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INPO-CHINA
US protest at
'violations'
WASHINGTON
Thursday (AAP).
The United States pro
tested yesterday against
what a State Depart
ment official called
flagrant major viola
tions" by North Viet
ni^ .tfle 1 °-month
old Paris agreements,
Agence France Presse
reported.
snJLl" ' * PePat'tment
spokesman Mr George
Xf . sairf. communist
operations m South Viet
N«,Kis:?d""" <*
« a.cci,sed Hanoi of
aggression".
(r. Tt"u spokesm!»n refused
!vf *J?.borat? on American
intentions in the JiVht of
the alleged North Viet
namese violations.
™^«Defence. Oewrtment
fPokemun said Washing
ton did not view attacks
mounted this week asa
P'elude to a "nation-wide
offensive' but Nixon Ad
minslration officials were
showing concern.
Official® estimated that
North Vietnamese forces
in South Vietnam had in
creased by between 20 000
and 30,000 men since' the
Th™ Iast January
as?and ,60>°00 m
The estimated Viefcnnul
strength of 25,000 S,
Jast month was an
increase of about 5,000
since January the officials
toT* V,et."a!Tlese threat
J?- xr1r?v",c,af caP'ta' of
Gia Nghia, near the Cam
bodian border, was re
duced today with fresh ar
rivals of government rein
forcements, the South
Vietnamese military com
mand said.
. The command spokes
man, Lieutenant-Colonel
Le Trung Hien, however,
warned that the January
peace agreement would be
considered torn up if the
North Vietnamese attack
ed Gia Nghia, capital of
Quang Due province, some
120 miles north-east of
Saigon.
The command said yes
terday Gia Nghia was se
riously threatened after
tan k-supported North
Vietnamese troops drove
government forces out of
Kien Due district town 12
miles west of Gia Nghia.
Attack
denounced
'A. South Vietnames
Foreign Ministry commu
nique denounced the
attack on Kien Due as an
act of war and a betrayal
of the ceasefire com
mitments.
North Vietnamese casu
alties in the fighting in
Quang Due province were
put at 322 dead — 222 of
whom .were killed in (he
final assault on Kien Due
last Tuesday.
Government losses were
37 "soldiers killed. 124
missing and 90 wounded,
in the biggest battle since
the ceasefire agreement.
In addition', a helicopter
carrying government rein
forcements to Kien Due,
was shot down yesterday
and the 23 crew and
troops aboard are missing,
military sources said
today.
The New Zealand
Government gave four
hospital ships to South
Vietnam today as part of
its aid wit»hin the Colombo
plan, the Vietnam Press
Agency said.
ADDIS ABABA, Thurs
day (AAP-Reuter). — A
South Vietnamese minis
ter, Mr Vuong Van Bac,
in Ethiopia on a 'stopover,
said communists had
moved into his Country
about 100,000 more sol
diers, 600 tanks, quantities
of heavy artillery and
numbers of Soviet SAM
missiles.
The chances of real
peace in Vietnam were
receding, he said.
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