On Wednesday (2 Feb) Thai troops in South Vietnam began the final stage of their planned withdrawal. The withdrawal, which was being co-ordinated from the Thai headquarters at Bearcat, near Saigon, was expected to be completed by Friday (4 Feb).

The first Thai troops arrived in South Vietnam in 1967, reaching a peak strength of 12,000 two years later. Six months ago, as Thailand's allies began withdrawing their forces, it began to follow suit. The troops, however, do not expect to return home to a peaceful existence. Many of them will be used to counter growing insurgency by communist guerrillas in the north near Laos, and in the south on the Malaysian border. 200 officers are staying behind in South Vietnam for liaison duties.