Post by Legion Etrangere on Feb 11, 2012 10:45:04 GMT -5
The following letter was printed in French in the ANAI bulletin. Paris native, Mrs. Anne-Marie Berglund (who lives in San Antonio, Texas), a member of ANAI translated the following text. COL Jamobon, who served in Indochina, committed suicide last year at the French Indochina War Memorial:
MY LAST BULLET
By Col Robert Jambon
After Dien Bien Phu, a choice dictated to protect Laos, France signed three treaties to guaranty liberty and independence to the Kingdom of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol. First, the Geneva Treaty in 1954 to end our war in Indochina. Then, the Accords of Geneva in 1962 to guarantee the neutrality of Laos. And finally the Treaty of Paris in 1973 to respect and recognize independence, of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Laos. But those agreements where violated without any significant reaction from the signatories, by the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam (since called the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam): after the rapid departure of the Americans at the end of 1975, important North Vietnamese armies invaded Laos and permitted the small communist lao to take over in a coup d’Etat on December 2nd 1975. It must be known that the Vietnamese troops have been (officially) deactivated on the spot and converted into a group of workers for a rural development project financed by international aid. It must be known that this aid has only been used to support a Vietnamese army of occupation sheltered in the Special Strategic Zone of Xay Somboum ( south-west of Xieng Khouang), strong base for soldiers and cache for heavy artillery and armored equipments. These important forces are ready to intervene without delay in case of a popular insurrection or a coup d’Etat against the actual government, instituted by Hanoi.
It is in the area that the worst repression took place against the Hmongs, desperately anchored in the Phou Bia massif. Also, and this was confirmed to me by several sources (some implanted in the pseudo Laotian Government) that Vietnam had gone on, for several years with a massive colonization in Laos by moving, on the best land, three millions Communist Vietnamese people receiving exceptional advantages. Plus, a preference given to Vietnamese on trades, like barbers, grocers, butchers, etc.. undermining the Laotians.
At the end of 1975, when the Americans “disengaged” from the Vietnamese conflict, I did not understand that Laos was going to loose its independence and that an inhuman communist dictatorship was going to be imposed by arms. Our governments acted like they believed that it was an interior problem, therefore that they did not need to intervene. And when Father Pere Jean-Marie Ollivier, Oblate of Marie Immaculee, tried to denounce, after being a witness, this interference of a foreign power in the interior affairs of an independent state, he was told that “we do not want to hear about it”! In fact, I wrote an article about this detailed account by Pere Ollivier, titled “The lepers of Somsanouk and the Missionary who knew too much”.
Consequently, after the silence of the French authorities, I did not hear about the slaves of Laos until 1999, after reading the terrifying account of Colonel Khamphan Thammakhanti, one of the living escapees of those gulags [ death camps ], part of the communist “culture”. This account, titled “Truth about prison camp Number 01, or death camp on 438-745” was sent to me by SAR General Tiao Sayavong, who was Commandant of the first Military Region (Luang Prabang) and half brother of King Sri Savang Vatthana. This General, who was a Lieutenant when I knew him in Thakhek in 1954 spent more than sixteen years in a “reeduction” camp. After having told about these camps, he and Colonel Thammakhanti died following the torture treatments they had received…
With naivety, I thought that the media and our governments did not know about it. I felt therefore that I should denounce the crime. I did just that, addressing the newspapers, movements for the defense of oppressed people, to Mr. Chirac, then to his spouse, to a famous singer, to Mr. Kouchner, to Mr. Menard, to Mr. d’Ormesson, to Mr Devedjian, to the candidate, then to Mr. Sarkosy and his spouse. The answers were either silence or seedy or untrue justifications. I finally understood that they did not want to hear about it, under a silent plot to protect communist crimes.
Then, at the beginning of 2010 the unacceptable happened: 4200 Hmongs kept prisoners for decades in a Thailand “regrouping camp” were handed over to the lao-viets tyrants to better the good relations (commercials) with the Democratic Republic of Lao and the Kingdom of Thailand. This happened at the time when the sinister Vel d’Hiv gathering
was “commemorated”, this crime should have raised indignation. The media totally kept this event to its minimum. Aside for a few reports hardly noticed, the noble consciences stayed mute, covering in a shroud of silence the 4200 Hmongs gone on their last voyage…
After a period of discouragement, I decided to play my last card, more specifically to shoot my last bullet. In my head. In other words, to “blow-up my brain” to explain my shame and to protest the shameful indifference of our officials to this terrible calamity of our Lao friends. This is not a suicide but a military action directed towards helping our brothers in arms. As for you, governments without honor, you, the great media, with no courage and you the collaborators without shame, I spit my blood and my contempt to your face!
I asked my loved ones to forgive me for the pain I will cause them.
Colonel Robert Jambon
Colonel Jambon killed himself on the 27th of October 2011 in front of the Memorial to Indochina in Dinan.
