============================================================== To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: LanXang Siengkhene *** Announcement: *** Please send your member fee to Victor if you haven't done so. ============================================================== Savannakhet also had a 7 stories building like Vientiane but, to my dismay, it wasn’t finished. Standing dejectedly like a skeleton right across the market, it invited the rough and naughty among us to fly the kite over there. I once went there with my friends. The higher I climbed, the scarier I was. Once, I was at the top of the building with only the sky above us and no walls around, I couldn’t even move my legs. On the contrary, all of my friends ran around and flew their kites with so much fun as if they were on the ground. As you also know, Savannakhet was the military region 3 and its headquarter was next to my residence, the post office. Every morning I was greeted by the blare of the military horn at 8 o’clock. Yes, it was the time to raise the flag up the pole. Like it or not, the routine of saluting the flag every morning made me an ardent patriot at an early age. It was said that the regional commander was like a king in his region. I would somehow concur with that view. General Bounphon, later became the powerless commander in chief of the military forces, held more authority than Chao Kaeng, the legitimate governor of the region. For those who are not familiar with the military structure of Laos armed forces, let me give you a brief sketch. There were 5 military regions. Region 1 covered Luangprabang and the outlying areas. Region 2 covered Xiengkhouang and SamNeua (as you might know, this region was ruled by General Vang Pao _ an absolute king in his own right. His army was directly financed by the CIA). Region 3 covered Savannakhet and Khammouane. Region 4 covered the whole south of Laos. Its headquarter was in Pakse Region 5 covered Vientiane and Paksane. Its headquarter was at Chinaimo (General Kouprasith Aphay, its commander, was second to none even though Vientiane was the seat of the government). Curious to learn that its military region had its own autonomy therefore making a concerted effort for the war campaign in all of Laos impossible. No wonder the military effectiveness was a joke. That was why once the prop (the U.S. backing) was gone, the whole structure easily crumbled down. (to be continued) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com _ ***************************************************************** Visit SatJaDham Homepage at: http://www.satjadham.org (or .net) *****************************************************************