FURTHER EVIDENCE OF POISONOUS GASES USED AGAINST HMONG RESISTANCE IN THE PHOU BIA AREA, LPDR

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06156964
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: December 18, 1979

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ET180952Z DEC 79
INTEL
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CITE
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DIRECTOR
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FILED: 180952Z
STATE/IN?. JCS/MC(DIA) CIA/NMCC
SWS NSA TREAS OCO
(HARD COPIES TO: NSC/S NFAC WHSITRM OCR USAID ICA).
RE PORT CLASS SECRET/WNINTEL--NOFORN
COUNTRY LAOS
SUBJECT FURTHER EVIDENCE OF POISONOUS GASES USED AGAINST HMONG
17STSTANCE IN THE PHOU BIA AREA, LPDR
SOURCE
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SUMMARY:
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AND
LPDR MILITARY FORCES TRIED TO ELIMINATE HMONG RESISTANCE THROUGH .
THE USE OF GROUND ATTACKS SUPPORTED BY ARTILLERY AND LIGHT-OBSERVA-
TION AIRCRAFT DISPENSING TOXIC CHEMICALS DURING THE PERIOD MAY 1977
TO JUNE 1978. THE CHEMICALS, DESCRIBED AS YELLOW, RED AND WHITE
SMOKE, KILLED AND CONTAMINATED LARGE NUMBERS OF THE HMONG SOCIETY
AND VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED THEIR EXISTENCE IN THIS PART OF THE LPDR.
END SUMMARY.
THERE WERE 500 PEOPLE'S
ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN) "INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LABORE " WORKING
AT THONG HAI HIN (UG0751), XIENG KHOUANG PROVINCE, LPDR.
COMMENT: THONG HAI HIN, WHICH IS SITUATED IN THE PLAIN OF JARS IN
NORTHEASTERN LPDR, IS THE LOCATION OF A NEW AIRFIELD COMPLETED IN
MID-1979 BY PAVN CONSTRUCTION DIVISION 530.) LPLA
AND PAVN AUTHORITIES WERE TELLING LOCAL INHABITANTS, IN AN APPARENT
EFFORT TO CREATE FEAR SO VILLAGERS WOULD LEAVE THE PHOU BIA AREA,
THAT THEY PLANNED TO MIX CHEMICALS WITH FOOD SUPPLIES TO BE SOLD TO
HMONG PEOPLE IN THE PHOU BIA AREA. THEY ALSO INDICATED
L-19 AIRCRAFT WOULD BE USED TO SPREAD CW AGENTS OVER VILLAGE
AGRICULTURAL FIELDS IN THE PHOU BIA AREA IN AN EFFORT TO DESTROY THE
ECONOMY AND TO HAVE PAVN/LPLA TROOPS SWEEP THE AREAS TO ACHIEVE THEIR
OBJECTIVE.
3.
\ON 15 MAY AN ENEMY FORCE LAUNCHED AN
ATTACK IN THE AREA OF BAN PHA NGAM (TG1655) AND BAN PHA POU (TG1558).
THE HMONG PEOPLE FOUGHT BACK BRAVELY AGAINST AN ENEMY THAT
USED AN L-19 AIRCRAFT TO FIRE CW AGENTS INTO THE AREA.
36 PERSONS DIED INSTANTLY WHILE AN UNSPECIFIED NUMBER.FLED
PANIC STRICKEN INTO THE JUNGLE AND DISPERSED. THE CW AGENTS USED
WERE DESCRIBED AS BEING TRP-P-R-CRPARAT
WHITE.
ON 3 JUNE A L-19 AIRCRAFT FIRE
THE AREA CAUSING 12 DEATHS AND SEVERAL PEOPLE TO SUFFER ACUTE
DIARRHEA. THOSE CONTAMINATED WERE EXPECTED TO DIE BECAUSE
THERE WAS NO MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR THEM. THE GAS USED IN THIS ATTACK
WAS ALSO DESCRIBED AS RED, YELLOW AND WHITE SMOKE.
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4. ON 26 JUNE 1977, HMONG RESISTANCE FORCES STATED THAT THE LPDR
AUTHORITIES WERE USING SEVERAL PAVN BATTALIONS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
CW ATTACKS IN ITS EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE HMONG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE
AREA. IT WAS NOTED THAT AREAS UNDER HMONG RESISTANCE CONTROL WERE
GROWING SMALLER, AND HMONG LEADERS WERE ASKED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE DIED. ON 5 JULY, A PAVN LIGHT OBSERVATION AIR-
CRAFT FIRED CW ROCKETS INTO AREAS NEAR NAM MOH (TF8487) AND BAN HOUAY
KAPLANG (TF8284), ONE ROCKET AT EACH LOCATION, WITH THE RESULT OF
TWO PERSONS BEING KILLED INSTANTLY, 47 OTHER CONTAMINATED, AND EIGHT
DOMESTIC ANIMALS KILLED. ALSO ON 5 JULY, A L-19 AIRCRAFT FIRED SIX
CW ROCKETS INTO A MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF TF8678 WITH THE RESULT OF 20
PEOPLE CONTAMINATED, TWO DOMESTIC ANIMALS KILLED, AND TWO HOUSES
DAMAGED FROM BEING HIT BY THE ROCKETS. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE GASES
WAS THE SAME AS THAT REPORTED EARLIER.