This letter was published in the Quarterly Bulletin from the ANAI (National Association of Veterans and Friends of Indochina) in January 2012.
MY LAST BULLET
By Col Robert Jambon
After Dien Bien Phu, a choice dictated to protect Laos, France signed three treaties to guaranty liberty and independence to the Kingdom of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol. First, the Geneva Treaty in 1954 to end our war in Indochina. Then, the Accords of Geneva in 1962 to guarantee the neutrality of Laos. And finally the Treaty of Paris in 1973 to respect and recognize independence, of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Laos. But those agreements where violated without any significant reaction from the signatories, by the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam (since called the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam): after the rapid departure of the Americans at the end of 1975, important North Vietnamese armies invaded Laos and permitted the small communist lao to take over in a coup d’Etat on December 2nd 1975. It must be known that the Vietnamese troops have been (officially) deactivated on the spot and converted into a group of workers for a rural development project financed by international aid. It must be known that this aid has only been used to support a Vietnamese army of occupation sheltered in the Special Strategic Zone of Xay Somboum ( south-west of Xieng Khouang), strong base for soldiers and cache for heavy artillery and armored equipments. These important forces are ready to intervene without delay in case of a popular insurrection or a coup d’Etat against the actual government, instituted by Hanoi.
It is in the area that the worst repression took place against the Hmongs, desperately anchored in the Phou Bia massif. Also, and this was confirmed to me by several sources (some implanted in the pseudo Laotian Government) that Vietnam had gone on, for several years with a massive colonization in Laos by moving, on the best land, three millions Communist Vietnamese people receiving exceptional advantages. Plus, a preference given to Vietnamese on trades, like barbers, grocers, butchers, etc.. undermining the Laotians.
At the end of 1975, when the Americans “disengaged” from the Vietnamese conflict, I did not understand that Laos was going to loose its independence and that an inhuman communist dictatorship was going to be imposed by arms. Our governments acted like they believed that it was an interior problem, therefore that they did not need to intervene. And when Father Pere Jean-Marie Ollivier, Oblate of Marie Immaculee, tried to denounce, after being a witness, this interference of a foreign power in the interior affairs of an independent state, he was told that “we do not want to hear about it”! In fact, I wrote an article about this detailed account by Pere Ollivier, titled “The lepers of Somsanouk and the Missionary who knew too much”.
Consequently, after the silence of the French authorities, I did not hear about the slaves of Laos until 1999, after reading the terrifying account of Colonel Khamphan Thammakhanti, one of the living escapees of those gulags [ death camps ], part of the communist “culture”. This account, titled “Truth about prison camp Number 01, or death camp on 438-745” was sent to me by SAR General Tiao Sayavong, who was Commandant of the first Military Region (Luang Prabang) and half brother of King Sri Savang Vatthana. This General, who was a Lieutenant when I knew him in Thakhek in 1954 spent more than sixteen years in a “reeduction” camp. After having told about these camps, he and Colonel Thammakhanti died following the torture treatments they had received…
With naivety, I thought that the media and our governments did not know about it. I felt therefore that I should denounce the crime. I did just that, addressing the newspapers, movements for the defense of oppressed people, to Mr. Chirac, then to his spouse, to a famous singer, to Mr. Kouchner, to Mr. Menard, to Mr. d’Ormesson, to Mr Devedjian, to the candidate, then to Mr. Sarkosy and his spouse. The answers were either silence or seedy or untrue justifications. I finally understood that they did not want to hear about it, under a silent plot to protect communist crimes.
Then, at the beginning of 2010 the unacceptable happened: 4200 Hmongs kept prisoners for decades in a Thailand “regrouping camp” were handed over to the lao-viets tyrants to better the good relations (commercials) with the Democratic Republic of Lao and the Kingdom of Thailand. This happened at the time when the sinister Vel d’Hiv gathering
was “commemorated”, this crime should have raised indignation. The media totally kept this event to its minimum. Aside for a few reports hardly noticed, the noble consciences stayed mute, covering in a shroud of silence the 4200 Hmongs gone on their last voyage…
After a period of discouragement, I decided to play my last card, more specifically to shoot my last bullet. In my head. In other words, to “blow-up my brain” to explain my shame and to protest the shameful indifference of our officials to this terrible calamity of our Lao friends. This is not a suicide but a military action directed towards helping our brothers in arms. As for you, governments without honor, you, the great media, with no courage and you the collaborators without shame, I spit my blood and my contempt to your face!
I asked my loved ones to forgive me for the pain I will cause them.
Colonel Robert Jambon
Colonel Jambon killed himself on the 27th of October 2011 in front of the Memorial to Indochina in Dinan.
This letter was published in the Quarterly Bulletin from the ANAI (National Association of Veterans and Friends of Indochina) in January 2012.