then but that is only

his opinion."

had been "determined to get rid of" Motor General Herbert Lumsden and had finally "sacri- aced him."

CRITICAL

More especially, he is critical of war leaders whose memoirs

De Guingand agreed that Lumsden had been an experi- enced corps commander and that are written for them. there had been "a closh of per sonailties." But, he said he did not condemn Monty's action,

"Lord Alanbrooke made £1

I remember of conference Lumsden held before Alamein be right.

A BOOK?

Will President' Eisenhower write a book?

"I doubt it," said de Guin- Fand "But one day he might make his papers available to ane or more persons who would ther take up his defence. I cannot Bay more at the moment.

Then he spoke of Lord Mont- terrible mistake when he allow gomery, "I had Monty here in ed Sir Arthur Bryant to write this office, the other day. I his memoirs. They gave quite asked him, "Why did you go on FORGOTTEN the wrong impression of Alan anying how much you like Ike brooke. He seemet always to but still go on attacking him?"

war nobody is always had in the

Monly seemed to think list lite at which he did not conceal his right. I know someone who about him."

past been unkind criticisms of Monty's plan. You

volume Did de Guingand believe that cannot blame Monty for want- has read the second

out in the the rift between Monty and Ike ing to move a key senior com- which is coming

autumn-" Не sighed "and mander who persistently dis-

"Yes, but it may take It is very critical of the Yanks, could be healed? agreed with his ideas.

#long This Is a pity because I time." "But then McGreery end

the Americans com- For cil his own criticism of Lumsden were great friends and suspect

corned could marshal enough generals' memoirs, de Guin- in the same cavalry regiment.

evidence to pre-gand has documentary

book of General de Guingand con speak about war memoirs with sent an equally forceful case memoirs in hand-o sort of to the contrary. In fact, I know umweltten history of the war as authority because his own

I saw 11," Operation Victory-published Ike could..... carly in 1947-was the first of never the Briüsh crop..

London Express Service

TALKING

POINTS

Wemen and elephants forget an injury.

"In

Then Sir Francis'da Guin- gand made an important

another

Then he added, “As I "I leaned over backwards to 'statamont. He said: "I am write I try to remember "SAKI." avoid making unjust accusations trying to make pooca between the fog of war and that

and plitorying people when I did

Montgomery and Eison- nat know the full facts," ho

nobody was always Votes should be weighed, not sald. Nowadays critics tend to howor. counted.

forget the fog of war...the "I know both men well and right." -SCHILLER: tiredness

And strain....the often correspond with them.

*—{London` Express Service).

of

the of the 282 State Assembly seats voting trend-the Alliance cap- at stake, and most of their sup- tured 207 seats (73.5 per cent)— port came from the urban areas. the party should be able to win The Front is also strong in the 65 to 75 seats in the coming pat- siates of Penang and Selangor,

Ilamentary, cicctions when 1.8 Apart from the Allianco this million people fork to the polls is the only other real national today.

Parties and Candidatos-

ALLIANCE

PMIP

104 50

Sociallet Front

37

PPP Nogaru

19

Malayan Party Independents

29

Total

250 for 104 seats