THERE HAD BEEN FOUR
MAJOR ATTACKS BY PAVN/LPLA TROOPS IN THE AREAS OF PHOU KNANNOK (TF-
7881), PHOU XENOY (TF6290), NAM KOUB (TF6785), HOUAY KAPLANG (TF8483)
AND HUAI KHIMIN (TF8898). THESE OPERATIONS WERE SUPPORTED WITH 105MM,
155MM, AND 130MM ARTILLERY WEAPONS, TANKS, AND AIR STRIKES. CASUALTY
FIGURES WERE 219 PAVN/LPLA KILLED AND 18 WOUNDED; WHILE
RESISTANCE LOSSES NUMBERED 480 KILLED, 230 WOUNDED, AND 2,918 CAP-
TURED. THERE WERE 67 HAMLETS DESTROYED AND AN ESTIMATED 1,188
HOUSES BURNED DOWN. PAVN/LPLA CW ATTACKS BY L-19 AIRCRAFT CAUSED
81 DEATHS AND 165 PEOPLE CONTAMINATED; THE GAS USED WAS DESCRIBED
YELLOW SMOKE.
43 PAVN/LPLA
PERSONNEL HAD BEEN KILLED AND 32 OTHERS WOUNDED IN CLASHES WITH'ANTI-
LPDR FORCES; WHILE HMONG RESISTANCE FORCES HAD CASUALTIES OF 22
PERSONS KILLED AND 22 WOUNDED. PAVN/LPLA L-19 AIRCRAFT CONTINUED
THEIR AIR STRIKES WITH 25 MISSIONS REPORTED AND 229 CW ROCKETS FIRED
INTO THE AREA AROUND PHOU HE (TF9479). DURING THESE CW ATTACKS 16
PERSONS WERE KILLED, 69 OTHERS CONTAMINATED, 39 DOMESTIC ANIMALS
KILLED AND 96 HOUSES DESTROYED.
6. FURTHER CW INCIDENTS WERE REPORTED IN MARCH 1978 WHEN ON 4
MARCH, ABOUT 0930 HOURS, AN L-19 AIRCRAFT CONDUCTED A CW AIR STRIKE
IN THE ARIA OF UG2304, XIENG KHOUANG PROVINCE. THIRTY CHILDREN, ALL
UNDER THE AGE OF TWO YEARS, WERE KILLED AND 50 OTHER PERSONS WERE
CONTAMINATED. ON 10 MARCH, ANOTHER CW AIR STRIKE IN THE AREAS OF
.BAN PAYAKHA (TG9804) AND BAN NONG TEA NGOK (TF9698) RESULTED IN 25_1
PEOPLE KILLED AND OVER 100 OTHERS CONTAMINATED.
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CONFIRMED THE
4 MARCH CW AIR STRIKE WHICH KILLED 30 CHILDREN. THE (b)(1)
AIRCRAFT HAD APPROACHED HIS AREA FROM THE NORTH AND FIRED TWO CW (b)(3)
ROCKETS WHICH EXPLODED IN RED SMOKE AND SIX ORDINARY ROCKETS. THERE
WAS NO MEDICINE TO TREAT THE 50 CONTAMINATED VICTIMS OF THE ATTACK.
\COMMENT:
HMONG RESIDENTS OF THE PHOU BIA AREA HAD BECOME ISOLATED
AND HAD LOST CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER. THIS DISPERSING OF THE HMONG
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WAS ATTRIBUTED TO ENEMY ARTILLERY SHELLINGS AND AIR STRIKES WHICH
HAD CAUSED THE HMONG AREA TO SHRINK TO THREE FOURTHS ITS ORIGINAL
SIZE AND FOOD SUPPLIES TO FALL INTO PAVN/LPLA HANDS.
AN ESTIMATED 95 PERCENT OF THE HMONG POPULATION WAS
SUFFERING FROM VERY POOR MORALE, ABOUT 80 PERCENT WERE LIVING UNDER.
STARVATION CONDITIONS, AND ABOUT ENT WERE ILL BECAUSE OF CW
CONTAMINATION AND MALNUTRITION.) OMMENT: THE SIZE OF THE
HMONG POPULATION IN MARCH 1978 IS NOT KNOWN.) FROM 29 MARCH-5 APRIL,
L-19 AIRCRAFT FIRED 212 CW ROCKETS INTO THE AREAS OF BAN THON
KHEMI (UF0277) AND MUANG CHA (TF9887) WHICH WERE IN ADDITION TO 612
ROUNDS OF 105MM AND 122MM ARTILLERY SHELLS FIRED FROM THE AREA OF
TF9991. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT 200 PERSONS WERE KILLED FROM BOTH CW
AND ARTILLERY ATTACKS WITH ANOTHER 100 SUFFERING FROM CW-CONTAMINA-
TION.
