1. POISON GAS ATTACKS ON HMONG VILLAGE 2. POISONED SALT 3. POISONED OR CONTAMINATED HEADACHE MEDICINE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06156966
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: November 23, 1979

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TORt 2321112 NOV 79
PP RUEAIIA
DE RUEAI1H 13994 3271806
ZNY CCCCC
P 2317A4Z NOV 79
FM CIA/DCD NASHDC
TO RUEHC/DEPT STATE
RUEADmD/OEPT ARMY
RUEAH0A/AFSSO USAF
RUEBARA/COMNAVINTC0M
RUFKJC:/JCS
RUEKJCS/DIA NASHDC
RUETIAA/DIRNsA
RUEADmo/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
5T
N F I VE N 1 I A L/mNINTEL/NOFORN
3 NOVEMBER 1979
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DOMESTIC COLLECTION DIVISION
THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL7-NNINTEL--NOFORN
COUNTRY LAOS
SUBJECT 1. POISON GAS ATTACKS ON mMONG VILLAGE
2. POISONED SALT
ONTAmINATED HEADACHE MEDICINE
SOURCE
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1. A NUMBER OF POISON GAS ATTACKS AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF DONG
YIA VILLAGE (NEAR BAN NA LUONG IN SOUTH CENTRAL LAOS) WERE WIT-
NESSED, BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 1976, THE FIRST ATTACK CAME ON
A CLEAR DAY DURING THE HARVESTING SEASON AT ABOUT 1100 HOURS,
WHEN THE PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE WERE WORKING IN THE FIELDS. THE
ATTACK BEGAN WHEN ONE AIRPLANE, A SINGLE-ENGINED, PROPELLER-
DRIVEN AIRCRAFT OF THE "RAVEN" TYPE USED FOR RECONNAISS4NCE
BY THE FORCES OF FORMER GENERAL VANG P A Or CAME AND DROPPED
LEAFLETS wHICH TOLD THE PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE THAT THaRE wAS
NO HOPE IN FURTHER RESISTANCE TO THE PATHET LAO. THE SAME AIR-
PLANE THEN RETURNED AND FIRED ONE ROCKET WHICH BURST IN THE AIR
WITH WHITE SMOKE, FOLLOWED BY ROCKETS WHICH EXPLODED IN RED AND
YELLOW CLOUDS OF POISON GAS. AS SOON AS THE RED AND YELLOw GAS
ARRIVED IN THE FIELDS WHERE THE PEOPLE wERE, THEY FAINTED. SOME
PEOPLE FELL DOWN FROM THE TREE STUMPS WHERE THEY HAD BEEN STANDING.
THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE GAS TURNED PALE, BECAME WEAK, AND
DETERIORATED PHYSICALLY TO THE POINT WHERE 10 PEOPLE OUT OF THE
VILLAGE POPULATION OF 500 (ALL OF WHOM WERE AFFECTED BY THE GAS)
DIED.
2. MOST OF THE ATTACKS WITH POISON GAS MADE AGAINST THE VIL-
LAGE, WHICH WERE FREQUENT, ALMOST DAILY OCCURRENCES, USED THE
ROCKETS WITH RED SMOKE. THE ATTACKING AIRCRAFT CAME IN WAVES
OF TWO OR FOUR PLANES EACH. ONE AIRPLANE WOULD CIRCLE THE VIL-
LAGE, AND MARK THE TARGET WITH A WHITE ROCKET. ON SUCCEEDING
PASSES BY THE FIRST AND THEN THE SECOND AIRPLANE, A YELLOW ROCKET
WOULD BE FIRED, AND THEN A RED ROCKET.
3. THE PATHET LAO ALSO POISONED THE PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE.KITH
CONTAMINATED SALT IN 1978. VILLAGERS WHO ATE FOOD PREPARED WITH THE
POISONED SALT BECAME ILL WITH BLOODY DYSENTERY, AND THEIR TEETH
SEEMED TO ROT. THE POISONED SALT COULD BE PURIFIED BY HEATING IT,
WHEREUPON THE SALT GAVE OFF A FOUL SULFUR-LIKE ODOR. THE FLAME
OF THE POISON SUBSTANCE WAS VISIBLE OVER THE CONTAINER IN WHICH
THE SALT WAS HEATING. OF THE VILLAGE POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY
500 PERSONS, ONLY 100 SURVIVED. MOST OF THE VILLAGERS WHO DIED
SUCCUMBED TO THE EFFECTS OF THE POISONED SALT.
4. THE PATHET LAO ALSO SOLD CONTAMINATED MEDICINES TO PEOPLE
IN THE AREA. ONE SUCH MEDICINE WAS TAKEN IN APRIL 1977 FOR A
HEADACHE, AND IT PRODUCED SYMPTOMS OF SEVERE WEAKNESS AND PARTIAL
PARALYSIS, AND MADE THE BODY SMELL AS IF THE INSIDES WERE ROTTEN.
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EYESIGHT nAS DIMMED, AND THE EYES TURNED PALE YELLOW. THERE WAS
A NOISE IN THE EARS LIKE THE BANGING OF A DRUM, AND PERSISTENT
DIZZINESS. THE TISSUE OF THE GUMS AND THE PALATE DRIED UP AND
DEVELOPED DEEP CRACKS. THE TEETH FELT AS THOUGH THEY MERE FALLING
OUT OF THE GUMS. THE ENTIRE BODY FELT TENSE, AS IF INFLATED TO
THE BURSTING POINT. THE STOMACH ACTUALLY SMELLED TO THE EXTENT
THAT THE ENTIRE MIDSECTION OF THE BODY HAD TO BE SUPPORTED BY
HANDS IF THE VICTIM WAS TO BE MOVED PHYSICALLY FROM POINT
TO POINT. EVENTUALLY, THE ARMS AND LEGS BECAME PARALYZED. THE
HEART SEEMED LIKE IT WOULD STOP WORKING, A SYMPTOM WHICH WAS
RELIEVED ONLY BY A MEDICINE DEVELOPED FROM A WATER EXTRACT OF
GREEN-SKINNED GOURDS AND OPIUM. BLOOD UNDER THE SKIN CLOTTED
AND TURNED BLACK. WHEN THE CLOTS MERE PRICKED, THE BLOOD WOULD
NOT RUN OUT. SwEATING WAS PROFUSE, ESPECIALLY ON THE BACK, AND
IN THE GROIN AREA. SLEEP WAS DEEP AND CONSTANT TO THE POINT WHERE
THE VICTIM COULD ONLY BE ROUSED AFTER REPEATED EFFORTS BY FAMILY
MEMBERS. THE NOSE AND LIPS WERE DRY, AND TURNED DARK. THE
EFFECTS OF THE POISON SEEMED TO COME IN WAVES, AT THE HEIGHT
OF WHICH MUCH STICKY SALIVA WOULD BE PRODUCED. IT TOOK EIGHT
MONTHS TO RECOVER FROM THE EFFECTS OF THE POISONED HEADACHE
MEDIC:NE
5.
REPOR CLASSCONFIDENTIAL...-mARNING NOTICE--INTELLIGENCE
SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS.
ALL PORTIONS CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND
CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
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