The degeneration of sections of the Palestinian Resis tance has hardly been more dramatically illustrated than on the occasion of Henry Kissinger's visit to Lebanon last month.
Fifteen thousand people gathered outside Beirut airport on 16 December to demonstrate against Kissinger's tour of the Middle East, and our comtades of the Revolutionary Communist Group in Lebanon naturally seized the opportunity to cinculate copies in Arabic of theit recest joint statement with the comrades of the Fourth International in Isruel, Matepen-Marxist, The declaration calls for continued support for "the struggle of the Arab peoples against the Zionist State', and defence of 'the national conse of the Palestinian Arab people-le their right to resettle on the territory from which they were expelled, and to live free from all forms of national oppression which necessarily means the destruction of the Zionist State" (for full text see Red Heekly, 21 December.
Nevertheless, no sooner had our comrades started to hand out this declaration than they were physically attacked by some of the demonstrators, who used as a pretext the racist argument that it was an 'Isracil" leaflet. Fortunately, there was an immediade response May, whereby in return for some trade conorssions Chou En-lai assured Marcoe that China would cease co give any turmer ald to Tae insurgents in taircanno The result of this deal is to leave the querrilias of the Thai Patriotic Front in the lurch, Not only will to withdraw even her previous token support for tham, but it will be surprising if the much-needed Chinese oil does not find its was into the tuel tanks at the Thai military vehicles and planes now being used ageinst the TPF in the North-East province.
The Chinese may well attempt to justify this Since on the crounds that the rew Thai regime of a cive bocaucracy is more progressive can a rutary dictatorship, but the charge has been slight indeed. Despite the current misgivings of a section of the Thai ruling class, Thailand is still, the main US base agairist the revolution in South-East Asia. There are over 35.000 US troope stil in Thailand, and the Do bake are on continuous stand by. The Green Berers operating in PRG zones in South Vietnam are fown in from Naion Phanom in Thailand, and it is almost certain: to this attack not only from our own comrades but also from militants of other Palestinian and Amh organisations who came to their assistance, and alк we were taco in the air and a cerwan ament of panic ensued, the incident was short-lived.
Six comrades were arrested, but then released almost immediately thanks to the intervention of Palestinian militants.
The initiative in this provocation was taken by some memhers of Fateh-of rather, of Raal, Fateh's intelligence and internal police division-together with members of the Democratic Popular Front for the China's aid strengthens Thai regime against upsurges like that of students last year Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP), which in three years hns passed from the for left to the far right of the Palestinian movement. The motivation behind it is quite clear: these organisations, far from rejecting n Geneva-type "peaceful solution", are openly hinting at their willingness to liquidate the Palestinian cause as a revolutionary one through such plans as the establishmet of a "client Palestinian State on the West Bank, They will therefore attempt to nip in the tion among the rank-and-file of the Palestinian move ment.
They will find this difficult to achieve, however As the comrades of the Revolutionary Communist Group stated in a leaflet distributed the day after the clashea:
These repressive sets will not acare ur off, We affirm our resolve to continue pressing our ime and to pur it forwant before the broadest masses. In doing this, we will be no less courageous thor our comrades who dare to raise their voices in solidarity with the Ared peoples du the very heart of the Zlowist State and against its repressive apparates The voke of resolution "He extend on this occasion our thanks to all the patriotic Palestinian and lebanese groups who interagriost all attacks on democtatic rights widhn the national aberaton moremen!
Dow with the repressive set of the champions ef racism and capitationi "Down wash she plans to liguidate the Palestinian care and the Ario revalution!
For a common revolutionary interle or Aro dro Jewish workers against emperialine, Zionion, and the Arab ruling clanes!' that the F.1.11 fighter bombers which have bean sup parting convays on the Mekang against Red Khmer attacks are aiso based in Thailand. Moreover, the pasition of the US in Thailand has recently been further reinforced with the appointment of William iong-time agent of the ClA, as US ambassador in Bangkok.
The recent moves towerds liberalisation in Thailand, far from signifying a new 'progressive to deal not only with the guerrilla threat in the North but also with the increasingly vocal opposition fram workers and students in Bangkok itself, In thage building up in Thailand, the regime has now found a wiling helper in Peking. As in other countries, the Chinese buresucracy has chosen to trade in the revoltionary aspiratons of me the workers anc peasants in return for the dubious benevolenen of the Thai elite, The lessons of this counter-revolutionary trafficking must not be forgotten,