7. ON 6 APRIL 1978, ABOUT 0600 HOURS, TWO PAVN/LPLA BATTALIONS
FROM THE AREA OF PHOU PHA DOY (UF1895) LAUNCHED AN ATTACK ON HMONG
PEOPLE IN THE AREAS OF UG1102, UG1502, AND UG1602 WITH SUPPORT OF
TWO 105MM ARTILLERY WEAPONS POSITIONED AT PHOU PHA DOY. TWO L-19
AIRCRAFT WERE USED IN THE OPERATION AND FIRED CW ROCKETS INTO THE
AREAS NOTED. THE PAVN/LPLA OPERATION, WHICH LASTED FIVE DAYS AND
CAUSED 24 ANTI-LPDR PERSONNEL KILLED AND FOUR OTHERS WOUNDED, ALSO
EFFECTIVELY DISLODGED THE RESISTANCE FROM THE AREAS AND SCATTERED
TM TO JUNGLE AREAS IN UG1505 AND.UG1905.
ON 9 APRIL, A COMBINED FORCE
OF PAVN/LPLA TROOPS, WHICH WAS ESTIMATED AT 4,000 MEN, LAUNCHED A
COORDINATED ATTACK ON AREAS OF BAN NANGEUN (UF1796), BAN SAMTIAN (UF-
2690), UF2966, UF2952, UF2091, AND UF2191.
PAVN/LPLA TROOPS WERE SUPPORTED
IN THE ATTACK BY TWO 105MM ARTILLERY WEAPONS POSITIONED NEAR PHOU
PHA DOY, ONE 105MM ARTILLERY PIECE IN AN AREA OF NAM FENG (UF1293),
AND TWO 122MM ARTILLERY WEAPONS IN AN AREA OF TF9991.
APPROXIMATELY 3,000 ROUNDS WERE FIRED BY THE PAVN/LPLA FORCE DURING
THE THREE-DAY OPERATION. ALSO USED WERE L-19 AIRCRAFT FIRING CW
ROCKETS. PAVN/LPLA CAUSALTIES WERE BELIEVED TO BE 41 KILLED AND
AN UNKNOWN NUMBER WOUNDED. APPROXIMATELY 100 HMONG WERE KILLED BY
TOXIC GAS. ALSO KILLED, DESTROYED, OR CAPTURED WERE DOMESTICATED
ANIMALS AND HMONG RICE STORAGE FACILITIES. APPROXIMATELY 8,000
PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO FLEE INTO JUNGLE AREAS AROUND UF3195
WHERE FAMILIES HID WHILE HMONG SOLDIERS BEGAN TO MAKE PREPARATIONS
FOR FUTURE CLASHES WITH THE PAVN/LPLA FORCES.
8. FROM 6-28 APRIL, L-19 AIRCRAFT ARMED WITH CW ROCKETS CONDUCTED
ALMOST DAILY RAIDS IN THE AREA OF MUANG AO NEUA (UF0781) WHERE 64 CW
ROCKETS WERE FIRED AND CAUSED AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF CASUALTIES. IN
THE SAME PERIOD, 6-11 APRIL, TWO PAVN/LPLA BATTALIONS MOVED FROM
MUANG OM (VF1895) TO BEGIN OPERATIONS IN AREAS OF UG1102, UG1502,
UG1602, AND THE AREA OF THAEM (NCA), WHICH THEY EVENTUALLY CAME TO
OCCUPY. HMONG PEOPLE WHO WERE ABLE TO FLEE THESE AREAS MOVED TO '
PHOU LAN (UG2114) WHERE ON 28 APRIL THEY CAME UNDER CW AERIAL ATTACK
WHICH RESULTED IN 39 PEOPLE KILLED AND 54 OTHERS CONTAMINATED. ON
10-11 MAY, A L-19 AIRCRAFT FIRED CW ROCKETS IN AN AREA OF TAM KHAI
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(TF9696) WHICH KILLED SEVEN PERSONS AND CONTAMINATED 24 OTHERS. ON
7 JUNE, L-19 AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY FIRED 96 CW ROCKETS AT THE HMONG
RESISTANCE COMMAND HEADQUARTERS AT TAM KHAI ALONG WITH ARTILLERY
SUPPORT. AS A RESULT OF THE CW STRIKE, 13 PERSONS WERE KILLED AND
EIGHT OTHERS WERE CONTAMINATED. DURING THE PERIOD 21 JUNE TO 7
JULY, PAVN/LPLA FORCES ATTACKED THE PHOU LAN AREA.. LIGHT OBSERVATION
AIRCRAFT CARRYING CW ROCKETS CONDUCTED FOUR MISSIONS PER DAY AND
CAUSED 76 DEATHS AND 41 OTHERS TO BE CONTAMINATED. ARTILLERY FIRE
USED IN SUPPORT OF THE PAVN/LPLA OPERATION CAUSED A TOTAL CASUALTY
COUNT AMONG HMONG INHABITANTS OF 730 KILLED AND 254 WOUNDED. PAVN/
LPLA CASUALTY FIGURES WERE 40 KILLED.
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RE PORT CLASSSECRET/WARNING NOTICE-INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND
ALL PORTIONS
CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL D C
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