People's Democracy

40 YEARS AGO

Political Struggles In South Vietnam Cities Surge Forward

A BROAD mass movement against the US and its lackeys for national and democratic rights and vital interests is on in South Vietnam.

The dispute among the South Vietnam puppets for the monopoly to serve as agents of the US resulted in the Thieu Ky clique on March 10 using their pressure on the majority of the puppet military chiefs to oust Nguyen Chanh Thi, commander of the First Tactical Zone. To resist it, Thi's supporters organised small meetings and demonstrations to urge his "rehabilitation."

This scramble for power among the US henchmen has triggered off a mass movement to oppose them and their masters as a whole.

Large-scale demonstrations and market and school walk-outs broke out as from March 14 in Da Nang and Hue under the slogan: "We protest against military dictatorship!" "End inflation!", "Bring down the living costs!" The movement quickly spread to Saigon and many Central Vietnam cities.

March 23 marked a new development of the movement with a general work stoppage, a general market walk-out and the closing of all schools in Da Nang and Hue. The protesters urged overthrow of the traitorous Theiu-Ky clique, condemned the US presence in South Vietnam, protested against the US usurpation of South Vietnam land to build military bases, and denounced "US interference in Vietnam's internal affairs." 

The following days saw demonstrations drawing tens of thousands of participants breaking out one after another with still higher demands: "Defend the national sovereignty!" "We support democracy, down with colonialism!" "We protest against the policy of burn all, kill all and destroy all!, "Vietnam for Vietnamese!", "Americans are not bosses!" There were also slogans urging overthrow of Thieu-Ky, democratic rights and vital interests.

AFP, on March 27, marked that "The anti-American character of the mass movement has increased."

As from April the struggle became fiercer day by day. In Saigon, the people held meetings, marches and "vigils" even during the curfew hours imposed by the enemy.

In Da Nang and Hue, to cope with the armed repression by the US aggression and the Thieu-Ky gang, the protesters armed themselves for self-defence. Clashes have taken place between the demonstrators and the Thieu-Ky paratroopers and combat policemen. In many places, the people set fire to the radio stations of the puppet administration. Broader and broader sections took part in the struggle: Youth, students, workers, labouring people, market vendors, shop-owners, businessmen, religious people, and also personnel of the puppet administration and many policemen and members of the puppet army who joined the demonstrations by the thousands.

On April 10, the officers commanding the First Division of the puppet army issued an open letter asserting that the struggle of the South Vietnam towns-people was "legitimate".

On April 8, 41 ranking officers and many other officers in the First Tactical Zone issued a statement declaring no-confidence in the Thieu-Ky clique. Up to that date, the movement had drawn 800,000 people in 13 cities of South Vietnam.

On April 11, the movement spread to Binh Thuan province.

As time went by, the South Vietnam urban population's movement obviously became more and more a wide movement for national and democratic rights and vital interests spearheaded against the US imperialists and the Thieu Ky clique.

Its root as well as direct cause is the sharp contradictions between the Vietnamese people and the US imperialists and their flunkeys. As admitted by AP on April 6, "anti-Americanism which seems to have been initially based on the political posture of the US entry of more than 200,000 American troops into Vietnam, was bound to have repercussions among the public". In clearer terms, anti-Americanism has stemmed from the US imperialists' aggressive policy............      

--- People's Democracy, May 8, 1966