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Bulletins and News Discussion from December 4th to December 10th, 2023 - The Legacy of Kissinger - COTW: Laos

Due to American cluster bombing campaigns advised by Kissinger during the Vietnam War to damage supply lines, over 2 million tonnes of ordinance were dropped on Laos over about a decade, averaging a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes. Laos is thus the most bombed country on the planet up to this point. 80 million bombs failed to explode - the cleanup operation is expected to take centuries, and 25,000 people have been killed and injured by bombs in the last 50 years. About 50 people are killed or injured every year to this day.

After the United States withdrew from Laos, the Pathet Lao took power and abolished the monarchy. Kaysone Phomvihane became a dominant figure in Laotian politics, keeping the course on Marxism-Leninism and implementing the first Five Year Plan in 1981. The second Five Year Plan in 1986 was modelled on Lenin's NEP, and this doubled rice production and significantly increased sugar production. After the fall of the USSR, Laos allowed a small capitalist class to exist, with similar control over them as in China. Laos maintains a 48-hour work week with paid sick leave, vacation time, and maternity leave, and workers are well-represented in trade unions. They faired relatively well during coronavirus from a social standpoint due to quick and efficient action to lock down the country, experiencing ~750 deaths out of a population of over 7 million.

There is hope even after utter destruction by genocidal oppressors.

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  • Helicopter crash in Esequibo: 5 Guyanese soldiers died and 2 have survived. (Spanish Only)

    Five Guyanese military personnel were killed and two survived in an accident while on their way by helicopter to visit troops near the de facto border with Venezuela, the Guyana Defense Force reported Thursday.

    The Bell 412 helicopter disappeared on Wednesday, some 48 kilometers from the Venezuelan border, and the search for it was hampered both the day before and today by bad weather.

    The deceased are Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, who was piloting the aircraft; Colonel Michael Shahoud, commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion; Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome; retired Brigadier General Gary Beaton and Sergeant Jason Khan.

    According to authorities, the helicopter departed Ayanganna Base in western Guyana at 9:23 local time (14:23 GMT) yesterday with three crew members and four passengers. However, at 11:20 local time (15:20 GMT), the ship sent out an emergency alert in the Arau area of western Guyana.

    Chief of Defence Force Staff Omar Khan explained at a press conference last night at the Ayanganna Base that the helicopter landed at Olive Creek to refuel, but after take-off, communication was lost.

    The officer indicated that presumably the emergency alert indicated that the helicopter crashed, fell hard or may have been manually tampered with by a crew member. Following this, military forces activated a search and rescue operation, which included a plane loaded with special forces officers and another helicopter.

    Prime Minister Mark Phillips says authorities are still trying to determine what caused the helicopter to crash. Officials say there has been no indication to suggest any hostile fire.

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