COMMITTEES
The Vietnamese freedom fighters have taken some important political steps in coordination with their military victory at the beginning of February. These appear to be aimed at setting up a revolutionary government although this has not yet been proclaimed.
According to the February 19 issue of the Vietnam Information Bulletin, published in Rangoon, an extraordinary enlarged session of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the South Vietnam National Front for Liberation was held on February 11 and 12, with Nguyen Huu Tho acting as chairman.
The entire current situation in
South Vietnam was reviewed and a number
of decisions were taken.
Among the fruits of the military
victory, a communiqué issued by the ses-
sion said, was the destruction of the
administrative organs of the Saigon forces
at a grassroots level.
"The people of all strata both in
the towns and those rural areas still
under enemy control, with their high rev-
olutionary mettle, rose up with a tidal
strength, crushing the enemy's grip, pun-
ishing enemy cruel agents, liberating
vast expanses in the countryside and district towns and townships, establishing people's revolutionary power, breaking the enemy's ‘pacification’ prong, occupying and controlling many towns, province capitals and townships, repelling enemy counter attacks, and winning many big victories."
"In this storm of revolution," the communiqué continued, "the people developing [developed] by big leaps their own forces, political and military, with millions of people freshly freed from enemy rule, indifferent of age, sex, religious belief and nationality, enthusiastically joining newly set up organizations, and tens of thousands of young boys and girls volunteering for armed service to wipe out the enemy and save the country."
The communiqué said that a United Front had been set up, a Democratic and Peace Alliance, which “is working actively in big cities and towns and, shoulder to shoulder with other patriotic organizations, is discharging the historic mission of the entire nation."
A special appeal was made by the session to the troops under the command of Saigon to come over to the side of the revolution.
The same issue vf the Vietnam Information Bulletin carries the text of a communique issued by the People's Revolutionary Committee of Thua Thien Province and Hue City, which was set up in accordance with a decision of the "urgent national salvation congress" which was "recently convened" by the Front of National, Democratic and Peace Alliance.
The People's Revolutionary Committee had decided the following:
"(1) To wipe out all the administrative organs at all levels of the puppet Thieu-Ky clique in the province, city and down to every single hamlet.
"(2) To recognize the people's revolutionary committees at district, village and city quarter levels set up by the revolutionary armed forces and people, and regard these as the only legitimate people's power.
"(3) To maintain and broaden the right of the people to be masters of thenselves, to step up the armed fight, the political struggle and the political agitation among enemy troops, to repulse all enemy counter attacks and punish reactionary elements, to apply timely measures to protect the people's lives and property, to respect the people's democratic freedoms, and to step up production and practice thrift, and care for the material and intellectual life of the people.
"(4) To demand resolutely that the
U.S. troops respect the power of the Viet-
namese, refrain from intervening in the
Vietnamese people's own affairs, and stay
in their camps. Any movement of U.S.
troops must be sanctioned by the Vietnamn-
ese revolutionary power. Any transgression
will be duly punished."
The last demand is of particular
interest. It indicates that the political
line of this body is to seek the intern-
ment of the U.S. forces that have been
sent to Vietnan.
This would constitute a prelimi-
nary step to negotiations leading to the
withdrawal of the imperialist forces.
In addition, the committee, accord-
ing to the Vietnam Information Bulletin,
“called on the people of all strata in
urban and rural areas to closely unite,
strictly implement all the orders of the
revolutionary power, and, with the impetus
of new victories, to forge ahead to win
ever greater victories in fighting, in
production, as well as in cultural and
health activities, in order to defend the
revolutionary power and the people's
rights.
"The committee called on all of-
ficers and soldiers and employees still
working for the U.S. puppets to take
their stand with the people to resist
the U.S. aggression and save the coun-
try.
The February 20 issue of the
Bulletin gave the text of an appeal is-
sued by former troops of the Saigon re-
gime who had gone over to the side of
the freedom fighters.
“After coming into contact with
the liberation armed forces," the appeal
said, “we have been warmly welcomed and
well treated. We now fully understand
the policy of the National Front for
Liberation, and are fully aware of our
former errors. We now understand that
it is an urgent task for the entire
Vietnamese people to fight against the
U.S. aggressors and the Thieu-Ky clique.
We therefore have set up a unit of the
rallied forces so as to take part in
the people's fight against the U.S.
aggressors, for national salvation."
The appeal continued: "The pres-
ent events in South Vietnam have testi-
fied to the invincible force of the
Vietnamese people. They show that the
U.S. aggressor forces are doomed to
failure, that the republican army is
nothing but a disintegrating and rotten
organization."
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