News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re: NLF Update Line

Date: December 13, 2001

"Update Line
STILL MISSING: According to the Department of Defense, there are still 1,948 Americans missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Of the total, 1,469 are in Vietnam, 411 in Laos, 60 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Over 90% of all Vietnam War missing were lost in Vietnam or areas under its wartime control.

LAO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER IN DC: On November 10th, the Lao Deputy Prime Minister met in Washington, DC, with the League's Adviser and Executive Director, and others. The Minister takes a direct role in POW/MIA matters, having proposed the successful POW/MIA Seminar that was held in October. Such informal talks are often very helpful in removing obstacles and reaching agreement. While in DC, he agreed to the League's request to work on ways to implement an Oral History Program aimed at interviewing current and former Lao officials with relevant POW/MIA information.

LAO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER VISITS FIELD SITES IN SAVANNEKHET: On November 20-21st, the Deputy Prime Minister visited the Ban Alang Base Camp in Savannakhet Province, the first such visit by a Lao Minister. This action signaled the high level of attention Laos gives to the bilateral accounting effort. Ban Alang is the site where field teams stay during joint field operations. The minister also visited some ongoing joint excavations.

LAO FIELD OPERATIONS: Fifty US personnel from the CILHI and JTF-FA just concluded work with their Lao counterparts conducting five joint recovery missions. This is the first time that five recoveries have been undertaken simultaneously in Laos, an encouraging development. In addition, a small US team of JTF-FA and DIA's Stony Beach personnel recently held talks in Vientiane to discuss implementing a unilateral Lao program to interview witnesses who may have leads to resolving US incidents. The exchanges during this meeting were very positive, and all are hopeful that a serious program will be underway early in 2002.

SENIOR CAMBODIAN OFFICIAL IN DC: On November 11th, General Pol Saroeun, Chief of the Joint Staff, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and senior Cambodian official responsible for POW/MIA Affairs, also visited Washington. En route to Washington, he met in Hawaii with JTF-FA Commander BG Steve Redmann, USAF. General Saroeun met informally with the League's Adviser and Executive Director and Dep. Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs Jerry Jennings. The Cambodian POW/MIA Committee recently proposed a series of unilateral investigations and interviews of current and former officials to develop leads on missing Americans.

CAMBODIA FIELD OPERATIONS: Due to security concerns related to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the US Ambassador postponed a joint field operation in Cambodia that had been scheduled for mid-October. The site to be surveyed involved last known alive cases and had been planned for a long time. We are pleased that JTF-FA has rescheduled this activity for early February.

US SPECIALISTS TO MEET IN HANOI: US officials met in Hanoi December 12th for technical talks with their Vietnamese counterparts. JTF-FA Commander BG Steve Redmann headed a team that included DIA Stony Beach's Commander and other representatives from JTF-FA, CILHI and DPMO.

USG MEETS ON CASES: US specialists from JTF-FA, CILHI, Stony Beach, LSEL and DPMO met November 27-30th in Washington for discussions of incidents on which new information has been obtained that may impact on accountability. Whether acquired through investigation, excavation, survey or any other means, the case coordination process is conducted regularly in an attempt to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks in the accounting effort. The general officer board that reviews last known alive cases also was to meet that week to discuss a few cases in which evidence reportedly is persuasive that the individual died and should no longer be listed as an LKA discrepancy case. In such cases, the primary next of kin is notified of the decision; however, the session was postponed.

DASD VISITS SOUTH KOREA: Mr. Jennings visited Seoul and other locations in South Korea in early December for an update on the military situation there and to meet the senior US military officials. His visit was to focus on US Forces-Korea safety concerns and joint recovery operations to return and identify Americans still unaccounted for in North Korea. He also reviewed Personnel Recovery training and operations on the Korean peninsula and stopped in Hawaii to meet with the CILHI scientific staff to discuss recovery efforts in North Korea.

US-RUSSIA COMMISSION: Retired Army MG Roland Lajoie, US Chairman of the US-Russian Commission on POW/MIAs, was recently in Russia with a small delegation for discussions with counterpart Russian officials. Commission Executive Secretary Norm Kass and Mr. Russ Thommason, of Senator Bob Smith's staff, accompanied BG Lajoie. It is hoped that their visit will bring renewed emphasis to the Commission's efforts that, in the League's view, offer significant potential for obtaining answers.

NOTES: The League's 33rd Annual Meeting will be held June 19-22, 2002, at the Crystal City DoubleTree Hotel in Arlington, VA. Registration and reservation forms will be available after the first of the year.

POW/MIA car-window decals are available at a cost of $20 per 100 by sending a check to the League. POW/MIA lapel pins are also available at $3 each or 2/$5.

THE LEAGUE HAS MOVED: The new League office at 1005 North Glebe Road, Suite 170, Arlington, VA 22201 is under construction and will officially open just after the first of the New Year.

For added information on any subject, please contact the League's web site at www.pow-miafamilies.org or call the national office at 703-465-7432 after January 7th. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a message.

The League is nationally eligible for CFC contributions, CFC #1174
The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
1005 North Glebe Road
Suite 170
Arlington, Virginia 22201
(TEL) 703-465-7432
Federal Tax ID #23-7071242"