Laos to Search Crash Site for MIAs

Laos has agreed to excavate the site of an American aircraft downed during the Vietnam War and will try to resolve the cases of three Americans listed as missing in action, Vientiane Radio reported.

The radio said the accord followed meetings Nov. 11-13 between delegations led by Harriet Isom, charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, and officials of the Laos Foreign Ministry.

The meetings, held in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, discussed the fate of 549 American MIAs in Laos.

The broadcast, made Friday, said U.S. officials also will respond to Laos’ “humanitarian needs.” It said a private U.S. organization was considering a plan to build a hospital near the search area.

The crash site in southern Savannakhet province near the border with Vietnam would be the third excavated in Laos. The earlier searches yielded 21 remains officially identified as those of missing Americans.

Although the broadcast gave no details of the three cases that will be looked into, they may be Americans who failed to emerge from prisoner of war camps after the conflict. Washington says the Laotians should know the men’s fate since there were photographs or other evidence of their capture.

Laos agreed in August to resume the search for MIAs after little action had been taken since a February, 1986, excavation.