Hitting a Haven

Officials in Bangkok habitually argue that Thailand -- Communist insurgency problems notwithstanding -- is not at all like Viet Nam. Last week Thai Communist guerrillas, who until now have confined their terrorism to ambush and intimidation in the countryside, challenged that notion with the kind of bold attack that has become routine in Viet Nam: a commando raid on an airfield.

The Communists' target was the Royal Thai Air Force Base at Udorn, one of five Thai fields from which U.S. fighter-bombers fly daily strikes into North Viet Nam and Communist-held parts of Laos. Udorn, only a few miles from the Mekong River border with Laos, has a complement of 6,000 American airmen, two fighter-bomber squadrons and two tactical reconnaissance squadrons. Like the other Thai bases, it was considered a safe haven; as one U.S. serviceman put it not long ago: "It's a big thing when you don't have to go to bed wondering if somebody's going to lob a mortar shell at you."

There were no mortars, but the two dozen guerrillas that crept up to the base one night last week carried AK-47 automatic rifles and satchel charges. The men penetrated the northern edge of the base at a point where there was no fence. Thai guards responsible for base security flashed the alarm. By that time, however, the intruders had already damaged two planes, an F-4D Phantom fighter bomber and a C-141 jet transport fitted for medical evacuation. In the confusing half-hour firefight that ensued, a Thai guard was killed and four Americans were wounded, one critically. Two guerrillas were killed and two were captured. Following the Udorn attack, all other bases in Thailand were put on full alert, and U.S. base security guards, previously armed only with pistols, were issued M-16 rifles.

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