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Background: Texas millionaire H.Ross Perot is on his second world odyssey in less than four months in an attempt to get news of or even free United States prisoners in North Vietnam.

After inspecting prison camps in South Vietnam and expressing satisfaction at the conditions, Mr Perot and his party of 80 reporters and wives of missing American airmen took off for Vientiane in Laos hoping to see the North Vietnamese.

Last Christmas, Mr Perot hired a Boeing 707 with food parcels and flew to Laos inn a fruitless bid to get to North Vietnam or at least the parcels.

Like the previous occasion, the North Vietnamese have declined to see Mr Perot on this trip or give him any details of American captives.

While waiting in case the Communists would change their minds, Mr Perot took his party to Paksane, 100 miles east of Vientiane, to visit a camp for refugees who fled the battle areas.

Mr Perot wanted to visit the camps, especially those for prisoners, to assure himself that at least the Communist detainees were being fairly treated.

Mr Perot is earnestly sincere in his campaign and has even offered to pay the total bill for North Vietnam to regain its feet if only it will declare peace and release the detained Americans.

In reply, North Vietnam has said that the detained Americans are not prisoners of war but war criminals and would be treated as such. Their status was Hanoi's business and no on else's.